Nektar (German for ''nectar'') is an English
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band formed in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in 1969, by guitarist and lead vocalist Roye Albrighton, keyboardist Allan "Taff" Freemon, bassist Derek "Mo" Moore, and drummer Ron Howden.
History
1969–1973: Early years
The band formed in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, West Germany in 1969. The founding members were Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and lead vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums and artists Mick Brockett and Keith Walters on lights and "special effects". Though the concept of non-performing bandmembers was not unprecedented (e.g. lyricist
Keith Reid
Keith Stuart Brian Reid (born 19 October 1946 Allmusic.com biography by Jason Ankeny/ref>) is a lyricist and songwriter who wrote the lyrics of every song released by Procol Harum that was not previously recorded by someone else, with the except ...
in
Procol Harum
Procol Harum () were an English rock music, rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have List of best-selling singles, sold over ...
), it was unusual that a third of Nektar's lineup had no role in performing or writing their music. Throughout their early existence the band's songwriting was credited to all six members on the album sleeves, but BMI records show that the music was written by the four performing members. Brockett did however co-write the lyrics with Moore, and invented or contributed to the original album titles.
The band's debut album, ''
Journey to the Centre of the Eye
''Journey to the Centre of the Eye'' is the debut album from English progressive rock band Nektar that came out in November 1971. Though formally divided into 13 tracks, the entire album consists of a single continuous piece of music, with some m ...
'' (1971), consisted of a single song running over 40 minutes, with the last 100 seconds of the first side repeated at the beginning of the second side to maintain continuity. It was a
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, following an astronaut who is given overwhelming knowledge by
extraterrestrials, with sonic textures reminiscent of
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
. The follow-up, ''
A Tab in the Ocean
''A Tab in the Ocean'' is the second album from German-based English progressive rock band Nektar.
English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Iron Maiden covered the song "King of Twilight", also mixing in parts of "Crying in the Dark" creatin ...
'' (1972), drew on more conventional rock and blues influences. Walters had left by the time of their third album, the heavily improvised double album ''
...Sounds Like This'' (1973), though the band would continue to use his art in their shows and album designs for a time. A cult following grew for the band, based largely on word of mouth.
1973–1982: Height of success and disbanding
Nektar's U.S. release, ''
Remember the Future
''Remember the Future'' is the fourth album from English progressive rock band Nektar. Much like their debut album ''Journey to the Centre of the Eye'', it is a concept album which is formally divided into ten tracks but in fact consists of on ...
'' (1973), propelled the band briefly into mass popularity. A concept album revisiting ''Journey to the Centre of the Eye''s theme of extraterrestrials granting a human enlightenment, but with a
blind boy as the protagonist. It demonstrated a much more melodic sound than previous albums and shot into the Top 20 album charts in the U.S. The follow-up, ''
Down to Earth'' (1974), was another concept album (this time with a
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
theme); it also sold well, breaking into the Top 40 album charts and including their only song to chart on the Billboard singles charts, "Astral Man". The next album, ''
Recycled
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...
'' (1975), was stylistically close to bands like
Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of their members. All of the band members were multi-inst ...
and carried on the band's close connection with progressive rock.
Albrighton left the band in December 1976, just prior to the studio sessions for Nektar's first major-label release, ''
Magic Is a Child
''Magic Is A Child'' is the seventh album from English progressive rock band Nektar. It is the only studio album released by Nektar without Roye Albrighton on guitar and lead vocals; this album instead features Dave Nelson.
Brooke Shields, 12 y ...
'' (1977). The remaining members were joined by guitarist/vocalist Dave Nelson at this point. The album was more eclectic, although with shorter songs and fairly straightforward rhythms. Lyrically the album covered a wide range of subjects from
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
and
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
to more down to earth subjects like
railroads
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
and truck drivers.
In 1978 the band dissolved; however in 1979 Albrighton and Freeman reformed the band with bassist
Carmine Rojas
Carmine Rojas (February 14, 1953) is an American bass guitarist, musical director and composer. His musical styles include rock, R&B/funk, and jazz.
Music career
Early years, as sideman
Born in Brooklyn, Rojas toured the world with David Bowie ...
and drummer Dave Prater and released a new album, ''
Man in the Moon
In many cultures, several pareidolic images of a human face, head or body are recognized in the disc of the full moon; they are generally known as the Man in the Moon. The images are based on the appearance of the dark areas (known as lunar mar ...
