JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EYE

Nektar is a band with many different faces. Each subsequent Nektar album, from this very debut from 1971 all the way up till their most recent releases in the present millennium, has been different from the previous ones. For the most part Nektar has been successful in trying out these different musical approaches while at the same time always retaining that distinctive Nektar flavour to all their work. However, not all of these different styles have been to my liking. On this album we find Nektar in a heavy Psychedelic mode and I must admit right from the start that this is not my favourite kind of Nektar. As far as the Nektar discography goes, I am personally much fonder of the band's later albums like Remember The Future and Recycled, or even the more recent Evolution, for that matter.

I find this debut album by Nektar very much of it's time. It is also a bit immature and underdeveloped, which is indeed symptomatic for Psychedelic Rock albums from this time. We find here some Psychedelic jamming in a rather Hard Rock setting. During the instrumental passages it often sounds a bit like a live recording by Deep Purple from around the same time. Melodically there is much to ask for! However, compared to most albums by Hawkwind or early Pink Floyd for example, Journey To The Centre Of The Eye holds up quite well in my opinion! If you like bands like that, you will probably like this one too.

There are some good moments pointing in the right direction, however. Things would improve greatly on Nektar's next album, A Tab In The Ocean, which I find much more interesting, developed and distinctive than this.

I would recommend this album only if you are a fan of the band, or if you are a follower of Psychedelic (as opposed to progressive) Rock from the 70's in general.

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