DOWN TO EARTH

Down to Earth was actually a disappointment because of the fact that the four previous Nektar albums I owned were concept albums--excellent, flowing concept albums--and this one comes across feeling very disjointed--as if a bunch of songs were thrown together. Were Nektar selling out? trying to go pop/radio friendly? The opening song ("Astral Man" (3:05) (6/10) sure seemed to indicate this. The quirky second song, "Nelly the Elephant" (5:02) (9/10) was more encouraging --especially as that awesome bass line, keyboard & rhythm guitar support and horns took over from the Ringmaster--and then Roye's awesome guitar solo. I felt hopeful: the band I loved and respected so was still pushing boundaries. But then things degrade from there. Other than 5. "Fidgety Queen" (4:04) (8/10) and 8. "Show Me the Way" (5:56) (8/10), my original suspicions proved more accurate: radio friendly pop music was more the rule here than spacey psychedelic progressive rock.