Hello Members! Progarchives is pleased – indeed, tickled pink! - to feature a new and exciting addition to the site! We will now be posting interviews with some of prog-rock’s legends, near-legends, and others from progressive rock groups included on the site. These interviews will be occasional, but they will always be strictly for Progarchives members! Note that only members of the admin group will be able to post new topics to this section. However, you will be able to post responses to the interviews.
If you would like the opportunity to suggest questions for future interviews, you may do so by sending a private message to Maani. Questions should be “generic” in nature for now. If and when we can, we will let you know in advance who we will be interviewing, so you can suggest specific questions for that group or artist. For obvious reasons, not all questions will make it to the interview. But some (and possibly many) will. The questions we asked our first interviewee will give you a basic idea of what we are looking for: optimally, we are looking for questions that will allow interviewees to provide answers that will be interesting and informative to the Progarchives community.
Note finally that Progarchives will never “spin” an interview: we will not “misquote,” take quotes out of context, or otherwise provide an opportunity for misinterpretation of an interviewee’s answers. We may, if necessary, edit for length (as well as spelling, grammar and punctuation). However, other than that, all answers will be “raw and unexpurgated”: “from the horse’s mouth,” exactly as the interviewee provided them.
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Our first interview is with Roye Albrighton, founder, guitarist and songwriter of Nektar. Mr. Albrighton agreed to be our first “victim ” - making him a “groundbreaker” at Progarchives, and “setting the pace” for future interviews. Here, without commercial interruption (
), is Progarchives first-ever interview.
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P: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background, especially musically. For example, when did you start playing? Composing? Who were your favourite groups as a young adult? Who were your earliest influences as a guitarist? As a songwriter? What were your earliest professional musical experiences?
A: I guess I became interested in the guitar about the age of 9, but actually took it up seriously at 10 and, until the ripe old age of 15, I locked myself in my mother’s kitchen, learning all the chords I could get my hands on. I completely missed out on the football thing (or should I say soccer), at which time I started playing around in local bands.
All we ever heard in our house when I was a child was Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole; my dad was nuts about them. I was sorta roped into playing guitar for my dad because he fancied himself as a latter-day Bing, but I didn’t mind because it helped me find new chords to songs I had never heard before. Plus, after a good Sunday session playing "The Yellow Rose of Texas" or "Home on the Range," I had the record player all to myself the rest of the week to play my music without too much hassle.
I liked a lot of the American music: The Ventures were great. I loved Roy Orbison’s style, and the Tornados. Then I discovered B.B. King, which led to Lowell Fulson, Ledbelly, John Lee and all the blues greats. Through my teens I listened to John Mayall in all his guises with different guitarists, and the Yardbirds: I watched the rise of Jeff Beck to the heady heights of guitar wizardry. I remember once actually wanting so bad to join the Kinks: I thought Ray Davies was/is one of the UK's greatest songwriters.
Of course this all became secondary upon the arrival of Hendrix, who blew me and many others completely away.
My influence as a songwriter was that Dylan said it all lyrically and the Beatles said it musically; I think the combination of those two superpowers of music creation should have come together - but then again, it may not have worked. Later in years, as I said, I discovered Hendrix and his complete freedom of expression on the guitar. I noticed he let the guitar do more of the singing than he did. I think when he didn’t want to do anything on the mic anymore, he just caned the guitar. There are some passages he played back then that still baffle scientists as to how the hell he did it.
Professional, you say? ;-) Well, I was born in Coventry after the war and there was not a lot of money about: although everyone was in work, we were struggling as a family to get by. My very first official gig was supporting a local band that had made it to the big time in the UK. They were called "The Sorrows," and they were playing at the local dance hall called the Locarno.
We turned up with our amplifier. I stress “amplifier”(singular) because we only had one to share between the bass player and myself - and that was home built. But on the stage was The Sorrows’ gear, already set-up, and the band had gone for a drink at the bar next door. Well, we drooled at the kit they had: brand new Fender twins and Vox AC 30's; the bass player had not one Vox Foundation Bass rig, but two daisy-chained together. I had never seen this done before. The drummer had a beautiful sparkle green Gretsch Kit. The stage looked like a music shop made in heaven.
