A Tab In The Ocean

Ah, Nektar. The first Nektar album I devoured was Remember The Future which was a full length record with just one song about a blind boy seeing through a birds eyes. I played that record over and over, alas more of side one than side two. The second record I heard was the circus themed Down To Earth and I would play "Fidgety Queen" ad nauseum. Both of these records were owned by my brother and I picked up my own copies in cut out bins where Nektar records were usually found back in the day. A Tab In The Ocean was my first purchase of an unheard Nektar record and it contained freaking "King of Twilight" one of the greatest quote unquote Prog rock songs ever. Plus it features art that is stunning:

Side one is the title track, all 17 minutes of "A Tab in the Ocean", and it's a classic starting with waves and organ building to a frantic theme, crescendo, guitar lead, distant voice until: "To the answer, to every question,Is it real, or just deception?" Side two starts with a heavy guitar riff until it the mellow organ holds the verse then rocks out up to the riff again. A very typical Nektar song structure and "Desolation Valley" has it all down to the lyrics...

Take a look around yourself and see what I see
Persecuted eyes, looking down on me
I can't take no more of what I took before
Help me please I'm falling down Desolation Valley now
Take a look around yourself and see what I see
Imagination merged with reality
You won't see no more like you did before
Watch yourself you're falling down

"Waves" follows almost as a quiet after theme with its soaring voice reminiscent of Floyd's Gig in the Sky but two years before Dark Side came out compete with spoken phrases just below ear level. That gives way to wah guitar of "Crying in the Dark", this song always creeps up on me with extended guitar work at the end. Just great to hear wah used differently. Then its the scream of melodic ahh ah ah ahh that opens album closer and hard rocker "King of Twilight" and I'm jumping around the room singing "Forty leaves I pay for freedom.For a chance to be free." It ends abruptly on the word free at its end. Love it! One of my life's regret is not being able to see them at Cheer Up Charlies a few years back when my legs decided to cease functioning. I schemed all I could in hopes of getting there but wheelchairs and open surgery wounds kinda put a kabosh on the whole idea. I tried to get as many people as I could to go including my brother who saw them in 1974 and my girlfriend who represented like she always does.