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Nektar

Recycled - 2024 Remaster box set

Review by Gary Hill

Recycled is definitely one of the best albums Nektar ever released. Given the competition that says a lot. Now it's gotten this deluxe five-CD edition. The first disc features a new remaster of the album with two bonus tracks. The second disc includes an original mix of the album that was never released. The other three CDs include a couple live shows from 1976.

This all comes in a cardboard clamshell box. It includes a great booklet, and each CD comes in its own cardboard sleeve. This is well worth having if just for the live recordings. Personally, I think it's worthwhile for the other two discs, as well. I have previously reviewed the album itself, and since the music is the same, I've used the earlier track reviews for the sake of consistency.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024  Volume 3 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.

Track by Track Review
CD One
                            
Recycled - Remastered
                              
Recycle

Beginning much like a hybrid of Yes and Genesis, it eventually gives way to more wholly Yes type approach, though not really derivative.

Cybernetic Consumption
Bringing to mind other progressive sounds, most notably ELP and Kansas, "Cybernetic Consumption" most reminds me of Drama era Yes, although it predates Drama by about five years.
Recycle Countdown
This is essentially a reprise of "Recycle."
Automation Horrorscope

Starting in a poetic Moody Blues/Hawkwind type fashion, this song evolves into a more Yes style approach. This a very kinetic piece.

Recycling
Beginning more laid back and ballad-like, this is a very dramatic piece, and contains one very playful and fun section.
Flight to Reality

This song contains a very dramatic build up leading into a recurrence of the opening theme.

Unendless Imagination

Containing some rather Steve Howeish guitar work and some nice choral vocals, this piece contains a bit more of the main theme, but in a more dramatic and symphonic treatment. "Unendless Imaginations" leads into a nice textural sort of section that carries into the next piece/movement.

Sao Paulo Sunrise

Beginning with the same textural feel that the last song introduced, this one moves into new ground, while still evoking (to an extent) some of the earlier themes. Sao Paulo Sunrise contains a section which is one of the most mainstream and straight-forward portions of the album, while actually imparting an almost Zappaesque feel.

Costa Del Sol
A rather playful progressive intro, including more choral vocals, leads into a somewhat jazzy/funky kind of groove. Definitely the most soulful part of the album, the bass and piano work really shine here. Eventually moving into some more conventional progressive territory, this piece covers a lot of musical ground.
Marvellous Moses

Starting with another return to an earlier theme, this one quickly moves into the main body of the piece which is at one time both mainstream and quirky as hell. The bass work is prominent on this piece. At one point the song moves into a very dramatic instrumental break before returning to the main body of the movement. Eventually the music is brought down to prepare for the nice calm opening of the final portion of the album.

It's All Over
A very nice guitar ballad feel begins this one, becoming very emotional and richly arranged as the piece progresses. Some rather pretty piano/vocal work marks the ending of this album.
Bonus tracks
               
Flight to Reality (single version)
This thing comes in hard rocking and very cool. It drives out with style from there. As you might imagine, this is a shorter version of the song from the main album. It really works well in this configuration.
It’s All Over (single version)
This single version is another effective piece of music.
CD Two

                                  

Recycled - Original Geoff Emerick mix 1975 - 2024 Remaster

While there are differences here, and the songs are all a few seconds longer than on the final version, this is close enough that I've used the track reviews from the other version. It's also similarly magical as far as I'm concerned. At times this does feel more aligned with space rock. At others there is a bit more organic vibe.

Recycle
Beginning much like a hybrid of Yes and Genesis, it eventually gives way to more wholly Yes type approach, though not really derivative.

Cybernetic Consumption

Bringing to mind other progressive sounds, most notably ELP and Kansas, "Cybernetic Consumption" most reminds me of Drama era Yes, although it predates Drama by about five years.

Recycle Countdown
This is essentially a reprise of "Recycle."
Automation Horrorscope

Starting in a poetic Moody Blues/Hawkwind type fashion, this song evolves into a more Yes style approach. This a very kinetic piece.

Recycling
Beginning more laid back and ballad-like, this is a very dramatic piece, and contains one very playful and fun section.
Flight to Reality

This song contains a very dramatic build up leading into a recurrence of the opening theme.

