This recently found live recording of Nektar from 1973 in Switzerland is a wonderful musical time capsule that captures the unique human progressive-rock spirit of a band that never forgot its blues roots, even when singing about an alien Bluebird talking to a blind kid about the enlightenment of the human race.
But the absolute wonder of … Sounds Like Swiss is that these are recordings of Nektar before their “future” ever needed to be “remembered.” These tapes capture the band in their early Journey to the Centre of the Eye / Tab in the Ocean / … Sounds Like This period – hence, the punned title. And this is a well-recorded, beautifully raw live album that’s electric in a mind colored, brain-synapse sparking, rock ‘n’ roll very ’70s freedom-loving vinyl groove.
After a brief introduction, Nektar bends time and space with an earnest 22-plus minute mind-melding rendition of their “Journey to the Centre of the Eye,” the title track from their first album. This tune floats ala Pink Floyd; it growls with a bluesy bass; it seeps into the brain; and the vocals are both melodic and laced with harmony.
Of course, for the novice (just so you know), … Sounds Like Swiss isn’t the best place to start. Rather, listen to Remember the Future, the before-mentioned Tab in the Ocean, Recycled, or the clever (and absolutely irresistible) circus-themed Down to Earth.
Just to whet the appetite of that very same novice, however, Nektar’s lyrics of “Journey to the Centre of the Eye” tell a sci-fi tale of some “astronaut” who leaves Earth (destination Saturn!) just as our planet is on the brink of a nuclear war. Then a lot of stuff happens and he somehow gets in cahoots with aliens in a “Saucer,” and they take him to their galaxy. Then more stuff happens — until he encounters “THE ALL SEEING EYE”! Then, somehow, he “becomes the Eye” and realizes the beauty of everything, especially when the choice is made to “Look Inside Yourself.” But sadly drama (even of the prog-rock variety!) must end in tragedy. And, in the end, our “astronaut” envisions “the destruction of Earth.”
Now, this conceptual story certainly exists (to get all sci-fi about it!) in a parallel prog-album universe that co-exists with a record in which Emerson Lake and Palmer’s evil Tarkus must battle with the manticore to (sort of) save humanity. Or Grobschnitt’s Rockpommel’s Land, with its main character Ernie, who gets transported by the magical bird Maraboo into “Severity Town,” a place where “Mr. Glee” is trying to be a nice guy to the kids.
Or (again!) to get a bit obscure, Faithful Breath’s song “Tharsis,” which details the saga that, after a whole lot of years, some cosmic bird returns to hatch its egg — which just happens to be our planet Earth — with apocalyptic intent! And let’s not even get into the twists and prog rock turns of Genesis’ (with those Slippermen!) The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway! And for Klaatu fans everywhere, let’s simply say, “Long live Politzania.”
Such were the wonderful ’70s tunes and times for a bunch of college guys who pursued liberal-arts degrees, seldom had a girlfriend, were fortunate enough to have a bit of pocket change to spend on records, and found an important spiritual compass in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy! To quote Paul McCartney’s protege Mary Hopkin, “Those were the days.”
That said, there are more classic Nektar songs on … Sounds Like Swiss: ‘Desolation Valley/Waves,” “A Day in the Life of a Preacher,” “Crying in the Dark/King of Twilight,” “Let It Grow” (clocking in a 10-plus minutes!), “Odyssey,” “Ron’s On” (with that weird drum bit!), and the urgent blues of “Never, Never, Never.” And just so you know (again!), the sound quality is intense, yet very warm. I suppose that’s a bit of an oxymoron, but prog rock is a bit of that very same oxymoron.
In truth, this live recoding is much better than the bonus “official bootleg” that was part of the Purple Pyramid reissue of Journey to the Centre of the Eye, which is still pretty cool. … Sounds Like Swiss (according to the news release) also “includes the hour-long concert videotaped for Swiss TV’s Kaleidospop, unseen since the original broadcast. The two CDs include the audio portion of the TV show as well as complete she soundboard audio recording from the Pavilion des Sports in Lausanne, Switzerland in May 1973.” Yeah, all the original members are here in full audio color!
Let’s just say, with a few minor blips here and there, … Sounds Like Swiss brings a prog-loving Lazarus, even after all these years, right back to rock ‘n’ roll life. As my friend Kilda Defnut said, “Sometimes, these recordings touch hot human stars.” I say this album bulges with weird electricity.
There’s more vintage Nektar: “1-2-3-4” gets a 12 minute-plus workout. Then “Do You Believe in Magic” has that great chorus, with a wonderful freeform guitar solo. This is, indeed, rough-and-ready Nektar. And that was in keeping with their album … Sounds Like This, which was cut live in the studio with no overdubs – and, by the way, has brilliant cover art. The final songs, I assume, are from the Swiss TV recording. “Cast Your Fate” segues into “A Day in the Life of a Preacher.” That’s followed by “Good Day,” and then 30 more minutes of “Desolation Valley/Waves,” “1-2-3-4,” and “Crying in the Dark/King of Twilight.”
This is just classic rock from a band that had yet to give us those recommended Remember the Future, Down to Earth, and Recycled albums — all of which are deserving of a rousing “amen” from prog acolytes everywhere!
A personal note: I recall my purchase of the Passport Records domestic release of Remember the Future (years ago!) at the H.C. Prange department store in Green Bay. They were an unknown band at the time, but its cover looked so cool — cool enough that I passed on my intended purchase of Genesis Live (with that equally cool story about the “tube train girl” who “unzips her body”). At that long ago moment, I never imagined all the records I would love by Nektar, and never even dreamed of my chance to see a Roye-fronted band at Shank Hall in Milwaukee.
Thankfully, as one Magnum P.I. episode informed its viewers (with television rerun certainty!), “memories are forever.” And, as one-time Genesis guy Peter Gabriel once sang, “My name is Einstein, do you know time is a curve?” So, given all of that, in a wonderfully weird prog way, Nektar’s … Sounds Like Swiss simply allows me to stand once more in that youthful department-store purchase moment, and (heaven forbid!) remember my future.
- Nektar – ‘Journey to the Other Side: Live at the Dunellen Theater’ (2024) - April 8, 2024
- Emerson Lake and Powell – ‘The Complete Collection’ (2024) - February 23, 2024
- Madlen Keys – ‘Event Horizon’ (2023) - December 15, 2023
