Recycled

Nektar returned to the US to capitalize on the chart success of their previous two releases; there, they undertook an extended tour between March and May of 1975, with Larry "Synergy" Fast and ever-present Mick Brockett's light show in tow. They were then off to Château d'Hérouville in France to record Recycled, with producer Peter Hauke and Fast. The concept of environmentalism was drawn from the US tour, as well having road-tested some of the music during the tour. The album picks up on the immediacy of its predecessor, but the differences are immediately apparent: Fast's liberal use of Moog synthesizer brings in a wealth of symphonic and electronic textures to the recording. The main theme of "Recycle" drifts in and out throughout the course of the first side, which plays continuously. Mo Moore and Ron Howden provide a swift beat throughout, with Fast's synthesizers providing segue. The whole thing culminates with a huge choir and crescendo on "Unendless Imagination?" Demonstrably, the album is a massive production—and that's just the first side! Nektar is as tight as ever; their brisk signature continues straight on through and to the end of side two. The brilliant hook of "Marvellous Moses" captivates, until the band finally rests on the apocalyptically titled "It's All Over." Now relocated to New Jersey, the album could have marked a new direction for the band; but ultimately it would be their undoing. It barely broke the US Top 100, and by the end of the year, Roye Albrighton would take his leave, forming Snowball with Curt Cress and Kristian Schultze of Passport. Nektar then recruited a new guitarist/vocalist, Dave Nelson, for the 1977 release Magic Is A Child, on Polydor Records. The album moved into more calculated and commercial territory, but failed to garner any interest and by 1979 the band had all but broken up. With two new members, Albrighton and Taff Freeman carried on for 1980's Man In The Moon, but it only saw release in Germany. Despite some success touring, Freeman returned to the US and Nektar then called it a day. [US release date]