A TAB IN THE OCEAN

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"Tab In The Ocean" is one of my all time favourite progressive rock recordings. Psychedelic landscaped atmospheres in a classic progressive rock setting with the highest of crafted songs. "Tab..." is essentially 2 great epic tracks both of which approach the 20 min mark. In my opinion "Tab..." is perhaps the pinnacle NEKTAR album culminating some of their greatest pieces of work ever. Tab contains superb guitar/bass workouts which are layered with organ soaked melodies, vintage classic rock drumming and excellent vocal harmonies. The melodies here are simply amazing and will certainly capture the heart and soul of the listener. Without a question, "Tab In The Ocean" is essential progressive rock and remains to this day one of my all time most treasured progressive rock recordings.

NEKTARr is another unique progressive band which can hardly be compared to any band. The songs here are varied. Lightly distorted organ is omnipresent. The epic 16 minutes "Tab in the Ocean" is made of aggressive symphonic keyboards and electric guitar full of distortion, near metal sometimes! "Waves" has mellow bits with pure electric guitar sounds. "King of Twilight" has some aggressive guitar parts, and there is a unique repetitive fast single note keyboards pattern a la GENESIS' "Watcher of the "kies". The bass is delightful. The singer's voice is good and even sometimes relax.

The Floyd is back. With more attitude, and heavier. Nektar scores high by their efforts of making hypnotic prog-rock. I'm a total newbie in this category. Don't get me wrong, I like Pink Floyd, but this is Barrett period material....who needs drugs? No need with that.

What struck me first is the alternation between heavy riffs and quieter parts. The switching between hard and softer parts is flowing and never forced, which testifies of thoughtful and careful writing and a desire to not rush things and getting heavy too soon. Good, very good.

Also the band has a powerful sound. Impressive for 1972. Powerful bass/drum interplay. A bit like Focus had in Moving Waves. This is your basic guitar/bass/drum/hammond band, and well, a bit more could've been welcomed. Anyway, the more you listen, the more you discover deeper stuff. Like the cool cat atmosphere of Desolation Valley. The guitar takes you right where you need to be, a bit jazzy, smooth, groovy bass...bullseye.

This record is certainly not a hole in one, but this is a newbie speaking. This is very comforting 'cause if you like the Floyd, jump on it. You'll be on known ground automatically.

I'd like to thank James Unger for the suggestion. Be sure to check out his website (listed in the ProgArchives prog links).

