Magic Is a Child
| Magic Is A Child | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1977 | |||
| Recorded | March – August 1977 | |||
| Studio | The House Of Music, West Orange, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock[1] | |||
| Length | 41:24 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Jeffrey Kawalek | |||
| Nektar chronology | ||||
| ||||
Magic Is A Child is the seventh album from English progressive rock band Nektar. This album is one of only two studio albums released by Nektar without Roye Albrighton on guitar and lead vocals; the other is The Other Side (2020). In addition, founding member Mick Brockett was no longer credited as a member of Nektar, only as one of their four stage and lighting designers. Dave Nelson took Albrighton's place on guitar, while lead vocal duties were now divided among drummer Ron Howden, bassist Mo Moore, and Nelson.
Brooke Shields, 12 years old at the time, is the model on the cover.[1]
The track "Train from Nowhere", on the 2005 remastered edition, features Robert Fripp of King Crimson on lead guitar (under the pseudonym “Walt Nektroid") that was left out of the original version.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
AllMusic gave the album a positive retrospective review, praising Nektar's switching to "shorter, punchier songs", "swelling" keyboards, "symphonic" guitars, and "breezy pop".[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Away from Asgard" | Derek Moore, Ron Howden, Taff Freeman, Dave Nelson, Steve Barth | Howden, Nelson, and Moore | 5:30 |
| 2. | "Magic Is a Child" | Moore, Howden, Freeman, Nelson, Barth | Howden and Moore | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Eerie Lackawanna" | Moore, Howden, Freeman, Nelson, Barth | Nelson | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Midnight Lite" | Moore, Howden, Freeman, Nelson, Barth | Moore | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Love to Share (Keep Your Worries Behind You)" | Moore, Howden, Freeman, Nelson | Howden and Moore | 4:07 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Train from Nowhere" | Moore, Howden, Freeman, Nelson | Nelson | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Listen" | Moore, Howden, Freeman, Nelson, Roye Albrighton | Nelson | 6:02 |
| 8. | "On the Run (The Trucker)" | Moore, Howden, Freeman, Nelson | Howden | 4:41 |
| 9. | "Spread Your Wings" | Moore, Howden, Freeman, Nelson | Nelson | 4:40 |
Personnel
- Dave Nelson - guitar, lead and backing vocals
- Alan "Taff" Freeman - keyboards (including synthesizer), backing vocals
- Derek "Mo" Moore - bass, lead and backing vocals
- Ron Howden - drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals, Smurds
- Additional personnel
- Julien Barber, Kermit Moore, Michael Commins, Anthony Posk - string quartet
- Larry Fast - synthesizer, programming, processing
- Walt Nektroid (Robert Fripp) - guitar on "Train from Nowhere"
- Jeffrey Kawalek - production, engineering, backing vocal on "Love to Share (Keep Your Worries Behind You)"
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[2] | 172 |
References
- ^ a b c d Magic Is a Child at AllMusic
- ^ "Nektar Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.