NEKTAR

Nektar: Fortyfied
If you've been lucky enough to see Nektar live, as I have multiple times, you'll know that their on-stage rendition of their timeless classics is pretty darned close to note-perfect. More than that - the band still captures that intangible expression, the sentiment and the "vibe" that made the early releases so popular as far back as 1969, and as recently as 2008.
In 2008, the band toured Europe in celebration of forty years in the business. Fortyfied is a double-CD that was recorded on that tour, and it achieves two things: It's a wonderful retrospective of Nektar's considerable backlog, and it showcases the band's musicianship.

Nektar was formed forty years ago (hence the name "forty-fied" – geddit?) by four Brits who were living in Germany, and the band was at its zenith in the mid-seventies with a growing fanbase that persists today on both sides of the pond. Each album was very different from the next, and putting these songs side-by-side on Fortyfied highlights that variety. It hits all the high points with songs from Tab In The Ocean, Remember The Future and Recycled, and you'll appreciate the fluid shifts from blues rock through psychedelia to classic prog, and from a rich jam atmosphere to tight compositions.

The performances are excellent, the audience interaction is sparing, and the production is particularly good considering that it is a genuine live recording, and not a studio rework. Forty years remembered in fifteen songs spread over two-and-a-bit hours, and not a boring moment from start to finish.

Fortyfied is a good starting point for those who are new to Nektar, and it's a very pleasing reminiscence for those already familiar with the material.

Track Listing:
Part 1
1. Tab in the Ocean
2. Cryin' in the Dark
3. King of Twilight
4. Dream Nebula
5. Desolation Valley
6. Waves
7. Rememeber the Future

Part 2
8. Doctor Kool
9. King of the Deep
10.Where Are You Now
11.Day in the Life of a Preacher
12.Mr H
13.Recycled Part 1
14.The Debate
15.Man in the Moon

Added: July 3rd 2009
Reviewer: Duncan Glenday

- Sea of tranquility / Duncan Glenday