We were just about to turn around and go home when The Sorrows came in from the bar, introduced themselves, and said "Hey guys, if you want to use our kit instead of setting up your own, you are more than welcome." It was the most incredible feeling playing that night with the equipment of your dreams, and to this day I shall be forever thankful to The Sorrows for giving us that chance. They knew we were rank amateurs, but still they offered.
P: Tell us about the forming of Nektar: when, where, who, how. Who would you say were the bands or artists that influenced Nektar, beyond your own personal influences?
A: Nektar as the four piece were formed in November 1969 in Hamburg Germany. Ron [Howden, drums], Taff [Freeman, keyboards/vocals], and Derek [Moore, bass/vocals] were already living in Hamburg at the time that I met Ron in 1968 at the Star Club where I think they were the resident band; at the time, I was playing around the corner as resident band in another club called the Top Ten Club.
I quickly realised Ron’s unique style as a drummer, as we used to jam quite a lot together in the daylight hours when the Star Club was closed for business. My closing comment to Ron before I left back to the UK was "if you ever need a guitarist, let me know." The following year I got a telegram from them asking if I would be interested in joining them, as their guitarist was leaving, and in November I turned up at Hamburg harbour armed with my guitar and not much else.
Back in those early years we listened to a lot of music out of the USA. Of course we all listened to The Beatles, but they were coming to their end. We loved listening to power rock like Fudge, especially Vanilla Fudge "live", they were a kicking band for their time. Three Dog Night I liked a lot, and also early Moody Blues and Floyd. Nektar took it all in and listened to what the bands were saying. Remember, we were young and had minds like sponges regarding new music, and we had time on our side: we lived, travelled and ate together. I think Nektarmusic then was our interpretation of all that was between the late 60's and the mid 70's.
P: The description of Nektar on our site begins, “Nektar is probably the most German-like of the 70s British bands, a fame that owes a lot to the town in which they were founded (Hamburg) and their stylistic approach (Krautrock),” and goes on to say that, “Their earliest albums were hard rock that drew heavily from the space-rock and Pink Floyd styles of the same period.” Would you agree with any of this? Most particularly, would you either confirm or finally “put to bed” the notion that Nektar was influenced (even slightly) by Pink Floyd?
A: Although I’m honored to be classified as a German-sounding band, apart from the fact that we lived in Germany, I really don’t see the relevance in this comment. We were a bunch of Brits ending up in Hamburg, and writing music together. We became popular over there and eventually left to live in the USA because our popularity had risen there, too, with the medium-hit album Remember the Future and, financially (touring-wise) it made more sense – or so we thought at the time.
If, for example, we had formed in Stockholm, would that mean we would have been a “Swede-rock” outfit? This is exactly what I mean about label-tagging a style of music/band. Nektar toured extensively in Germany for many years, and we played with many great German bands. None of them sounded like Nektar, and we didn’t sound anything like them.
Our “fame,” as the comment goes, comes from the city of Hamburg. Well, I have to disagree. We formed the band there, but noved to the Frankfurt area of Germany shortly after, and that is where our success really began.
Again, this idea that because our first album started with sound effects (i.e., slide guitar), this seems to warrant the “spacerock” tag: do you see anywhere on the cover of our first album that says “Journey to the Centre of the Eye: A Space Opera?” The album was not Journey to the Centre of the Universe, it was “the eye.” If you mean was Nektar influenced by the likes of Floyd regarding their stage show, I would say probably “yes,” as Mick Brockett and his lights were from that era in London. But musically, I would say "no.”
P: With regard to Nektar's songwriting, how much was done "in studio" - i.e., as a result of "noodling," "jamming," etc. - and how much was "already written" when you went into the studio?
A: Most of the songwriting was done out on the road - it was the only way we could do it. I mean, we were constantly touring, and when we did hit base, we would gather all the ideas we had and put it together and form it into some sort of section. Every single sound check and concert was recorded at the lightshow or soundboard riser, and during the days of travel or the free days on tour we would listen to the little bits we were working on and elaborate or embellish on them.
