PSYCHEDELIC/SPACE ROCK

Robot Stop Really fantastic start to the entire album, it pretty much sets the stage perfectly for what's to come, a garage rock masterpiece in my opinion. It also introduces the 'Nonagon Infinity opens the door' theme that we get to hear throughout the album, and here it change keys a bunch. I believe that it's one of the first times that the band really messed with doing odd time, and it introduces in a really natural way, using a 7/4 riff to get people listening acquainted. Super energetic and driven with the groove and the double tracked drums(!!!), also has an incredibly catchy melody and lyrics throughout. It really uses e minor, and said pentatonic scale in a really groovy way, and this is what makes it so punchy and driven. The song uses chromatic and whole tone movement to open up the song and add some diversity to the changes. The solo section is a great tradeoff between all the guitars + harmonica. It also sets up a bunch of the references to other songs like Big Fig Wasp, and Hot Water (from the album I'm in Your Mind Fuzz). NONAGON INFINITY OPENS THE DOOR!

Big Fig Wasp Essentially works as a continuation off of Robot Stop with the smooth transitions, and the same tempo + e minor key. It feels a little more sharp and direct than the more grungy Robot Stop. The lyrics are a lot of fun, as are most of them on this album. It continues a lot of the pentatonic stuff that happened in the previous song, with a little more bass action which is very appreciated. Sometimes this one feels just a little too lengthy to be justified, mainly because there's no solo section in this one. That's possibly done to differentiate this one more from Robot Stop? I like the use of the wah pedal on this song (and its continued use on other sections of the album as well). The ending is really satisfying with the loop around back to robot stop, and then the key change to move to d minor which the next song is in.

Gamma Knife Best song on the album (tied with Invisible Face) for me. It's just so consistently good and constantly 1-ups itself as it goes on. Super catchy, lyrics are great, rhythm is great. The time signatures are so much fun, with the 12/8 to 11/8 kind of feel. What's cool about that is the fact that the drums are actually playing something more like 6/4 because the snare is on every 2md eighth note, but the harmonica kind of counteracts that putting the emphasis and downbeat on every 3 eighth notes. This song also has some whole tone progression stuff on the 'gamma knife, nice' part. The drum solo is great midway point of the song, with it being in 11/8 and maintaining a fun feel to it, and also the mix has it panning across the ears which is really cool. There's some nods to People Vultures and Evil Death Roll on this song.

People Vultures The lyrics are probably the most notable thing for me on this one. There's another really great main riff on this one as well. what differentiates this one from the rest of the album is probably the more active chord progression with a lot more movement, opposed to some of the more stagnant (yet awesome) riffs. This one sort of gets overshadowed to me because of the vast amount of great songs on this album. The synth adds some more high pitches that aren't really present in any off the other songs either, as well as the fun pick scrapes at the end. I don't think there are any references in this song? At least any obvious ones.

Mr Beat This one definitely has the most tedious lyrics, however I've really grown to love this song a lot. It's the midway break from all the hyper energetic music that's on this album, with the slower tempo attached to it. The organ really stands out on this one, with sort of a more vintage prog sound to it. 'Once I'm Mr. Beat, only missed a beat' in 7/4 very cheeky King Gizz moment. Apparently (and I looked this up) the verse is the same as Big Fig Wasp, just slowed down which is kind of crazy that attention to detail is put in. The synth at 3:00 is so cool, and if anyone can tell me the name of it that would be greatly appreciated. This song has the best synth use, and the most diverse to me. The soft 'Mr. Beat' lyrics near the end are a fun little addition. The very in your face Evil Death Roll reference as well.

Evil Death Roll Easily one of the best intros on any song in this album (maybe one of their best ever). The phrygian movement on this one is great, and this really adds to the psychedelic environment. One thing I wish is that they could've expanded upon the key change at the lyrics 'Evil Death Roll... Now!'. Very soft organ synths are appreciated during that section as well, that I only noticed recently. I think the part where it delves into complete silence besides the guitar is really interesting, I'm curious what brought upon that choice musically. To me the song goes on for just a tiny bit too long, because it feels like it over explores these riffs that we've already heard a lot. There's a Robot Stop and an Invisible Face reference in this one.

