Man in the Moon

by Gary HillThe 1980s are well known in rock music circles as the era of hair metal, that offshoot of the thunderous variant of hard rock that always seemed more concerned with image than substance. Interestingly enough, this release from the very beginning of that era features an opening cut that feels much of the influence of that metallic genre. Do not expect this disc to come across as another Remember the Future or Tab in the Ocean. Indeed, don't even expect to hear Magic Is a Child here. The truth of the music presented on the CD is that it is a far more pop-oriented sound than Nektar ever presented before. The cuts are rather short and catchy. The thing is, as un-progressive rock as the somewhat legendary prog group made with this one, there is still some strong material presented. The one factor that truly steals the show and makes this worthwhile is the powerful vocal performance of Roye Albrighton. It is a true tribute to his voice that this disc works as well as it does, in much the same way that Judas Priest's Turbo is a tribute to the power of Rob Halford. The reissue of the album includes a remastered sound and bonus cut. The CD probably would not be a good introduction to the group, but considering the long period of unavailability that it has experienced, it should be a welcome surprise for hardcore fans of Nektar.