Nirvana (60s UK band) new remasters

[ChrisM]

I saw in the latest issue of Mojo that Universal/Island have just reissued "The Story of Simon Simopath", "All of Us" and "To Markos III."

Actually, the last title was either never issued originally or deleted very quickly after release. Many tracks from it have shown up in various places over the years.

"Simon Simopath" includes the entire album in both stereo and mono plus some extra tracks. "All of Us" contains a few extra tracks, as well. I'm keen to hear the mono version of "Simon" as well as extra tracks on it and "All".

Is anybody else out there a fan? Has anybody heard these new issues yet? I'm placing an order to Amazon UK in the next few days and wonder if I should tag them onto it.

Cheers,
Chris
----------------------------------

BTW - Here's what I already own:

All of Us (CD/Korea/Si-Wan)
Story of Simon Simopath (CD/UK/Drop Out)
Local Anaesthetic (CD/G/Repertoire)
Secret Theatre (CD/G/Edsel)
Songs of Love and Praise (CD/UK/Background)
Orange and Blue (CD/UK/Edsel)
Black Flower (CD/G/Edsel)
Chemistry (3CDs + book /UK/Edsel)

[ChrisM]

Since I made the original posting, I've picked up the latest issue of Record Collector to hit the stands over here (October). They have a review of all 3 CDs but, there is no mention of the mono vs stereo material on "Simon Simopath" nor the bonus tracks on the discs. Also no mention of the remastering quality compared to previous issues.

No other fans out there? Nobody keen of tracks like "Rainbow Chaser", "The Touchables (All of Us)" or "Tiny Goddess"? These are among my fave "pop-sike" tunes of the era.

Cheers,
Chris

[sharedon]

Chris, I'm a fan, and I'm watching this thread with interest!

[Paul Curtis]

Oh yes--I adore the '60s Nirvana, and had been eagerly awaiting these remasters for some time. They arrived in yesterday's mail, and by and large, I'm pretty pleased, though I do have a few minor gripes. I'm delighted at the inclusion of all those B-sides and the mono Simon Simopath (even though I've already got 'em all on vinyl anyway), but why couldn't they have also included the single mixes of "Tiny Goddess," "Rainbow Chaser," "Girl in the Park," "All of Us," and "Trapeze"? The first two, in particular, are magnificent in mono, and deserve to be heard by a wider audience.

The liner notes (penned by a certain "Melaine Blue") are quite reminiscent of the late, lamented Strange Things magazine: highly informative, beautifully illustrated, and spectacularly badly edited. Doesn't Universal have proof-readers to check this sort of thing? At some points, the syntax becomes so badly tangled that the actual meaning is almost impossible to discern...

As for the remasters--well, I hope to post a detailed shoot-out later on, but so far, I'd say they offer a slight improvement over the old Edsel CDs, and a huge improvement over the Bell (U.S.) vinyl, but don't quite have the richness, texture, and detail of the original Island (U.K.) vinyl. To Markos III is a special case--it was originally turned down by Island, so Alex and Patrick licensed it to Metromedia in the U.S., who in turn sub-licensed it to Pye International in Britain. Then, after both companies had pressed up a few hundred promo copies apiece, Metromedia went belly-up, and the album (which is, BTW, excellent) never gained wider distribution until Bam-Caruso reissued it in the '80s. Anyway, the CD sounds pretty decent, apart from one major flaw: during the intro of "Black Flower," there is a very prominent thump, which repeats itself several times at (approximately) two-second intervals. In fact, it sounds just like an LP scratch, only it's a bit more muffled, as if it's been through a declicker. Apart from this one instance, I can detect nothing that sounds remotely like a vinyl transfer artifact--as far as I can tell, the bulk of the CD really was taken from a tape source. Is there any kind of tape damage that would cause a defect of this nature? (Incidentally, I own a lovely copy of one of those scarce Metromedia promo pressings, and on it, the intro of "Black Flower" is completely clean. If the CD was mastered from vinyl, then it's a pity they didn't use my copy!)

Anyway, there'll be more to come, once I've scrutinized these discs in greater detail...

--Paul Curtis

[ChrisM]

Hey Paul...

Thanks for the notes. I'll look forward to your comments after the shootout.

Cheers,
Chris

[ChrisM]

Paul,

Did some surfing and found this info. Woo hoo... new Nirvana!

