Nektar

Not to be confused with Nectar.

Nektar
Origin	Hamburg, Germany
Genres	Progressive Rock Space Rock
Years active	1969–1982 2000–present
Labels	Current: Dream Nebula Bellaphon Former: United Artists Passport Decca Polydor Ariola Bacillus
Associated acts	The Peeps Rainbows Message Snowball Grand Alliance
Website	www.nektarsmusic.com
Members
Roye Albrighton Ron Howden Klaus Henatsch Peter Pichl
Past members
Derek Mo Moore Allan Taff Freeman Mick Brockett Keith Walters Larry Fast Dave Nelson Carmine Rojas Dave Prater Randy Dembo Tom Hughes

Nektar (German for Nectar) is a 1970s English progressive rock band originally based in Germany.

History

The band formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969, members included Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums, and Mick Brockett on lights, special effects and other miscellanea. Songwriting was always considered a group effort.

The band's early albums such as Journey to the Centre of the Eye, ...Sounds Like This and A Tab in the Ocean were obscure psychedelic rock albums that won the band a small but growing cult following, based largely on word of mouth. The last of those albums was the first Nektar album to be released in the U.S., on the small Passport Records label.

It was Nektar's second U.S. release, Remember the Future (1973), that propelled the band briefly into mass popularity. A concept album about a blind boy who communicates with an extraterrestrial being, the music was a big leap forward for the band with a much more melodic sound than on previous albums. It shot into the Top 20 album charts in the U.S. The follow-up album, Down to Earth (1974), was another concept album with a circus theme; it also sold well, breaking into the Top 40 album charts and included Nektar's only song to chart on the Billboard singles charts, "Astral Man". The next album, Recycled (1975), was stylistically close to bands like Gentle Giant and is considered by many fans to be Nektar's finest moment.

Guitarist Roye Albrighton left the band just prior to the studio sessions to record Nektar's first major-label release, Magic is a Child (1977). Guitarist Dave Nelson joined the band after Albrighton's departure. The album was more eclectic, although with shorter songs and fairly straightforward rhythms-but many fans thought it was too pop-oriented; lyrically the album covered a wide range of subjects from Norse mythology and magic to more down to earth subjects like railroads and truck drivers. But there are some fans who considered the album a misfire and it proved to be the end of Nektar's brief popularity, although a few more albums were released, mostly live albums and compilations.

When the Nektar back catalog was first released on compact disc in the early 1990s, the wrong master(the quad rear channel mix)was used for the Bellaphon CD release of Remember the Future. The mix practically buried Roye Albrighton's lead guitar. This was corrected in later CD releases.

Nektar regrouped in 2002 and headlined NEARfest (opposite Steve Hackett) with a full line-up including synthesizer wizard Larry Fast. They also released their first album of new material since the 1970s, "The Prodigal Son". They followed this release up in 2004 with "Evolution". Recent members of Nektar have included Randy Dembo on bass, and Tom Hughes on Hammond organ alongside original members Albrighton and Howden. Dembo and Hughes left in August, 2006 citing communication problems, money issues, personality issues and trust in the management issues. All of Nektar's back catalogue has either been remastered and re-released or is in the process of being so. This includes A Tab in the Ocean which now features the original 1972 German mix, as well as an alternate 1976 "American" mix, Remember the Future with two bonus tracks in the form of two radio promo singles. The re-issue of Recycled features the original album release mix, and an alternate mix by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, something many fans found akin to hearing the music for the first time. Nektar's re-issue of Down to Earth contains seven bonus tracks, including hilarious out-takes by Robert Calvert. The re-issue of Magic Is a Child (an album which did not feature founding member Roye Albrighton) features amazingly clear sound, and four bonus tracks including a live-from-the radio version of "Midnight Light".

In 2006, the band found new management (Roy Clay) to replace The Eclectic Records staff, playing "Prog fests" around the globe on a part-time basis, and occasionally appearing in some of their old haunts in the New Jersey/New York area. Clay was subsequently released from management duties early 2007 after a dispute over financial matters.

The band also embarked on the production of a new album Book of Days. The album was released on 16 May 2008 on the Bellaphon Label.

In mid-2007, a solo tour was undertaken by lead singer Roye Albrighton, to be followed by a full band tour of Europe (primarily Germany), and scheduled by a European-based promoter, but they had to postpone as extra funds were needed to complete the new album.

The band is currently completing work on a new album for 2011, titled Juggernaut.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album
1971	Journey to the Centre of the Eye
1972	A Tab in the Ocean
1973	...Sounds Like This
	Remember the Future
1974	Down to Earth
1975	Recycled
1977	Magic is a Child
1980	Man in the Moon
2001	The Prodigal Son
2004	Evolution
2008	Book of Days
2011	Juggernaut

Live albums

Year	Album
1974	Sunday Night at London Roundhouse
1977	Live in New York
1978	More Live Nektar in New York
2002	Unidentified Flying Abstract - Live at Chipping Norton 1974
	Nearfest 2002 (Studio M Recording)
2004	Greatest Hits Live
2005	2004 Tour Live
	Door to the Future
2009	Fortyfied

Compilation albums

Year	Album
1976	Nektar
1978	Thru the Ears
1994	Highlights - The Best of Nektar
1998	The Dream Nebula: The Best of 1971-1975

Singles

Year	Title	Billboard Hot 100	U.S Mainstream Rock	UK Top 100	Album
1973	"Do You Believe in Magic?"	-	-	-	...Sounds Like This
1974	"What Ya Gonna Do?"	-	-	-
	"Remember the Future (Edit)"	-	-	-	Remember the Future
	"Fidgety Queen'"	-	-	-	Down to Earth
	"Astral Man"	91	-	-
1975	"Flight to Reality"	-	-	-	Recycled
2005	"Always"	-	-	-	Evolution

Videography

Video albums

Year	Title
2003	Live
2005	Pure: Live in Germany 2005

References

External links

• The Official Nektar web site
• The Nektar Project: the classic Nektar years from 1969 to 2003
• Nektar discography at Discogs
• Allmusic
• 2010 interview with Roye Albrighton