Invisible Face This song has my favourite groove to it by far, the rhythm is just so fun to listen to. The melody has a sort of 7/8 feel over top of the 7/4 overarching idea which is just really cool. This one has very silly lyrics, but that ambiguity and strong melody of them makes it really fun to sing along. The transition into the Latin groove is really great solid, with the added bongo percussion, and the sort of bossa comping guitars to it. The key change leading to the end is so solid, plus the tempo slow down, on first listen I thought they actually just slowed down the whole recording. No obvious references.

Wah Wah The lyrics stand out the most on this one, probably my favourite on the album with how they tell a more direct story at hand. The zurna is a really interesting decision, and could just be the fact that they were setting up to make Flying Microtonal Banana, which sort of feels like instrument foreshadowing. I think the melodic line has a really nice feel to it, with it sort of walking up and down the b minor scale. Definitely not my favourite riff on the album, but adds a different time signature with a fun energy. The vocal harmony at 2:27 I had never noticed upon relisten, but is a really cool addition. It also just has a really strong end to it that leads to the next song. Only reference I spotted was the use of the zurna.

Road Train The weakest song on the album to me. I think it's most just the place of the song on the album, because I think it's a really not a bad song, just a questionable send off back to the beginning (though I do love the ending of this song). The melody is okay, the groove stands out to me as the best thing. It makes it sort of feel like a hillbilly train song to me, would've been fun to use some banjo. 1:57 sounds great however with the low vocals and the guitar added on after.

Issues: My biggest issues tended to just be that the songs could go on for just a bit too long, and that the ending feels a little bit disappointing.

Strengths: Some of the strongest grooves, melodies, and ideas they've ever written. It working as a concept album also really helps add some more interest to the sound. Great lyrics, and it sounds like they just had a lot of fun playing this one. The mix I didn't talk about a whole lot, but is really strong because of just how perfect it fits the style of music here.

Overall the album is really outstanding, it definitely feels worthy of 5 stars to me with just how insanely well this album is crafted, also adding to the fact that these guys made 5 more albums the next year (2017). With how well received this album was, one could only say this was...

Tako was a Yugoslavian progressive rock band formed in 1974. Tako is something unusual as a Yugoslavian jazz- rock and symphonic progressive rock band formed in those years. Those were years of difficult times to the progressive rock music in that country. Between 1974 and their split up in 1981 Tako released two classic progressive rock albums, their eponymous debut studio album 'Tako' in 1978 and their second studio album 'U Vr'ci Za Spavanje' in 1980.

Tako from Belgrade was perhaps next to Igra Staklenih Perli, also formed in Belgrade, the most famous progressive rock act from the former Yugoslavia. Their two albums 'Tako' and 'U Vreci Za Spavanje' were for a long time next to the first eponymous debut studio album of Igra Staklenih Perli the rarest and most sought album of the Yugoslav's progressive rock. A few years ago, both Tako albums were re-released on CD by the Brazilian Rock Symphony label.

Tako was formed in 1974 by Dusan 'Dule' Cucuz (bass guitar), Djordje Ilijin (keyboards), Sava Bojic (guitar and vocals) and Milan 'Mica Zorz' Lolic (drums). Initially, beside their own songs, the band performed Jimi Hendrix Experience and Santana covers. During 1975, they made their first demo recordings in the Radio Belgrade studios. In 1977, guitarist and singer Miroslav Dukic and drummer Slobodan Felekatovic replaced Bojic and Lolic. Tako became an opening band on a Bijelo Dugme tour. In 1977, Tako and the progressive acoustic rock band S Vremena Na Vreme organized a concert in Belgrade. Tako had a successful appearance at the 1978 Novi Sad Boom Festival. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1978. It featured prog music with some jazz influences. The album was promoted on a free concert.