Cheers,
Chris

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http://www.pmpr.co.uk/msm9.htm

SingSong Entertainment Publicity

SINGSONGPR NEWS

Still in NIRVANA

Fans of British 1960s pop/psych wonders, NIRVANA (best remembered for their super-phased summer '68 hit 'RAINBOW CHASER'), get a welcome treat this month (November 2001) with yet more from the group's catalogue in a first time reissue of 1973 project 'ME & MY FRIEND' (Market Square MSMCD111) including a mass of bonus tracks from the group's last album, 1972's 'SONGS OF LOVE & PRAISE'.

ABOUT ME & MY FRIEND

ME AND MY FRIEND marks a distant starshine of the solar flare that was Nirvana - the collective of musicians formed by Patrick Campbell Lyons (an Irishman) and Alex Spyropoulos (a Greek) in the still swinging London of the late 1960s. Rainbow Chaser, the Nirvana single charted in 1968 and set the agenda, with its tale of cloud-travelling and good-time seeking. Campbell Lyons took the band on without Alex in 1970 with "Local Anaesthetic", 1972's "Song Of Love And Praise" (a hard to find record today) and in 1973, his first solo album, "Me & My Friend" - copies now as rare as hen's teeth! All of "Me & My Friend" is here for the first time since 1973 with almost all of "Songs Of Love And Praise" plus a previously unreleased extra track. The lavish "Songs Of …" sessions - with their 60-piece orchestra, augmented by members of Jade Warrior together with some of the finest sessions men around including drummer Barry Morgan and bassist Herbie Flowers, complement the laid-back summery rock of "Me & My Friend", featuring support from Snafu, and former Nirvana cellist Sylvie Schuster, amongst others.

But if you thought this to be the last gasp from the Nirvana partnership of Patrick Campbell Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos, you would be mistaken.

Nirvana, accompanied by a string section of violas and cello, were asked by Morcheeba to support them at London's Shepherd Bush Empire, where they regaled fans with a run-out of their 60's work including 'TINY GODDESS', 'PENTECOST HOTEL' and the gorgeous 'WORLD IS COLD WITHOUT YOU'.

"Morcheeba are big fans and we got a great reception from their audience," says Patrick, who adds that DJ Shadows is another fan. His sampling a track from their third album hass resulted in the Nirvana duo being up for a Universal Platinum Award for 'LOVE SUITE - STEM' from his "ENTRODUCING" album exceeding 300,000 sales.

Studio-bound on the Greek island of Aegina for the summer of 2001, the two are now putting the finishing touches on a album of new material for 2002, which finds the writers busy sampling themselves!

"We've got ideas on how to work samples of our former work into this project," says Patrick, who defines the result as "Donovan meets the Beach Boys and everyone chills out".

Additional work is underway on a Nirvana DVD project. "We're after some specific footage at the moment," says Patrick.

"There's a film of us in Paris with Salvador Dali called 'Improvisation On A Sunday Afternoon' plus Beat Club footage from Germany and a BBCTV show with Jimi Hendrix."

Even more intriguingly, Patrick and Alex are trying to source a film made for Danish TV in the 1970s that tackles the rigours of making a hit record. Patrick and Alex are the song-writers, jazz rock act Colosseum play the band, and George Martin no less is the … well, you can guess the rest.

[ChrisM]

Paul,

Do you have the 3 CD box set "Chemistry"? I have it but have always been bugged because there was no listing for the track sources. Some time ago, I tried to document the sources of the individual tracks and came up with the list below. Can you take a look at it and tell me if you have any additions or if there are any incorrect assumptions on my part? Some of the tracks which I have not listed sources my be included as bonus tracks on the new remasters. I haven't cross referenced those tracks yet. I just ordered the 3 remasters from from Amazon UK. (Also, I don't have the album "Me My Friend".)

Cheers,
Chris
-----------------------------------------
Chemistry (3 CD set)
[1999]

