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Tom Ozric 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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 Posted: June 04 2015 at 01:22 |
^ At last, someone sees the value in Man In The Moon  What ?? There's improvement on the Live In New York recordings ?? Great performances, marred by a very shallow and thin sound on the LP. And honestly, they never repeated themselves album to album, but still sounded 'Nektar' - at least to my ears......
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AreYouHuman
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 12 2013
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 470
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Posted: June 03 2015 at 20:07 |
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^ Have you heard Cleopatra’s
Complete Live in New York? Great improvement over the original LP releases,
though I’ve only heard the first double album.
“Catchy hooks” on “Recycled”? I’ll concede that, but that hasn’t kept it
from becoming my favorite of theirs, helped enormously by Larry Fast’s
contributions.
All of their albums are unique
from each other, and of course some, like “Sounds Like This”, “Magic Is a Child”
and “Man in the Moon” took longer to get into, but I don’t consider any of them
bad by any means.
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Caption: We tend to take ourselves a little too seriously.
Silly human race! Yes is for everybody!
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: May 22 2015 at 21:50 |
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^ It doesn't make that album any better than it is (a 3 star effort). You can almost hear Roye on the track 'Listen'. He gets a co-credit on that song.
The Live in New York album is great but has a weak sound (on LP anyway). In sore need of some bottom-end 'oomph'.
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hieronymous
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 27 2012
Location: Oakland, CA
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Points: 308
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Posted: May 22 2015 at 17:38 |
 rushfan4 wrote:
The woman in the waterfall was Brooke Shields, FYI.
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Now THAT is some interesting trivia! I had no idea.
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rushfan4
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: May 22 2007
Location: Michigan, U.S.
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Posted: May 22 2015 at 10:16 |
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The woman in the waterfall was Brooke Shields, FYI.
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hieronymous
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 27 2012
Location: Oakland, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 308
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Posted: May 22 2015 at 10:08 |
Picked up Journey to the Center of the Eye - looks like an early German CD release, not one of the remasters. I like it! I've listened before - actually, the keyboardist in my band in college back in the late '80s turned me on to them - he had a lot of the stuff on vinyl - at that time, I borrowed Journey, Tab, RTF, Down to Earth, some album with a blue cover with a woman standing in a waterfall? Maybe even one of the live albums. Tab & RTF are what stuck out to me - I could never get into Down to Earth, I am just not into the circus theme.
But back to Journey to the Center of the Eye - it is more raw than Tab or RTF, both musically and production-wise. More spacey, atmospheric sections - reminded me of the Syd Barrett/Daevid Allen slide-guitar stuff - a lot less "songs" with vocals - the keyboards seem more present. One thing that struck me is that Nektar isn't a virtuoso band - you don't listen for the soloing, it's more the mood and atmosphere that they create, at least in the early period through RTF.
I also realized that I have the live in New York album! I picked it up, listened once, then put it aside. Well, it appeared again so going to give that a listen soon.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
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Points: 15916
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Posted: April 30 2015 at 03:12 |
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Aah !! I take side 1 as a 'song suite' of sorts - it does flow well enough, has some recurring themes, and a lyrical concept. Side 2 is more like 4 songs that stand on their own.
I didn't mean 'symphonic' per se, just 'sounding', which I guess is a rather 'thin' assumption, but the amazing moog arrangements kind of 'symphonise' the whole affair to my ears.
Marvellous Moses is the tip-top piece here, and that gorgeous end passage of the last track is perfect bliss.
And that mind-blowing cover..........
But having said that, I do think somewhat highly of Down To Earth, which you would probably find to be a pathetic album. I urge you to try Remember The Future, or A Tab In The Ocean, failing those, try the debut, if no connection, give up and move on.
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M27Barney
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 09 2006
Location: Swinton M27
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Points: 3136
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Posted: April 29 2015 at 13:22 |
Tom Ozric wrote:
M27Barney wrote:
I Bought Recycled - and was VERY disappointed - very much a indie/pop album in my eyes! - It really put me off buying anything else to be honest! |
That is really surprising, coming from one, whom I gather, is fond of many Neo-Prog and Sympho-Prog bands. I agree that Recycled is full of catchy hooks, almost quite 'commercial' sounding even. My thoughts are that Recycled is the most symphonic sounding of their albums, the music is very dense, the Moog arrangements (by Larry Fast) are dramatic. Some of the music can get complex at times too. I wish you would give it more time.
