I know I've said this before, and very recently too, but it seems every time you turn around there's another reissue/remaster of a classic Nektar album. In regards to their breakthrough concept album Remember the Future, there have been numerous CD editions to come out over the last 20 years, and a few in recent years, each one promising to sound better than the next, each one with 'different' bonus tracks and packaging (yeah, great way to get all the Nektar fanatics to purchase multiple versions!), making it almost impossible to figure out just which one is THE one to have. Well, Purple Pyramid Records (a division of Cleopatra) have joined in on the fun and released what they are calling the '40th Anniversary Edition', a 2 CD set that not only contains the Remember the Future album with enhanced sound, but also a bonus disc with 3 radio edits of pieces from the album, and a hot 1970 demo recorded in Boston.
How much remastering or remixing was done to the original album I'm not really sure, as there's literally no information listed on the CD as to what work actually went into this edition and how much restoration was done. Does it sound good? Yes it does, though whether this version sounds any better than the last two or closer to 'definitive' I'll leave up to the audiophiles out there who wish to compare this to the previous CDs and the original vinyl release. Compared to the original (and quite horrible) CD release back around the turn of the '90s this will sound spectacular, but again, I'm not sure how much better it is compared to the Bellaphon or It's About Music remasters from a few years back.
The key for many will no doubt be the bonus disc when it comes down to deciding whether this set is worth purchasing. The Radio Edits we've obviously heard before, but the demo recording from 1970 will be a must have for any true fan. This set pre-dates the 1971 bonus concert included on the recent Journey to the Center of the Eye remaster, and has been high on collectors' lists for many years. The catch here though is that if you bought the A Tab in the Ocean remaster from It's About Music back in 2011, this recording has already been included in that Deluxe Edition. It appears that we now have multiple labels trying to outdo each other as far as Nektar reissues go, which in the end is only going to confuse and frustrate the fans. If you haven't already heard this set, it's a good one, and contains very early versions of some songs that would later surface on the ...Sounds Like This album from 1973. It's raw, it's psychedelic, but it gives the listener a good idea of where Nektar were in 1970 and the directions they were heading into.
The packaging on this 40th Anniversary Edition includes a deluxe fold out digipack, complete with the original album artwork, lots of live & promotional photos, lyrics, and an essay from Dave Thompson. I really wish more information was given as far as the remastered treatment here, and next to nothing is listed in regards to the Radio Edits or the 1970 demo session from Boston, but hey, otherwise this is a quality reissue. If you haven't already picked up any of the recent remasters of Remember the Future, and you don't have the A Tab in the Ocean remaster from 2011, then you'll no doubt need this edition in your collection. If you have all of the above, then you can surely skip this one.
Track Listing
CD1
1) Remember the Future (Part 1)
a. Images of the Past
b. Wheel of Time
c. Remember the Future
d. Confusion
2) Remember the Future (Part 2)
e. Returning Light
f. Questions and Answers
g. Tomorrow Never Comes
h. Path of Light
i. Recognition
j. Let It Grow
CD2-Bonus Material
Radio Edits
1. Remember the Future
2. Let It Grow
3. Lonely Roads
The 1970 Boston Tapes
4. New Day Dawning
5. Do You Believe in Magic
6. Candlelight
7. Good Day
8. The Life I've Been Leading
9. Where Did You Go?
10. Sealed With a Kiss
11. Our Love WIll Last Forever
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