''Starlight Dancer'' is a 1977 album by Dutch

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

Kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

.Dutch Charts - Kayak albums chart positions
/ref> It was produced by

Jack Lancaster Jack Lancaster is a British composer, record producer and musician. In the late 1960s, Lancaster co-founded the British rock group Blodwyn Pig with Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams and in the late 1970s he was a member of ...

and Kayak. The North American release is very different from the original Dutch/European release with the same title. In fact it is a compilation of songs from ''Starlight Dancer'' and their previous album ''

The Last Encore ''The Last Encore'' is the fourth album by the Dutch progressive rock band Kayak. It was originally released by Mercury Records in 1976 and issued on CD in 1995, with a re-release by Universal in 2002. The songs "Still My Heart Cries For You" and ...

'' (1976). The American record company, Janus Records, used the title ''Starlight Dancer'' but the sleeve design of ''The Last Encore''.

European version

This album is the only Kayak album with members Charles Louis Schouten (drums) and Theo de Jong (bass). The song "Golddust" is the only song written by

Max Werner Max Werner (born 29 December 1953 in Hilversum) is a Dutch vocalist, musician, and drummer. He was the lead singer, drummer, and percussionist of the progressive art rock band Kayak. In 1972, Werner co-founded the band along with keyboard ...

that Kayak recorded. It features a guest appearance by Dutch keyboardist

Rick van der Linden Rick van der Linden (5 August 1946, Badhoevedorp, North Holland - 22 January 2006, Groningen) was a Dutch composer and keyboardist. Van der Linden first gained fame as a member of Ekseption, but he played in several other bands including most no ...

. Only two songs of this release ("Turn the Tide" and "Starlight Dancer") were used on the North American release. "Want You to Be Mine" and "Irene" are also included, but these were in fact demo-versions, slightly different from the versions on the European album. Until July 2010, the European version of ''Starlight Dancer'' was not released on CD in its own right. It was released as part of a double CD set called ''Three Originals''. This double CD exists of the complete albums ''Starlight Dancer'', ''Phantom of the Night'' and ''Periscope Life'', plus five non-album bonus tracks. In July 2010, Universal/Mercury released the European album on a single CD.

Track listing

North American version

The song "Ballad For a Lost Friend" is included on the album ''Kayak - The Golden Years of Dutch Music'', released by Universal Music in 2015. In the Netherlands, the song was used as a single

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. The North American album was not released on CD.

Track listing

Personnel

- lead vocals, Mellotron, percussion *

Johan Slager Johan Slager (born 8 June 1946, Amsterdam) is a Dutch musician best known as the original guitarist of rock band Kayak. He co-founded the band along with Ton Scherpenzeel, Pim Koopman, and Max Werner in 1972. He left the band in 1982 after ni ...

- electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals *

Ton Scherpenzeel Ton Scherpenzeel (born 6 August 1952) is a Dutch keyboardist, composer, lyricist, and founding member of progressive rock band Kayak, together with Pim Koopman and Max Werner whom he met whilst at the Hilversum Muziek Lyceum (Hilversum College o ...

- piano, backing vocals, clavinet, organ, string ensemble, Mellotron, accordion, synthesizers, double bass * Theo de Jong - bass guitar (EU 1-11, US 1-3, 6, 11) * Charles Louis Schouten - drums (EU 1-11, US 1-3, 6, 11) * Bert Veldkamp - bass guitar (US 4, 5, 7-10) ncredited*

Pim Koopman Wilhelmus Frederikus "Pim" Koopman (11 March 1953 – 23 November 2009) was a Dutch musician best known as the drummer and percussionist of rock band Kayak. Biography Born in Hilversum, Koopman co-founded Kayak in 1972, along with Ton Sche ...

- drums (US 4, 5, 7-10) ncredited

References

{{Authority control 1977 albums Kayak (band) albums