OFF: Ficton & Nektar

[David Kuznick]

Quoting Henderson Keith <keith.henderson at PSI.CH>:

> JonJ relates...
>
> >I had no idea what to expect from Nektar, as I'd only discovered
> >minutes before I got in that they weren't German
>
> Yeah, they're all UK natives, but the band was formed and based in
> Germany (originating in Hamburg at that famous Star Club I think,
> just like the Beatles) :)  from their formation in c. 1970 until
> sometime around 1976 when they migrated to New Jersey, where all
> but Roye Albrighton (who is still in the UK) continue to live.

Here is a wacky coincience.  My mother had hip replacement surgery in NYC 3
weeks ago.  My wife and baby were down with me and we went out to a store near
the hospital to pick up some baby food.  I am wearing my NEARFest 2002 t-shirt
(which featured the Nektar reunion) and a guy on line at the supermarket asks
me how the show was.  I said it was great.  He said he used to be Nektar's
manager.  :-)

> >which is a little unfair perhaps as I haven't seen the current PT lineup
> >and they might for all I know be positively fascinating,
>
> I like the current PT just as much as the old PT, but in a different way,
> as they are now seriously metallized (poor Barbieri has almost nothing
> to do now) and hardly any psychedelia remains in the mix.

I was disappointed with In Absentia.  When PT toured *BEFORE* it came out and
they were "previewing" the new material, is sounded AWESOME.  But for some
reason, it didn't grab me on the album.  But supposedly the new album is going
to be in a different style.

> But Wilson
> is still a good songwriter, and as long as he keeps the sappy choral
> vocals to a minimum, and doesn't do any more of that string orchestration
> (as on Lightbulb Sun), he's still got my interest.

I actually liked that stuff too.  He can't do too much wrong for my tastes.  And
my wife LOVES PT (especially Radioactive Toy), so that's a bonus.  :-)

> And now Adrian Belew
> will be contributing to the new PT album, so we'll see where that goes.

Yes, that should be pretty interesting.

> And of course, those in the US should *definitely* make it to any
> and all of these shows in reasonable driving distance!!  Especially
> since you will see Caravan on the same night!

Yes, Caravan is great (but not vaguely related to space-rawk :-)

> Nektar/Caravan - No. American tour 2004

> Sept 10 - The Regent Theatre, Arlington, MA

Got tickets for my wife and I a while ago for this.  It's 2 blocks from my
house.  :-)

--
David Kuznick   dkuznickATalumni.brandeis.edu
"We'll wait in stone circles `til the force comes through - lines
joint in faint discord and the stormwatch brews - a concert of kings
as the white sea snaps at the heels of a soft prayer whispered"
     Dun Ringill - JETHRO TULL