Nektar 9-28-74 40th anniversary

[richt]

This was my introduction to The Sound and Light Theatre, Nektar live at The Academy of Music. The lightshow sealed the deal, just a perfect blend of sights and sound.Anyone else attend this show/ first Nektar tour in 1974? Many thanks to Mick Brockett for keeping the flame alive all these years, will spin Live in NY tomorrow. Rich

[ronmac]

I wish I had been so lucky. Being a bit too young, I didn't discover Nektar until right around the time Roye left. I even missed the reunion.

[Supersonic Scientist]

Saw them in 1975 "somewhere" in NJ. (possibly in Asbury Park) Stunning light show, music was sublime.

[Brian Griffin]

The most under rated 70's proggers IMHO

Wish I'd been there, but didn't catch them till 77 at the Morris Stage

BG

[ronmac]

The most under rated 70's proggers IMHO

+1

Mick was the man, too. If only some of his Liquid Lightshow had been captured on film.

[richt]

The only clips I know of are Desolation Valley[BBC] 1973, which is live and a Jay Tuck film of Let it Grow which is a lip sync.

[Casey]

I discovered Nektar when in college, (1972-76). There was a great record shop in the area that was THE place to find imports. Many times I went in just to see what was available but having no money. Every time I visited the shop I'd see "Journey to the Center of the Eye" beckoning me until I had enough money to buy it. From the first note I was hooked.

Never saw them live. I did purchase VIP tickets for a Boston show that, thanks to Roy Clay, never materialized. Neither did my refund, but that's a story for another time.

[richt]

Just finished listening to the vinyl LINY, 3 cuts on Thru the Ears and the 2004 remastered cd and the 2004 cd's are probably the better ones. The vinyl was cut from a radio broadcast tape ?? The remasters also have a 5.1 SACD layer all from the original 16 track master tapes. This album had a very different sound from other live lp's of the day, sounds like your'e standing on the stage. The music sounds distant. The liner notes on the original album states it was recorded using the artificial head sound technique, what ever that was? All in all a great performance, some blistering Roye solos and the LIGHTSHOW was spot on. They made a lot of fans that night. They were more of a Hard Rock band than the other prog bands of the day.

[Mick]

What can I say? It's forty years on, yet, as back then, if you weren't actually THERE, others (especially those who weren't even of age at the time) still have no idea what they missed.
The "Sound & Light Theater" WAS one of our greatest assets as a band, not only because of the added entertainment, but because you HAD to be there at a live Nektar concert to get it, so everyone brought their friends the NEXT time!.... thus each subsequent tour became bigger.
We were our own public relations and Nektar music drove the entire machine.
There was NO way to record the visuals properly in the seventies as the contrasts were ONLY for the human eye and there was never a camera capable of capturing the subtleties of the show.
It is now way past any chance to ever recreate my old show, because although I still have most of that antique equipment, I have not "played" it in years, never mind three gigs a week.. and it was the continual practice and four screens which made it all work perfectly together.
The very last show which even came close to our original was at Town Hall NYC in 2002 (after Nearfest and Heepfest) and I retired my "liquid rig" after a Cleveland light extravaganza in 2012.
Now, I'm into electronic projections which somewhat mimic my old liquids in real time. E-likwids are clean, light, easy to operate and lots of fun to play, so catch a Jibberjazz festival NEXT year.. (my lightshow season with Illumenatrix ended this past weekend, so it's over until next April).
Mick Bee.
Thanks for the memories guys.

[richt]

Thank YOU for the memories Mr. Bee, good hearin from ya. Nearfest was good,Heepfest was better but that Town Hall show was a step back in time, just brilliant stuff after all those years. I did find my clip of French Windows, the dancing ballets and synced it up with The Path of Light this weekened! I still remember that old lady with the umbrella dancing across the screen!! I Will check out a Jibberjazz next year. RTF....