'' (1980), before the band dissolved once again in 1982.
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown P ...
of
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris.
Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...
was a fan of the band and was photographed before he joined the band in a Nektar T-shirt.
2000–present: Reformation and New Nektar
2000–2018: Reformation
Nektar regrouped in 2000 with a line-up consisting of Albrighton, Freeman, and drummer Ray Hardwick, and in 2001, they released ''
The Prodigal Son'' (2001). The following year, the band headlined
NEARfest
The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, was a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event was held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsy ...
with the full classic line-up including Moore on bass, Howden on drums, and
Larry Fast
Lawrence Roger Fast (born December 10, 1951) is an American synthesizer player and composer. He is best known for his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums (''Synergy'') and for his contributions to a number of popular music acts, inclu ...
guesting on synthesizers. In 2003, Moore departed the band and was replaced by Randy Dembo. Nektar cut one more album, ''
Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
'' (2004), before Freeman was replaced by Tom Hughes. Dembo and Hughes left in August 2006, citing communication problems, money issues, personality issues, and trust in the management issues. Dembo was briefly replaced by a returning Carmine Rojas, before the band settled on a line-up that consisted of Albrighton, Howden, guitarist Steve Adams, bassist Desha Dunnahoe, and keyboardist Steve Mattern. However, this line up never performed live on stage.
Later in 2006, the band found new management in Roy Clay to replace The Eclectic Records staff, and performed at progressive rock-themed festivals worldwide on a part-time basis, and occasionally appearing in some of their old haunts in the New Jersey/New York area. Clay was released from management duties early 2007 after a dispute over financial matters, and the band made an official complaint which exposed further fraudulent acts. Clay was ultimately convicted for fraud, lying, and forgery, and was jailed for 2 years and 11 months.
In mid-2007, a solo tour was undertaken by Albrighton. A full band tour of Europe (primarily Germany) was scheduled by a European-based promoter, but they had to postpone as extra funds were needed to complete the new album, ''
Book of Days'', which was not released until the following year, by which time Adams, Dunnahoe, and Mattern had departed the band. ''Book of Days'' featured more of Roye Albrighton's guitar work than previous Nektar albums.
In late 2007, the band embarked on a tour for which they performed ''Remember the Future'' in its entirety, the line-up now including Klaus Henatsch on keyboards and Peter Pichl on bass. In this formation they toured extensively through Europe in 2008. These concerts resulted in the highly acclaimed live double album ''Fortyfied'' (2011), which was released in 2009 under Roye's own Treacle Music label. In 2009, the band also played their first gig in the US again, appearing as headliners at the Rites of Spring Festival and a week-long tour along the East Coast.
In mid 2011, Lux Vibratus joined the band on bass for the Cleopatra Records' Space Rock Invasion Tour in the U.S.
By the time the band came to record the covers album ''A Spoonful of Time'' (2012), bass duties were shared by session musician Jürgen Engler,
Mr. Big bassist
Billy Sheehan
William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing ...
, and former
Yes member
Billy Sherwood
William Wyman Sherwood (born March 14, 1965) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, record producer and mixing engineer. He is best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes as guitarist and ke ...
, who also served as the album's producer. The Albrighton-Howden-Henatsch-Sherwood line-up recorded and released ''Time Machine'' (2013). A special post-recording show was put together at the Coach House in South Orange County, California. Returning to Nektar in 2013, Vibratus was on bass for the Cruise to the Edge voyage, followed by The Virada Cultural Festival in São Paulo, Brazil. In June, this line-up went on the road again for a U.S. tour billed as the U.K. Legends of Classic Rock.
[ In January 2014, bassist Tom Fry joined the band for a European tour. On this tour Che Albrighton, Roye's son, made his first appearance as a drummer because Howden had a different engagement. Che had previously worked as tour manager for Nektar on several tours.
On 26 July 2016, Roye Albrighton died after an unspecified illness, at the age of 67. Following his death, Henatsch, Howden, and Fry decided to move on with the production of a new album with On Stage Records, the label they worked with since 2015. The first release was the double live album ''Live in Bremen'' (2017), which documents the last tour with Albrighton. After an audition in 2017, Henatsch, Howden, and Fry agreed to continue Nektar with Alexander Hoffmeister as their new frontman and guitarist.