Although this album probably deserves only three stars, I am giving it a fourth both because of its interesting place in prog, and because the band's progression from Journey to Tab was so remarkable. It should be noted that Tab was released the same year as (among others) Foxtrot, Three Friends, Obscured by Clouds, and Thick as a Brick. In that regard, although it is perhaps not as "great" as any of those, it is nevertheless extremely creative, as well as providing numerous presages to what Nektar would eventually do in creating their three "masterpieces": Remember the Future, Down to Earth, and Recycled. / The somewhat nebulous concept running through the three extended suites on the album is the idea of putting a huge "tab" of LSD in the ocean. In this regard, the album was almost certainly meant to be heard under the influence of hallucinogenics, which definitely intensified the musical experience. However, even without it, the album's arrangements are deceptively simple, with lots of playing around with chromatics and the circle of fifths. / The extended title suite opens with some simple but effective ocean wave and electronic effects, moves into a nice organ figure, and then bursts into a highly theatrical "opening theme," almost like the prelude to a musical. (Stating a "theme" at the beginning of a song would later become a "signature" for the band.) After the extended introduction, there is a section ("Falling"), which is the first time we get a presage of some of the band's later work. Following this is an instrumental section featuring a repeated keyboard pattern (something that would become another "signature" of the band). We then get a beautiful example of Roye Albrighton's distinctive (and, yes, signature) arpeggiated guitar style. The piece ends with a nice recapitulation of the main theme via an organ-based outro. The second "suite" - Desolation Valley/Waves - opens with a very Pink Floyd-ish theme (I believe it may be taken almost directly from something on Atom Heart Mother, which came out the year prior), moving into a nice jazz-tinged section, including some really nice guitar and bass work. This segues into a much harder, "rock"-ier section, and back to the main theme. After another round of this, the piece moves into a quiet jam, with more arpeggiated playing that presages future Nektar works. The suite ends with a nice, peaceful jam. (The quiet jams in the song are strangely reminiscent of The Doors.) The final suite - Crying in the Dark/King of Twilight - opens with a neat wah- wah guitar figure, moving into a seriously "rock and roll" section that presages something (I'm not sure what) on Down to Earth. Then there is a wonderful jam, with the organ, guitar and bass really playing out, as well as one of Albrighton's best solos at 5:20-6:15. As "Crying" segues into "King," we get a solid rhythmic guitar figure (there is very solid rhythm/chordal guitar work throughout the album), and some very Moody Blues-ish vocal harmonies. The song cycles through three of these, plus a short, but particularly good break, and ends abruptly on the - appropriate - final word of the album - "Free." / Although there is some (possibly much) on this album that some might consider more "straightforward" rock than prog, there is no question that Nektar was using new-found prog sensibilities in a deliberate, conscious manner. And they would succeed in "pulling it all together" - spectacularly - with their next album, Remember the Future. In the meantime, A Tab in the Ocean deserves a place in your collection, both as a wonderful example of the band's progression, and as a highly creative, and arguably important, release at a fairly early juncture in prog.

Folks unfamiliar with the band Nektar think they are from Germany. What actually transpired was the quartet of Englishmen met in Germany in 1969 and formed the band. Ron Howden (drums, percussion), Derek "Mo" Moore (bass, vocals), Alan "Taff" Freeman (keyboards, vocals) and Roye Albrighton (guitar, lead vocals) would become huge in Germany and nearly broke big the in the U.S.

Eclectic Discs/Dream Nebula Recordings have reissued the four critically acclaimed albums that defined the band's career. "A Tab In The Ocean", "Journey To The Center Of The Eye", "Remember The Future" and "Recycled" are lovingly remastered with detailed liner notes for former fans and the newly indoctrinated to enjoy. Their well- known masterpiece "Remember The Future" was appropriately chosen for the SACD format as well as "Journey To The Center Of The Eye".

Their sound was a progressive-psychedelic mixture of rock that was far ahead of its time. For this listener this was a new wonderful listening experience. Prior to receiving these CDs, I had not heard any Nektar music besides a video of "Remember The Future" on a DVD compilation. I can understand now what all the talk has been about the band reforming and going on tour.

Roye Albrighton was the driving force of this band. His skilled guitar playing set the table for his fellow band mates. Each recording was outstanding and stands as a testament to their importance to the history of prog-rock music. What made this so interesting was how the label broke up each album into two parts respectively, the original recordings versus the newly remastered versions. You are now able to hear succinct differences between the two formats for the first time. Both versions are excellent and it was a treat to get the best of both worlds.

Any prog-rock listener will most certainly enjoy taking in this musical paradise in more than once, I listened to each CD four times myself and I know there will be many more spins of each CD down the road. I look forward to catching Nektar 2004 on the road this year to relive all of these great songs in a live setting. I never would have decided to see them in concert if it wasn't for this remastered series.

Rating: 5/5 overall

This was one of the first NEKTAR albums I ever bought, the American LP copy on Passport Records. I have not heard the original 1972 German Bellaphon version, I only heard the 1976 Passport Records version, which was remixed by Larry Fast (who was recording a series of electronic albums at that time on the same label as SYNERGY), so I really can't say the difference in sound. What I do know is "A Tab in the Ocean" is even better than "Journey to the Centre of the Eye", and that's saying a lot, because "Journey..." is such a great album. This time around, many of the spacy Krautrock experiments had been abandoned, concentrating more on great prog rock. No collections of cuts all segued in to each other like their previous, these are actual separate songs.

