Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Nektar
Label: Bellaphon
Released: 1975
Runtime: 36:45
Rating: 5/5
With “Recycled”, the legendary English prog rockers Nektar, who were known, among other things, for spending most of their studio career in Germany thanks to lower taxes, created one last great masterpiece. It went down in the annals of the prog rock world above all for its advanced use of synthesizer textures by the only guest musician in the band’s story so far, the American wizard Larry Fast (Synergy, Peter Gabriel). Fast, who was invited to join them before the start of their American tour, had already made a name for himself as a synth innovator, partly thanks to working with the legendary synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog on the development of the first polyphonic synthesizer (the first electronic keyboard able to play more than one note at the same time). His skills proved worth their weight in gold and added even more polish to the band’s already traditionally eclectic sound.
“Recycled” continues their habit of making albums that differed quite a lot from one another in style while still carrying that unmistakable Nektar sound. Thanks to lavish orchestral arrangements, they had never sounded so symphonic, which brought them closer than ever in their career to symphonic prog bands like Genesis, Yes and ELP. On the other hand, the many electronic patterns from Fast’s synths keep the connection to their space rock past. On top of all that, there’s no shortage of tasteful jazzy finesse on the piano, while Albrighton’s guitar moves tie things to the worlds of funk and hard rock. The mix of all these ingredients makes for the sonically richest album of the band’s career.
The lyrics once again keep up their fascinating sci-fi concept tradition, telling of the cosmic recycling of human pollution, which strange cybernetic entities have to look after in the future if they want to head off the final catastrophe. This eco-flavored concept, hiding a bitter critique of humanity’s unhealthy relationship with nature, feels especially relevant in today’s ever more eco-conscious times. They reportedly got the inspiration for it during their American tour, when they were shocked by the sheer amount of litter of every kind piled up in every possible corner.
Instead of a single track stretched over two sides of an LP like they did on “Remember The Future” (1973), their second most revered album, the concept of “Recycled” is nicely spread across a collection of interconnected songs that flow into one another without any gaps, so it’s fair to call it a conceptual suite. Some motifs return later on, which also points to the album’s conceptual nature. Every track has its own distinct strengths, so it’s impossible to pick out the album’s highlights, though everyone will surely work out their own favorites over time. The mood is, fittingly for the concept, supremely epic, and besides the pompous orchestral arrangements, virtuoso guitar work and excellent singing, you can thank the convincing use of female choir vocals at key moments of the album for that.
Nektar don’t mess around for a second and kick things off with the opening “Recycle”, marching in with a pure symphonic prog rock orgy, where mighty keyboard arrangements, punchy guitar riffs and dramatic Albrighton vocals all melt into each other, the whole thing backed by a highly eclectic rhythm section. It’s followed by a direct segue into the incredibly dynamic instrumental “Cybernetic Consumption”, where the sonic motifs change from second to second. After an almost avant-garde start with electronic trickery on the synths and fiery, hard-rocking guitar passages, a fantastic symphonic motif bursts in, and after some short jazzy interludes it comes back once more with full force and even bigger impact. “Recycle Countdown” carries on the opening “Recycle” motif with the astonishingly heartfelt and above all melancholic singing of Roye. “Automation Horrorscope” has a downright futuristic atmosphere, thanks to colorful electronic meanders and robotic narration, while the pairing of playful, hard-rocking guitar passages and jazzy drum transitions makes sure the classic Nektar finesse is present.
With the arrival of Roye’s dramatic vocals and a smooth transition into “Recycling”, where they build a short acoustic melody before bringing in pompous symphonic lines, they deliver an unexpectedly witty interlude, of which the album doesn’t run short anytime soon. “Flight To Reality” is a dramatic, rhythmically wound-up build-up before the album’s key track, where symphonic wizardry on the keyboards and heart-wrenching singing reign once again. Next comes the visionary masterpiece “Unendless Imaginations”, on which they set sail at full speed into a world of fantasy epic and majestic orchestration. This treat, which even brings in female choir vocal harmonies, could be called the centerpiece, if not the key work of the album and the most pompous creation of their career. You can hear clearly on it where certain power/symphonic metal bands like Rhapsody Of Fire drew the ideas for their own pompous opuses some twenty-five years later, and not just in the instrumentation but also in the borrowed majestic choir vocal lines that create an incredibly epic atmosphere. Roye’s singing here can be declared, without hesitation, even the best of his career. The epic-baroque grandeur is followed by a contrasting second part, salted with space rock, where dissonant electronic sounds blend together.
