Nektar were a hard rock/progressive band whom were originally based out of Germany formed in '69 by English native musicians Roye Albrighton(guitars/vocals), Derek Moore(bass,vocals), Allen Freeman(keyboards, bac. vocals) and Ron Howden(drums, bac. vocals). This release was their sophomore effort that originally was released in 1972 coming off of the heels of their debut, Journey to the Centre of the Eye. At the time, Nektar were unknown within the United States and oddly, this album would not see release until 4 years later and after the American released debut of their 3rd release ...Sounds Like This which followed Tab in the Ocean. When this album became available in the States in '76, it was decided to remix the record to make the album appeal more to American audiences, or at least that was the suggestion given by the president of their US based label, Passport Records' Marty Scott. Considered to be somewhat of an inferior mix to their previous releases, ...Sounds Like This and the breakthrough Remember the Future, Ocean was then made available and just last year, this cd offered two versions of the album featuring the American remix and the original German mix.

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That being said, I prefer the original mix as it was recorded and intended by the group as I've compared and contrasted both, and within the American version, 3 of the 4 songs' running lengths have been edited and shortened within the process. Onto the music of this album, it begins with the epic title track which, in my opinion, absolutely magnifies and displays the tightened knit progressive overtones and exceptional playing skills of the band members with the driving organ playing of Allen Freeman whom plays in similar fashion to Rick Wakeman or Keith Emerson. Clocking in at just under 17 minutes in length, the leading title track takes you on a journey of momentous proportion. Vocally, Roye Albrighton and Derek Moore trade off their singing styles throughout the record with some additional backing from drummer Ron Howdon and keyboardist Allen Freeman, offering shimmering harmonies on the title track and particularly the records' closer King of Twilight. The second number to follow, Desolation Valley/Waves begins with a guitar driven melody that crashes in a mid-paced manner, giving way to a jazzy quiet interlude between the guitar, bass and keys making for a very organic feel to the number and the interplay between the band is quite a delight to revel in as the record continues on throughout its 36 minutes of duration.

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Once Desolation Valley/Waves slowly fades, Cryin in the Dark segues into a psychedelic guitar arrangement intro, giving way to a blues/rock groove idiom featuring a driving back-beat from the exceptional rhythm section of Howden and Moore with an earnest and intense vocal from guitarist Roye Albrighton; not to mention the accompanying pastoral-like keyboards courtesy of Allen Freeman,consolidating the power and intricate intensities possessed by the band's capabilities with an incredible consistency. King of Twilight segues into the previous Dark, with a staccato, marching drum pattern and exceptional vocal harmonies from the group while displaying a wonderful hybrid of classical, jazz and hard rock overtones. I was astounded when I took the recommendation from a fellow poster on a music discussion board after obtaining this underrated release in a desire to expand my progressive tastes from the usual suspects of the Yes/ELP/King Crimson/Genesis triumvirate that I've always held in high regard. I was duly enlightened thanks to the fellow poster and Nektar certainly belongs within the same breath as those previously mentioned acts. The bonus live versions of the material(sans King of Twilight) from a gig in Darmstadt, Germany in Nov of '71, adds further incentive to the wealth of musicianship from this band within a live setting. I highly recommend this release to anyone whom hasn't heard of this wonderful progressive/hard rock act; it will certainly be in your playlist for a while, I'm sure. 

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Rating Grade- A+