The album starts with the truly wonderful side-length title track, with plenty of wonderful instrumental passages, as well as vocal passages which tend to be short. "Crying in the Dark" is another favorite of mine, a great rocking number with a great organ solo from Allan "Taff" Freeman that reminds me of CAMEL (and remember this is 1972, when CAMEL were starting to get their recording contract, and they themselves wouldn't have an album released until the following year). "King of Twilight" is dominated by guitar riffs from Roye Allbrighton, and strangely enough, if I remember right, none other than IRON MAIDEN did a cover of this song years later. I understand the current CD reissue contains both the original 1972 mix and the 1976 Larry Fast mix on one disc, probably not to shock American buyers who might have only been familiar with the Passport Records version.

My rating: 4 1/2 stars

From the opening strains of a monumental organ theme you know this is going to be Prog Heaven. Right on cue the band crashes in and off we go on a roller-coaster ride of majestic proportions. It is a journey that will take us stomping through rough seas of real heavyweight guitar action, sometimes floating lightly on a calm sea beneath the stars of some mellow verses, bobbing bemused on confused waters of quick-fire disorientating theme changes, or surfing serenely on giant Atlantic rollers as riff follows giant riff.

Along the way we open doors into worlds of such delight that no listener will be able to resist, wow moments that cause an involuntary physical reaction, maybe to break into a beatific grin accompanied by a sudden urge to thump something rhythmically. These guys had hit a rich seam of creativity at this time and few bars are without something exciting happening, toying with our emotions and leaving us wanting more.

Based on trademark riff structures from multi-tracked guitars, title track A Tab In The Ocean has a genuinely complex Symphonic Prog structure, with continuous organic progression throughout, awash with key, tempo and mood changes in an ever-flowing monster of a piece. It even has a final sting in its tail with a fantastic guitar motif at 16:00 that is gone before it has time to sink in. A Tab In The Ocean is one of those beloved 'epics' that ought to stand proud alongside Tarkus, Supper's Ready and Close To The Edge as a shining example of the best of Prog.

After a noisy start, Desolation Alley settles into a cool groove, jazz-inspired but with a hint of Floydian blues too, notable by some lovely touches from organ and bass. A mid-song instrumental ups the tempo with guitars and organ bashing away as the bass holds tension. Later, a languid mood is maintained by the wonderful Waves with its spoken vocal, an old Moody Blues trick and very well executed.

Crying In The Dark begins quietly, slowly building tension until a killer riff is finally unleashed. Forever shifting and changing within a hard rock framework, the track proceeds with organ and guitar soloing to segue into King Of Twilight which continues the mood with staccato percussion and a welcome touch of Mellotron choir. It also contains some stunning instrumentals including thrusting power space rock, and it rocks off to an unexpected abrupt end on the word 'free'. Rock doesn't get much better than this!

One thing about Nektar - each album had its own special imprint, a character quite distinct from its siblings. A Tab In The Ocean is their most overtly Classic Prog, less psychedelic and more assured than Journey To The Centre Of The Eye, darker and less 'vocal' than the funkier, more mainstream road they would later travel. Despite Albrighton's dominant, almost virtuoso, performance on guitar, there is little soloing as such, just lots of solid riffs and structured progressions dripping with Prog quality oozing from every pore.

Aside from his uplifting guitar, Albrighton's singing is fine without being special or noteworthy, perfectly in keeping with the mood of the music. Taff Freeman plays a mean Hammond throughout, only occasionally jumping to something different, but is slightly too recessed in an otherwise excellent transparent production. Mo Moore's bass playing is always strong, and quite forward, often playing semi-lead runs like Jon Camp of Renaissance as a counterpoint while at other times laying a solid foundation for the others.

