Nucleus - Elastic Rock/We'll Talk About It Later (1970-71)

Elastic Rock:
Essential debut and a defining moment of jazz-rock - this was recorded only a few months later than Miles Davis's Bitches Brew and obviously Ian Carr was very impressed (and a unconditional fan of Miles as he wrote two books about his life on top of other jazz encyclopediae) and he formed this band with amongst other Jenkins, Marshal and the chameleon of rock Chris Spedding after he left psych-blues group Pete Brown's Battered Ornaments. The sublime sleeve artwork, a cut-out gatefold that lets you peep into a red-hot lava stream opens up on a breathtaking landscape in a volcano park. After listening to side 1, most rock fans will wonder where the rock part went, as only the second part of Crude Blues was energetic enough to be named rock. But right from the opening track with the bowed double bass rumbling as if the earthquake was happening, to the very calm climates of Striaton and Taranaki, we are dealing with a fairly acoustic fusion much like the first two albums of Weather Report. Only the title track is really more upbeat as well as the second part of Crude Blues. Side 2 is definitely where things pick up, especially with Boogaloo and the self-explanatory Torrid Zone (bound to be a concert favourite) and then comes the hi-energy feel big enough to light a city. We can hear how Jenkins is paving hell with his delicate Fender Rhodes piano layers and Marshall being an extremely intuitive drummer. But the star here especially on the second part of the album is Chris Spedding (that's right Mr. Punk Motorcycle of '77 single fame) with a much understated but still flamboyant style. Smith, Carr and Jenkins also adding some aerial horns layers, making this debut album a classic, but much better is to come. - by Sean Trane, Progarchives, com.

We'll Talk About It Later:
Although Nucleus made an acclaimed performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1970, the U.K. proto-fusionists never became particularly popular in the States, with much of their recorded output only available as import releases. In fact, in certain quarters Nucleus is known primarily as a source of musicians who joined the latter-day Soft Machine, itself a group that never moved too far beyond cult status. Composer/keyboardist/reedman Karl Jenkins, drummer John Marshall, bassist Roy Babbington, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth all played with Nucleus at one time or another, and all had moved over to the Soft Machine lineup by the time the Softs (with Mike Ratledge the only original remaining member of the band) issued Bundles in 1975. Nucleus' second album, 1970's We'll Talk About It Later, might be of particular interest to fans of Bundles-era Soft Machine given the presence of "Song for the Bearded Lady," a Jenkins composition that later appeared in altered form on Bundles as "Hazard Profile," a vehicle for one of Holdsworth's most stunningly fleet-fingered solos on record. "Song for the Bearded Lady" kicks off We'll Talk About It Later with a fanfare and funky unison and counterpoint riffing that segue into a spacious groove and Ian Carr trumpet solo echoing the influence of electric Miles from the same time period. Chris Spedding was the band's guitarist here, and one shouldn't expect Holdsworth-style pyrotechnics from him; Spedding was a blues-rocker more than a jazzer and generally took a back seat to the soloing skills of Carr, Jenkins, and New Zealand saxophonist Brian Smith (whose duet with drummer Marshall at the conclusion of "Easter 1916" – inspired by the Yeats poem about the Irish nationalist uprising in Dublin – approaches the wildness of some of the era's most incendiary free jazz).

Tracks:
CD1:
1. 1916 (Karl Jenkins) 1:10
2. Elastic Rock (Karl Jenkins) 4:05
3. Striation (Jeff Clyne/Chris Spedding) 2:15
4. Taranami (Brian Smith) 1:35
5. Twisted Track (Chris Spedding/Pete Brown) 5:19
6. Crude Blues part 1 (Ian Carr/Karl Jenkins)0:54
7. Crude Blues Part 2 (Ian Carr) 2:35
8. 1916 (Battle of Boogaloo) (Karl Jenkins) 3:07
9. Torrid Zone (Karl Jenkins) 8:41
10. Stonescape (Karl Jenkins) 2:39
11. Earth Mother (Ian Carr/Karl Jenkins/Brian Smith/Chris Spedding/Jeff Clyne/John Marshall) 5:16
12. Speaking For Myself, Personally, In My Own Opinion, I Think… (John Marshall) 1:29
13. Persephones Jive (Ian Carr) 2:13
CD2:
1. Song For The Bearded Lady (Karl Jenkins) 7:23
2. Sun Child (Jeff Clyne/John Marshall) 5:17
3. Lullaby (Karl Jenkins) 4:18
4. We'll Talk About It Later (Karl Jenkins) 6:16
5. Oasis (Karl Jenkins) 9:48
6. Ballad Of Joe Pimp (Jeff Clyne/Ian Carr) 3:46
7. Easter 1916 (Karl Jenkins/Ian Carr) 8:49

Personnel:
Ian Carr (Trumpet, Flugelhorn)
Karl Jenkins (Baritone Saxophone, Oboe and Piano)
Brian Smith (Tenor and Soprano Saxophone, Flute)
Jeff Clyne (Double Bass and Bass Guitar)
John Marshall (Drums and Percussion)
Chris Spedding (Guitar and Bouzouki)

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