Nektar 74 – Down to Earth

 

Nektar 74 – Down to Earth

by Pete Clemons

Chipping Norton Studios. Gerry Rafferty recorded "Baker Street" there. Radiohead recorded their debut album Pablo Honey (including "Creep") at the studio. Duran Duran recorded major parts of their debut album here. Status Quo recorded "In The Army Now" at the location.

Another, more less remembered album recorded at the Cotswolds studios created by Richard and Mike Vernon, initially for the Blue Horizon Label, was “Down to Earth” by Nektar – the bands second album to be recorded in the UK. An article about that particular journey within the bands history is reproduced below............

Hidden away in the depths of Oxfordshire is a small village by the name of Chipping Norton. There you'll find a small studio hidden away in the back streets, and this is where Nektar are working rigorously on their new album to meet the deadline only days away.

Studio time costs money and the band aren't exactly overloaded with riches. They are in the unique position of managing themselves and this means they have to cover their own expenses.

Still the British tour they've just completed has proved to be a quite rewarding exercise and they're hoping to completely break into the circuit next time round. But future plans were far back in their minds and their main concern was to complete their fifth album.

Those who are familiar with the band will know that although their origins lie in Britain they spend all their time in Germany, apart from when they tour.

'People regard us as a German band and I suppose that's true' says Mick Brockett, the guy responsible for the bands intricate light show. When I saw the band they were laying down the final tracks on one of the numbers. They were going to record the last track 'Show Me the Way' the next day.

They had all the basic tracks for it laid down. All that had to be worked in was the vocals, lyrics and let PP and Kenny Arnold and Bob Calvert (alias the mischievous Captain Lockheed) do their bit.

They were certainly looking tired, it's not surprising, apart from spending virtually all the hours of the day getting the album together they had already been on the road for 12 months. The smell of cigarette smoke and stale lager filtered around the studio and the pale, disheveled figures of the band were crumpled on studio seats.

It was in the early hours of the morning that Derek Moore thought it would be ok to hold the interview. Derek, apart from playing bass guitar is the band's manager and generally gets things together. He's a tall, thin and amiable guy and it still puzzles me how he and the rest of the guy's can contain so much enthusiasm and dedication after being on the road for so long.

Obviously the rewards have been good, they are mighty big in Germany and have secured various recording contracts all over the world. They desperately want to break in Britain as they feel it will open the pathway for them in other countries and also because it's their home.

By the looks of things they're well on the way of doing so, every place they played has asked them back and their price is getting higher each tour.

The album, provisionally titled 'Down to Earth' will be released to coincide with the bands next British tour in June. They will also be releasing a single off the album.

'We know which one we'll release in Germany, but we haven't decided for England. This is no kind of plunge for commercial success it's just that the songs on this album are shorter and more straight to the point. There are still some long ones but there are quite a few prospective singles'.

'The idea for calling this album 'Down to Earth' is because all the other albums have had a spacey feel and the run of the titles have been rather spacey and we thought we'll keep the title in the same vein but the meaning will be entirely opposite'.

This is the longest time they've spent on an album and personally I think it's their best. It packs more of a punch rather than the inert loose feel the others had. It's also more representative of the band live which is something else again.

Like their previous recordings the album follows a concept which revolves around a story about a circus. I asked Mo if there would be anything special about the presentation, 'I don't really know. Three days before we came into the studio we hardly had any numbers ready. Then we had three days rehearsal and started getting ideas together'.

'Now in the studio's we're doing things bit by bit. So we're not sure at the moment what the end's going to be'.

The band remind me a lot of Man. Both have the ability to jam and make it sound as if they were working off a score, but still retaining that raw, fresh energy that you get when you improvise.

It seems that Man are getting bigger all the time so its logical that Nektar will start picking up too, as this kind of freestyle sound is beginning to rear its head in the music scene.

'I think the music scene is beginning to stagnate. Everyone's looking around for something new. Every ten years or so everyone stops and say's well we've got nothing to follow now and they start looking around. First they go backwards and dig out all their old records and try and make it happen again and it doesn't but something new comes out of it. I think that period has arrived again'.

Very true indeed. The main base of criticism against the band has been that they sound very psychedelic and their colourful light show adds to the air of hipness. Well that's definitely not how the band want to be classified. Now that money's beginning to flow the light is going modified and a bit slicker and with Mick in charge, spectacular.

The album is tighter and might prove to be more acceptable to the airwaves who have pretty well ignored them here in Britain. But don't worry it's still Nektar, just a little more......down to earth.