A TAB IN THE OCEAN

There are, in my view, three classic prog rock albums of all time: In Rock by Deep Purple, Close to the Edge by Yes and A Tab in the Ocean by Nektar. I had the pleasure of seeing Nektar supporting Frank Zappa (somewhat incompatibly as Bomber Harris said on the Old Grey Whistle Test) in Freiburg in 1973, and on the strength of that was converted to Nektar. The title track is 16 minutes of the best that prog rock has to offer - dominant keyboards, great interplay with lead and bass, tight drumming,powerful passionate vocals and not a wasted note. Unfortunately the DVD spoils this track a bit with B/W footage of the band giving flowers to bemused Hamburg commuters! Desolation Valley, although excellent, has the misfortune of superceding Crying in the Dark/King of Twilight (on vinyl anyway) as when listening to the album I can't wait for Crying in the Dark. The intro featuring Roye displaying his wah-wah guitar effects with imminent support from Ron then bursts into one almighty cruscendo of heavy rock. The passion ousing from all band members is electric. The track builds on this momentum and finishes on one almighty high being the listener to shout for more. It's just a shame Nektar were never really mentioned in the same breath as Deep Purple and Yes in the UK anyway.Give Recycled and Remember the Future a listen to as well.