JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EYE

Alongside Recycled, I'm absolutely amazed that this priceless gem of an album is mucking about in the 3.5 range. A breathless, spinning, maddening concept record with guitars that roar and tremble like Blake's Rintrah, I consider Journey to the Centre of the Eye absolutely essential prog listening. Perfect in its harsh atonality, perfect in its moments of sedate beauty, perfect in its relentless flow, Nektar's debut bears little resemblance to their later discography. I've heard it hailed as revolutionary and damned as anachronistic; the truth is that it is, simply, a Nektar record, which removes it from the normal stream of time and space. I will confess that, had it been released before 1970, Journey would have been heralded as an absolutely essential entry in prog's seminal birth. As it is, Journey is a fondly remembered but little-lauded slice of prog oddity. I would encourage the potential listener to approach this record with an open mind and heart. Allow yourself to melt into the tremulous shiver of Roye Albrighton's searing guitar-and-vocal work. Believe me, you will be transported.