Billy Nicholls
Lost … and Found

Smile, Get Back and The Great Lost Dave Davies Album. What all of these records have in common is that many years after their creation they remain officially unreleased – and for that reason they have stirred up a mystique that perhaps transcends their actual merit. One can only speculate just how these albums, and countless others, would be regarded if they had come out way back when. Would the Beach Boys have artistically trumped the competition? Would the Beatles myth, as John Lennon hoped, have finally been broken? Would Dave Davies have outshone his brother Ray as well as the Kinks? Who's to know? However, in the case of one recording – Billy Nicholls' Would You Believe – we can now hear a great lost album that deserves not only the curiosity, hyperbole and fanaticism that has surrounded it but also its place in pop history.

Recorded in 1967 at the height of the Mod era with help from the Small Faces and session stalwarts such as John Paul Jones and Nicky Hopkins, Would You Believe was set to be released on Rolling Stones impresario Andrew Oldham's Immediate label. Because of its ornate orchestral production and shimmering harmonies, Would You Believe was touted as Britain's answer to Pet Sounds, and although it is not quite of that caliber it is still a work of near genius. With its harpsichords, blaring trumpets and killer tunes such as the soaring title track, the topical "London Social Degree" and the haunting "It Brings Me Down," Would You Believe was the perfect mix of Swinging London psychedelic whimsy and West Coast sunshine pop. All of this from a guy who was still in his teens.

It is easy to imagine that had it been released in 1968, Would You Believe would've caused a sensation. At the very least it would've loomed larger in stature as the years went by like the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, the Pretty Things' S.F. Sorrow and the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society. Unfortunately, Immediate was suffering from severe financial difficulties and, for reasons that are still not exactly clear, Would You Believe was held back. Well, sort of. Promotional copies of the album were sent to radio stations and reviewers – copies that would later turn up on the collectors market and fetch upward of $2,000.

Several years ago, the Immediate label was reactivated and a digitally remastered Would You Believe finally saw its official release. Although it is now easy to come by (and no longer costs a small fortune), the album not only retains its mystique and significance but also remains an undiminished, glorious piece of work. Listening to this brilliant record now, one's heart goes out to former prodigy Nicholls, who never got the recognition he deserved and whose solo career never quite got the kick-start it needed. His contributions have mostly been as a sideman, songwriter, background vocalist or producer for artists like Del Shannon, Leo Sayer, Long John Baldry and Roger Daltrey. He's also worked extensively with Pete Townshend, who featured Nicholls' "Forever's No Time at All" on his solo Who Came First as well as including several of Nicholls tunes on his Psycoderelict album.

Nicholls has continued to sporadically release records under his own name, and recently the Southwest label has brought them out. These include Snapshot, which consists of 22 demos from the period in which Would You Believe was recorded. Although it covers much of the same ground, many if not all of these alternate versions or unreleased tracks are worthy of your investigation. Love Songs (1974) featured the likes of Caleb Quaye, Ronnie Lane, Ron Wood and Ian McLaglan and is a charming collection of – what else? – love songs. White Horse (1977) was actually recorded by a group of the same name, which featured Jon Lind and Kenny Altman, and it has not dated well, suffering from a bland '70s production and sounding something like Pablo Cruise. On Under One Banner (1990) Nicholls demonstrated his songwriting maturity, which he maintained on 2001's Penumbra Moon.

These are all pleasant records, and if you are a true fan then you won't want to live without them. But none demonstrate the spark of genius of Would You Believe. It is a seminal work that clearly deserves its great-lost album status. If you haven't done so already, go out and find it.

For more information on Billy Nichols, please visit www.nicholls.co.uk

Eliot Wilder has his own Web site at www.eliotwilder.com.

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