Unendless Imagination
Containing some rather Steve Howeish guitar work and some nice choral vocals, this piece contains a bit more of the main theme, but in a more dramatic and symphonic treatment. "Unendless Imaginations" leads into a nice textural sort of section that carries into the next piece/movement.
Sao Paulo Sunrise

Beginning with the same textural feel that the last song introduced, this one moves into new ground, while still evoking (to an extent) some of the earlier themes. Sao Paulo Sunrise contains a section which is one of the most mainstream and straight-forward portions of the album, while actually imparting an almost Zappaesque feel.

Costa Del Sol
A rather playful progressive intro, including more choral vocals, leads into a somewhat jazzy/funky kind of groove. Definitely the most soulful part of the album, the bass and piano work really shine here. Eventually moving into some more conventional progressive territory, this piece covers a lot of musical ground.
Marvellous Moses

Starting with another return to an earlier theme, this one quickly moves into the main body of the piece which is at one time both mainstream and quirky as hell. The bass work is prominent on this piece. At one point the song moves into a very dramatic instrumental break before returning to the main body of the movement. Eventually the music is brought down to prepare for the nice calm opening of the final portion of the album.

It's All Over
A very nice guitar ballad feel begins this one, becoming very emotional and richly arranged as the piece progresses. Some rather pretty piano/vocal work marks the ending of this album.
CD Three
                                     
Live at Massey Hall, Toronto - 26 May 1976
                                    
Sao Paulo Sunrise

This live take feels a little rough, not only in recording and mix, but also in vocal delivery. There is some magic in the performance, though.

Marvellous Moses

They seem to gel a little better here. This is a solid jam that works pretty well here. It's an improvement on the sound from the previous number.

It’s All Over

This song works better than the two that came before it did. Given the last one, that says a lot, really.

Patch
As this instrumental gets underway, it's introduced as a track that's not quite finished. I think it works really well and has a classic Nektar sound to it. There are some cool twists and turns.
Listen

This Nektar classic gets a cool live rendering. It's not the best thing here, but it works really well.

Smile
Now, this ten-plus minute number is a real delight. It's a great piece of music, and an excellent performance. This is one of the brightest lights on this live disc.
Recycled

As this epic live take gets underway it suffers a little from sound issues. That resolves shortly, and the move the track forward with style. This is a classy version, but it does have some other rough moments in terms of the recording. It's a shame because it's such a stellar performance. I mean, it's great even with the tape issues. It would be positively surreal without them. The band gets introduced at the end.

1-2-3-4
Starting with a very rhythmic section, this builds out from there. This has some intriguing moments, but it's not one of the highlights for me. It does get pretty intense before it's over.
Let it Grow

This is a great closing shot. It's a strong live rendition, too. It does work into some noisy weirdness late.

CD Four
                       
Live at Calderone Concert Hall, Long Island, USA - 24 July 1975
                          
A Tab in the Ocean

This 13-minute epic is a real powerhouse of prog rock goodness. The recording is not without some issues, but it's better than that on the previous CD. In fact, it's largely blemish free. This live number just works so well.

Remember the Future Part One

Remember the Future was my introduction to Nektar, so I love hearing this live performance. They put in a stellar showing on it, and the sound, while not perfect, is pretty darned good.

Sao Paulo Sunrise

They bring us into the Recycled zone with this driving prog rocking number. It's another great performance and a good, but not great, recording. I really love some of the jamming on this thing, particularly the keyboard work.

Marvellous Moses

If anything, this is even better than the previous son. It works so well in this live take.

It’s All Over

This disc closes with another compelling live rendition of a song from the main studio album.

CD Five
                         
Live at Calderone Concert Hall, Long Island, USA - 24 July 1975
                        
Patch

This version of the instrumental we heard on the previous live set seems more polished, but I think I prefer the other performance. This has a bit a Genesis sound at times. It suffers a little early from recording issues.

Listen

On the other hand, I think I prefer this version of the song to the one on the other live show included here. It just seems a little more intense.

Smile / Lonely Roads

These movements from Remember the Future get great live representation here. I absolutely love these pieces of music, so this is one of the highlights for me.

Recycled

Here we get a live telling of this epic selection. It does suffer a little at times because of the sound, but overall it works well, both performance and sound-wise. This is another highlight, and the whole "going down" section gets really intense.

Let it Grow

I love this number from Remember the Future. The song is introduced as "I Can See You," but honestly the titles are in flux because that album is two songs, "Remember the Future" part one and part two. The other titles are given when movements are performed removed from the whole. This is a great song and an excellent performance. This has a strange noise fest at the end that doesn't really work for me, though.

 
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