Nektar - A Tab In The Ocean 1972

Formed in November 1969 and still going strong
3 Gold album presentations (when gold was 250,000 sales)
18 albums to their credit
Charting albums in the USA and album of the year in Europe
----------------
 5.0 out of 5 stars Nektar - 'A Tab In The Ocean' 
By
Mike Reed "Mike Reed" (USA) 
(VINE VOICE)  
This review is from: A Tab In The Ocean Deluxe Edition 2-disc (Audio CD)

Nektar - Sounds Like This (1973)

Japanese limited edition issue of the album classic in a deluxe,
miniaturized LP sleeve replica of the original vinyl album artwork


Nektar's third release coming after "Journey To The Centre Of The Eye" and "A Tab In The Ocean" to this day remains the most underrated of the original Roye Albrighton albums.

Critics called this not up to the previous LP's, when in fact they should have been emphatically impressed with the diversity of the material and the willingness to show off their wears in a double album!

"Good Day" The perfect opening track. It shows the bands ability to tastefully jam around a catchy tune.

Nektar – Complete Live In N.Y’74

Audio CD (30 Aug 2011)
Number of Discs: 2
Label: Cleopatra
ASIN: B0057OOPQO

The epic concert performance marking the US invasion of psychedelic space rock pioneers, Nektar!

This vintage document finds the band at the peak of their career, touring in support of the Top 20 Billboard charting album Remember The Future!

Packaged in a black box with full color booklet and collectible pin! –Official Press Release
—————————————

Review by
Todd E. Carper (Edgewood, Md United States)
Nektar are a band that has to be caught live to be fully appreciated. This is a live recording of the band in its prime from 1974 in a city where they always seem to play at their best, New York. It is also the band in its original line-up with Roye Albrighton on guitar and vocals, Ron Howden on Drums, Mo Moore on Bass and Vocals with Taff Freeman on Hammond Organ and vocals. The band is young and hot, its chemistry obvious as its technical prowess and hooks. There are several versions of Live in New York, this is the best since it is all the songs, the complete show. The band hit the stage on fire with Astral Man and rock it hard. They hit a small snag on their hit Remember the Future part one when the power goes out but it is barely noticeable and the band does the right thing and keeps on going; in fact the band never slows down after that as they groove on Marvelous Moses, slowing ever so slightly for It’s All Over and then hit the gas again for their hyper driven rocker Good Day which is searing. Again they let off the accelerator slightly for a fantastic rendition of That’s Life and then punch it again for Show me the Way and then take things to the fever pitch that is Day in the Life of a Preacher. Through it all, the melody is all over every song with amazing interplay between the players; the intricate pieces fall together beautifully and flow one into the other as the set builds to its climax. Roye is in great voice, the solos on his guitar fit perfectly in every song in fact each of the players shine in turn in each and every song so there is no time lost. What is evident is the band work well together and each song is a highlight. Want something groove laden and Jazz flavored, try Desolation Valley which is superb. Want a rocker? Try out the previously mentioned Good Day, the equally smoking Day in the Life of a Preacher, or Crying in the Dark/King of Twilight or the closer Fidgety Queen. Then there is the Remember the Future Parts one and two which have all the moods rolled into 2 intricate suites of music; personally my choice is part two which has a brilliant guitar solo woven into the “Lonely Roads” part of the suite. The Rock and Roll and bluesy side are represented as well as this band shows it can do it all. There is something here for everyone, give it a listen and you WILL be rewarded. Rock on Nektar!
——————————————-
By
Joseph L. Kolb (harris, mn USA)
I remember seeing Nektar twice, once in ’73 and ’74 during this tour. i still have roye albrighton’s guitar pick somewhere that i caught at the end of the show. Cleopatra did a nice job packaging these 2 discs. nice cardboard box, both cds in individual sleeves with different covers, booklet and very small button. the songs covered are mostly from Sounds Like This, Remember the Future and Down to Earth. it’s nice to hear Astral Man and Fidgety Queen without the horns. never liked the horns on Down to Earth. sound quality is quite good, though freeman’s keyboards are a bit hard to hear. Show Me The Way is probably my favorite song that wraps up disc 1. between this and Live at the Roundhouse, i like Roundhouse just a bit better. overall though, this is a great addition to one’s Nektar collection. glad to see it available again at such a reasonable price.
————————————————-

Musicians:

Roye Albrighton: guitar, lead vocals
Derek “Mo” Moore: bass, backing vocals
Ron Howden: drums, percussion
Allan “Taff” Freeman: keyboards, backing vocals
Mick Brockett: lighting, projections and visual effects

Disc 1 :

1. Introduction 1:02
2. Astral Man 2:58
3. Remember The Future, Part 1 16:14
4. Marvelous Moses 8:35
5. It’s All Over / Good Day 12:13
6. That’s Life 6:28
7. Show Me The Way 6:27

Disc 2

1. A Day In The Life Of A Preacher 15:42
2. Desolation Valley 9:57
3. Remember The Future, Part 2 (Tomorrow Never Comes) 8:14
4. Remember The Future, Part 2 (Recognition) 7:43
5. Crying In The Dark / King Of Twilight 10:01
6. What Ya Gonna Do? (Woman Trouble) 4:06
7. Medley: Johnny B. Goode / Sweet Little Rock & Roller / Blue Suede Shoes / Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On 6:54
8. Fidgety Queen 5:49

———————————

==>Live In New York 1974<==

Nektar-Sunday Night At The London Roundhouse (1974)

A no nonsense groovy tripped out live performance from Nektar during their heyday in the early seventies. Far from a command performance, but what makes this live recording remarkable are it`s flaws such as Albrighton`s raw in-your-face vocals which are nothing to write home about but work here with Nektar`s brand of head banging art-rock. The echo that is seemingly created from the acoustics in the venue also add to the very relaxed, loose and intimate mood which hangs in the air throughout the whole disc. Some of the longer tracks such as A Day In The Life Of A Preacher start to drag at times but Roye Allbrighton manages to pick up the groove with intense psychedelic and sometimes spacey guitar lines with some jazzy licks thrown in on Odyssey which also contains the compulsory drum solo and noise freakout of the day. One nice thing about this live recording is the omnipresence of the Hammond Organ which doesn’t get too ” Emersonistic ” and creates a constant mellow backdrop even during Albrighton`s more fiery moments providing a sort of relaxing contrast occasionally soloing and providing some spacey effects.

Nektar-Remember The Future'73{2011 Exp Ed}2Disc

Nektar-Remember The Future'73{2011 Exp Ed}2Disc

When this album was first released in 1973 it was the first time most of America heard Nektar. The album went to number 5 on the Billboard charts and Nektar was a hit in the States after becoming quite popular in Europe. The original release contained only two songs - Remember The Future Parts One and Two, adding up to more than 35 minutes of music on two sides of the LP. Those original tracks along with LIVE versions of both and an entire LIVE performance recorded in Brazil (where Nektar is bigger than Pink Floyd) are included in this deluxe edition of the album - all for the price of a single CD. The sheer brilliance of Remember The Future has endured all these years and is indeed proven with this release.