Skip to content
Sub Rosa Sale: the label catalogue at reduced prices

Nucleus

Country: United Kingdom

Nucleus was a British jazz-rock group formed by trumpeter Ian Carr (1933-2009) after he left the Rendell-Carr Quintet. The band was active in changing line-ups from 1969 to 1989 and mixed modern jazz improvisation with electric instruments and rock rhythms. Nucleus is best known for its 1970 debut Elastic Rock and for winning first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1970. The first line-up of Nucleus had Ian Carr, Karl Jenkins, Brian Smith, Chris Spedding (guitar), Jeff Clyne (bass) and John Marshall (drums).

Aliases: Nucleus
Live At Loughborough University 1976
Ian Carr's Nucleus live at Loughborough University in February 1976, on the Alleycat tour: two CDs newly remastered from the original tapes, approved by the Ian Carr Trust, with liner notes by Sid Smith. Esoteric.
Solar Plexus (LP)
Grey area 1990 edition of the absolute classic 1970 jazz-rock fusion album on Vertigo.
Alleycat (LP)
Rare original Italian edition on Vertigo of Ian Carr's jazz-rock fusion band's 1975 album.
Roots
*2026 repress!!!* What an unbelievable record. From the wild cover to the iconic breakbeats, Roots from Ian Carr’s Nucleus is one of the dopest albums we know. This is seriously thick, funky-prog jazz-rock heaven. Originally released on Vertigo in 19…
Live at BBC 1970
Live at BBC 1970 captures the raw energy and innovation of Nucleus in their formative year, presenting a selection of live sessions recorded for the BBC just as the group was redefining British jazz-rock. Founded by trumpeter Ian Carr, Nucleus emerge…
Nucleus
SPLATTER PRESSING LIMITED TO 100! LP cut by Kevin Gray from the Mainstream Masters! LP pressed in the USA at Citizen for optimal sound! Interwoven Hammond organ riffs, heavy electric guitar and melodic bass lines give Nucleus an edge – their odd time…
Live In Europe 1970-1971
*2023 repress* There can be little more exciting or rewarding than listening to a band playing live and firing on all cylinders at the absolute peak of its powers, and the live performances presented here by Nucleus are no exception. They capture the…
Solar Plexus
What a record! The outstanding Solar Plexus, the much-loved third album from Ian Carr and Nucleus, was first released on Vertigo in 1971. Inevitably, original copies are now very tricky to score and, like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculous…
We’ll Talk About It Later
Their masterpiece? With breaks for dayyyyyys and an almost ambient, heavy jazz atmosphere throughout, *this* is the apex of British jazz-rock fusion. We'll Talk About It Later was first released on Vertigo in 1971 and original copies are now very tri…
Elastic Rock
Nucleus's Elastic Rock is undisputedly a milestone in Jazz-Rock. A beautiful and vital debut album, it was first released on Vertigo in 1970. Original copies are now very tricky to score and, like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well.…
Sold Out
Snakehips Etcetera
The distinctive rolling grooves, growling basslines and blasting horns of Snakehips Etcetera combined to present Nucleus's most energetic record. First released on Vertigo in 1975, original copies of Snakehips Etcetera are now very tricky to score. L…
Labyrinth
Labyrinth is dark, brooding, beat-heavy, melancholic mood music courtesy of Ian Carr and the Nucleus crew. A favourite of Madlib, it goes without saying that this is one magnificent record. Originally released on Vertigo in 1973, Labyrinth was never …
Under The Sun
Under The Sun is the follow-up to the astonishing Roots and contains yet more absolutely essential Nucleus material. Originally released on Vertigo in 1974, Under The Sun was never re-pressed and of course those original copies are now very tricky to…
Alleycat
Come for the leopard, stay for the stone cold jams. Yet another thrilling, funky-prog jazzy-rock fusion beauty from Ian Carr’s Nucleus. Originally released on Vertigo in 1975, Alleycat was never re-pressed so those original copies are now very tricky…
Sold Out
Exit 1971
678 Records presents Exit 1971 by Ian Carr's Nucleus. Recorded on friday june 11 1971 in a small club called the Exit in Rotterdam The Netherlands. Amazing and unknown performance from legendary UK jazz prog fusion rockers Nucleus led by trumpet play…
Live 1970
The first official release of the June 1970 Montreux Jazz Festival concert featuring trumpeter Ian Carr’s pioneering Nucleus performing with US vocalist Leon Thomas on a set of Thomas’ repertoire. The collaboration with Thomas is (in Ian Carr's words…
Torrid Zone The Vertigo Recordings 1970 - 1975
Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a newly re-mastered 6CD clamshell boxed set anthology featuring all the recordings released by Vertigo Records by the legendary jazz-rock group Nucleus and their founder Ian Carr.“Torrid Zone –…
Live in Bremen
The groundbreaking UK band Nucleus were one of the very first jazz/rock fusion groups, forming in 1969 and releasing their first album in 1970. During their lifetime, the band recorded 13 albums for labels like Vertigo and Capitol, among others. The …