It was a total group effort, and what would start as a little guitar riff, would turn into a 20-minute monster.
I remember once we were a little stuck as to joining two repeated sections together: we needed something different from the last way we did it. So we reversed the tape and played the riff backwards - and "hey, presto!" it worked.
In regards to, say, "Recycled," we took basically all the material ready to the studio in France, except for a part for the last section: this is when Taff and I sat at the piano one day before the day’s session started, and strung these few chords together with a skimpy melody line, which ended up as "It's Over” – which, ironically, was the last time I recorded with the original band (i.e., last track/last song).
P: Many of our members are musicians, and many play in bands. Can you describe some of the guitars and equipment you use in Nektar, both past and present?
A: That’s not too hard a question, as I never really used a lot ;-).
I arrived in Hamburg in 1969 with my 1965 Epiphone Sheraton without any amplification or effects. The boys had a pair of old Vox 4X10 PA columns and an ancient 100 watt Selmer PA amp that I used for about 2 years (great sound). Added to this was a really old Schaller spinning disc-type echo unit (much like the old Binson echorec), which gave more noise than signal (sometimes).
Then, when we started earning a bit, I upgraded to Dynacord, which was a local German manufacturer: it sounded great in the shop, but on stage it was really awful. A short time later I was introduced to the idea of "tiny amp mic'd to BIG PA," so I got a Fender Deluxe reverb, which I wish I still had, as this was a really great-sounding amp.
As venues and stages started getting bigger, I thought I could rely on the monitors to give me enough guitar volume not to have to resort to anything much bigger that the 20 watts that the tiny Fender gave out. But because monitors are so directional, and side fields hadn't been invented yet, I opted for an Orange set-up. This was the biggest mistake I made. I ended up with 2X4X12 Orange cabs stuffed with JBL's, being driven by an Orange 250 watt Matamp. Whoaaaaa, I thought - this is not the way to make friends in the front row seats (and liable to make enemies of the sound man), and it certainly wasn’t anywhere near the sound I wanted.
So, back to the drawing board for me. I ended up with that little Fender having a post pre-amp output fitted, which was fed into the monitor mix and given to me through the wedges. That way I sorta had the sound I wanted. I kept one of the Orange cabs and drove it with the Deluxe. This way I had a little more at the back of me without killing the front rows, and the overall stage volume could be controlled, so no matter where I stood I could get a good balance of the guitar without being too loud.
As "Remember the Future" featured Leslie guitar quite a lot, I needed to recreate this sound in the show at various points. For the beginning of the RTF tour, at rehearsals in St. Louis, I had the local music shop strip out two of the big wooden Leslie cabs of all the amps, and left only the motors, paddles and horns. I got them to fit 15-inch JBL bass drivers and bullet horns, and wired the speed controls for both cabs together. To this I connected the old Matamp that Derek wasn't using anymore for the bass. I had a changeover switch at the front to go from the Fender to the Matamp. Both Leslies were locked away in a spare dressing room at the back of the stage, with a sign on the door saying "Enter At Own Risk" - believe me, you wouldn’t want to - and they were mic'd to the FOH desk.
Now, you may be wondering “Why did I bother to do all this - why not use a chorus pedal and make life easy for yourself and the crew?” Well, first of all, chorus pedals hadn't been designed yet, and if you were to listen to a guitar pumping out of two grand Leslies playing open chords like on "The Wheel" (from “Remember the Future”), you will understand - there is NO substitute for "that sound." Believe me, if I could use them again I would; nothing comes close.
Effects wise, I have always had an echo unit of one sort or another, and a cry-baby wah, mainly because of the beginning of “Remember the Future” and "Nellie the Elephant" (from “Down to Earth”); otherwise, I wouldn't use it. This system I used right up until my last days with Nektar in 1976.
