Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Nektar
Label: Bellaphon
Release: 1972
Rating: 4.5/5
Nektar, British space rock visionaries who spent most of their recording time in Germany thanks to bigger tax breaks, took a new evolutionary step for space rock on their sci-fi concept debut “Journey To The Centre Of The Eye” with a mix of psychedelic sounds, waves of keyboards, catchy vocal harmonies and punchy guitar parts. With their follow-up, “A Tab In The Ocean”, they made a huge leap in maturity. After the pretty dark, psychedelic and obscure sound that dominated the debut, this time they gave more room to melody, where they usually shine with first-class vocal harmonies and fiery/mellow duels between guitarist/singer Roye Albrighton and keyboardist Alan Freeman. The production is also one of the best of its day.
“A Tab In The Ocean” delivered, as had become standard practice for the band over the years, a colorful mix of songs whose common thread, besides considerable complexity and plenty of tempo shifts, is that they usually sound very punchy, for the time even bordering on what we now call heavy metal. The art rock side is very much present again (most of the songs on the album owe a noticeable debt to the likes of Pink Floyd and Uriah Heep, which would become less and less obvious on later albums). A lot of room goes to the guitar passages, which is great given that Albrighton has his own recognizable playing style and never slips into the excessive soloing typical of guitarists with roots in the blues. His parts can sound incredibly raw one moment and incredibly soft and delicate the next. A mastery that only the greats have. Freeman’s organ and Mellotron, on the other hand, are the key building blocks of that cosmic sound that keeps Nektar from sounding like just another art/hard rock band. Unlike most other bands from the space rock world, Nektar always packed a hefty dose of power and knew how to get your bones properly warmed up whenever they felt like it. Most of the songs on the album flow straight into one another, but this time without any linking concept. Still, most of the lyrics share a theme of loneliness in a completely unfamiliar futuristic world.
The title track “A Tab in The Ocean” is a majestic space rock epic and one of the album’s best moments. It opens with a wealth of psychedelic sounds and the rush of waves, before mighty organ and a punchy guitar riff crash in, joined by a marching, hellish drum rhythm. The interplay between the organ and the guitar passages stays at an enviable atmospheric level throughout and is the central building block of the composition. The galloping rhythm eventually tips over into a melancholic section when Albrighton’s psychedelic-tinged vocal comes in (at one point it sounds remarkably like the legendary Syd Barrett), with extensive use of guitar slides. Nektar know how to weave the transitions and mood changes with real artistry, from emotional moments dominated by delicate guitar and melodic vocals (with rich backing vocals) to stretches of a proper hellish march with sharpened guitar lines that still sound punchy today. The emotional vocal and delicious guitar passages create an incredibly grand mood and just the right balance between psychedelia and hard rock. Drummer Ron Howden is endlessly varied in his use of cymbals and other percussion gear. The shorter instrumental sections in the final stretch are topped off with superb vocal harmonies. It’s just unbelievable how quickly Nektar can switch between the brutality of dirty riffing and wound-up rhythm lines and the gentle melancholy created by the interplay of fine Mellotron curtains and melodic guitar. For the finale, Freeman offers a good organ solo and pulls the other instrumentalists back to the song’s opening motif through it, and the track ends the way it began – with the rush of waves.
“Desolation Valley” is a true Nektar classic with a monumental Albrighton riff that sends shivers down your spine and certainly introduced new ideas to the first steps of what we now call heavy metal. This unique riffing, layered over waves of Mellotron, returns several times through the song and gives it its esoteric, dramatic edge. In the very next moment Nektar head into waters fairly uncharacteristic for them, bluesy ones, with a laid-back vocal, a barroom rhythm and thoroughly bluesy guitar work. They don’t indulge in emotion much, and before long that mighty esoteric motif returns, and comes back a few more times. This kind of switching between cosmic esotericism mixed with hard rock riffing, with pit stops in the “bars” along the way, is one of the main attractions of early, classic Nektar. Even the short closing funky jam, where the excellent bassist Derek Moore gets plenty of room to shine, can’t overshadow Albrighton’s cult riff and the booming organ of the central motif, which just won’t leave your head.
Suddenly the instrumental “Waves” kicks in, a psychedelic-tinged instrumental moment marked by serene, dreamy psychedelic melodies on guitar and keyboards. After a while “Waves” flows straight into the excellent “Crying In The Dark”, where Albrighton reigns in the intro with a great wah-wah guitar that even Mick Box (Uriah Heep) would envy. This is followed by a sudden and extremely witty switch into a hard rock section dominated by massive drumming and, for the time, extremely punchy riffing. The dramatic vocal is skillfully threaded through the individual, vivid transitions. The instrumental motifs change at the speed of light and it’s hard to single out the best one. At one point a funky rhythm kicks in with excellent bass guitar work, followed by a great organ solo.
“Crying In The Dark” flows into the phenomenal “King Of Twilight”, which is probably their best-known song, mainly thanks to the fairly well-known (and very solid) cover by Iron Maiden. That move by the hugely popular metal capitalists, whose boss Steve Harris has always been a big Nektar fan, helped quite a bit to revive interest in the prog rock legends in recent years, especially after the reunion. It’s a song of many dramatic proportions, unexpected transitions and a big dose of punch. Derek Moore’s rumbling bass, which together with the drums dictates the battle march, is one of the most eloquent proofs of why Harris loves this band so much. The dramatic vocal harmonies are some of the best I’ve heard in progressive rock, while the punchy transitions and killer rhythm are finger-licking good. The epic chorus has a way of occasionally sending shivers down your spine. The whole thing, lyrics included, sounds like a kind of battle march, or an uprising of enraged serfs who’ve decided to stand up to a tyrannical ruler. A prog rock classic and an excellent finish to a superb album.
“A Tab In The Ocean” is one of the best moments in the band’s history (in my eyes it definitely ranks among their three best albums, alongside “Remember The Future” and “Recycled”) and in space rock in general. With it, Nektar took a considerable step forward from their rather obscure and dark psychedelic beginnings and expanded their sound into new, far more melodic territory. At the same time, they never sounded this punchy on any album, not even later. Those interested in the roots of melodic metal will be thoroughly surprised by how many such elements there are here, while prog rock dreamers will enjoy an incredibly dynamic album that offers plenty of everything. Through the 70s and all the way to their breakup, Nektar would release a series of albums that included some first-class masterpieces as well as a few less ambitious efforts. Perhaps it’s exactly this inconsistency of musical direction that’s the main reason they never earned proper recognition at home or the deserved spot among the most frequently mentioned progressive rock bands of the 70s.
Lineup
Roye Albrighton – vocals, guitar
Derek “Mo” Moore – bass guitar, vocals
Allan Freeman – keyboards, Mellotron, backing vocals
Ron Howden – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Mick Brockett – light effects
Production
Mark Powell
Tracklist
1. A Tab In The Ocean (15:31)
2. Desolation Valley (5:45)
3. Waves (2:53)
4. Cryin’ In The Dark (5:27)
5. King Of Twilight (4:07)
Album length: 33:43
