NUCLEUS — Live at the Theaterhaus (review)

NUCLEUS — Live at the Theaterhaus album cover Live album · 1980 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Again released on the German label Mood, this Stuttgart concert feels like a swansong for Nucleus, with even the faithful Geoff Castle now gone, and although the amazing John Marshall returns on drums, it doesn’t help rekindle the flame. Indeed, the rest of the line-up consists (outside of the unmovable Carr) of rather unknown sidekicks, including a guitarist that toys with guitar synths (the atrocious Synclavier, I guess). Again graced with a grim grey & black photo-shoot (the group has come down from the fire escape onto the back-alley ;o))), as far as I know this was to be the last Nucleus release when the band was still active.

The general feel of the album is more of a standard-jazz than anything fusion-esque, with the 12-mins Bouquet Pour Ma Belle baing frankly very early 60’s-ish, and Wood’s guitar sounding like René Thomas with some effects. Personally I find it very boring and jump the track ASAIC, but the following For Miles And Miles cannot hide that it’s Miles-inspirations will be very 60’s-ish as well, even if fretless, synclaviers and Rhodes are all over the track, it sounds quite retro, even when the band suddenly wakes-up, it doesn’t sound too jazz-rock or fusion. Only Easy Does It Now sounds fusion-esque enough to sit in a Nucleus, and even then, it is somewhat of a stretch, but the fretless and funky drums do change from much of the rest of the album, along with a real electric guitar solo… clearly the etter track, really.

Somewhat un-Nucleus an album, if you’re into updated standard-y jazz, this Theaterhaus recording might be up your alley, but this fusionhead will pass on it, because it’s not my cup of tea, and in some extreme way, even look at it as un-worthy of the Nucleus moniker. WStill good in its own genre, I’d have much preferred that this album bore Carr’s name instead of his legendary group, because it might have been less misleading.

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