A TAB IN THE OCEAN

One of the forgotten masterpieces of progressive rock (only 85 ratings as I write this) A Tab In The Ocean doesn't skimp on the over the top, driving, symphonic excess that embodies true prog. The title track is full of heavy percussion and keys surrounding and intermixing with distorted guitar and vocals like some type of mad science experiment gone horribly right. This one track alone changes directions so many times that it is hard to take it all in but believe me, it works, it works to high effect. This is an album that fits comfortably within the top 20 progressive rock albums of all time (in my opinion) yet it seems to lack the attention paid to lesser albums released by the bigger name bands. Why NEKTAR hasn't been able to take their rightful place alongside the other 70s prog giants is mind boggling to me as they certainly have the portfolio to run alongside your Floyd's and Yes'. NEKTAR has the unique sound intentity and strong, interesting leading voice it takes to run with the big boys and that's never more clear than on this album. The instrumental skill, the compositional excellence that allows for maximum display of instrumental skill, and the voice to tie everything together: its all here. You have the soft, airy moments, the psychedelic moments, the hard hitting progressive moments: its all here. In other words, everything you could ever ask a prog band to deliver on an release is here and it demands a greater appreciation. If you haven't heard this album, haven't heard this band, find it, find them, and listen to what you've been missing. This is a masterpiece of the genre and, while I have done messy in explaining why the real proof can't come from my computers keyboard anyway, its made abundantly clear on the record.