A Tab In The Ocean was remastered and released in 2004 by Dream Nebula with two versions on the CD - the original German 1972 mix, and a vastly inferior USA 1976 version. Sound is good, though there would appear to some slight problems with a wobbly bottom on one or two occasions. It is presented with a decent booklet containing lyrics and extensive interesting notes.

In the 1970s, Nektar passed underneath my radar, as they must have for most British Prog fans of the time. It was only later I discovered them and soon realised the error of my ways, but I still find it sad they don't command the same respect as Yes or Genesis. A Tab In The Ocean remains a phenomonal achievement, well deserving of a place in all classic Prog collections.

And all this arose from a chance remark, while admiring the antics of some captive fish, wondering what would happen if someone dropped a giant tab in the ocean!

Nektar is another of those great bands which their better efforts were released in the early 70`s .

In 1971 their second album named A Tab in the Ocean with a better and more challenging sound as their first album, giving us a blend of symphonic sound, an strong symphonic sound in my opinion, with also their nature psychedelic sound, a bit alike to their contemporary Eloy for example.

The first song is by far the best song of the album, in all the ways, musically, lyrically and everything , it has a lenght of 16 minutes, so it`s an epic and a great introduction to the album, actually the beginning of the song reminds me a lot of Genesis, i can imagine Genesis influenced Nektar in so many ways (as well to other bands) , i said this because the organ sound is quite similar to those Genesis peak moments, then the composition and complexity of the song is excellent, in fact this song pass to me so quickly despite being more than 15 minutes, that`s a fact that i adore in the songs, i truly enjoy it and like all the beautiful and enjoyable things passes fast, honestly the whole album is great, but as a single song this is the best moment of it.

That`s why i could say that the album is losing a bit of great moments and it`s decadent during the other songs (which are great as well, but not as the same level of the self titled song).

For some strange reason i remember Focus in the second song, the guitar sound , not reminding me of the best Jakermann momens, but somewhere in Mother Focus i remember it, obviously Mother Focurs was released years after A Tab in the Ocean but i knew it before, this song also has a bit and rich jazz sound , but then the song becomes faster and greater, some changes and all oriented and leade by the guitar and drums.

I think the term of space prog is not so applicable here, is a vast term which could be used by any band trying to experiment some of those sounds and noises, creating different atmospheres and passages, in this album i dont think its full of those moments, despite it`s one of the best albums of this psych /space band, we notice in some moments a clear hard rock and great use of synths over it. The last song is great to finish the album , the music and harmony vocals are great over there , so what a best end to a nice album.

Which in my opinion is not a masterpiece, but an album which everyone could enjoy and must listen, so another 4 stars for me.

Following in the psychedelic path that their debut album "Journey to teh Centre of the Eye" had delivered so well in a well-accomplished somber mood, Nektar decided to create a ballsier mood and a tighter sound for their sophomore effort "A Tab in the Ocean". In my opinion, and I happen to disagree with most of Nektar experts on this, I don't find the repetoire as effective and accomplished as in their debut, since the musical ideas tend to be less elaborated and more focused on repeating motifs without too many noticeable variations on them. On the other hand, it's clear that Nektar didn't intend to blatantly repeat themselves, and even more: this one happens to be the album in which the prototypical Nektar sound solidifies, particularly regarding Moore's ever intruding bass lines. This time, they would explore the symphonic trend a bit further while preserving their relentless taste for psyche-rock driven jams. The opening namesake suite, which filled the 16+ minutes of the vinyl's original version is an example of the virtues and relative shortcomings of the album as a whole. The majestic organ chord progressions of the opening theme and the solid bass playing by Derek Moore encapsulate a musical box in which the drums create a tightly precise foundation and the guitar displays effective harmonies and catchy solos. The sections flow into each other in a seamless continuum, and that's good, but it's also true that the piece was conceived in such a manner that the complexity wouldn't become a "problem" for the performers. In a way it is a pity, since these guys can do more complex things regarding the links between diverse musica lsections, as they had already shown in the "Journey" album and repeat beautifully in their 1975's album "Recycled". Anyway, my personal balance for the 'A Tab' suite is positive, especially regarding that special magic Nektar-style. The dual track 'Desolation Valley / Waves' finds the band creating jams around Allbrighton's guitar from the nucleus of simplistic, catchy melodic lines. Some jazz in here, some hard rock in there, but mostly this is psychedelic prog rock somewhat related to PF and the melodic side of krautrock. The last two segued tracks are definitive highlights in Nektar's history. 'Cryin' in the Dark' is an energetic rocker whose expansions give enough room for alterated organ and guitar leads, while 'King of Twilight' brings the mst majestic passages in the album after the opening suite. The moderate complexity generated by its semi-epic structure allows this closure to end this album effectively. 3.5-4 stars for this one.

