We'll Talk About It Later

In the 1960s, trumpeter Ian Carr played in a series of jazz bands with Don Rendell and Neil Ardley. As the decade turned, he caught the international fusion bug, as did many jazz musicians in the late 60s. Carr assembled a group of British jazz A-listers, including keyboardist Karl Jenkins, guitarist Chris Spedding, drummer John Marshall and bassist Jeff Clyne. In addition to Carr’s trumpet, Brian Smith contributed saxophone. The band then signed with Vertigo in 1969 and quickly recorded two albums in 1970. Released in June, Elastic Rock is a groundbreaking album of fusion, the amalgamation of electric jazz with rock. Recorded in September in just two days, the group’s second album We’ll Talk About It Later saw release in March 1971. Once again, the album is packed with Jenkins’s compositions. But this time around, Nucleus emphasized rock over jazz. The opening horn riffs of “Song for the Bearded Lady” herald the band’s big jazzy sound, but it’s the guitar’s infectious riff that grabs one’s attention. The song breaks down into some subdued soloing from Carr and Spedding before reprising its main theme. “Sun Child” finds its groove in Clyne’s tight bass and Marshall’s deft drumming. The title track offers Spedding another chance to shine, while the ensuing “Oasis” finds Jenkins plotting a different course, driven by Marshall’s cymbal work and Carr’s trumpet. “Ballad of Joe Pimp” is a rare vocal effort from Spedding, while the closer “Easter 1916” again offers Smith plenty of room to solo. Carr’s next release was a solo record; but by 1973, he would recruit an entirely new lineup for Nucleus, recording a dozen or so albums throughout the 70s. Most were on the jazz side of jazz-rock, but typical of Carr’s work are of the highest quality. Beginning with Marshall in 1972, many Nucleus members would jump ship and find employment with Soft Machine.