01. The World Is Cold Without You (from "Black Flower")
02. Aline Cherrie (from "Black Flower")
03. Love Suite (from "Black Flower")
04. Jaqueline (from "Secret Theatre")
05. Pascale (from "Secret Theatre")
06. Restless Wind (from "Secret Theatre")
07. Black Flower (from "Black Flower")
08. Illinois (from "Black Flower")
09. I Talk To My Room (from "Black Flower")
10. Allison Smith (from "Orange and Blue")
11. The Face At The Window (from "Orange and Blue")
12. Shine (from "Black Flower")
13. Pentecost Hotel (alt) (from "Black Flower")
14. Rainbow Chaser (alt) (from "Secret Theatre")
15. Excerpt From "The Blind & The Beautiful"
16. Two Of A Kind
17. I Believe In Magic
18. Orange & Blue (from "Orange and Blue")
19. Our Love Is The Sea (from "Orange and Blue")
20. We Can Make It Through (from "Secret Theatre")
21. As Long As I Can See You (from "Orange and Blue")
22. Tres Tres Bien (from "Black Flower")
23. Stone In The Water (from "Orange and Blue")
24. On The Road
25. Busy Man (from "Orange and Blue")
26. It's Not To Late
27. Conversation
28. Everything I Got
29. Fingers Of Fire
30. My Friend Taffin
31. Rose Is Out In The Rain
32. Friends
33. June
34. Electric Money (from "Secret Theatre")
35. Bad Boy (from "Secret Theatre")
36. The Picture Of Dorian Grey
37. Crazy Hotel (from "Secret Theatre")
38. Lithium (from "Orange and Blue")
39. The Hero I Might Have Been
40. Lost In Space (from "Orange and Blue")
41. Do You Dream (from "Orange and Blue")
42. Christopher Lucifer (from "Black Flower")
43. My Little Red Book (from "Orange and Blue")
44. It Happened Two Sundays Ago (from "Black Flower")
45. All Through The Night (from "Secret Theatre")
46. Radio Ufo (from "Secret Theatre")
47. Tiny Goddess (alt) (from "Secret Theatre")
48. Habemus De Loca (from "Secret Theatre")
49. Queen Of Rock & Roll

[Paul Curtis]

Originally posted by ChrisM
Do you have the 3 CD box set "Chemistry"?

'Fraid not! Although I've got the first three albums several times over (and a bunch of singles besides), I've never gotten 'round to investigating the later recordings (which, as you know, were produced without the invlovement of Alex Spyropoulos), although based on your information, I just might pick up the expanded Me and My Friend from Amazon.co.uk...

I think I can fill in a few of your missing sources, though of course, it's always possible that the versions on Chemistry are alternate recordings. Anyway, here goes:

15. Excerpt From "The Blind & The Beautiful"

Did you miss this one? It's track two on every version of To Markos III (aka Black Flower) that I've ever seen...

17. I Believe In Magic

That's the flip of their first single, "Tiny Goddess"; it's included as a bonus cut on the new Simon Simopath. One of their best songs, IMHO!

33. June

This one was included on volume 14 ("The Magic Rocking-Horse") of Bam-Caruso's Rubble series...but the liner notes don't give any information on the specific origins of this track.

39. The Hero I Might Have Been

Ah, that's the title track to Patrick Campbell-Lyons's extremely odd (but interesting) 1982 solo LP. My favorite track from this album: "Naked Robots Watching Breakfast TV."

BTW, I'm sorry I didn't post this before you'd placed your order, but I have to retract some of what I said earlier about the new Markos III disc: now that I've listened to it more closely, through headphones, I have detected further evidence of vinyl sourcing, along with some very prominent NR artefacts. For all I know, this might also be the case with previous CD releases of this material, and it is a beautiful album...but I doubt it'll be much of an improvement (if any) over what you've already got, and it certainly doesn't approach the sonics of the original Metromedia vinyl. (A few years ago, I lucked out and scored a NM copy for only $50; I sincerely wish you similar good fortune!)

The other two discs sound much better, and I have no hesitation in recommending them. The only major sonic deficiencies that I've noticed relate to two of the bonus tracks on the All of Us disc. First, "Flashbulb" (B-side of "Rainbow Chaser") is, for some unfathomable reason, presented in fake stereo--WHY? (Fortunately, all the other bonus B-sides are presented in their original mono.) Second, "C Side of Ocho Rios" (actually the backing track to "Courtyard of the Stars," which originally appeared on the flip of "Girl in the Park," credited to "The Nirvana Orchestra") sounds seriously harsh and nasty, with fluttery, gargled woodwinds, and splatty cymbals. Perhaps this was another needle-drop...

--Paul Curtis

[ChrisM]

Thanks for the copious info Paul!!! I ordered the 3 CDs along with 2 pre-orders that aren't out until next week so, I could cancel the Markos album. But, it's only 6.80UK (without the VAT) so, it's cheap 'n nasty and I think I'll keep the order in.

Glad you could clear up some of those tracks on the box set for me, too.

Cheers,
Chris

[ChrisM]

Well, my 3 CDs arrived in the post a couple of days ago and I've just had a chance to give them a cursory listen.

"Simon Simopath" is interesting because it includes both the entire stereo and mono versions of the album. No great problem for a CD since the original album is about 28 minutes long. I had never heard the mono tracks before and find them to be quite fine. My previous CD version is a UK Drop Out label issue. This new version is mastered a bit louder and appears a bit brighter in comparison. The addition of the singles / B-sides at the end of the disc is great. "Requiem to John Coltrane" is one of the most bizarre things that I've ever heard and it must have freaked people out when it was issued in 1967!

