Nektar
Encyclopedia
Nektar is a 1970s English progressive rock
band originally based in Germany
.
, Germany in 1969, members included Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums, and Mick Brockett on lights, special effects and other miscellanea. Songwriting was always considered a group effort.
The band's early albums such as Journey to the Centre of the Eye
, ...Sounds Like This and A Tab in the Ocean
were obscure psychedelic rock
albums that won the band a small but growing cult following, based largely on word of mouth. The last of those albums was the first Nektar album to be released in the U.S., on the small Passport Records label.
It was Nektar's second U.S. release, Remember the Future (1973), that propelled the band briefly into mass popularity. A concept album
about a blind
boy who communicates with an extraterrestrial
being, the music was a big leap forward for the band with a much more melodic sound than on previous albums. It shot into the Top 20 album charts in the U.S. The follow-up album, Down to Earth (1974), was another concept album with a circus theme; it also sold well, breaking into the Top 40 album charts and included Nektar's only song to chart on the Billboard singles charts, "Astral Man". The next album, Recycled (1975), was stylistically close to bands like Gentle Giant
and is considered by many fans to be Nektar's finest moment.
Guitarist Roye Albrighton left the band just prior to the studio sessions to record Nektar's first major-label release, Magic is a Child (1977). Guitarist Dave Nelson joined the band after Albrighton's departure. The album was more eclectic, although with shorter songs and fairly straightforward rhythms-but many fans thought it was too pop
-oriented; lyrically the album covered a wide range of subjects from Norse mythology
and magic
to more down to earth subjects like railroads
and truck
drivers. But there are some fans who considered the album a misfire and it proved to be the end of Nektar's brief popularity, although a few more albums were released, mostly live albums and compilations.
When the Nektar back catalog was first released on compact disc
in the early 1990s, the wrong master(the quad rear channel mix)was used for the Bellaphon CD release of Remember the Future. The mix practically buried Roye Albrighton's lead guitar. This was corrected in later CD releases.
Nektar regrouped in 2002 and headlined NEARfest
(opposite Steve Hackett
) with a full line-up including synthesizer wizard Larry Fast
. They also released their first album of new material since the 1970s, "The Prodigal Son". They followed this release up in 2004 with "Evolution". Recent members of Nektar have included Randy Dembo on bass, and Tom Hughes on Hammond organ alongside original members Albrighton and Howden. Dembo and Hughes left in August, 2006 citing communication problems, money issues, personality issues and trust in the management issues. All of Nektar's back catalogue has either been remastered and re-released or is in the process of being so. This includes A Tab in the Ocean which now features the original 1972 German mix, as well as an alternate 1976 "American" mix, Remember the Future with two bonus tracks in the form of two radio promo singles. The re-issue of Recycled features the original album release mix, and an alternate mix by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, something many fans found akin to hearing the music for the first time. Nektar's re-issue of Down to Earth contains seven bonus tracks, including hilarious out-takes by Robert Calvert. The re-issue of Magic Is a Child (an album which did not feature founding member Roye Albrighton) features amazingly clear sound, and four bonus tracks including a live-from-the radio version of "Midnight Light".
In 2006, the band found new management (Roy Clay) to replace The Eclectic Records staff, playing "Prog fests" around the globe on a part-time basis, and occasionally appearing in some of their old haunts in the New Jersey/New York area. Clay was subsequently released from management duties early 2007 after a dispute over financial matters.
The band also embarked on the production of a new album Book of Days. The album was released on 16 May 2008 on the Bellaphon Label.
In mid-2007, a solo tour was undertaken by lead singer Roye Albrighton, to be followed by a full band tour of Europe (primarily Germany), and scheduled by a European-based promoter, but they had to postpone as extra funds were needed to complete the new album.
The band is currently completing work on a new album for 2011, titled Juggernaut.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band originally based in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
The band formed in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany in 1969, members included Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums, and Mick Brockett on lights, special effects and other miscellanea. Songwriting was always considered a group effort.
The band's early albums such as Journey to the Centre of the Eye
Journey to the Centre of the Eye
Journey to the Centre of the Eye is the debut album from English progressive rock band Nektar that came out in 1972. Because of its narrative nature, it has been called a rock opera and/or dense concept album.-Instrumentation and album structure:...