"Climb aboard imaginary waves of thought beneath the veils of bluey green"

I was introduced to Nektar when a friend, who no longer had a turntable, gave me his entire vinyl collection. While much of the music he gave me was dance and pop related, there were a few more interesting albums, including four by Nektar.

Unlike their emphatic opening statement, "Journey to the centre of the eye", the band's second album, "A tab in the ocean" is not a complete concept album. That said, the whole of the first side is occupied by the single piece which give the album its name. The lyrics of this track are suitably psychedelic, with a drug related undercurrent and imagery, along the lines of "Lucy in the sky with diamonds".

The track opens with drifting ocean sounds which are quickly overtaken by a building organ motif, followed by an ELP like marching theme. We are then taken through a succession of FLOYDIAN themes leading to the opening distorted vocals. The piece has a distinctly heavy feel, while staying well away from any metallic influences. The organ playing of Allan "Taff" Freeman's (no relation for "Fluff") is dominant throughout as the piece weaves it way through successive melodies and moods. It is interesting to speculate on what might have become of this epic had it been recorded by ELP or YES. There can be little doubt that, but for the inexplicable lack of awareness of the band especially in the English speaking nations, such pieces by them would now sit alongside "Close to the edge" and "Tarkus" at the top table of prog masterpieces.

Taking of "Tarkus", these is a bit of a feel of two sides to the story with "A Tab in the ocean". The second side is occupied by four shorter tracks, paired together to make two longer ones. "Desolation valley/waves" has many of the ingredients which make the epic title track so appealing, but somehow lacks the refinement of the finished product. It is nevertheless, a fine piece of music which leans towards early GENESIS ("Trespass", "Nursery Cryme") to a greater extent than most of Nektar's output. "Cryin' in the dark/King of twilight" sounds great, with some superb guitar work by Albrighton. Here too though, the track is overshadowed by what has gone before.

The main gripe about "A tab in the ocean" is that it is woefully short, even for an LP. At less than 34 minutes, and only 16 minutes for the title track which occupies the whole of one side, there is a real feeling that the album is over far too quickly. Some CD reissues attempt to rectify this by simply including different mixes of the album.

In all, this is a fine second album by a criminally under recognised band. Those who enjoy powerful symphonic prog should investigate without delay.

Nektar was one of my first prog bands that i own. I did not consider this one a masterpiece of the early'70, not even on thier own catalogue, but for sure is better then the previous one from 1971. The best Nektar to me is Recycled, however their is some difference between this one and later on albums. This is more spacy with lots of mid tempo keys, something ala Pink Floyd but more vague. 3 stars for this one, and i do not consider a must, but wort check out.

Are they not Germans?

My first introduction to NEKTAR was “Remember the Future” album. A nice record (two side-long epics), a bit boring and predictable at times, but a real gem for ELOY lovers. It had that unique German rough sound, and bordered Symphonic Prog at times. “A Tab in the Ocean” followed almost the same scheme – rough soundproducing, rock drive, but gentle melodies, long interplays and obvious FLOYDian spirit. Tracks like “King of Twilight” are absolute rockers, cool and enjoyable. To be short – Kraut meets Mike Oldfield! If you’re into early 70s unsophisticated sound and atmosphere and haven’t experienced NEKTAR yet, you should do yourself a favour. Recommended.