"All of Us" is my favorite album of theirs. This version is, once again, mastered a bit louder than my Si-Wan version. My old version contains no bonus material so, it's nice to have the additional singles tracks on this new version.

"To Markos III" has previously been issued (with bonus tracks) on Edsel as "Black Flower". This new version contains only the original 10 LP tracks with no bonus material. There are some strange digital pops between some of the tracks. These are not on my copy of "Black Flower". Again... a bit louder and brighter. Not sure if that's really a good thing in this case. "Love Suite" with guest vocalist Lesley Duncan is a killer track. I'm confused about the cover art. The back of "Black Rose" has a picture of what I thought was the original "To Markos III" cover (band photo). This cover is a skeletal image.

Liner notes help to fill in a lot of gaps in the Nirvana story. At first, the notes appear to be generic to all 3 albums. But, a closer look shows many tangets into different areas among the 3 liners. Gotta read all 3 to get the whole (or most) of the story.

Phil Smee's cover designs are quite fabulous (as always).

I think it was well worth investing in these CDs once again.

Cheers,
Chris

[Paul Curtis]

Originally posted by ChrisM
"Simon Simopath" is interesting because it includes both the entire stereo and mono versions of the album. No great problem for a CD since the original album is about 28 minutes long. I had never heard the mono tracks before and find them to be quite fine.

I think it's got a lot more punch than the stereo--the electric bass, in particular, sounds much more solid and percussive to my ears. I've got the original UK and US mono vinyl (the latter was promo only, though it's still the true mono mix); IMHO, the new CD doesn't quite measure up to the sonics of the pink Island LP, cut when the masters were still fresh, but it is a huge improvement over the muffled, unfocused US Bell pressing.

Did you notice the extended fadeout of "Satellite Jockey," or the additional backing vocals on "Pentecost Hotel"?

The addition of the singles / B-sides at the end of the disc is great. "Requiem to John Coltrane" is one of the most bizarre things that I've ever heard and it must have freaked people out when it was issued in 1967!

I definitely agree that it's the most flipped-out recording in the Nirvana catalogue. It sounds like the perfect soundtrack for a nitrous oxide party--you can even hear the balloons being inhaled! Actually, this track was released in 1968, as the flip of their second-to-last Island single.

Just a few days ago, I heard Local Anaesthetic for the first time, and was astonished to discover that side one begins with a remixed excerpt of "Requiem to John Coltrane"! I wonder if Island ever found out about that?

"All of Us" is my favorite album of theirs.

Mine too! I adore side two...

My old version contains no bonus material so, it's nice to have the additional singles tracks on this new version.

In case you didn't know, I should point out that on the original 45, "C Side of Ocho Rios" was credited to "The Nirvana Orchestra," rather than Nirvana itself. I'm surprised this wasn't mentioned in the liner notes.

"To Markos III" has previously been issued (with bonus tracks) on Edsel as "Black Flower".

Black Flower was the originally intended title of the LP, but this was changed at the insistence of Metromedia, who thought it sounded too much like "Black Power"! The Metromedia vinyl ended up being simply called Nirvana, while the Pye International version (sublicenced from Metromedia) was titled To Markos III.

"Love Suite" with guest vocalist Lesley Duncan is a killer track.

It's great, but I like "Black Flower" and "Christopher Lucifer" even better!

I'm confused about the cover art. The back of "Black Rose" has a picture of what I thought was the original "To Markos III" cover (band photo). This cover is a skeletal image.

This is based on the original Metromedia LP cover--the graphics are different, but the skeletal photo is the same. Unfortunately, I haven't got a scanner, but if you've got the Travelling on a Cloud compilation, you can see a picture of the US jacket in the booklet. (I'm not positive, but I believe the Pye International sleeve is similar.)

Phil Smee's cover designs are quite fabulous (as always).

Yup! Love the back covers, even if they have nothing to do with the original releases...

I think it was well worth investing in these CDs once again.

I think so too--they're not perfect, but I am pleased that Universal is taking an interest in some of the more obscure corners of its back catalogue. Did you notice the catalogue numbers (IMCD 301, 302 and 303)? I wonder if these discs are meant to inaugurate a new Island reissue series...

---Paul Curtis

[ChrisM]

More great info, Paul. I hope to give all of the discs a much closer listen on the weekend and look out for those subtle changes.

Cheers,
Chris