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BEWITH 127LP
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The outstanding Solar Plexus, the much-loved third album from Ian Carr and Nucleus, was first released on Vertigo in 1971. Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era.
Ian Carr describes Solar Plexus: "I wrote Solar Plexus last year with the help of an Arts Council grant. It is based on two short themes which are stated at the beginning ('Elements I' and 'II'). The first theme is angular and has a slow, crab-like movement: the second theme is direct, simple and diatonic. 'Changing Time' and 'Spirit Level' explore the first theme and 'Bedrock Deadlock' and 'Torso' explore the second one. 'Snakehips Dream' tries to fuse both themes. (The title is a reference to the famous dancer 'Snakehips' Johnson)."
Solar Plexus features the same lineup as Elastic Rock and We'll Talk About It Later, but they're augmented by six guests, three of which play brass. Carr himself had almost full control of the writing and it does feel very different to the previous albums. It's more of a jazz record loosely based on a rock foundation rather than jazz fusion jamming. The haunting synth-and-bass soundscape "Elements I and II" opens the album in dramatic, experimental fashion. It gives way to the bright, funky feel-good jazz of "Changing Times". An elegant onslaught of horns, courtesy of guests Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett, ride a solid groove for the duration. The melancholic "Bedrock Deadlock" features the brooding majesty of Jenkins's oboe and Clyne's mournful, skittering double bass. Wah wah guitar, drums and funky percussion then take over before the horns ride you out over frenetic beats. The dark, angular "Spirit Level" is a real highlight, by turns harmonic and beautiful then dissonant and wayward. The breezy soul of "Torso" feels like a breath of fresh air, skipping along in the up-tempo style with guitar, horns, drums and bass. A track which truly sounds scintillating, featuring sax solos, fantastic propulsive interplay from all the group around the halfway stage before Marshall gets his chance to really shine in closing out with a polyrhythmic drum solo. Final track "Snakehips' Dream" stretches cooly out over 15 minutes to round out a spellbinding album. An epic, suave groove, it's a relaxing piece with warm electric keys, laconic guitar and languorous horns. Truly sophisticated soulful jazz. Remastered from the original Vertigo master tapes by Simon Francis. Cut by Cicely Balston at AIR Studios. Gatefold sleeve.
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BEWITH 103LP
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2025 restock; reissue, originally released on Vertigo in 1973. Labyrinth is dark, brooding, beat-heavy, melancholic mood music courtesy of Ian Carr and the Nucleus crew. A favorite of Madlib, it goes without saying that this is one magnificent record. Originally released on Vertigo in 1973, Labyrinth was never re-pressed and of course those original copies are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it's aged ridiculously well and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press. Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. At this point Carr had parted ways with guitarist Alan Holdsworth and as a result the Nucleus sound found itself returning to the core elements of groove and melody. Carr had become bolder and more self-confident in his compositions and it shows in the sheer ambition of Labyrinth, composed by Carr and with lyrics written by his wife Sandy. Originally a live performance by an augmented Nucleus, some of the expanded cast were brought back for the recording sessions, including vocalist Norma Winstone. Labyrinth is presented as a suite, based on the ancient Greek legend of the Minotaur with musical instruments representing the various elements of the mythology. According to the LP's original sleeve notes, the bass clarinet represents the tragic element, the trumpet represents the heroic element and the voice represents the human element. The rest of the musicians represent the two societies of Athens and Crete and their comments on the story as it unfolds. The album opens with the experimental, sumptuously dissonant "Origins", teasing strands of atmospheric bass clarinet introduce the first theme before swiftly fading out with a startling blast of staccato fanfares and big drums. The album soon finds its rhythm as it alights on the spell-binding and groove-friendly "Bull-Dance", with subtle trumpet melodies, compelling rhythms, a psych-rock vibe, and tight soloing. And of course, there's Norma Winstone's stunning wordless vocals, that also take the lead in the next track "Ariadne", a spacey-jazz song with beautiful piano, flute, and clarinet. You might recognize a snatch of it being looped by Madlib on Quasimoto's "Astro Travellin". The first part of the improvised "Arena" closes out the first side of the album, a short experimental piece with piano and horns. The powerful second part of "Arena" swiftly builds, with vocal melodies, piano, and horns. It comes on like an alternate take on "Bull-Dance", noisier, with a looser rhythm. The triumphant, shuffling Latin-jam "Exultation" leans on more scintillating vocals from Winstone, and a chunky counter melody from the rhythm section. The haunting, twelve minute "Naxos", is an incredible way to close out this remarkable record. Remastered from the original Vertigo master tapes. Mastered by Simon Francis. Cut by Pete Norman. Gatefold sleeve.
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