About Nektar
Nektar is an English progressive rock band formed in Hamburg, West Germany in 1969, by guitarist and lead vocalist Roye Albrighton, keyboardist Allan "Taff" Freeman, bassist Derek "Mo" Moore, and drummer Ron Howden.
The band formed in Hamburg, West Germany in 1969. The founding members were Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and lead vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums and artists Mick Brockett and Keith Walters on lights and "special effects". Though the concept of non-performing bandmembers was not unprecedented , it was unusual that a third of Nektar's lineup had no role in performing or writing their music. Throughout their early existence the band's songwriting was credited to all six members on the album sleeves, but BMI records show that the music was written by the four performing members. Brockett did however co-write the lyrics with Moore, and invented or contributed to the original album titles.
The band's debut album, Journey to the Centre of the Eye , consisted of a single song running over 40 minutes, with the last 100 seconds of the first side repeated at the beginning of the second side to maintain continuity. It was a concept album, following an astronaut who is given overwhelming knowledge by extraterrestrials, with sonic textures reminiscent of psychedelic rock. The follow-up, A Tab in the Ocean , drew on more conventional rock and blues influences. Walters had left by the time of their third album, the heavily improvised double album ...Sounds Like This , though the band would continue to use his art in their shows and album designs for a time. A cult following grew for the band, based largely on word of mouth.
Nektar's U.S. release, Remember the Future , propelled the band briefly into mass popularity. A concept album revisiting Journey to the Centre of the Eye's theme of extraterrestrials granting a human enlightenment, but with a blind boy as the protagonist. It demonstrated a more melodic sound than previous albums and shot into the Top 20 album charts in the U.S. The follow-up, Down to Earth , was another concept album ; it also sold well, breaking into the Top 40 album charts and including their only song to chart on the Billboard singles charts, "Astral Man". The next album, Recycled , was stylistically close to bands like Gentle Giant and carried on the band's close connection with progressive rock.
Albrighton left the band in December 1976, just prior to the studio sessions for Nektar's first major-label release, Magic Is a Child . The remaining members were joined by guitarist/vocalist Dave Nelson at this point. The album was more eclectic, although with shorter songs and fairly straightforward rhythms. 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.
In 1978 the band dissolved; however in 1979 Albrighton and Freeman reformed the band with bassist Carmine Rojas and drummer Dave Prater and released a new album, Man in the Moon , before the band dissolved once again in 1982.
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