]
2018–present: Nektar (US-based band)
In early 2018, Howden left the band to found his own group, also named Nektar, and based in the US. He asked former bass player Moore to join, to which he agreed, which was followed by the addition of former members Randy Dembo, Mick Brockett (lights, projections and atmosphere), and Ryche Chlanda (guitar and vocals), and newcomer keyboardist Kendall Scott, a friend of Chlanda's.
The US line-up assembled a set of previously unrecorded tracks from Chlanda's time in the band, which were released on ''The Other Side'' (2020) as Nektar.
2018–present: New Nektar (Germany-based band)
The Germany-based Nektar has operated under a new name, New Nektar, to create some distinction and distance from old successes. In 2018, New Nektar recorded the concept album ''Megalomania'' (2018), featuring Che Albrighton on drums, and completed the Megalomania Release Tour in December 2018. Che Albrighton was unavailable to participate, so he was replaced by Norbert "Panza" Lehmann.
Personnel
Current members
United States-based band (since 2018)
*Ron Howden – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1969–1978, 2003–2016, 2019–present)
*Derek "Mo" Moore – bass, keyboards, vocals and lyrics (1969–1978, 2002–2003, 2019–present)
*Mick Brockett – special effects, lyrics (1969–1977, 2002, 2019–present)
*Ryche Chlanda – guitars, vocals (1978, 2019–present)
*Randy Dembo – bass, bass pedals, backing vocals (2003–2006, 2019–present)
*Kendall Scott – keyboards (2019–present)
Germany-based band (also known as New Nektar since 2018)
* Klaus Henatsch – keyboards, backing vocals (2007–present)
* Alexander Hoffmeister – vocals, guitars (2017–present)
* Norbert "Panza" Lehmann – drums, backing vocals (2018–present)
* Holger Trull – bass, backing vocals (2021–present)
Former members
*Roye Albrighton – guitars, bass, lead vocals (1969–1976, 1978, 1979–1982, 2000–2016; his death)
*Allan "Taff" Freeman – keyboards, synthesisers, backing vocals (1969–1978, 1979–1980, 2000–2004)
*Keith Walters – special effects (1969–1972)
*Larry Fast
Lawrence Roger Fast (born December 10, 1951) is an American synthesizer player and composer. He is best known for his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums (''Synergy'') and for his contributions to a number of popular music acts, inclu ...
– synthesisers (1975–1978, 2002–2003)
*Dave Nelson – guitars, lead vocals (1976–1978)
*Dave Prater – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1979–1982)
*Carmine Rojas
Carmine Rojas (February 14, 1953) is an American bass guitarist, musical director and composer. His musical styles include rock, R&B/funk, and jazz.
Music career
Early years, as sideman
Born in Brooklyn, Rojas toured the world with David Bowie ...
– bass, backing vocals (1979–1982, 2006)
*Tommi Schmidt – keyboards, backing vocals (1980–1982)
*Ray Hardwick – drums, percussion (2000–2003)
*Scott Krentz – percussion, vocals (2002)
*Tom Hughes – keyboards, backing vocals (2004–2006)
*Steve Adams – guitars, backing vocals (2006–2007)
*Desha Dunnahoe – bass, backing vocals (2006–2007)
*Steve Mattern – keyboards (2006–2007)
*Peter Pichl – bass (2007–2011)
*Lux Vibratus – bass (2011–2014)
*Tom Fry – bass (2014–2019)
*Billy Sherwood
William Wyman Sherwood (born March 14, 1965) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, record producer and mixing engineer. He is best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes as guitarist and ke ...
– bass (2013)
*Che Albrighton – drums (2014, 2018)
* Heike Nolden – bass (2019–2021)
Line-ups
Note: bold indicates a line-up change; (*) indicates returning member
Nektar
Nektar (US-based band)
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
2021 "Sounds Like Swiss"
Compilation albums
Singles
Videography
Video albums
References
External links
The US Nektar web site
The Nektar Project: the classic Nektar years from 1969 to 2003
*
*
2010 interview with Roye Albrighton
onstage management of NEKTAR
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1969
English progressive rock groups
German progressive rock groups
Musical groups from Hamburg
English space rock musical groups
German space rock musical groups