A Different Nektar Album, But One That Comes Alive In This Expanded Edition
This is the next release in the ongoing Nektar reissue series and, for me, it is a very interesting one. I have owned Magic Is A Child on vinyl since 1977, although my original copy looks as if it has seen a few intergalactic voyages of its own. It was on Polydor, it came with the lyric insert, and of course it has that instantly recognisable cover image of a young Brooke Shields.
When this album first appeared, I don’t think many people really knew who she was. Looking back now, it gives the sleeve a strange extra layer of pop-culture curiosity, but the real story here is the music, the line-up changes, and how this new 3CD edition helps reframe an album that can sometimes sit slightly outside what many fans see as Nektar’s absolute classic period.
What Is In The Box?
This new Esoteric edition comes as a 3CD clamshell box.
CD1 contains the remastered original album, along with bonus tracks including demos, alternate versions, an early version, a Robert Fripp-related version of “Train From Nowhere”, and “Silver Lady” recorded live in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1977.
CD2 features Nektar live at Hofstra University, Long Island, in October 1977.
CD3 captures the band at The Community Theater in Phoenix, Arizona, in November 1977.
The booklet is very good. It includes the musician credits, recording information, details for each disc, lyrics, period artwork, press material from the time, and a new essay by Derek “Mo” Moore. That involvement from within the band makes these Esoteric Nektar sets feel more than just archive releases. They feel curated, cared for, and part of a bigger story.
The Background: Nektar In 1977
By the time Magic Is A Child arrived, Nektar were in a very different place from the band that made A Tab In The Ocean, Remember The Future, Down To Earth or Recycled.
Original guitarist and vocalist Roye Albrighton had left the band, and American guitarist and vocalist Dave Nelson had come in. That is a major change. Nektar were never just about one member, but Roye’s guitar and voice had been a huge part of the band’s identity. With Nelson joining, the lead vocal duties became more shared across the group, with Derek “Mo” Moore, Ron Howden and Dave Nelson all contributing vocally.
The line-up on the original album was:
Dave Nelson – guitar and vocals
Alan “Taff” Freeman – keyboards, synthesizers and vocals
Derek “Mo” Moore – bass and vocals
Ron Howden – drums, percussion and vocals
Mick Brockett, who had been so central to the Nektar live experience through lighting, projections and visual concepts, was still part of the extended world of Nektar, but the album itself marks a shift away from the earlier “complete experience” identity of the band.
The album was recorded in 1977 at The House Of Music in West Orange, New Jersey, and was issued by Polydor. It was produced and engineered by Jeffrey Kawalek, with guest appearances from Larry Fast on synthesizers and Robert Fripp, who appears under the name Walt Nektroid on “Train From Nowhere”. There is also a string quartet used on the album, adding another texture to a record that already feels different from the Nektar many people first fell in love with.
A Different Kind Of Nektar Album
When I saw this one announced, I have to be honest: I thought, “Are we coming into land now?”
Because with the earlier Esoteric sets, we have had some huge landmarks. Remember The Future came in a luxurious box with gatefold sleeves. Journey To The Centre Of The Eye had similar treatment. Then we moved into the clamshell sets with Recycled and Down To Earth, and I have to say that Down To Earth surprisingly became one of my favourites after A Tab In The Ocean, which for me remains the ultimate Nektar album.
So where does Magic Is A Child sit?
It is different. It does not have quite the same cosmic sprawl as the early records. It does not immediately give you the same sense of the band travelling through some vast progressive rock universe. The songs are shorter, the structures are tighter, and there is a sense of a band trying to adapt to the world around them.
This was 1977. Punk was in the background in the UK. Progressive rock bands were having to think about how they could reach bigger audiences, or at least survive in a changing musical landscape. You can hear that on this album. It is still Nektar, and it is still progtastic, but it is not the same journey as A Tab In The Ocean or Remember The Future.
That is why I would not say this is the first Nektar album to buy. If you are new to the band, I would still point you towards A Tab In The Ocean, Journey To The Centre Of The Eye, Remember The Future, Down To Earth or Recycled first.
But if you already have those albums, this is absolutely a no-brainer.
The Studio Album Revisited
What changed my view of Magic Is A Child this time was the live material.
I had not played the studio album for a long time. I remembered it as being good, but not essential in the way the earlier records are essential. Then I played the live discs and suddenly the whole thing opened up.
Tracks like “Midnite Lite”, “Train From Nowhere”, “Away From Asgard”, “Listen” and “On The Run (The Trucker)” really come alive on stage. They have more bite, more energy, more urgency. The performances show that this version of Nektar was not limping towards the end of the 1970s. They were still a powerful live band.
The live recordings are not glossy modern concert recordings, but they are very listenable and, more importantly, they capture the excitement of the performances. The Hofstra University show and the Phoenix show both reveal a band playing with real fire. The classic material is there too, including “Remember The Future Part 2”, “Crying In The Dark / King Of Twilight”, “Recycled” and “Oh Willy”, so you can hear how the Magic Is A Child material sits alongside the earlier catalogue.
That was the key for me. Hearing the newer songs in that context made me go back to the studio album with fresh ears.
The Bonus Tracks
The bonus tracks on CD1 are also a major part of the appeal.
“Away From Asgard” in demo form is fascinating. “On The Run (The Trucker)” in its alternate mix gives you a slightly different window into the album. “Listen” as an early version is one of those tracks that helps you understand the construction of the music. “Train From Nowhere” with the Robert Fripp connection is a real collector’s item, and it is wonderful to have it included here.
The only track that sounds a little more sub-professional in terms of audio quality is “Silver Lady” live from Northampton, Massachusetts in 1977. It is still worth having, but the sound quality is not on the level of the rest of the material. The other bonus tracks sound excellent.
The Live Discs Are The Revelation
For me, the live discs are the reason this set works so well.
They show the album in motion. They show how this line-up handled the material. They also show that Magic Is A Childwas not just a studio detour. These songs could stand on stage.
The Hofstra University disc is particularly strong. “Midnite Lite” and “Train From Nowhere” immediately make more sense in this setting, while the inclusion of “Remember The Future Part 2” gives long-term fans a bridge back to the classic era. “Crying In The Dark / King Of Twilight” remains one of those Nektar moments that always seems to lift a live set into another dimension.
The Phoenix concert is equally compelling. “Listen” is a standout here, and “Spread Your Wings” feels like a fitting way to close the set. Across both concerts, you hear a band that had changed, yes, but had not lost the ability to create atmosphere, momentum and that unmistakable Nektar live feel.
If you are new to Nektar, I would not start here.
That is not because Magic Is A Child is inferior. It is because it does not tell the full story of where this band came from. Start with A Tab In The Ocean, Journey To The Centre Of The Eye, Remember The Future, Down To Earth or Recycled. Those albums will give you the foundation.
But if you already have the other Esoteric Nektar box sets, then this is essential.
It is smaller, with three CDs rather than the larger deluxe boxes, but it is still packed with value. The booklet is informative, the remaster gives the studio album a new lease of life, the bonus tracks are worthwhile, and the two live discs completely changed the way I felt about this period of the band.
I went into this thinking Magic Is A Child might be a slightly lesser chapter in the Nektar story. I came out of it thinking this is a very important reappraisal of a transitional album.
It may not be the ultimate Nektar album, but this 3CD edition makes the strongest possible case for it.
ORDER NEKTAR MAGIC IS A CHILD BOX SET HERE
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