Tako is purely a prog rock band. Spherical keyboard carpets are a source of inspiration from Pink Floyd, touches of distinctive heavy riffs stand for the aforementioned British rock tradition in the wake of Deep Purple & Co., while the band's remembers the tingling fusion variation of the 70's in time honoured jazz rock outfits. Tako have united on their debut album these three stylistic cornerstones to a really worth listening of Symphonic Rock, which can offer not only elegiac sound surfaces but also pungent rock inlays, which at times don't stop at discreet fusion outings. The music on 'Tako' is clearly attributed to the classic prog rock era of the 70's. The 'exotic' origin is recognizable only on vocals. The dominant instrument is the guitar. Sometimes even electric piano is in the foreground and provides for slight jazz influences. A few beautiful flute inserts are also available. Especially with 'Minijatura' it becomes apparent that the name of Jethro Tull was not unknown even in Yugoslavia. But that doesn't mean that Tako was a pure clone of the British prog rock bands, even though that the influence of other genre greats such as Pink Floyd is always audible.

'Tako' has six tracks. The first track 'Probudi Se' (Wake Up) is a marvellous piece that sounds really good. It's a very spacey track with a good tune and an excellent vocal work. It sounds to me a bit like Pink Floyd and Eloy, which isn't a strange thing to me, really. The second track 'Sinteza' (Synthesis) is more into the jazz-rock style with some nice piano parts. It's an excellent track, really energetic. It has some nice piano parts and the strange blues-like harmonica section adds to the track a very special feeling, indeed. The third track 'Utapanje Sunceve Svetlosti Pescanu Memoriju' (Merging Sunlight Into The Memory Of Sand) is a spacey piece where the band goes through several changes. It's a complex track very well played by electric piano, guitar and drums. This is a very interesting piece with several different parts, fiery interplays and some multiple breaks. It has a nice vocal section too. The fourth track 'Lena' is an easy instrumental piece dominated by flute. It's one of the most emotional and dramatic tracks on the album. All band's members made an excellent work here. The fifth track 'Minijatura' (Miniature) is the shortest track on the album. It's another flute dominated piece, which brings to my mind Jethro Tull. This is a piece with some very strong classical leanings. The sixth track 'Druga Strana Mene' (Second Side Of Me) is the epic track on the album. This is the centrepiece of the album. It's very spacey and incorporates diverse influences from the classic prog with several parts combined. The composition is very tight and well built, resulting to a magnificent and thrilling piece of inspired music.

Conclusion: 'Tako' is a classic prog rock album. This is a very good album very well played and without weak tracks. The instrumentation, vision and execution on the album are really great. It represents a very nice surprise to me that confirms all the good things I've heard about it. This is one of the greatest albums released in the East Europe when those countries were more or less separated of the rest of the world. When I heard this album it comes to my memory some of the greatest prog names, such as, Pink Floyd, Camel, Jethro Tull, Ozric Tentacles, Tangerine Dream and even the classical music of the Baroque period. So, this is a very good and interesting proposal. This is definitely one of the better albums by the Eastern European standards, at the time. It isn't a masterpiece but is great enough to be checked.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Brian relates in the liner notes that he had taken a new step musically with this one which would have been his third solo album at the time but the delay now makes it his fourth with him releasing "Yellow Light District" in 2009. He decided not to use any samples or sequencing, instead playing the instruments live in a more traditional multitracking situation. He mentions also in the liner notes that it was a very creative time for him and that this is some of his most unique work to date. Understatements abound here, this is a masterpiece. Ellis plays everything except the drums on the last three tracks which were done by David Hurley from ASTRA.

I'm trying to calm here but this is a huge discovery for me. Brian is a big music fan like all of us here are. He is into Jazz/Fusion, Psychedelic and more including Zeuhl. One person who wasn't calm in talking about this record is Julian Cope. He raves about this one and mentions that he thought of albums like "Devotion" by John McLaughlin, "Continental Circus" by GONG, "Agharta" by Miles Davis and he doesn't mention an album but he also mentions MAGMA.

Discogs has this listed under Jazz/Fusion and I agree that that is the predominant sound. Mostly from the gorgeous electric piano but horns too. And yes the sound of Miles is all over this and in particular the electric piano with the reverb and all the percussions bringing "Bitches Brew" to mind. We also get ethnic sounds and there's that psychedelic influence as well. And that final track will knock the socks off of Zeuhl fans it's called "Walomendem" and Brian does his best Blasquiz impression, okay not really but he's got that chanting down and he clearly has got the MAGMA thing going on. It's over 14 minutes long! On another solo album he covers "De Futura", just sayin'.

