Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Kaipa
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2002
Length: 79:07
Rating: 4/5
Back in the seventies, Kaipa were the most respected and recognizable Swedish prog rock band around. The band was founded in 1973 under the name Ura Kaipa by keyboardist/vocalist Hans Lundin and bassist Tomas Eriksson. Soon after, a barely 17-year-old guitarist and singer joined the group, who played symphonic prog rock with the occasional folk element and a noticeable influence from a handful of British bands. That was Roine Stolt, who has since become a key figure in the Swedish prog rock scene. In 1975, shortly after dropping the ‘Ura’ from their name, they released their self-titled debut on the well-known label Decca Records. By the end of the seventies they’d recorded two more studio albums with lyrics in Swedish.
After Stolt left in 1979, they put out two more albums in the eighties that went largely unnoticed, and only in 1993 did they try, unsuccessfully, to get back on the scene with the album »Stockholm Symphonie«. Lundin still had no intention of throwing in the towel, though. In 2000 he lured Stolt back into the fold (by then Stolt had become the leader of The Flower Kings and a member of the international supergroup Transatlantic), and managed to revive this cult Swedish band with their strongest lineup to date. Alongside the original members, Lundin and Stolt, the revamped Kaipa featured the talented bassist Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Karmakanic), drummer Morgan Ågren (best known for his work with Frank Zappa), lead vocalist Patrik Lundström (Ritual) and singer Aleena Gibson.
It was precisely the quality vocal harmonies, handled mostly by Lundström and Gibson, with Lundin (once Kaipa’s lead singer) and Stolt, both fine singers in their own right, providing excellent backing vocals, that became one of the band’s main strengths. Kaipa got with ‘the times’, so the lyrics on their ‘comeback’ album »Notes From The Past« were written in English, and they stuck with that on every album since.
The level of virtuosity on »Notes From The Past«, a classic ‘old-school’ symphonic prog achievement with modern production, folk elements and distinctive Scandinavian ambient shades, was fascinating. Ågren is one of Sweden’s best drummers, which isn’t surprising, since Frank Zappa only ever worked with the best musical discoveries, while Jonas Reingold was one of the most highly regarded European bass talents at the turn of the century. There’s no need to go on at length about Lundin’s skills, since with his keyboard wizardry he was the main ‘star’ of the new Kaipa, while Stolt, as usual, lived up to his reputation as one of Sweden’s finest guitar virtuosos at every turn. Lundin has always sworn by traditional prog rock keyboards (Hammond organ, Mellotron, Minimoog), so the album is soaked in nostalgic ambient charm, yet it also has enough sonic novelties for Kaipa to stand shoulder to shoulder with the third-wave prog rock bands.
On »Notes From The Past« Kaipa proved that they were and still are masters at building grand, symphonic arrangements and gorgeous keyboard-and-guitar harmonies, while keeping things melodic and radiating a distinctly positive atmosphere at every turn, much like Stolt’s The Flower Kings and Lundström’s Ritual. In other words, despite the considerable complexity of most of the pieces on the album, infectious melody rules at every step. The album opens with the first part of the title track, where lead singer Lundström gets his chance to shine right away, accompanied in the background by mighty Mellotron waves and melancholy guitar variations. The instrumental »Night-Bike-Ride (On Lilac Street)« is a fascinating symphonic prog concoction, with wild guitar-and-keyboard improvisations and crazy rhythmic elements rooted in jazz fusion, courtesy of the unstoppable Reingold-Ågren rhythm section.
»Mirrors Of Yesterday« features a wonderfully witty keyboard motif, while Lundström’s distinctive vocal performance helps shape the upbeat atmosphere. Lundström is one of those singers with a very particular tone of voice, suited to all kinds of genres, and the listener can only either love it or hate it. There’s simply no middle ground. Lundin shines with layers of harmonic keyboard textures that keep the overall symphonic grandeur going, while Stolt seasons the whole thing with a bit of cheeky guitar improvisation. »Leaving The Horizon« is the first of three epics on »Notes From The Past« that run longer than ten minutes. The pompous, symphonic intro with elements of Scandinavian folk music, packed with virtuoso moments that build a mysterious yet bright atmosphere, is a real treat for all the prog gourmets, and what follows is a handful of seriously interesting time changes.
»In The Space Of A Twinkle«, thanks to its melancholy Mellotron curtains, subtle piano and narration, sounds like a lament or the soundtrack to some (animated) fantasy film, while an electric guitar intrusion creates an interesting ambient contrast. »Folke’s Final Decision« is another shorter piece (shorter compared to most of the album, that is), where amid colorful symphonic arrangements by Lundin, hard rock guitar moves rule the day, the kind that even Deep Purple probably wouldn’t be ashamed of. Alongside the witty baroque embellishments there are folk elements too, adding extra spice to the lively ambient character of the composition. The nearly fourteen-minute epic »The Name Belongs To You« opens with a pompous intro with Lundström’s vocals front and center, followed by a switch into a turbulent instrumental section with unpredictable rhythmic meanders, wild improvisational flights and regal Mellotron waves.
»Second Journey Inside The Green Glass« is a total triumph of Mellotron waves, which have always gotten Lundin all worked up, while his comrade Stolt delivers some fascinating guitar variations and Ågren comes alive on electronic percussion. Lundin then improvises on various instruments in his keyboard kingdom, with Stolt constantly keeping up with his electric guitar solo mastery, which deepens the dramatic atmosphere even more.
On »A Road In My Mind«, where the epic guitar-and-keyboard harmonies in the second half are a highlight, Aleena Gibson takes over lead vocals, another singer with a distinctive tone who always pours a huge amount of emotion into her singing. The ten-minute instrumental »Morganism« opens with a wild keyboard improvisation, followed by a switch into a phantasmagorical, seriously complex section with jazz rock fusion and funk elements, in the middle of which come some wonderful improvisational ‘handoffs’. The main ‘star’ this time is Morgan Ågren, after whom the track is named, as he pulls off an unforgettable drum solo. The dramatic finale with the second part of the title track brings epic vocal harmonies, backed by grand waves of Mellotron and all sorts of guitar passages, so once again there’s no shortage of virtuoso indulgence.
»Notes From The Past« was clear proof that the creative magic between Lundin and Stolt, despite a collaboration gap of more than twenty years, was stronger than ever before in Kaipa’s history up to that point. With this album, one of the key moments of their career, the cult band managed to step convincingly into the 21st century and hold its own against the younger prog rock upstarts. Together with The Flower Kings, Ritual and Karmakanic, they began forming a highly successful Swedish prog rock phalanx on the Inside Out label in the new century.
Lineup
Hans Lundin – keyboards, backing vocals
Roine Stolt – guitar, backing vocals
Patrik Lundström – lead vocals
Jonas Reingold – bass guitar
Morgan Agren – drums, percussion
Aleena Gibson – backing vocals, lead vocals on “A Road In My Mind”
Tove Törn Lundin – backing vocals
Production
Hans Lundin
Tracklist
1. Notes From The Past – Part I (3:09)
2. Night-BIke-Ride (On Lilac Street) (3:28)
3. Mirrors Of Yesterday (6:17)
4. Leaving The Horizon (14:10)
5.In The Space Of a Twinkle (3:27)
6. Folke’s Final Decision (4:03)
7. The Name Belongs to You (13:46)
8. Second Journey Inside The Green Glass (5:55)
9. A Road in My Mind (7:17)
10. Morganism (10:33)
11. Notes From The Past – Part II (6:58)
