Nucleus

Definitely one of Nucleus' lesser known albums, Alleycat nonetheless maintains the exceptionally high standards that Ian Carr & Nucleus had set for themselves over the course of numerous albums before this one.

It's true that there's little here which is a departure from any of their previous releases, but with a quality of of both songwriting and playing this high, who could blame them? Once again we have fast, intricate, melodic jazz-rock fusion, with moments of high energy interspersed with slow and thoughtful sections, and the continual build-release adding to the overall dynamics.

There is some experimentation involved though, with the then-still-novel tinkering with electronics on the first track, but after that it's straight-ahead fusion all the way. All Nucleus lovers should try to get hold of this one, and fans of Soft Machine's mid-period albums will probably also love this, as will anyone who enjoys the likes of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis' 'In a Silent Way'.

PERSONNEL:

• Ian Carr - (trumpet, flugelhorn, synth)
• Bob Bertles - (soprano, alto & baritone saxophones, flute)
• Geoff Castle - (keyboards, Moog)
• Ken Shaw - (guitar)
• Roger Sutton - (bass)
• Roger Sellers - (drums, percussion, timpani)
• Trevor Tomkins - (percussion (1-3)

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1. Phaideaux Corner
• A2. Alleycat

• SIDE B
• B1. Splat
• B2. You Can't Be Sure
• B3. Nosegay