After They Split: Limahl, Don’t Suppose and Kaja, Extra Play

Posted in Waxing Nostalgic |

Kaja, Extra Play

Nick Beggs and the other members of Kajagoogoo were also trying to make a name for themselves after Limahl’s departure, and the first effort I heard was the single “Turn Your Back On Me,” which I absolutely adored. I’d only heard Beggs’ background vocals on White Feathers so I wasn’t sure how he’d hold up as a lead singer. I was thrilled to hear that he had a decent voice.

In the UK, the band was still known as Kajagoogoo and the album was released as Islands. But in the US, they were called Kaja and the album titled Extra Play. When I heard the entire album, I could scarcely believe this was the same band that had given us White Feathers. (And I was thankful that Beggs had ditched that ridiculous hairstyle.) It has a much heavier pop funk/jazz vibe, with lots of horns, a stylistic flourish that was predominant at the time (see also Haircut 100 and Howard Jones). “The Lion’s Mouth” and “Big Apple” were the other two singles and exemplify this sound. Both are remarkably catchy and fresh, even now, and feature Nick Beggs’ groovy bass playing.

The slower “The Power To Forgive” definitely lent credence to the whole “Christians vs. Buddhist” rumor, as it’s so obviously about Jesus (”Every day I fail him/as I bang another nail in”). There are other slower tunes on the album that are also quite lovely: “Melting The Ice Away” and “Part Of Me Is You.” My favorite, however, is “On A Plane” which meshes all the different sounds of the album together in one nice package.

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Kaja’s next effort, Crazy People’s Right To Speak, was a disappointment. The songs were long and uninteresting, lacking the vibrancy of the ones on Extra Play. It was also so overly Christian in theme (”Rivers” is essentially a song version of the “Footprints In The Sand” poem) that I felt preached to and no matter how much I tried to ignore that, I couldn’t.

In 2004, Kaja appeared on VH-1’s Bands Reunited but the reunion was short-lived as they broke up again not long after (apparently Limahl and Jez Strode had “contractual differences” with the rest of the band which they could not resolve). I was fairly stunned to find out, during the course of writing this piece, that the entire band (including Strode-across-the-room and Limahl) are reuniting for a 2009 album and tour. I’m a little fearful of what it might sound like, but knowing me, I’ll probably check it out, anyway.

Let’s hope it doesn’t tarnish the shine of Extra Play and Don’t Suppose.

For more on the Kajagoogoo reunion and tour, please visit the band’s Official Site.

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