Nektar - Nektar Live

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Classic Rock Productions
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: DVD
Total Time: 60:00:00

It is the year 2002 and NEARfest tickets are about to go on sale; the announcement has been made that prog-rock legends Nektar will be playing, tickets sell out in 45 minutes. So goes the story nearly every time a group that made a name for themselves some 30 years ago gets back together to play a one-time gig. Of course, because of the success of the event, the band then reissues their entire catalog in remastered form with bonus tracks and then they go back into the studio to cut another album. It sounds like the typical sequence of events after a reunion concert. You have to love it though, especially if your listening days go back to the early 70's when bands like this were just beginning to create their legacy. Back in the day when there were very few bands like this cannot compare to today when there are hundreds of equally talented bands competing for the same audience. Nevertheless, it is a lot easier to remember groundbreaking talent like Nektar.

Their sound was indeed unique and original, and you will find that it remains so after viewing this DVD of their extraordinary performance at Nearfest. If you do in fact remember seeing them live in the 70's you will recall a light show that was a backdrop to their music. The very same light show is part of their act in this performance. The lava lamp splashes of various psychedelic colors overlaid on significant images is an added bonus to their intense musical journeys. In fact, as one of the bonus segments on this DVD, you get the treat of viewing an original video of the group performing "Remember The Future," complete with those original lights and colors. Also in the bonus section are interviews with band members, which shed some light on how much better it is to perform currently. The equipment that was once unavailable to help them duplicate what they did in the studio onstage is now readily accessible, thus you can enjoy a much more full and complex experience in a live setting.

It is funny, I remember the album cover of Remember The Future very clearly, but I never bought any of their albums, nor did I know anything about them. Now I know. I also have found a respect and admiration for a group that has been around for a long time, it just took me all these years to find them, sometimes it works that way when discovering groups. Thanks to this amazing DVD, I can add another great prog-rock band to my list of favorites.

Tracklisting:
A Tab In The Ocean / Desolation Valley / Nelly The Elephant / Man In The Moon / Recycled / It's All Over / Remember The Future Part 2 (Extract) / Now / Crying In The Dark/King of Twilight / Fidgety Queen

Extra Features on DVD: Bonus Tracks / Behind the Scenes / Interviews

Musicians:
Roye Albrighton - guitars, vocals
Mo Moore - bass, vocals
Alan 'Taft' Freeman - keyboards
Ron Howden - drums
Mick Brockett -visual Effects

Special Guests:

Larry Fast - synthesizers
Scott Krenz - percussion
Maureen McInty - & Michelle Eckert -backing vocals

Discography:
Journey To The Centre Of The Eye (1971/2004)
A Tab In The Ocean (1972/2004)
Sounds Like This (1973)
Remember The Future (1973/2004)
Sunday Night At London Roundhouse (1974)
Down To Earth (1974/2005)
Recycled (1975)
Magic Is A Child (1977/2005)
Live In New York (1977, rec. 1974)
More Live Nektar in New York (1978)
Thru The Ears (1978)
Man in the Moon (1980/2002*)
Prodigal Son (2001)
Sunday Night At London Roundhouse (expanded) (2002/2005)
Unidentified Flying Abstract - Live At Chipping Norton 1974 (2002)
Greatest Hits Live (2002)
Evolution (2004/2008)
Live In New York 1974 (2004)
Nektar 2004 Tour Live (2005)
Door To The Future (2005)
Sounds Like This (released but later withdrawn) (2006)
Book Of Days (2008)
Fortyfied (2009)
A Tab In The Ocean (Deluxe Edition) (2011)
Remember The Future (Deluxe Edition) (2011)
The Complete Live In New York 1974 (2011)
Retrospektive 1969-1980 (2012)
A Spoonful Of Time (2012)
Time Machine (2013)
Live At The Patriots Theater (2014)
Live In Bremen (2017)
Meglomania (2018)

Nektar Live (DVD) (2002)
Pure (DVD) (2005)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin UK

Added: January 12th 2003
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck

Artist website: www.nektarsmusic.com
Hits: 3516
Language: english