, ...Sounds Like This and A Tab in the Ocean
A Tab in the Ocean
A Tab in the Ocean is the second album from German-based English progressive rock band Nektar.-Track listing:*All songs written by Nektar.Side one# "A Tab In The Ocean" – 15:30Side two# "Desolation Valley" – 5:45# "Waves" – 2:53...
were obscure psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
albums that won the band a small but growing cult following, based largely on word of mouth. The last of those albums was the first Nektar album to be released in the U.S., on the small Passport Records label.
It was Nektar's second U.S. release, Remember the Future (1973), that propelled the band briefly into mass popularity. A concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
about a blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
boy who communicates with an extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
being, the music was a big leap forward for the band with a much more melodic sound than on previous albums. It shot into the Top 20 album charts in the U.S. The follow-up album, Down to Earth (1974), was another concept album with a circus theme; it also sold well, breaking into the Top 40 album charts and included Nektar's only song to chart on the Billboard singles charts, "Astral Man". The next album, Recycled (1975), was stylistically close to bands like Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band was known for the complexity and sophistication of its music and for the varied musical skills of its members. All of the band members, except the first two drummers, were multi-instrumentalists...
and is considered by many fans to be Nektar's finest moment.
Guitarist Roye Albrighton left the band just prior to the studio sessions to record Nektar's first major-label release, Magic is a Child (1977). Guitarist Dave Nelson joined the band after Albrighton's departure. The album was more eclectic, although with shorter songs and fairly straightforward rhythms-but many fans thought it was too pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-oriented; lyrically the album covered a wide range of subjects from Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
and magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
to more down to earth subjects like railroads
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
and truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
drivers. But there are some fans who considered the album a misfire and it proved to be the end of Nektar's brief popularity, although a few more albums were released, mostly live albums and compilations.
When the Nektar back catalog was first released on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in the early 1990s, the wrong master(the quad rear channel mix)was used for the Bellaphon CD release of Remember the Future. The mix practically buried Roye Albrighton's lead guitar. This was corrected in later CD releases.
Nektar regrouped in 2002 and headlined NEARfest
NEARfest
The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, is a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event is held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, approximately one hour north of Philadelphia...
(opposite Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
) with a full line-up including synthesizer wizard Larry Fast
Larry Fast
Lawrence Roger 'Larry' Fast is a synthesizer expert and composer. He is best known for Synergy, his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums, and for his contribution to a number of popular music acts, including Peter Gabriel, Foreigner, and Hall and Oates.- Biography :Fast grew up in...
. They also released their first album of new material since the 1970s, "The Prodigal Son". They followed this release up in 2004 with "Evolution". Recent members of Nektar have included Randy Dembo on bass, and Tom Hughes on Hammond organ alongside original members Albrighton and Howden. Dembo and Hughes left in August, 2006 citing communication problems, money issues, personality issues and trust in the management issues. All of Nektar's back catalogue has either been remastered and re-released or is in the process of being so. This includes A Tab in the Ocean which now features the original 1972 German mix, as well as an alternate 1976 "American" mix, Remember the Future with two bonus tracks in the form of two radio promo singles. The re-issue of Recycled features the original album release mix, and an alternate mix by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, something many fans found akin to hearing the music for the first time. Nektar's re-issue of Down to Earth contains seven bonus tracks, including hilarious out-takes by Robert Calvert. The re-issue of Magic Is a Child (an album which did not feature founding member Roye Albrighton) features amazingly clear sound, and four bonus tracks including a live-from-the radio version of "Midnight Light".
In 2006, the band found new management (Roy Clay) to replace The Eclectic Records staff, playing "Prog fests" around the globe on a part-time basis, and occasionally appearing in some of their old haunts in the New Jersey/New York area. Clay was subsequently released from management duties early 2007 after a dispute over financial matters.
The band also embarked on the production of a new album Book of Days. The album was released on 16 May 2008 on the Bellaphon Label.
In mid-2007, a solo tour was undertaken by lead singer Roye Albrighton, to be followed by a full band tour of Europe (primarily Germany), and scheduled by a European-based promoter, but they had to postpone as extra funds were needed to complete the new album.
The band is currently completing work on a new album for 2011, titled Juggernaut.