SECOND NEKTAR JEWEL IN A ROW!

TAB IN THE OCEAN is often considered by many fans of the group as their crowning achievement and i can understand why even if i prefer JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EYE. This album is definitely more mature than its predecessor, less ''smoky '', more organized, but it also has lost its psychedelic craziness that was present on the first album.

We have more of a serious album a la YES with a very well worked long suite which take the ex- whole side 1 of the LP and 3 tracks on side 2. The space side of the band is gone for sure to leave room for more structured compositions and a more (hard!!!) rock edge.

The best song is of course the title track, a real prog classic any symphonic rock lover will like.Especially the beginning is absolutely GRANDIOSE and is as great as prog can be. Majestic organ a la FOCUS, a nice guitar riff and pounding marching drums bringing you all the way to total ecstasy, very symphonic: a total delight that has to be heard by any prog lover. I am surprised to notice that this album and other NEKTAR albums from their golden era are getting just a few reviews...on a prog site.

Please stop listening for a moment to FOXTROT and CTTE and make yourself a favor: get NEKTAR, get early NOVALIS, get GROBSCHNITT and discover absolute symphonic jewels fom the time when prog was king.They deserve to be discovered and you won't be disappointed .

The second side is more of a straightforward affair ,with a harder sound of guitar! No, that's not metal but remember IRON MAIDEN made a cover of the last song KING OF TWILIGHT!! that's telling you something! DESOLATION VALLEY is a very nice moody tune that is still played live by NEKTAR these days. CRYING IN THE DARK is kind of hard rockish, with a lot of ALLBRIGHTON playing the guitar hero, not too prog enough for my taste.

A very good album that should be in any prog collection, at least for the self titled suite, a monument to symphonic prog. Also the cover is wonderful and is a pice of art, well in the spirit of these times!!

4 STARS

A year after their debut album (but this was the pace in those days : one album per year), "Nektar" released "Tab". The band has evolved considerably in this short period of time. Almost of the glorious psychedelia has gone. Songs are on a longer side as well, more sophisticated, elaborated. Harder and rockier.

The title track and central piece of the album is a highlight of course. Lots of themes available (even some sort of "Bolero" is featured). I have mentioned many times that the "Watcher" riff has been "borrowed" a lot but "Boléro" holds the comparison. This track reminds me at time ELP or Wakeman ("Tab" of course, not the "Boléro"). Church organ to start. A bit pompous. Vocals are not superb but Ilike very much the instrumental parts (although more on the heavy side at times). The closing section is particularly well polished and bombastic. This part is probably the best one of the album.

But this album is worth more than just one track. I like very much "Desolation Valley". Probably the most related to space-rock although a bit jazzy during the intro. Second part is the best one. "Waves" is more tranquil, very soft intro. Nice background "vocals".

"King Of Twighlight" is another very good song from this album. It is a fine summary of what's available : harmonious intro, the song will get harder and harder. It finishes as a great hard-rock one but with subtle and very pleasant vocals. The keyboard riff is really great.

"Crying In The Dark" explores more their rocking side : heavier and really powerful. Vocals are fully Greg Lake oriented.

I preferred their first opus for its psychedelic and "Floyd" approach. This one is more related to ELP although more personal.

Still : four stars.

Nektar cranks up the power chords and decides to rock!

This album tends to become less inspiring over time, though there's a fair bit of creativity. The first thing that pops out after repeated listens is the quality: it's 1972, and this muddy sound is the best you can do? Maybe they should have stayed in Britain--if this would have gotten Who's Next production, then we may have close to a masterpiece. As it stands, many of the good ideas lose some of their impact, and the result is a good, yet not great, album.