“Sao Paolo Sunrise”, which is about the city smog in the middle of a sunny Brazilian city, continues with the ambient unwinding of electronic sounds, then through a combination of a witty guitar riff, choir harmonies and decisive drum strokes they gradually build up yet another majestic symphonic motif. With the help of playful bass lines, the latter eventually shifts its sonic nature in a funk direction. Fittingly for the title, a downright fiery summery Latin vibe takes over, one you could even dance to. “Costa del Sol” is yet another track full of rainbow-spiced, unpredictable strengths. The opening choir harmonies are followed by a refined fusion of jazz and funk with some excellent solo moves on the piano and a thick bed of bass lines. The Latin mood of the previous track carries on here, but the pompous choir harmonies and the symphonic hard rock explosions in between are already building that classic Nektar drama that makes connoisseurs lick their fingers.
The classic “Marvellous Moses” easily ranks among the album’s highlights and is maybe the most recognizable track on it. Transitions between funky rhythmic build-ups and epic motifs are plentiful, while the best moment is the richly complex middle section, where a real fusion orgy breaks out, not to say a fierce clash of instruments. Master Fast outdoes himself again with countless solo excursions across his synth kingdom, while Freeman follows him convincingly on the other side from a somewhat humbler keyboard backdrop, and together they create an astonishingly rich symphonic sound. The grand finale, the incredibly melancholic “It’s All Over”, is practically the ideal ending to this excellent album. Here Roye gets another chance to prove, with exceptional singing, that he was one of the most emotionally expressive vocalists of his time, while the orchestration in the background ramps up a heartbreakingly sad, not to say farewell, mood. The closing part of the track is still not so melancholic, though, as the entrance of an elegant acoustic melody and “angelic” choir harmonies creates an ambient, relaxing, almost uplifting atmosphere.
With the fantastic “Recycled”, Nektar reached for the prog rock stars one last time and hit their artistic peak in every respect, a record that can stand shoulder to shoulder with “Remember The Future”. The short-lived pact with keyboard wizard Larry Fast proved to be a dream move in every way, which makes it a shame that this was the only time they worked together. When “Recycled” came out, Nektar were also enjoying the peak of their popularity and briefly became even more popular in the USA than in Germany, something only a few European prog rock bands of the seventies could boast. So it’s no surprise they decided to move their studio base to New Jersey for a few years. After “Recycled”, an unavoidable artistic and commercial decline sadly followed, brought on in many ways by Albrighton’s rash and, at the time, undoubtedly shocking decision to take a break for a while from the grueling studio and touring grind. He would come back later, but not before the rest of the band recorded the only album that doesn’t feature this key founding member.
Lineup
Roye Albrighton – vocals, guitar
Alan “Taff” Freeman – keyboards, backing vocals
Derek “Mo” Moore – bass guitar, backing vocals
Ron Howden – drums, percussion
Mick Brockett – light effects and visuals
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Larry Fast – orchestral Moog arrangements & additional synthesizer parts
English choir (conductor Robert Howes, arranger Christian Kolonovits)
Production
Nektar, Peter Hauke
Track List
1. Recycle (2:47)
2. Cybernetic Consumption (2:32)
3. Recycle Countdown (1:51)
4. Automation Horrorscope (3:08)
5. Recycling (1:46)
6. Flight to Reality (1:18)
7. Unendless Imaginations (4:36)
8. São Paulo Sunrise (3:05)
9. Costa del Sol (4:04)
10. Marvellous Moses (6:37)
11. It’s All Over (5:11)