The 9 1/2 minute opener has ethnic sounds to opena dnend it. Sounds like sitar being played like a harp to start and then late it sounds like the cry of a zurna. Some Miles sounding stuff inbetween. "Canyon Star" is the shortest at 6 minutes and the organ gets the spotlight here it's also quite spacey earlier and so much going on. "Count To Ten" impresses late with the dissonant sax. "Funeral March" is one of the best and it feels like a march. The electric piano sounds so good.

"Gossamer" at over 8 minutes is the first to Have Hurley drumming along with the next two final tracks. You just have to hear this music. Check out "Gossamer" right from the start and that upfront bass, percussions, electric piano and more. Just too good. "Psaw" again bring Miles to mind like the last tune. All of the echo and reverb and it's like everyone is doing their own thing(okay Brian and David) but within the same atmosphere and eventually groove. Headphone music.

"Walomendem" ends it with Zeuhl and I like how Julian Cope ends his little review with a question to Christian Vander "What is Kobaian for extremely well done?" It opens with this distorted atmosphere that hovers before high pitched sounds arrive and suddenly I'm thinking during my first listen "Is this Zeuhl?" Then the wordless vocals arrive and my question is answered rather quickly and we're just getting started. Full blown at 2 1/2 minutes. Guitar is great here. This one is a ride folks and we're heading for Ork.

I can't wait to spend time with his 2011 release with a full band in play. As for this one, 5 stars is a given and the art work is pretty cool but better on the vinyl where the lower part isn't cut off like on the cd losing the full affect of it.

Divided into two major parts and ten sections, "Remember the Future" flows in a generally gentle atmosphere, prioritising melodic and rhythmic structures with brief experimental moments, rather than their usual exuberant displays of instrumental virtuosity. After Roye Albrighton's initial lively funky guitars and the vocal chorus of "a) Images of the Past", "Part I" is highlighted by the excellent harmonies of "b) Wheel of Time" guided by Albrighton's riffs and Allan Freeman's Hammond, and the guitarist's spatial ramblings supported by the persistent wall of sound generated by Freeman's keyboards and Ron Howden's percussion on "d) Conclusion".

"Part II", while maintaining the same character as the first, has a greater musical versatility, adding elements of jazz and blues, as in the accentuated "h. Tomorrow Never Comes" or in the arpeggiated half-time of the emotive and radiant "h. Path of Light" and Albrighton's vigorous solo, pieces that converge harmonically, until reaching the final stretch of the work that returns to the initial Funky sonorities in "i) Recognition" and the counterpoint between the singer's voice and his guitar, as well as in the conclusive "j) Let It Grow", giving a very good closing to the album.

"Remember the Future", undoubtedly one of the most representative works in the career of the Hamburg-based Englishmen, reached position 19 in the US Billboard charts, being, if not the biggest, one of Nektar's biggest commercial successes.

Very good.

3.5/4 stars

And with "...Sounds Like This", their third album (1973), the English band based in Germany seems to want to exorcise all that rock energy in an extensive work starring Albrighton's haemorrhagic and rocky guitar dissertations, with Allan Freeman's keyboards remaining more as an important support with shy solo participations, as well as those of Derek Moore's solvent bass, and therefore moving away from the structured and lysergic style more identifiable of Nektar.

In the raw and rudimentary approach of the album, initially recorded live and then retouched and reformulated in the studio, lies its greatest attraction, with pieces marked by instrumental improvisation, and where both the arpeggiated and boxed guitar opening of "Good Day" and its persistent choral refrain, the wink to the beatlenian "Norwegian Wood" in the emotional "New Day Dawning", the bluesy "What Ya Gonna Do? "and Albrighton's vocal and guitar counterpoint stand out, as do the extended lucubrations of the funky "1-2-3-4" with the very active Ron Howden on drums accompanying the once again unleashed Albrighton, the thunderous and unbridled distorted guitar solo on the demanding "Do You Believe in Magic?", and the also lengthy and bluesy "Odyssey", with Howden's drum solo included, and a final section of increasing intensity, to bring the work to a close.