Studio albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Journey to the Centre of the Eye Journey to the Centre of the Eye Journey to the Centre of the Eye is the debut album from English progressive rock band Nektar that came out in 1972. Because of its narrative nature, it has been called a rock opera and/or dense concept album.-Instrumentation and album structure:... |
| 1972 | A Tab in the Ocean A Tab in the Ocean A Tab in the Ocean is the second album from German-based English progressive rock band Nektar.-Track listing:*All songs written by Nektar.Side one# "A Tab In The Ocean" – 15:30Side two# "Desolation Valley" – 5:45# "Waves" – 2:53... |
| 1973 | ...Sounds Like This |
| Remember the Future | |
| 1974 | Down to Earth Down to Earth (Nektar album) - Track listing :*All Songs Written By Nektar. # "Astral Man" – 3:07# "Nelly the Elephant" – 5:02# "Early Morning Clown" – 3:21# "That's Life" – 6:49# "Fidgety Queen" – 4:04# "Oh Willy" – 4:00# "Little Boy" – 3:03... |
| 1975 | Recycled |
| 1977 | Magic is a Child Magic is a Child Magic Is A Child is the seventh album from English progressive rock band Nektar. It was the first Nektar album without Roye Albrighton on guitar and vocals... |
| 1980 | Man in the Moon Man in the Moon (Nektar album) Man in the Moon is the eighth studio album by Nektar and was originally released in 1980 as a German only release. This album continues the commercial hard rock with elements of progressive rock explored on their previous effort Magic is a Child. This album features the return of founding member... |
| 2001 | The Prodigal Son The Prodigal Son (Nektar album) The Prodigal Son is the ninth album by progressive rock band Nektar released in 2001. It was their first studio album in over 20 years. This album is a "mixed bag of rootsy blues songs" fused with the trademark Nektar sound that at times brings a "flashback to their Remember the Future album." The... |
| 2004 | Evolution Evolution (Nektar album) Evolution is the tenth album by progressive rock band Nektar, released in 2004. It was the first Nektar album since 1977's Magic Is a Child to feature original drummer Ron Howdon, who rejoined other founding members Roye Albrighton and Taff Freeman.... |
| 2008 | Book of Days Book of Days (Nektar album) Book Of Days is the eleventh studio album by progressive rock band Nektar, released in 2008. It saw the departure of founding keyboardist Taff Freeman, leaving only two original band members in guitarist/frontman Roye Albrighton and drummer Ron Howden.... |
| 2011 | Juggernaut |
Live albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Sunday Night at London Roundhouse |
| 1977 | Live in New York Live in New York (Nektar album) Live in New York is the band Nektar's second live recorded album that was released in 1977 and re-released in 2002.- Track listing :CD One# "Introduction / Astral Man" – 4:00# "Remember the Future, Part One" – 16:15# "Marvellous Moses" – 8:36... |
| 1978 | More Live Nektar in New York |
| 2002 | Unidentified Flying Abstract - Live at Chipping Norton 1974 |
| Nearfest 2002 (Studio M Recording) | |
| 2004 | Greatest Hits Live |
| 2005 | 2004 Tour Live |
| Door to the Future | |
| 2009 | Fortyfied |
Compilation albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Nektar |
| 1978 | Thru the Ears |
| 1994 | Highlights - The Best of Nektar |
| 1998 | The Dream Nebula: The Best of 1971-1975 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S Mainstream Rock | UK Top 100 | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Do You Believe in Magic?" | - | - | - | ...Sounds Like This |
| 1974 | "What Ya Gonna Do?" | - | - | - | |
| "Remember the Future (Edit)" | - | - | - | Remember the Future | |
| "Fidgety Queen'" | - | - | - | Down to Earth Down to Earth (Nektar album) - Track listing :*All Songs Written By Nektar. # "Astral Man" – 3:07# "Nelly the Elephant" – 5:02# "Early Morning Clown" – 3:21# "That's Life" – 6:49# "Fidgety Queen" – 4:04# "Oh Willy" – 4:00# "Little Boy" – 3:03... |
|
| "Astral Man" | 91 | - | - | ||
| 1975 | "Flight to Reality" | - | - | - | Recycled |
| 2005 | "Always" | - | - | - | Evolution Evolution (Nektar album) Evolution is the tenth album by progressive rock band Nektar, released in 2004. It was the first Nektar album since 1977's Magic Is a Child to feature original drummer Ron Howdon, who rejoined other founding members Roye Albrighton and Taff Freeman.... |
Video albums
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Live |
| 2005 | Pure: Live in Germany 2005 |