A Tab in the Ocean. This one really loses interest over time for me. There are different themes, and each is fairly catchy, but there's no denying that this is basically fifteen minutes of quarter notes and keyboard triplets. Also, I haven't seen anyone else mention this, but it seems that they really struggle to keep up the tempo in places--this should be much bouncier, but as it stands, there's a lot of dragging going on. The guitar is very simple (though the power chords are largely effective), and the organ is basically at beginner's level. The title track could have been much better, given the decent melodies and song structure.

Desolation Valley/Waves. A jazzy piece, slightly reminiscent of Yes' beginnings. There is some rocking guitar, but the mellow parts make it difficult to listen far enough to appreciate them properly.

Crying in the Dark/King of Twilight. Unlike most reviewers, this is the absolute highlight of the album for me. These two tracks are basically one 10 minute, hard-rocking tour-de-force. There is no problem with production, tempo-dragging, or holding back (especially on the guitar and drums) here. The guitar section in Crying in the Dark has an incredible, face-melting build, and just when you think it's over, Nektar kicks it up a notch for the killer King of Twilight. One of the best album endings out there for me!

Don't get my 3 star rating wrong--you probably need this album in your prog collection, but it shows both the strengths and limitations of Nektar. Too bad they couldn't find a middle ground between this and their next album--the rocking on this album and production of Remember the Future would have made a killer combo.

No doubt in my mind that this is superior psychedelic rock.

The title says it all. A tab of what? Where? Apparently the eponymous tab would explain why fish behave so strangely ... and, I'd imagine, was a signal to prospective purchasers that they were in for forty minutes of drugged-out bliss. The title track is an excellent epic, with a gentle start and a powerful finish, with much to entertain the listener in between. Guitar and keyboards lay an impressive foundation for the vocals, which, along with the lyrics, are perhaps the weakest part of this outfit: very generic sounding, which was never a curse with PINK FLOYD, but is definitely a handicap here.

'Desolation Alley/Waves', the second suite, is good old blues with a psychedelic twist. It contains a killer riff and wonderful bass lines, and is easily the most immediate of the three suites on the album, paying out on the first listen. 'Cryin' in the Dark/King of Twilight' is less immediate, but is still a considerable achievement, with pride of place going to ALBRIGHTON's guitar.

Not quite four stars, but a competent effort nonetheless. NEKTAR would get better from here.

A Tab in the Ocean certainly lives up to it's name.

This album is a gem of the space-rock genre and contains some of the finest space-rock material I've heard, unfortunately though there is quite a disparity between the good tracks of this album and the not-so-good tracks.

Starting off, the title track is easily the best song on the album with some very strong melodies some great heavy organ work and some engaging vocal harmonies, this is one of the best sapce-rock epics there is and unfortunately it really overshadows everything else on the album. 'Desolation Valley' is a slower song that is quite good when it's upbeat and faster but fails to really carry on the momentum of the title track. 'Crying in the Dark' is probably the weakest track on the album as it's a more straight up blues-rock affair. 'Kings of Twilight' ends the album fairly well with a re-iteration of many of the motifs introduced in the title track.

A Tab in the Ocean is a great space-rock album with some amazing psychedelic moments but it's pretty much one exceptional track and 3 or 4 fairly decent ones. Still it's a worthy addition to any space-rock fan's collection.

A what in the ocean?

A Tab In The Ocean was Nektar's second album and a great improvement over their rather lacklustre debut. While the debut album was very much of it's time and could have been made by any one of a large number of contemporaries, A Tab In The Ocean is an album that stands out as quite unique. There wasn't quite anything else like this in 1972 (that I know of, anyway). It was also with this album that Nektar began to find their very own distinctive sound that they would carry with them until the present day (in a number of different forms). The biggest difference between the two first Nektar albums is perhaps their discovery here of their melodic sensibility that was clearly a bit lacking on the debut. It would improve further on albums like Remember The Future and Recycled, but A Tab In The Ocean has much more melodic and memorable songs compared to the Journey To The Centre Of The Eye. My favourite song here is probably the hard rocking King Of Twilight, but all the songs are quite good.

