When Roye Albrighton died in 2016 after a long illness, the future of nectar was uncertain. The surviving hull formation had with drummer Ron Howden only one founding member left in their ranks. But Howden was in bad health. Then there was bassist Tom Fry, in the band since 2014. And of course keyboarder Klaus Henatsch, who had been working with Albrighton since 2007. But would that be enough for a new edition of the band? Now she presents her latest studio work "Megalomania".
A lot has happened since four young Englishmen founded the psychedelically colored prog/rock formation Nektar in Hamburg in 1969. May the musicians and Mick Brockett, who is responsible for their spectacular light effects, never made the big commercial breakthrough - nobody in the scene denies that this formation released some extraordinary records in the seventies, among them "A Tab In The Ocean", "...Sounds Like This" and "Remeber The Future".
From 1980 it also became more difficult for nectar. Their elaborate sound was no longer in demand. At the same time the group tried to keep their head above water with the rather arbitrary pop rock melodies of the album "Man In The Moon". She disbanded in 1982.
In 2000, nectar reunited under the renewed leadership of Roye Albrighton. The band released five albums until 2013 and gave numerous concerts, including a moving acoustic show in Seeheim, Hessen, where Nektar lived in the early seventies. Then Albrighton died. The 64-year-old German Klaus Henatsch has taken over the baton from the singer and guitarist and leads the fate of the new nectar.
eclipsed: You used to be a big nectar fan. Then how did it happen that you yourself joined the group as a keyboarder?
Klaus Henatsch: I had already heard in 2006 that she was looking for a keyboard player. A year later it worked out that I was allowed to participate. It was an incredible story for me to board my heroes. In 2007 I co-organized the nectar acoustic gig. That's where I met Roye and his son Che. Soon we became friends. And on the nectar tour in the fall of that year, I was a keyboarder for six weeks.
eclipsed: For the first album after Roye Albrighton's death you brought in singer and guitarist Alex Hoffmeister.
Henatsch: That's right, I met Alex in Göttingen, where I come from, in the early 70s. We both played in amateur bands that were committed to progressive tones. Although these groups were actually competitors, we appreciated each other humanely. Fragile, the formation of Klaus, played in the 70s at some concerts of Nektar as a prelude. When Roye had died, but we wanted to continue with nectar, I remembered him.
eclipsed: Did he say yes right away?
Henatsch: Not at all! On the contrary, he was shocked to follow in Roye's footsteps. I'll never make it, he said. But I finally convinced him. Actually, Alex is a restorer, not a thoroughbred musician. But in spring 2017 we played some jam sessions. The spark jumped immediately.
