billy nicholls - would you believe

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based on some brief searching it appears this (up until not long ago) unreleased album on the Immediate label is some sort of great lost psychedelic classic. as slsk is no help to me what can you lovely people tell me about it? that's assuming one of you has indeed heard it.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 3 May 2004 05:27 (twenty-two years ago)

It's quite good, but a bit uneven. there are a handful of top-notch songs there (though I can't be bothered to name them), and some other songs that are less exciting (to my ears).

It's a bit of a stretch to call it a lost classic, but it's a really nice record. You should get it.

― Debito (Debito), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Some stand-out tracks

Come Again
Life is Short
Feeling Easy
Daytime Girl
London Social Degree
Portobello Road
Girl From New York

Great melodies and trippy vocal effects. It kind of sounds like '60s California pop. Like the Curt Boettcher stuff, but British.

― Debito (Debito), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:48 (twenty-two years ago)

But there are some songs that rock hardy than anything the Association ever did.

― Debito (Debito), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:52 (twenty-two years ago)

The Association Rocked Man!

Oh yeah, I forgot.

― Debito (Debito), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:53 (twenty-two years ago)

cool.. i'll take a chance on it. sounds like something doomie would be down with too.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 3 May 2004 07:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Some Kinks floating around in the mix as well. It's really good.

― dlp9001, Monday, 3 May 2004 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

i still think his seventies album, Love Songs, is far superior. More rocking, more Faces, more Ziggy Stardust, more Townsend, more Caleb Quaye, more weird Baba odes, etc.

― Beta (abeta), Monday, 3 May 2004 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

A friend made a cassette copy of this several years ago - it's quite good, but there isn't really enough there to call it a masterpiece. The recording I have, for example, has like four versions of Daytime Girl, none of which are particularly different or better than the others. But there are some really good songs and fun 60s psych production tricks, what more could you ask for?

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 3 May 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not great. London Social Degree and Girl from NY are good, but really it's cult-classic status rests on the presence of the Small Faces as backing musicians. Let's not mention that Billy's responsible for siring Morgan Nicholls of transit-van rockas The Sensless Things and erm,....Morgan ('Morganized').

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 3 May 2004 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"(Cut And) Come Again" is an absolute classic - imagine Hard Day's Night era Beatles filtered thru Pet Sounds.

also check Del Shannon's Home And Away album (available as/on And The Music Plays On), which was partially overseen by Billy Nicholls and features an equally amazing version of "Cut And Come Again".

― Paul (scifisoul), Monday, 3 May 2004 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry, just listened to both again and it's the Del Shannon version which has the Pet Sounds / Phil Spector type production. Billy's own version is more Byrds-ish.

― Paul (scifisoul), Monday, 3 May 2004 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

"Girl From New York" is a great song with a great riff. the rest of the album is pretty good too, especially "Portobello Road". He probably deserved better than obscurity. That is all.

― David Nolan (David N.), Monday, 3 May 2004 23:24 (twenty-two years ago)

will check it out -- just got back from berlin with alot of egg/popul vuh/thee milkshakes/goblin/aphrodites child to get through.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 21:51 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

i need to track down that 70s album, love songs
would you believe is excellent, british pop psych with west coast flavor

― velko, Friday, 14 November 2008 05:28 (seventeen years ago)

the title track of WYB is one of my top three tracks on immediate

― thereminimum chips (electricsound), Friday, 14 November 2008 06:20 (seventeen years ago)

yeah, i like marriot's over the top "background" singing on that

― velko, Friday, 14 November 2008 06:36 (seventeen years ago)

So, is this the next one to 'discover' after Odessey?

― Mark G, Friday, 14 November 2008 08:07 (seventeen years ago)

dunno, it's "minor" but very fun in a period way

― velko, Friday, 14 November 2008 08:08 (seventeen years ago)

i've a vinyl rip i could upload

― ▧_▨ (wilter), Friday, 14 November 2008 08:09 (seventeen years ago)

http://peppermintstore.blogspot.com/2008/05/billy-nicholls-would-you-believe-1968.html

― open the BLOOD gates! (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Friday, 14 November 2008 08:33 (seventeen years ago)

Another rep for Love Songs. It's like a Who record if all the songs were sung by Pete. I love it -- "Winter Rose," the opener, is particularly good.

― Knave Tin Odle (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 14 November 2008 13:10 (seventeen years ago)

Thnks#1

― Mark G, Friday, 14 November 2008 13:17 (seventeen years ago)

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