NUCLEUS — Snakehips Etcetera (review)

NUCLEUS — Snakehips Etcetera album cover Album · 1975 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
The second (almost) stable Nucleus line-up will of course never equal the first one (which recorded the first three albums), but they still smoked big times. With the Sutton/Sellers (Sellers being the last clicking element to fit in this line-up) as the rhythm turbo diesel, Carr and reappearing Bertles at the steering wheel, Shaw and Castle are making their presence felt more than in the preceding album.

So you might think that this album is better, than Under The Sun, but at the risk of deceiving you, it is not the case. For some reason, Nucleus fails to capitalize on the recent musical success (nothing to be ashamed of though, the album still has many great moments), as the album lacks a bit the excitement, but I think the “songwriting” is maybe the culprit, here; Iobviously Carr has a fascination for Snakehips, which from what I remember was a female jazz dancer from the 30’s, and he had already done a track in the third album Solar Plexus.

The slow developing, lenghty and repetitive title track is hardly denying my remarks above, but the opening Rat’s Bag is a lively offsetting equaliser. Alive And Kicking is clearly an improv, but an inspired one. Exciting Rachel’s Tune brings you back to Canterbury days with its fuzzed-out organs, Pussyfoot not shining, but with a good flute solo, and reflective Heyday bringing nothing to the usual Nucleus palette, round up the tracks of yet another good Nucleus album. But the keyword in that last sentence being yet!

Although hardly a bad album, this one is a bit inferior to the two around it, as Alleycats is also an excellent album. BGO’s pairing of this album with Under The Sun under cat # BGOCD568 is maybe the second best after the pairing of the first two. What I do find frustrating with this formula is that this could be a single CD (both albums are around the 35 min timing) as could most of the other BGO Nucleus releases, therefore making the unnecessarily expensive records, especially that the artwork are reduced to minimal size.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

6 Eclectic Fusion
KROKOFANT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Spring In Stockholm Live At Konserthuset, 1959 Cool Jazz
GERRY MULLIGAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple vol.3 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple, Vol.1 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikołaj Trzaska / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple Vol.2 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

FASCINATING RHYTHM - The Amazing Keystone Big Band feat. Neima Naouri
THE AMAZING KEYSTONE BIG BAND
snobb· 1 day ago
Alicante
RENAUD GARCIA-FONS
js· 1 day ago
She's Forty with Me
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Tall Tillie's Too Tight
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Rhoda Scott Ladies and Gentlemen - special guest : David Linx
RHODA SCOTT
snobb· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed