This new three-LP set is a live recording of Roye Albrighton's final performance with Nektar. I previously reviewed the CD version of it, and since the music is the same, I'm going use a lot of that with some changes to reflect this set for the sake of consistency. It should be noted that there were some odd liner notes issues on the original edition that have been corrected here. Also, it's worth mentioning that I think this works better as an experience on vinyl. There is something about Nektar and vinyl that just seem to go together. I should mention that while might expect a gatefold sleeve for three record set, this is just a standard sleeve, but made large enough for three records and inner-sleeves to fit. Still, this vinyl is high quality and it sounds great.

What follows is adapted from my original review of the double-CD version of the album: 

Nektar front-man Roye Albrighton passed away while this album was being prepared for release. I've read that this was actually his last live performance with the band. That makes this worth having without any further consideration. The thing is, it's a great live album. It's certainly something that Nektar fans should own. This concert was recorded in 2015, and the sound quality is very good, but perhaps not perfect. The performance, though, is nearly flawless.. Also worth noting is that I haven't gone into a lot of detail about the music here as I've already reviewed the studio versions of most of these songs, so this is more about the specific performance in most cases and less about descriptions of the pieces. That said, there is still some of that here.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

After a short bit of stage banter this rises up in all its prog rock tastiness. At almost 17 minutes in length, this is a powerhouse of epic proportions. They deliver a smoking hot live version of the piece. I'm not going to go into a lot of the specifics as I've reviewed it on the studio version of the album. Let's just say that if this was to be Roye Albrighton's final Nektar gig, it was a swansong worthy performance. There are some parts of this (for instance the jam around the seven and a half mark) that are positively on fire. I love all the peaks and valleys on this number. It has always been a killer track, and that definition is preserved here.

There is a short introduction here, but then they launch out into "Doctor Kool." This is a fast paced hard rocking Nektar number that's quite well performed here. I love the hard rocking guitar solo section in the second half of this. That leads into a cool jam that turns a bit towards fusion and has some interesting keyboard soloing over the top of it.

Again, another tune that I've reviewed in studio format, this is a Nektar classic. It has the usual peaks and valleys one expects from this group. There is a lot of passion present here. This is another killer prog rocker on a disc that's really full of them. They drop it down for a cool mellower jam around the mid-way point and work back upward from there. That section has a tendency to feel a little noisy in this live take.

This is an "excerpt" as "Recycled" was essentially both sides of the original studio album. However, this excerpt is over 17 minutes long and takes up a whole vinyl side. I really love this version of the classic. They manage to pull in lots of the best material and still make it flow like it was written that way.

This has a real bouncing kind of groove to it early. This is more mainstream rock than some of the others are, but it's still decidedly Nektar. There is a smoking hot extended instrumental jam later in the track taking it to the next number.

Coming out of the previous number this is a cool cut that has a great balance between the mellower and harder rocking stuff. I remember that this album had a bit of a hair metal kind of vibe to it (that was the era from which it came). That element isn't really present here, but this does manage to rock pretty hard. I love the keyboard solo section. There are actually some trademark Nektar elements to this tune. I love the guitar solo on the piece. That whole instrumental section is so strong. This was apparently the closing number, as there is extended audience participation included to coax the band back out for an encore.