The doyen of British jazz-rock groups, Nucleus was formed in 1969 by trumpeter Ian Carr. He was joined by Chris Spedding, John Marshall and Karl Jenkins. (The latter two went on to join Soft Machine a few years later.)

In 1970, Nucleus won the band competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The following year, they recorded their debut BBC session, which is now released here for the first time. This is one of the last times that the founder members of Nucleus appeared together, as guitarist Chris Spedding left soon afterwards.

If the first session here gives us the opportunity to hear a well-established Nucleus line-up reinterpreting some of its best-known material, the second session (also released here for the first time) is even more of a treat, as this particular version of the band never recorded commercially, and it is Ian¹s only known recording of his piece, The Pretty Redhead. "I'm very pleased with it", Ian says now in his liner notes, "It generates terrific feeling."

The release of these BBC recordings shows both the original line-up and a much later edition of the band playing at their fiery best for a radio audience. All in all, a delight for Nucleus buffs, and a fine introduction to the band¹s work for newcomers.

The accompanying 8 page booklet includes a note by Ian Carr and several rare photos from the band's own archive. The extensive liner notes are by Alyn Shipton, jazz critic for The Times.

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