Recycled (1975)
I've referred to this album a couple of times in my reviews below. Essentially Recycled is a progressive rock comeback album, done at a time when such things would have been rare. It was to be a one-off relapse, as it were, and a darn good one at that. Starting with a symphony of tympani, Nektar makes no bones about the fact that they intend on going all-in for prog rock for the memories. Side 2) takes on an earlier outlook from the band, exploring space rock themes with a touch of funk, giving its only nod to commercialism.
Ownership: 1975 Bacillus (LP). Poster insert.
1992 (Passport LP acquired); 12/31/12; 11/19/15 (Bacillus LP acquired); 12/16/25 (review)
Journey to the Centre of the Eye (1971)
Given that Nektar were formed in Germany and the imagery they put forth on their debut, I have a tendency to lump this album in with Krautrock. As I mentioned on Emtidi's Saat album the other day, you know Krautrock when you hear it. And Journey to the Centre of the Eye isn't it. Later albums are more obvious on this front (being more overtly progressive rock), but the debut is more experimental. In a similar way that same era Pink Floyd and Hawkwind are. This is space rock through and through. Perhaps to its detriment. Some of the downtime portions could use some of that Krautrock atmosphere that's missing. It's still a darn good listen with 'Burn Out My Eyes' being a particular highlight. In fact Side 2 does overshadow the flip, leaving a strong impression afterward. Before last night, I would have argued that Journey to the Centre of the Eye is my favorite Nektar. Something tells me one of their next two will be now.
As with Magic is a Child, I hadn't actually
heard Down to Earth until now. Or I probably did in snippets and walked
away in disgust. This is exactly the type of album that would not have
appealed to me at age 21, or 31, maybe even 41. But at 51, I hear it in a
different way. Managing expectations is everything, and it's not
unreasonable for someone to approach this expecting to hear the sounds
of the album before (Remember the Future) or after (Recycled). In fact,
the latter album probably has more to do with the negative impression in
modern times, since it was rare for a band to make a "comeback" like
that in the 1970s. Just about every progressive rock band found their
way to commercialism over time. 1974 was perhaps a bit early to jump the
shark as it were, but in retrospect this album was actually ahead of
its time, though I'm sure audiences back then were quite baffled by it.
So in the end, had the band renamed themselves Ratken for this album, it
probably would have been received better.
And after hearing it intently, I was quite surprised at how progressive it actually is. It's tighter and doesn't possess the long stretches of progressive space rock, so on the surface it seems less complex. 'Nelly the Elephant' is startling in that it sounds more like a horn rock track from 1970. It reminded me of the UK band The Greatest Show on Earth actually (circus themes?). 'Early Morning Clown' wouldn't be out of place on a Jonesy or Fruupp album. And 'That's Life' sounds like an outtake from Yes' Fragile session. In fact, only the relatively dull song 'Little Boy' ended up being a slight disappointment. This is a very good album to my ears, and I suspect will always be misunderstood. I can see I'm of the minority opinion on this one. OK, fair enough.
Ownership: 1974 Bacillus (LP). Gatefold. Quad.
Magic is a Child (1977)
Well, believe it or not, I'd never heard this record until now. And probably never would have, were it not a throw-in to another LP deal I just purchased. Good thing. Had I heard this 30, or even 20 years ago, I would have dismissed it out of hand. But with my ears today (oh these ears, I tell ya...), I hear exactly what Nektar was going for and honestly they did a great job at it!
And what they were going for was FM radio airplay. For whatever reason, the radio guys didn't feel there were any hits here. But I disagree, as seven out of the nine songs here could have easily caught on with the 1977 crowd. So yes, Nektar are a long way from their (recent) progressive rock past - and even further from their space rock roots. But this is still some fine sophisticated AOR, or what we used to call "pomp". A precursor to the neo-prog (later interpretation of said movement) sound honestly.
Good album if bands like Styx, later Starcastle, City Boy, and others of its ilk appeal to you.
Ownership: 1977 Polydor (LP)
Given that Nektar were formed in Germany and the imagery they put forth on their debut, I have a tendency to lump this album in with Krautrock. As I mentioned on Emtidi's Saat album the other day, you know Krautrock when you hear it. And Journey to the Centre of the Eye isn't it. Later albums are more obvious on this front (being more overtly progressive rock), but the debut is more experimental. In a similar way that same era Pink Floyd and Hawkwind are. This is space rock through and through. Perhaps to its detriment. Some of the downtime portions could use some of that Krautrock atmosphere that's missing. It's still a darn good listen with 'Burn Out My Eyes' being a particular highlight. In fact Side 2 does overshadow the flip, leaving a strong impression afterward. Before last night, I would have argued that Journey to the Centre of the Eye is my favorite Nektar. Something tells me one of their next two will be now.
CD includes their 1972 single 'Do You Believe in Magic' and '1-2-3-4'. Both good tunes but not enough to keep the CD for. Both of these were extended on the Sounds Like This album.
Ownership: 1972 Bacillus (LP). Gatefold.
Ownership: 1972 Bacillus (LP). Gatefold.
1//88 (LP acquired); 2/13/07; 8/26/23 (review)
Down to Earth (1974)
And after hearing it intently, I was quite surprised at how progressive it actually is. It's tighter and doesn't possess the long stretches of progressive space rock, so on the surface it seems less complex. 'Nelly the Elephant' is startling in that it sounds more like a horn rock track from 1970. It reminded me of the UK band The Greatest Show on Earth actually (circus themes?). 'Early Morning Clown' wouldn't be out of place on a Jonesy or Fruupp album. And 'That's Life' sounds like an outtake from Yes' Fragile session. In fact, only the relatively dull song 'Little Boy' ended up being a slight disappointment. This is a very good album to my ears, and I suspect will always be misunderstood. I can see I'm of the minority opinion on this one. OK, fair enough.
Ownership: 1974 Bacillus (LP). Gatefold. Quad.
1/23/16 (CD acquired / review); 8/5/23 (LP acquired)
Well, believe it or not, I'd never heard this record until now. And probably never would have, were it not a throw-in to another LP deal I just purchased. Good thing. Had I heard this 30, or even 20 years ago, I would have dismissed it out of hand. But with my ears today (oh these ears, I tell ya...), I hear exactly what Nektar was going for and honestly they did a great job at it!
And what they were going for was FM radio airplay. For whatever reason, the radio guys didn't feel there were any hits here. But I disagree, as seven out of the nine songs here could have easily caught on with the 1977 crowd. So yes, Nektar are a long way from their (recent) progressive rock past - and even further from their space rock roots. But this is still some fine sophisticated AOR, or what we used to call "pomp". A precursor to the neo-prog (later interpretation of said movement) sound honestly.
Good album if bands like Styx, later Starcastle, City Boy, and others of its ilk appeal to you.
Ownership: 1977 Polydor (LP)
12/6/15 (LP acquired / review)
Also own and need to review: A Tab in the Ocean; Remember the Future
Also once owned Man in the Moon.
Nektar reformed in 2001 and have released an impressive seven albums since. Mostly to middling reviews, though my curiosity remains piqued.
12/6/15 (new entry)
No comments:
Post a Comment