"...Sounds Like This" moves away from the progressive canons, and is rather an interesting sample of corrosive and primitive classic rock, something that Nektar would not repeat in the following years.

3/3.5 stars

Although there are thirteen enunciative themes that compose it, "Journey to the Centre of the Eye" is in reality a huge single suite that beyond the wandering and abstract lucubrations of the experimental "Prelude" and "Warp Oversight", it flows solvently, using the experimental "Prelude" and "Warp Oversight", it flows solvently through Allan Freeman's intriguing keyboards and melotrons shared with Derek Moore, the latter also responsible for an extremely deep bass, interacting with Roye Albrighton's distortion and effects-laden guitar riffs as in the rising instrumental intensity of "Countenance"; as well as in solidly structured sections such as the hopeless and dramatic "Astronauts Nightmare", the two parts of the sinuous "The Dream Nebula", the anguished "Burn Out my Eyes" or the dense and conclusive "Death of the Mind" overflown by the intensity of the omnipresent melotron, pieces that also count on the megaphonic and stunned singing of Albrighton in cosmic mode and the determined drums of Ron Howden.

"Journey to the Centre of the Eye", despite its rudimentary production work, is an excellent debut album that did not achieve all the repercussion and recognition it deserved, partly because of Nektar's geographical distance from the epicentre of the movement and partly because of the proliferation of excellent bands of the genre that made it difficult to gain a place in the general consideration of the time.

4 stars

1. "Cat DNA" (6:28) an all-out hard-drivin' rock 'n' roll song with some extraordinary guitar work impressing over the solid bass and drums rhythm section and synth interplay, the sound of this one is so good: with all instrumentalists sounding truly inspired and fully-engaged. The music is a little rooted in old rock 'n' roll forms and palettes, but it's good. Ed, in particular, is on fire with his electric guitar play--both soloing and chord play. It's weird: according to the credits John Egan is playing flutes but my ear cannot detect them--which means that they're probably so heavily- treated that I think they're a synthesizer. (9.125/10)

2. "Ahu Belahu" (2:55) the sounds of large animals (predators by the mood being cast by the music) carousing around an exotic stream. Nice percussion and synth work from Conrad, Zia and Christopher Lenox-Smith. (8.875/10)

3. "Ghedengi" (5:41)a very TANGERINE DREAM-like song whose musical sounds all feel computer generated--even the bass and drums. Scenario-like AL DI MEOLA like guitars enter in the second half of the second minute. Cross-melodies are expressed in the third minute before a stoppage and eerie wait-for-the-volcano-to-stop-spewing delay before the band restarts the initial motif to play out to the end. (8.875/10)

4. "Wob Glass" (7:50) an okay rhythm track that again has me thinking that the bass and drums are totally computer- generated. Synths lay down some interesting sounds and textures over the top. This is not a bad song except for the fact that I keep waiting (and hoping) for something extraordinary to burst out at me, but, alas! it never happens. Even the cool weave in the fifth minute and Ed's "breakout" guitar foray in the sixth fall short of what I'm hoping for. (13.125/15)

5. "Neurochasm" (6:47) nice palette of instrumental sound choices (and a song in which drums and bass finally sound like drums and bass) but, even though it's a fairly hard-driving rock song, it's not until the 3:20 mark that anything exciting really kicks in. Ed's guitar feels as if he's trying to reach for Satriani/Vai territory. Not bad! Flutes in the fifth minute (yes, real flutes)! (The longer the song goes on the more I hear TONE LOC's "Wild Thing" bass line!) (13.125/15)

6. "Become the Other" (6:24) another lush sonic landscape that sounds as if it came from AL DI MEOLA's Scenario album. Multiple guitar tracks, sometimes mellow and moody, sometimes fiery, or even very pregnant (as if he's holding back--just building up to something fiery) keep the listener enrapt with expectant tension. Finally, around the four-minute mark--in the background--it starts to happen! But then it returns to the moody, ethereal Scenario motif for the final two minutes. Nice music; it's just that, again, I was kind of expecting something ? more. (9/10)

