by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Interview with Derek “Mo” Moore of Nektar and Album Review of Nektar: Mission to Mars

Nektar is a band that originally was entirely British but found early success in the late ‘60s in Germany. Guitarist-vocalist Roye Albrighton, keyboardist Allan “Taff” Freeman, bassist-vocalist Derek “Mo” Moore, drummer-vocalist Ron Howden and lighting/effects specialist Mick Brockett comprised the original group which formed in 1969. They broke out on the U.S. charts in the early ‘70s, with influential and conceptual albums like A Tab in the Ocean, Remember the Future, Down to Earth, and Recycled.

Mission to Mars is Nektar’s 16^th studio album, and that’s not counting a plethora of legit live albums, as well. They’ve always been a great live act due to their tight and collaborative sound as well as a phenomenal and entrancing light and images show.

The current lineup of Nektar consists of long-time guitarist-vocalist Ryche Chlanda, keyboardist Kendall Scott, bassist-vocalist Derek “Mo” Moore, vocalist Maryann Castello, and drummer Jay Dittamo. The album Mission to Mars is the first part of a proposed trilogy of albums for the band. Chlanda and Moore co-wrote the lyrics and came up with the universal space concepts, which will act as set pieces for songs going forward.

Recently we sat down with original bassist-vocalist and songwriter Moore to discuss the new album and the history of one of rock’s most enduring and prolific acts.

Mission to Mars was co-produced by Moore and Chlanda and includes themes about outer space, the Universe, spirituality and positive vibes. Moore really lights up when discussing the origin of their current record and the production scheme behind it. “We did the mix with the goal of being able to hear everything,” says Moore. “We planned where everything was gonna be placed and what vocals were gonna go from left to right. And once we got that done we had it mastered by Leon Zervos, who used to be with Sterling Sound in New York City. Our friend and engineer Joe DeMaio has a studio called Shorefire in Long Branch, New Jersey and he did the basic live tracks with us. We always do the basic tracks live because that retains the freshness and it doesn’t sound too clinical.”

And from the opening title track, Mission to Mars erupts from the gate, with a rhythmic bravado and rocking presence that deftly blends sci-fi imagery with vibrant audio colors and pulse. Chlanda’s full-bodied guitar work and gritty vocals lead an uplifting chorus of “Celebrate, scream and shout. Love yourself and let it out.” The song takes some collective thematic detours by way of Kendall Scott’s bubbly synthesizers as the harmonies establish this revived assemblage of the band as simply sublime.

“We mastered the vinyl and CD versions separately,” says Moore. “When you do digital, some of the frequencies are cut out because your ears hear things different, and it sort of compensates for that. But you can’t do that on vinyl. On vinyl, you can have all the frequencies there by keeping the length of each side down to about 16 minutes. That way you get a bigger groove, with the bottom end of the bass and drums. And the rest of it takes up the top. It makes for a very warm sound. We went to a lot of trouble to make sure the CD sounded perfect too. And then we switched to vinyl.”

“Long Lost Sunday” is the second song in the track order on the new album, and it takes the listener further into the galaxy of complex emotions in the search for a higher self. It’s heady stuff that finds balance in memorable riffs, taut staccato rhythms, and free flowing vocals. By the time the song builds to the vocal climax of “Don’t walk away… don’t walk away,” you’re hooked in the somewhat atmospheric grandeur of it all. It’s a powerful piece of music.

“One Day Hi One Day Lo” is another track that had major co-writing contributions from Scott. He provides the orchestral arrangements at the beginning that unfold into a multi-tiered Beatles-esque trip through space tempered with Dadaist existential themes.

Alas, Nektar’s latest venture is somewhat bittersweet amid the loss of original drummer-vocalist Ron Howden. Howden performed on the band’s last live 2 CD/Blu-ray release two years ago entitled Journey to the Other Side (Live From the Dunellen Theatre). And, unfortunately, that was his last performance with the band. Returning valiantly from a bout with cancer, he was on the ground floor of talks with Chlanda and Moore about recording what would become, Mission to Mars, but a brain aneurysm took him days after their last meeting, and it was not meant to be.

“Ron died last September,” says Moore. “I played with him for 60 years. It was very sad. But we know Ron would’ve wanted us to continue, so we finished putting the songs together. And our drummer Jay used to play with Kendall and Ryche in Ryche Chlanda’s Flying Dreams, so it was a great fit.”

The final track on Mission to Mars is called “I’ll Let You In,” and it proved to be a very emotional song for Chlanda, in particular, to sing. It’s a dreamy and ethereal ballad, with a resonant chorus that has hope and an inclusive message of renewal, healing, and celebration.

“That song actually got picked up by some Christian radio stations across the country,” says Moore. “I handle a lot of the radio marketing with a friend of mine. And I told him I thought ‘I’ll Let You In’ could cross over into the Christian market. We’ve got about ten stations in the U.K. and about 40 in the U.S. playing ‘Mission to Mars’ and ‘I’ll Let You In.’ I think we stand a chance with this album of making it on mainstream radio.”

Watch for Nektar to be booking new tour dates for the U.S. and Europe in 2025.