Notes From the Past

Kaipa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B000063NNS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,156 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome classic prog., July 9, 2002

By 

Lord Chimp (Monkey World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Notes From the Past (Audio CD)

What year is it again? Right, 2002. It's been a long time since the original progressive rock renaissance was kicked off by innovators like Yes, King Crimson, ELP, and Genesis. And yet, listening to Kaipa's Notes from the Past, you could very easily think you've stepped through a time warp. This album's sound is vintage! Still, it goes to show that a magical band can come along and work with the classical sound in wonderful ways that make everything old seem new again. You _must_ have this album if you like the classic keyboard-heavy prog sound, but if you hate walls of 'tron and Hammond organs...RUN AWAY!

Headed by keyboardist Hans Lundin, Kaipa is a Swedish band that released a few albums in the 70s. Guitarist Roine Stolt was also a member of this band, and now many know him as the head honcho behind The Flower Kings. Notes from the Past is the first album released under the Kaipa name since the early 1980s. Even though the progressive rock genre has been through a lot of changes since the 70s, this is a great record independent of musical epochs.

For those interested in Roine Stolt's involvement, it should be noted that everything was written by Lundin. Stolt's voice here is his guitar playing, which is surprisingly vibrant and exciting. His creativity is endless. On this album, he cuts loose with some of his most exciting playing ("The Name Belongs to You") and some of his best textural playing (virtually instrumental section). The vocals of Patrik Lundstrom are excellent, a bit like Stolt himself actually but with a duller accent and simply a more powerful voice.

"Morganism" is one of my favorite prog instrumentals. It apparently gets its name from Morgan Argen, the drummer, known for playing with Zappa and Mats & Morgan. It's an awesomely groovy instrumental (and huge, close to 11 minutes), blending funk, big band, jazz, and disco-rock. The best is the end, marked by an aggressive drum solo with a slow, eerie background for a strange effect. All of the drumming is excellent, actually, definitely approaching alien-octopus levels but always tasteful. "A Road In My Mind" precedes this track, featuring female vocalist Aleena. Although she perhaps tries to sound too much like a rock star, it's hard not to like the song with its beautiful acoustic guitars and vocal & synth melodies.

The album's selection of great melodies are apparently limitless. Very singable choruses ("Mirrors of Yesterday", "Leaving the Horizon") are combined with appetizing instrumental hooks with makes the album entertaining through and through. And I'm astonished that the album seems so short. At 79 minutes, it's actually quite long CD-wise, but it seems over much sooner.

The only thing on the album I don't care for is "In the Space of a Twinkle", which is spacey musak ruined by some lady's robotic narration. Still, given that the song is only 3 1/2 minutes out of a 79 minute album, and most of it is music anyway, it's a very small complaint.

Instead of whipping up a conclusion paragraph, I'll take the lazy way out and refer you back to the final sentence of the first paragraph. An expedient use of time!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars, June 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Notes From the Past (Audio CD)

This 2002 recording by Sweden's Kaipa is somewhat misleading in that the only two Kaipa members present are the Flower Kings' Roine Stolt and keyboardist, composer, Hans Lundin. Bassist Jonas Reingold, also of the Flower Kings, is present as well. Carrying on in Kaipa tradition is the use of absolutely horrid vocalists. The majority of the singing here is by Patrick Lundstrom. This guy over-emotes at every turn. He comes across more like a refugee from a bad Andrew Lloyd Weber production (is there any other kind). He really spoils things but doesn't manage to ruin them. The two female vocalists (one cut each) are no better. The compositions and musicianship are terrific but it is no small task getting past the vocals and embarrasingly weak lyrics. Thankfully there are a number of instrumental cuts. Proceed with caution...Simon

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steady Improvement As the Music Progresses, December 1, 2004

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Notes From the Past (Audio CD)

I bought this CD on the basis of Roine Stolt's participation, as virtually anything he gets involved with has a lot of merit and Notes From The Past is no exception. What strikes me is how other reviewers feel about the vocals. I had many of the same thoughts but also think that the strength of the music overcomes the weakness of the vocals.
The CD starts on a weak note with the first part of the title cut. As other reviewers have noted, Patrik Lundstrom's voice is simply not up to this kind of music. I make an exception to that on one cut as Lundstrom aces The Name Belongs To You.
But there is steady improvement as the music progresses and by the time Folke's Final Decision is finished, Notes From the Past has morphed from a middling prog-rock project into a full-blown progressive masterpiece. The Name Belongs To You is an astonishing tour de force. That is followed by a mind-blowing instrumental workout on Second Journey Inside the Green Glass.
A Road In My Mind features a haunting vocal by Aleena Lundin and a magnificent instrumental interlude showcasing the guitar prowess of Roine Stolt. The CD then winds down with Morganism, a long instumental which carries the listener on a ten-minute journey through a variety of sonic landscapes before closing with a very strong Part II of the title cut.
The Inside Out label on which this CD is issued has become one that can be depended on to sign quality acts. It has become to progressive rock what CTI once was for jazz: a near guarantee of quality. If you have strong proclivities toward progressive rock, then this Kaipa CD should be in your collection as Notes From The Past contains some of the best tunes modern prog has to offer.