7. "Vibuthi" (10:52) acoustic "guitar" of some sort seeming to solo while sitting next to a waterfall inside an Indian or Middle Eastern temple grounds or ashram. At the 90-second mark flute joins in with Ed's virtuosic melody-making for a bit before the rest of the band finally kicks in at the 1:52 mark. Definitely a music that is directly derived from some Oriental tradition--the study of if not the direct copying of. The flutist, bass player, and drummer all perform admirably. Even when Ed takes the melody play to his electric guitar the music remains quite true to its traditional world music roots. And what's even nicer is that the melody and harmony lines all remain catchy and engaging throughout. As the music slowly moves more and more into full-on rock 'n' roll in the seventh and eighth minutes it really rocks! But then it pauses to reconsider and then falls back into its more ethnic world music instrumental palette and melodic sensibilities. Interesting appearance of two organs in the ninth minute: sounding as if two small organs in a Jerusalem church were duelling with one another. Though the song loses its charm a bit when it keeps sliding over into the rock realms, it is quite an admirable feat of ethnic captivity--as well as quite a convincing display of teamwork. (18.25/20)

8. "Plurnstyle" (7:46) bass player Zia Geelani's style hugs a bit too closely to Reggae traditions in this one for my tastes (and enjoyment), but the laid back weave created by the rest of the musicians is quite pleasing--and even impressive. It is always such a pleasure to experience the otherworldly (or alternate-world) places that the beautifully-engineered soundscapes of any Ozric Tentacles song takes one to. After six and a half minutes of just messing around, Ed steps in with his axe to do some shredding. Again it feels as if he is trying to reach for heights that others have achieved: but somehow it comes out more like emulation than the realization of original sounds or ideas. (13.25/15)

Total Time: 54:43

An album of quite-listenable and competent songscapes that somehow manage to fall short in terms of reaching the heights one might hope for from these seasoned musicians.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of spacey world music prog.

1. "Steep" (3:12) the best song on the album for its fresh, pastoral world music take, great bass sound (and play) and great DAVE GILMOUR-like rock lead guitar. (9/10)

2. "Space Out" (8:28) what starts out with some promise turns sour with its disco drum beat. (17.375/20)

3. "Pyoing" (4:29) solid rock rhythm foundation with JLP synth weave over the top pans out to be nothing more than another Star Wars video game soundtrack. Not even Ed's inventive "Middle Eastern" electric guitar solo in the second minute can save this one--though the tightening of the bass and drums in the third minute is an improvement--as is the addition of the Petri Walli guitar play thereafter. The long drawn out finale also diminishes the powerful mid- section. (8.875/10)

4. "Far Dreaming" (5:24) a song made up of several threads that are kind of at odds with one another. Interesting but ultimately feeling more like an experiment in combining that fails to deliver the desired magic. (8.75/10)

5. "Waldorfdub" (6:13) another one of the boys' variations on the Reggae music. Though this song is interesting for its bare-bones exhibition of percussion, it is ultimately kind of boring. (8.6666667/10)

6. "Kick 98" (6:03) a nice PETRI WALLI/KINGSTON WALL opening guitar is diminished by the movement and reversion into more comfortable OT sounds and individual styles. (8.75/10)

7. "Voy Mandala" (11:52) a pretty good song with strong Southeast Asian representation is marred by the Jamaican Reggae bass play. Also, Conrad Prince's drum play here just struggles to fit with A) Zia Geelani's bass play and B) the rest of the music. The scond half is, however, a little better--once Zia leaves behind the Reggae bass lines and Conrad is able to sync up better. (21.75/25)

Total Time: 45:01

Despite the fact that I do love to hear the "real" instruments being played (as opposed to the computer-programmed tracks that will dominate the future albums (starting with Spirals in Hyperspace), my feeling is that the band in its current lineup, form, and orientation has "played itself out." I welcome the arrival of the next gen of musicians (Ed's kids) and the 21st Century computer engineering. Even the swan-song album of this lineup and form, the highly- acclaimed live album, Live at the Pongmasters Ball, feels more akin to these "end of the century" albums than it does to the "future" sound that Ed and family ignite in 2004.

