Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Nektar
Label: Bellaphon
Release: 1974
Length: 36:57
Rating: 4/5
With their aptly titled fifth album, “Down the Earth,” Nektar, the legendary British prog rockers who spent most of their recording career in Germany thanks to lower taxes, really did come “down to earth” for a little while. After four excellent space-rock-oriented albums and a commercial breakthrough with the masterpiece “Remember the Future” (1973), which was of course a tough act to follow, they went for a noticeable shift in style and concept, moving as far away as possible from the space rock spheres of their early years.
No doubt a considerable surprise for everyone who had followed them from the start, but with surprisingly good results. The individual songs got more melodic and compact, with no sprawling, long-winded jams. That also made them shorter and more numerous (especially compared to the previous album, where the title track took up both sides of the LP). Despite the simpler song structures on “Down to Earth,” they kept their recognizable sound and all their rhythmic complexity, mostly thanks to the brilliant guitarist and singer Roye Albrihton. Some of the innovative experiments, like the addition of wind instruments, turned out downright wonderfully and give the album a special jazzy charm, something you didn’t come across all that often in their career. Some choir parts also hold a special place on the album. Howden’s trademark hard-rocking guitar approach and some subtler finesse with extensive use of the wah-wah effect, plus the tasteful symphonic stretches from his keyboard partner Alan “Taff” Freeman, are laid, as always, on top of the dynamic Moore/Howden rhythm section which means classic Nektar were still very much alive at this stage of their career.
The only minor criticism goes to the album’s concept, which feels pretty cheap, since it tells a humorous story about what goes on during a circus show, which you can already tell from the utterly bizarre cover, where the band members are dressed up as circus performers. Space voyages and encounters with alien beings were replaced, almost radically, with clowns, elephants and acrobats. The conceptual glue and dramatic introductions to the individual songs are convincingly handled by the cult singer and writer Robert Calvert (ex-Hawkwind), sadly no longer with us, who plays the part of the circus ringmaster. Thanks to Calvert’s burlesque spoken parts, the generally rather funny lyrics and plenty of waggish sound effects, this is by far the most comical Nektar album, though there are also some deeply melancholic moments, as befits a proper English prog rock band (with a German address).
One of Nektar’s main strengths was always their ability to gradually and dramatically build diverse moods through unexpected transitions between motifs, easily touching the listener’s deepest emotions. “Down to Earth” doesn’t disappoint there either, although it has fewer moments for ambient daydreaming than usual. All the songs are at least solid, and some of them can even be counted among the Nektar classics. The opener “Astral Man” is the only song in the band’s story that climbed into the upper reaches of the radio charts, probably thanks to how direct it is. In one of their shortest pieces they packed a hypnotic chorus with ethereal backing vocals and laid it over a simple boogie rhythm, ruled by a witty bluesy riff.
This “holy simplicity,” but solid warm-up, is followed by the superb classic “Nelly the Elephant,” where the many witty wind parts shine first and foremost, bringing them squarely close to the British school of jazz rock fusion. A brief improvisational passage comes from an excellent guitar solo, while a pinch of humor comes from Calvert’s narration with its exaggerated German accent and the sound of an elephant trumpeting (the latter achieved with a trumpet). On “Early Morning Clown,” despite the title, we’re dealing with classic Nektar romanticism, which they pull off through an extremely effective pastoral melody on acoustic guitar and the addition of majestic moog parts. The ethereal vocal harmonies add some extra magic.
“That’s Life” is the longest and also the most complex piece on the album, with a string of pleasant vocal harmonies, sudden shifts into sprawling instrumental sections and effective mood changes. The instrumental sections feature plenty of jazzy and funky rhythmic flourishes, where Howden’s thick bass lines and Moore’s massive drum fills reign at full steam. The melodic harmonies keep adding ethereal touches, while the shamanic percussion at the end brings in a whiff of the ethnic. “Fidgety Queen” is another first-rate Nektar classic that effectively blends elements of different genres. Up front is a juicy melody built on an authoritative hard rock riff, a bouncy rhythmic foundation and a spirited vocal performance. The excellent wind parts add a generous dose of liveliness.
“Oh Willy” is another interesting hybrid of hard rock and jazz, which after a punchy opening flight drifts into much more melancholic, not to say romantic, waters. Albrighton never hid his bluesy guitar roots, which he proves again and again with his exceptional sense for sentimental passages. That quality gets special emphasis on “Little Boy,” which, with its gentle acoustic guitar melody and heart-wrenching chorus, is one of the most beautiful ballads in the band’s story, and it also carries a strong lyrical message.
On the closing classic “Show Me the Way,” with the help of a lively rhythm, majestic vocalizations and bravura guitar passages, they sail once more into more complex and playful waters, where their improvisational skills get another chance to shine. The opening bar-room mood on piano and boogie rhythm, which doesn’t promise much, is followed by a sudden shift into a more ethereally colored section with funky rhythmic patterns. Dramatic drum fills cut across the dreamy section, where, besides subtle guitar and keyboard passages, the female backing vocal also gets special emphasis. “Finale” provides a fitting, and above all pompous, end to the circus show.
On “Down to Earth,” Nektar followed their long-awaited commercial breakthrough with a bold leap into the unknown, with an offbeat circus concept and some innovative sonic experiments, which paid off surprisingly well. That means this is yet another album that boasts originality in both songwriting and lyrics, while still containing all the recognizable Nektar sonic finesse. Unburdened by any urge to record a clone of “Remember the Future” and so cash in easily on the commercial breakthrough, they made an interesting and varied album that, despite the total absence of space themes, proves they were a highly imaginative and cunning prog rock collective even when standing on (somewhat) firmer ground. They kept up this positive trend of stylistic adventurousness while holding on to their instantly recognizable sound on the next album, “Recycled” (1975), with which, in the opinion of many fans, they created their definitive masterpiece.
Lineup
Roye Albrighton- vocals, guitar
Allan “Taff” Freeman – keyboards, backing vocals
Ron Howden – drums, percussion
Derek “Mo” Moore – bass guitar, backing vocals
Mick Brockett – lighting
GUEST MUSICIANS:
P. P. Arnold – backing vocals
Phil Brown – bass tuba
Robert Calvert – narration
Ron Carthy – second trumpet
Kenneth Cole – backing vocals
Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone
Butch Hudson – first trumpet
Chris Mercer – baritone & tenor saxophone
Chris Pyne – trombone
Stephen Wick – tuba
Chipping Norton Mandies – choir (2-9)
Production
Nektar, Peter Hauke
Tracklist
1. Astral man
2. Nelly the elephant
3. Early morning clown
4. That’s life
5. Fidgety queen
6. Oh Willy
7. Little boy
8. Show me the way
9. Finale
