I have been an independent music reviewer now for nearly 20 years, and with almost each new disc I listen to, I learn something about this field which I never knew before. Case in point: having listened to Recycled, the 1975 release (and fourth studio effort) from British prog-rockers Nektar, I never knew how much they influenced bands like Marillion.

The recent re-issue of this disc, complete with two completely different mixes of the album (including a previously-unissued mix by Geoff Emerick), illustrates a band trying to merge the worlds of progressive music and popular music without sacrificing too much to either side. Working a concept into a good portion of the album and having songs with little to no segue was a risky move, but nearly 30 years after this disc was first issued, it was a risk well worth taking, and is a very enjoyable album.

Granted, Roye Albrighton and crew took on a difficult task by creating an album in this vein, especially one on a touchy subject -- as the disc's namesake suggests, it is a tale about our throw-away society -- and daring to be a bit preachy about it. Granted, too, the way the songs intertwine, it would be hard to pinpoint one song and call it a single. But all around, the key word was "success" -- even to the point of culling two songs, "Flight To Reality" and "It's All Over", as a double A-side single.

Musically, Nektar moves away a bit from the more traditional prog leanings of an album like A Tab In The Ocean, but they do so without seeming like they're sacrificing their art for the gamble of commercial success. Tracks such as "Costa Del Sol," "Flight To Reality" and "Marvellous Moses" all demonstrate that Nektar was indeed at the top of their game with this release.

But like its predecessors, Recycled is not an album which the listener will get on a cursory listen (though it's a tad more accessible than A Tab In The Ocean); rather, you'll find the more time you put into this one, the more you'll take out of it. And, like its predecessors (or at least the other one I've heard as of this writing), the time is well worth the investment.

There is one major difference I picked up with this particular re-issue, as compared to A Tab In The Ocean. Whereas the inclusion of two different mixes tended to hurt A Tab, the contrasts in the two versions (namely, the released version and Emerick's mix) helps to highlight the music on Recycled. Emerick's has a more pop-sounding mix and is a shade crisper, while the final version is more prog-based and richer in sound (in no small part due to the inclusion of a chorus which is interspersed through the disc).

Listening to Recycled undoubtedly will bring some comparisons to early Marillion albums, especially Misplaced Childhood. This is indeed meant as a compliment to both Marillion and Nektar, as both groups essentially looked at their musical target with these releases and nailed it -- that is, at least as far as I can remember, since it's been a while since I dusted off Misplaced Childhood.

Recycled is a disc which should be welcomed back with open arms not only by aging prog-rock fans who remember Nektar's salad days, but also today's generation who want to hear what real music, not pre-packaged schlock-pop, used to sound like. Bands like Nektar are indeed rare today in the commercial music market -- and, merely for their existence, we should indeed be thankful.

Rating: B

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