Sick as a dog, me, but here's today's album review:
Nektar – A Tab in the Ocean
Nektar is an English band, who in their heyday lived in Germany, and who are now based in the US (NJ for the most part). They are not a typical prog band in that they do not emphasize complex arrangements and playing, or unique instrumentation or what have you. Their pieces generally are heavily melodic, and often quite heavy for their time. You wouldn’t confuse Nektar for Black Sabbath, certainly, yet the same could be said for confusing them for Yes or Genesis. They are a little spacey without being like Pink Floyd or Hawkwind, and early material was often based around album side length tracks with shorter pieces wrapped around them.
A Tab In The Ocean is the band’s second album, released in 1972. The band was still somewhat finding their niche in music (their breakthrough album,
Remember The Future, would not be released for another year, and with another album stuck in between...I can’t think of any band today that would be allowed 4 albums to breakthrough, and it shows how market driven the current recording industry is...but that is a rant for another time), but this release is incredibly solid from back to front, with nary a minute wasted.
1) A Tab in The Ocean – When I saw Nektar in 2002 at NEARfest, they opened their show with this track. And what a way to open a show, or an album. We start with some deceptively gentle waves, and a held organ chord. The chord progresses into an ornate ostinato before guitar chords and cymbals crash down. The initial theme is played on bass guitar, and we are now listening to a stompy, heavy, mid-tempo rocker. There are no complex beats or polyrhythms here, just four musicians driving a song forward relentlessly, wringing every bit out of it that they can. Vocals kick in about 3:40 into the track, and if people thought Steven Wilson was the first to really utilise the “voice on a telephone line” effect, they have never heard this track. Roye Albrighton is not a brilliant singer, but his vocals are serviceable for the music, and his guitar playing is always solid and right. Taff Freeman was an excellent organ player (in later years he would be joined by synthesist Larry Fast), and he gets some incredibly dirty, distorted tones from his instrument. Derek “Mo” Moore’s bass playing is the glue that holds this track together, and is punchy, warm, and always present in the mix. Finally, Ron Howden’s drumming ranges from tight and grooving and flailing and all over the place in the best possible way.
Having made mention of the band’s less complex arrangements, I’ll now make note of the choral vocals at 10:30, followed by a nice little syncopated instrumental movement with awesomely powerful kick drumming. The track ends as it began, with gentle waves leading the listener back out to sea.
2) Desolation Valley/Waves – Thick distorted guitar and Moore’s heavy bass playing bring comparisons here to Pink Floyd most heavily. Albrighton’s vocals are again slightly processed. The main section of this piece is very quiet, with incredibly restrained playing from all members of the band, but this is of course illusory, as the song gradually builds to a choppy faux-funk beat before restating the main theme. One could almost say that “Desolation Valley” is a blues track, and perhaps there is some value to this...but if it is a blues, it is the most off the wall, atypical blues ever. The faux-funk bit is well worthy of headbanging, believe it or not...it’s insistent, grabbing hold of the listener and refusing to let go. The song ends quietly over some glistening guitar chords, which cross fades into...
3) Crying in the Dark – Arising from the spacey interlude at the end of “Desolation Valley,” Roye Albrighton’s phased, wah-ed out guitar playing, a low, thrumming bass line, and staccato drumming opens this track. Typically, the quiet intro bursts into heavier, full band playing with sustained organ and guitar chords before developing, in vocal sections, with a quirky, syncopated rhythm and some of Albrighton’s most assured vocals. I can’t think of bands to compare this to, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The first extended instrumental movement features some tasty soloing from Freeman on organ while Moore and Howden lock onto a beat and ride it for all it’s worth. Albrighton takes the second solo, whipping out melodic lines and sustained notes drenched in fuzz and overdrive. Albrighton screams, a pounding bass line comes into play, and...
4) King Of Twilight – OK, Iron Maiden fans, you know this one! IM have never made any excuses for how much prog has influenced their work, and I do genuinely enjoy their cover of this Nektar classic. But this is the well spring, the genuine article, the unadulterated purity IM drew from to create their cover.
Choral vocals...double kick drumming, spaced out guitar, deep bass notes on the organ...”When the king of twilight calls you, take a step and you will see, we all need a quick solution, for a chance to be free.” The instrumental bit leading out of the main vocal line is awesome, literally...every time I hear it, it has me wanting to pump my fist. Funny was watching 40 and 50 year olds banging to this at NEARfest 2002...but having lived with the album a few more years, I can certainly see why. This is a great, short little number that gets a huge reaction from the crowd, and for good reason. Thankfully, the song has an actual end, not a fade, and thus the album ends appropriately, without the listener wondering if there was more to be heard.
A Tab in the Ocean is not the most complex album. Nor is it the heaviest. But it offers solid songwriting, excellent playing, and a band feel that is second to none. Prog metal fans may find it a bit weak for their tastes, while fans of the more intricate progressive bands might find the simpler arrangements a bit pedestrian. Look deeper, however, and you’ll find an album worthy of addition to your collection, which will reward repeated listens.