Member:
Sundstrom
Date:
8/19/2005
Now, I’m old enough to remember Nektar, those fabulous prog/spacerock guys from the seventies. They made several classic albums. Just to get you on the right page, I’d mention and in no particular order: A Tab in the Ocean, Down to Earth, Journey to the Centre of the Eye, Recycled or Remember the Future as their classic output. Some of you might go: What? Who? Where? Yes my little progsters, these are all albums you need to hear..or even better, go buy them....for they are prog history!
Nektar were groundbreaking in those days. UK musicians with a base in (mostly) Germany and their music spanned from spacey rock to prog-like excursions into the galaxy with hints of Floyd and ultimate jam-like sessions in the Man (Welsh progsters) vein. But why am I talking in past tense? Yes, my fellow prog freaks, they are still here..or should I say they’re back!? After several years doing other things lead man Roye Albrighton (check out his solo-album) is back with a vengeance and fellow Nektar sidekick, Alan “Taff” Freeman, excellent keyboard player, right along with him. After their 2001 album The Prodigal Son they went along doing this album Evolution (2004). And I might as well tell you now, it’s a GREAT album filled to the brim with excellent tunes.
The intro song "Camouflage to White" is a very brilliant tune with powerful guitar chords and the fabulous solo guitars of Albrighton. Next up is "Old mother earth" with opening piano, light vocal singing soon to groove into a Hammond-paced song with Roye on top of it all singing his usual brilliant laidback vocal trimmings, which by the way are a blend of Mick Rogers (Manfred Mann’s Earth band) and well, really Roye´s own style. He´s excellent!!!
I leave you with the third track: "Child of Mine". No..no, it’s not the Deep Purple tune!! It’s a much better song (sorry Deep P friends) it’s laid back, with the piano theme....its kinda, well..beautiful; light keyboards gliding into the main theme, piano led solo. At aprox. 2 minutes into the song Roye breaks the silence with his soothing voice. Great stuff!!
So nothing like their earlier stuff but still great prog music and looking forward into the musical prog world. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest comebacks the prog world’s seen lately! Go get this mother! You cannot be a prog friend without it!! Oh...and please do check out the early stuff by the fantastic Nektar!
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