After returning to Europe, I went through all the tech-y times - you know, racks and racks of stuff, with a transmitter stuck on the end of the guitar. Then one day I said “Stuff it, I’ve had enough,” and just sold the lot, bought myself a 50-watt Marshall twin-tube amp and thought, “Hello - where have you been for the last 5 years?!” There was my sound again. I stuck with the Marshall for a long time, until I browsed the Internet one day and saw an advert for George Dennis amplifiers. I just had to e-mail the man and ask him what they were like. Rather than spin me a load of sales talk, he put a combo - a 60-watt head and a 2X10 open-back cab - in the post and sent them to me. The quality of his stuff is fantastic: he uses the best materials and birch-ply cabs with Celestion vintage speakers. The amp is point-to-point wired, and I love the stuff. I used it on the last Euro tour and it was perfect. I look forward to using it in the studio, where I think it will really shine.
Effectpedal-wise, I now use as few as possible, mainly echo/chorus and the mandatory wah - just about all except the wah belong to the Boss brand name; I think they are trying to take over the world, but it's good stuff and I can't knock it.
Guitars consist of a 335-type guitar which was made by IBANZEZ for the ill-fated ANTORIA guitar company. This has a P-90 fitted at the front, and a Schaller bucker at the back. I have my trusty old 1980 Schecter, loaded with Anderson pick-ups, which is a great guitar for when you want that super Strat sound, and my Yamaha CPX-8 Compass acoustic, which always travels with me.
P: The songwriting on the albums is credited to "Nektar." And Mr. Brockett [Mick Brockett, lights] is always listed as a "member" of Nektar. Given this, was Mr. Brockett involved in the creation of Nektar's music, as well as its stage show?
A: Mick Brockett was instrumental in creating the right atmosphere on live shows with his special type of light theater. This involved film, statics and liquids to achieve an effect that matched the storylines of the music being played. His artwork was/is unique, and played a big part in the 1971-1978 Nektar concert presentations. For this reason, we (Ron /Taff /Derek and myself) always looked upon Mick as the fifth member of the band; although as concerns the musical compositions, this was the four members of the group.
P: I know you’re gonna kill me, but I’ve got to ask this. In a recent interview, you said that "You've got these progressive nerds on websites, who define progressive rock by 'time changes and a Mellotron.' That's not progressive rock!" Given that Progarchives consists of probably the largest group of "progressive nerds" on the web, would you care to comment on this?
A: Yes, if I may explain to you the differences between our countries in terms of terminology. The word "nerd" over here in the UK is a word we use light-heartedly, almost to the point of endearment. The same could be said about the word "fanny," which here in the UK means something entirely different from that in the US - although not that far apart ;-)
I hold my belief that there are and always will be those who think that "prog-rock" encompasses all that is weird time signatures and overpowering synth strings. There are many different kinds of music that both yourself and Progarchives and its fans represent. My point is that some of the new generation of fans - not necessarily attached to Progarchives or their fans - seem to think that all is well when they hear a 9/8 time sequence attached to wads of keyboards and overdubbed with a guitar player who is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
P: A related question. You have said that Nektar is not a "prog" band, but a "rock" band. Indeed, you seem to feel that there is "no such thing" as "prog" music. Can you elaborate on this? For example, if there is no such thing as "prog," what would you say is the difference between Nektar and, say, Foreigner or Journey? And how would you classify seminal "prog" bands like King Crimson, Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant? On the other hand, if there is such a thing as "prog," who would you include - and why?
A: I have never said there is no such thing as progressive music, although I did say that I personally don’t see Nektar as a band with that label attached. Someone back in the eons of time put a handle on this kind of music because they couldn’t categorize it; they had to label it somehow. Hence, “progressive rock” or “prog-rock.”
If the record-buying public think that Nektar is in the prog-rock category, then ok, that’s what they want to term our music. But I don’t see it that way. How can you possibly call a straight- ahead rock song like "Fidgety Queen" (from “Down to Earth”) “prog-rock,” or even say that the album "sounds like this?" No, you can’t. But if people want to call it that, then by all means go ahead.