And like I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't think any 2 Nektar albums sounded the same. |
It may be that I was listening - expecting something else - I certainly didn't class it as symphonic?? No long tracks on it for a start!
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Rednight
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Joined: January 18 2014
Location: Mar Vista, CA
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Posted: April 29 2015 at 10:02 |
M27Barney wrote:
I Bought Recycled - and was VERY disappointed - very much a indie/pop album in my eyes! - It really put me off buying anything else to be honest! |
And off in the distance, a dog's bark could be heard.
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Guldbamsen
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin
Joined: January 22 2009
Location: Magic Theatre
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Points: 23104
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Posted: April 29 2015 at 09:10 |
My favourite has always been the debut, and it usually gets spun during the summer months. I have some very good memories of listening to it in a park in Copenhagen just after coming home from the Roskilde Festival. I do remember digging Tab, but I honestly can't remember the last time I put it on.
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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- Douglas Adams
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: April 29 2015 at 04:58 |
M27Barney wrote:
I Bought Recycled - and was VERY disappointed - very much a indie/pop album in my eyes! - It really put me off buying anything else to be honest! |
That is really surprising, coming from one, whom I gather, is fond of many Neo-Prog and Sympho-Prog bands. I agree that Recycled is full of catchy hooks, almost quite 'commercial' sounding even. My thoughts are that Recycled is the most symphonic sounding of their albums, the music is very dense, the Moog arrangements (by Larry Fast) are dramatic. Some of the music can get complex at times too. I wish you would give it more time. And like I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't think any 2 Nektar albums sounded the same.
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hieronymous
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 27 2012
Location: Oakland, CA
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Points: 308
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Posted: April 28 2015 at 20:00 |
M27Barney wrote:
I Bought Recycled - and was VERY disappointed - very much a indie/pop album in my eyes! - It really put me off buying anything else to be honest! |
Don't give up yet! A Tab in the Ocean & Remember the Future are the classic albums - much better place to start IMHO.
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Kirillov
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Location: Wales
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Posted: April 28 2015 at 04:32 |
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I like A Tab In the Ocean a lot.
It reminds me of Argus by Wishbone Ash (Tab came first though).
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M27Barney
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 09 2006
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Posted: April 28 2015 at 04:26 |
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I Bought Recycled - and was VERY disappointed - very much a indie/pop album in my eyes! - It really put me off buying anything else to be honest!
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HackettFan
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
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Posted: April 28 2015 at 00:32 |
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I have Phallus Dei and Yeti. Tanz Der Lemminge is on order, just waiting for it. Sounds like I have a good one coming.
Edited by HackettFan - April 28 2015 at 00:34
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: April 27 2015 at 01:29 |
Amon Duul II are a treat - make sure you get Tanz Der Lemminge - just AMAZING. Yeah, that Nektar debut is a beauty. Been enjoying it since 1989, and it's always a joy to spin. I have a live DVD from recent years that features an in-depth interview with Roye and Ron, that's where Roye said that it was hard not to have any Krautrock ideas seeping into their music. I think that some of the reviews of the debut here mention Krautrock , so good analysis there, Hackettfan 
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HackettFan
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Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
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Posted: April 26 2015 at 17:05 |
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Thanks both of you. That's enlightening. I'm just getting into Amon Düül II and I love it. Small wonder it appears out in that I so highly adore some common properties with the first Nektar album.
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hieronymous
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 27 2012
Location: Oakland, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 308
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Posted: April 26 2015 at 09:54 |
HackettFan wrote:
Would anyone put Journey to the Center of the Eye into the Krautrock category? It has that kind of feel in terms of mood and timbre, I was thinking. Not sure if they were ever prone to the same level improvisation. I'm curious what anyone else thinks. |
Also, it was my understanding that they were British expatriates living in Germany, which would make influence all the more possible.
Edited by hieronymous - April 26 2015 at 09:54
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: April 25 2015 at 23:54 |
Roye stated that the 'Krautrock' movement was all abuzz around them at the time they worked on their debut, and it was hard not to be influenced by it. So, there is definitely a Krauty element going on. Floyd were also a big influence. And drugs  .
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HackettFan
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Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
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Posted: April 25 2015 at 23:10 |
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Would anyone put Journey to the Center of the Eye into the Krautrock category? It has that kind of feel in terms of mood and timbre, I was thinking. Not sure if they were ever prone to the same level improvisation. I'm curious what anyone else thinks.
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