Nektar are one of the most distinctive and unusual bands of the early-1970s prog scene — four English musicians who found their voice in Germany and made some of the era’s most imaginative space rock. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their albums.

The short version

For the heart of Nektar, start with Remember the Future, A Tab in the Ocean and Recycled — the concept masterpiece and the two peaks on either side of it. The full ranking is below.

English by birth, German by adoption

Nektar were four English musicians who came together in the clubs of Hamburg in 1969 — so steeped in the local scene that many fans assumed they were a German band. They fused British melody with space-rock atmosphere, Pink Floyd-style psychedelia and the freedom of their adopted home, wrapping it all in elaborate concept albums and pioneering ‘sound and light’ stage shows. Their concept masterpiece Remember the Future (1973) became a surprise hit in America, reaching the US Top 20. A note: the seven albums here are a selection covering their classic 1970s run.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing ambition, songwriting and atmosphere. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — and with a peak this strong, the lower placements are no slight.

The essential three

At the top sits Remember the Future (1973), their concept masterpiece and breakthrough — a single flowing story told across two side-long pieces that gave them a surprise hit in America. Beside it sit A Tab in the Ocean (1972), the early space-rock peak whose “King of Twilight” was later covered by Iron Maiden, and Recycled (1975), a dense, intricate late masterpiece recorded with synth pioneer Larry Fast and Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick.

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Reliably great

The next tier is well worth your time. Down to Earth (1974) is a colourful, circus-themed concept album and another of their American successes, while their debut Journey to the Centre of the Eye (1971) is an album-length space odyssey, all echoing guitar and twin Mellotrons, and their closest brush with Krautrock.

For completists

Two more albums round out the seven. ...Sounds Like This (1973) is a looser, jam-based double album that catches the band stretching out, and Magic Is a Child (1977), recorded after Roye Albrighton’s departure, is the most divisive of their classic-era records. Both are for listeners who already love the peaks above.

A selection, in order

The albums covered here, in chronological order — a selection of their classic 1970s run rather than their complete output. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with Remember the Future — their most celebrated album and the perfect introduction to their flowing, melodic space rock. From there, A Tab in the Ocean and Recycled complete the essential run.

The players

Nektar were four English musicians who met in the clubs of Hamburg: guitarist and vocalist Roye Albrighton, the band’s leader and main creative force; keyboardist Allan ‘Taff’ Freeman; bassist Derek ‘Mo’ Moore; and drummer Ron Howden. They even counted lighting designer Mick Brockett as a full member, such was the importance of their famous light shows. Three of the four founders have since died — Albrighton in 2016, Freeman in 2021 and Howden in 2023 — leaving Moore the last surviving original member.

Why they still matter

Nektar were always something of an oddity — an English band who found their voice in Germany — but they made some of the most imaginative progressive rock of the 1970s. Kindred spirits of Hawkwind on the space-rock front and of German peers like Eloy and Grobschnitt, they built a devoted cult following that still grows today — and counted no less than Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris among their admirers.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best Nektar songs. You can also place them in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

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