The difference in Nektar’s music is that we never stuck to a formula: we did what we wanted to do, and how we wanted to do it. Although we had a pretty awful record company and a hard, rocky road, at least we were given a free hand in what we produced, and we produced different albums at every release. You ask if I acknowledge the presence of prog-rock, and who would I include - I would include all of them, and some you have never heard of that were making ripples in the music pond back in the 60’s-70’s. You see, I believe the term “progressive rock” should be called "pioneer rock": it means those bands who were the pioneers of music; those bands who broke the boundaries that others shied away from - those artists with vision and a will to break away from the verse/chorus/verse ritual of the pop machine.
P: Our site defines “prog rock” broadly as “A style that combines rock, classical, psychedelic and literary elements.” And while we believe that prog-rock does include “shifting time signatures” and (often) extensive use of keyboards, we also believe that there other important elements, including: a certain approach to composition – i.e., more “scored” than “linear,” with what we call “evolving musical themes (again invoking something “classical” in nature); increasing use of “non-standard” instruments (especially percussives, strings and woodwinds); and, perhaps as important as anything else, the increasingly “conscious” use of the studio (i.e., production) as an important element in creating atmospheres and textures. Would you comment on this?
There is no arguing the fact that music lovers feel that progressive rock/progrock/art-rock/symphonic rock/Arena rock/Canterbury sound – call it what you will – all fall into the same big pot. Bands cannot escape this categorizing – maybe some don’t want to, maybe some are happy to be classified as a “progrock” outfit. But the danger lies in this: if I was to use, say, a Mellotron for an opening sequence to a song I wrote because I felt it needed that sound, and the song itself was a huge dramatic-type big production opening, am I going to be credited for the piece I just wrote as “an original work of art?” Or am I going to be immediately tagged as, say, a King Crimson/In the Court of the Crimson King-style band?
Is this where individuality ends?
P: Nektar is in a resurgence. You recently released a new album ("The Prodigal Son") on Bellaphon Records; Bellaphon has just released the complete Nektar catalogue on digitally remastered CDs; and Nektar did an extended tour in 2002/3:
A: Firstly, let me explain that the remasters you are now seeing are a completely new remaster achieved by Eclectic Discs and released on Nektar’s own label, Dream Nebula Records. This has little or less to do with Bellaphon, other than they own the rights to the masters (at the moment) - although the last album that Taff and myself did under the Nektar cloak (“The Prodigal Son”) was on the Bellaphon label.
P: Can you tell us a bit about how and why this came about? Who are the current Nektar personnel? What are Nektar's current goals? Is there another album in the offing? Where do you see Nektar in, say, three to five years?
A: I queried Bellaphon back in 2000 as to why “Remember The Future” sounded so bad. I talked to the then A+R guy and he asked me why Nektar had stopped making albums. Anyway, one thing led to another and we ended up recording a new album for them with Taff Freeman, Ray Hardwick and myself. During the making of this album I bumped into Mark Powell (Caravan’s manager), and his courteous manner stuck in my mind when my last manager decided he couldn’t go on any longer. I phoned Mark and asked him if he would be interested in doing business with the band, and here we are.
The current line-up of Nektar is Ron Howden (drums), Taff Freeman (keys), Randy Dembo (e-Bass/Taurus), and myself.
At the moment, we are preparing for another tour of the USA as a package tour with Caravan co-headlining. In the last two weeks of June this year we will be entering the studio in the UK to make a new Nektar album.
Long-term I would like to see Nektar with some successful albums and a few sell-out tours under our belts. Then we can really put a show together to make people sit in awe. It is all possible with a lot of work, but we have a start.
P: Well, I can assure you that the members of Progarchives will be rooting for you, and supporting Nektar in any way they can. Please keep us informed as things progress, and we will post updates on our “announcements” site. In the meantime, on behalf of the entire Progarchives community, thank you for being our first “victim,” taking the time to provide such in-depth answers to our questions, and for being – may I say it? – so “down to earth.”
A: Thank you for this opportunity to air my views.
Edited by MAX@
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Roye Albrighton (June 2004)
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Great idea this is. I'll be eyes wide open for the next interviews.