B/four stars; a fine representative of the Space/Psychedelic sub-genre, just not up to creative and innovative standards of other OT albums.

The album cover is nuts with it being a collage of skulls, statues. nude women, a blowup doll and knights including one picking his nose. Classy stuff. The actual cd has a guy on it dressed like a nun I believe from a British movie. It's black and white. So we get five tracks although the vinyl version has six tracks as they split "Der G.A.U. Theil" in half using the first half to end side one and the second half to start side two. This is an insane piece both experimental and adventerous with dissonance and intensity.

The opener "Der Fiesling" is 9 1/2 minutes long and features some impressive drumming and I like when the organ joins in before a minute. So good. There's a repeated guitar melody throughout pretty much and spacey synths come and go. So much going on. A calm before 2 minutes then it builds. Electric piano too this time and the bass is more upfront, yes I'm smiling. Great sound after 4 minutes with the electric piano and guitar as the drums pound away. Like old school Jazz/Fusion here. It's like it starts over after 5 1/2 minutes with bass first then lot of intensity. Nasty keys at 6 1/2 minutes.

"Frauke" is 9 minutes long and has a Canterbury vibe early on. So many intricate sounds coming and going. Dirty sounding keys before 3 minutes then a brief drum show. Check out the distorted organ that follows. I mean this is Canterbury after 3 1/2 minutes. It turns dark just before 5 minutes, so good again as it slows down. Man I can spin this section all day. Headphone music right here with all the stuff going on really to the 7 minute mark when it settles right down and stays that way to the end.

"Ozmose" is my favourite at 13 1/2 minutes and Marja is featured here big times on the vibes. Bandcamp shows this as the only song she is on. Powerful early on with keys over the heavy rhythm section. Bass is more upfront at 3 minutes. This is crazy. Check out the vibes 5 minutes in soloing over top and leading the way. Guitar is cool too. It settles back before 7 minutes and I'm just so into this. The guitar soloing this time tastefully. Electric piano then leads after 9 minutes. Percussion leads 11 minutes in then spacey synths. A calm over the final minute with random sounds.

"Zu Schnell" is the 6 minute closer. This has such an amazing keyboard driven groove to start. Come on! Drums are busy, lots of electric piano too. Synths and bass too before the guitar takes the lead 2 minutes in and I like that tone a minute later. The drummer has to be tired. That repeated melody holds this together and how about that outro.

What an album! My kind of music, all instrumental and complex with so much going on much of the time but they know how to contrast those insane sections with calms and repeat themes and so on. Those young Norwegian bands that keep popping up over the last few years have some competition from these young Germans. Biggest question is what sub-genre am I going to put this in.

Also just had a look at EMBRYO's 2021 album "Auf Auf" and it features Marja Burchard big time as she is a multi-instrumentalist, but it also has the bass player and percussionist here from KARABA on it. I need to check that one out.

The eponymous "A Tab in the Ocean" is the centrepiece of the album, an extensive development of overflowing introduction in which Alan Freeman's organ and Roye Albrighton's raspy guitar riffs look forceful and very hard- rocking, and gradually incorporates Ron Howden's marching percussion, Derek Moore's thick bass and Albrighton's megaphonic voice in a psychedelic mode very much in the Floydian vein, thus building a vigorous instrumental wall tinged with arpeggiated guitar passages, and whose final section recreates the introductory melody giving an epic closure to the piece. A gem.

And the mid-tempo, jazzy and calm "Desolation Valley/ Waves" with Albrighton's whispering vocals and the wandering, at times intimate tones of the guitars and keyboards, gives way to the invigorated energy of "Crying in the Dark" and Albrighton's impetuous guitar solos as protagonists, and to the intensity of "King of Twilght" with the band's chorus softening the growing and powerful instrumentation until its abrupt end.

"A Tab in the Ocean", one of Nektar's seminal works, is an excellent album that was probably overshadowed in part by many of the legendary contemporary progressive rock epics released in the same year, 1972.

4/4.5 stars