The songs from this album would become strong live favourites for the band. On a recently recorded live DVD that I have, called Pure: Live In Germany 2005, all the songs from this album are performed! In many ways these new live recordings are improvements over this original recording. The songs come to life on the stage and this emphasises one problem with this studio album: the far-from-perfect production. This is mainly what keeps me from giving this a four star rating.

Overall, however, this is an album worth having and I gladly give it three and a half stars.

A Tab in the Ocean is the second Nektar album and it is a bit different from the conceptual debut Journey to the Centre of the Eye. A Tab in the Ocean has longer songs and some differences in the overall sound, a bit less psychedelic and a bitmore progressive.

The first song, named A Tab In The Ocean, is a sidelong suite with many different parts. As usual in Nektar's songs, there are many changes in rhythm and melody. The song has lengthy instrumental sections with many variations and great organ and guitar work.

Desolation Valley is another long song with interesting arrangement. The rhythm section at the beginning of the song mix jazz with prog and the guitar and bass are very original. Then the song becomes traditional Nektar in the chorus and alternates between these two different styles. Waves is a short song that comes linked to Desolation Valley and it is a mellow song, with delicate guitar and keyboard work.

Crying in the Dark is a harder song, with strong hammond and guitar riffs and and it has the traditional psychedelic prog style that Nektar primarly followed. The instrumental interlude in this song is very good, with superb organ and guitar solos, with some killer wah-wah guitar.

And the last song, Kings of Twilight, is one of their famous songs, with hard guitar and bass riffs, choir singing and a very beautiful keyboard work, with different sounds and moods. The solo part is very heavy.

Overall is a great Nektar album, the one with the most well known songs and it has the same high level of their other albums up to 74. For those who already know Nektar, it is a no-brainer. For those who don't know it's a good place to start enjoying this great space-rock band.

NEKTAR were from the UK but lived and played in Germany where they enjoyed a lot of success.They employed Mick Brockett as their lighting technician, which was a smart move because their stage shows helped draw in the big crowds.Mick had previously worked with PINK FLOYD.This was recorded at Dieter Dierks studio in October of 1972. The band was trying to come up with a title for this album when one day while watching the fish in the aquariam at their house someone said something like "What would happen if a giant tab of acid was dropped in the sea".They had found their title and concept for the new album.Mo Moore related how NEKTAR were influenced by ambitious bands like YES, and he felt that the title track really stretched them out in that direction.This album would result in the band being signed to a major label, and then being chosen by Frank Zappa to open for him in his European tour in support of "Overnite Sensation". "A Tab In The Ocean" is the almost 17 minute side long opener.Ocean-like sounds to open as organ rises out of the waves followed by a full sound,This is very symphonic actually.Guitar then vocals after 3 1/2 minutes as it settles.This is more psychedelic.I really like when the vocals return 6 1/2 minutes in.A good instrumental section follows 8 1/2 minutes in.Vocal melodies after 10 1/2 minutes.A nice heavy passage with organ comes and goes.Vocals are back before 13 minutes.The guitar 14 minutes in is like sunshine for me.Organ then takes over.It ends as it began with ocean sounds. "Desolation Valley/Waves" has a nice intro but it calms down quickly with reserved vocals.Sounds start to build 2 minutes in with guitar and organ as the opening melody returns.The contrast continues until we get a calm as the "Waves" section comes in with spoken words. "Crying In The Dark" kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes.Vocals before 2 1/2 minutes.Guitar cries out before 4 minutes followed by an organ solo.Guitar before 5 1/2 minutes lights it up.Nice. "King Of Twilight" would be covered by IRON MAIDEN.This is pretty straight forward uptempo song with vocal melodies.Lots of energy and even some mellotron. A solid 4 stars.