Would You Believe Billy Nicholls - 1998 UK Tenth Planet label 12-track Reissue LP

Rare 1998 UK Tenth Planet label 12-track LP reissue of British psychedelic and folk orientated chamber pop singer/songwriters impossibly rare, unreleased debut album originally released in 1968 on Andrew Oldhams Immediate label.

"Would You Believe" is musically an amalgam of late 19860ies era Los Angeles sunshine pop and Swinging London - although not quite as accomplished, often seen as a British parallel to Pet Sounds/Smile era Beach Boys albums.

"Nicholls was only 16 in 1966 when he worked up the nerve to ask George Harrison for help in getting his songs heard and recorded. After some demos for Beatles publisher Dick James, Nicholls came to the attention of Rolling Stones manager Andrew Oldham, then starting his progressive but short-lived Immediate label. Nicholls was hired as a staff songwriter for Immediate..." and "...soon became a recording artist for the label as well, putting out the "Would You Believe"/"Daytime Girl" single in January 1968?. Hes debut album was characterized by "...plenty of vocal harmonies and orchestral-depth layers of guitars and keyboards, with contributions from members of the Small Faces, future Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley, and top session musicians like Nicky Hopkins, John Paul Jones, and Big Jim Sullivan."*

The album was planned for release in April 1968 but was, for still unknown reasons, shelved at last minute - rumors are pointing at the amount of economy invested in the project and the legendary labels continuous tenuous financial shape. Rumors are stressing amounts between 50 and 100 copies - making the original one of the rarest British psychedelic albums of the era.

The Tenth Planet reissue has Side 1 picture/spiral label - Side 2 track listing label. Vinyl comes complete with tracklisting and credits insert with extensive liner notes by David Wells.
Vinyl and insert are held in a picture cover held in same design and with same artwork as the original.

Condition: M- (Vinyl and Labels)/M- (Insert)/VG++ (Cover):

Vinyl is superbly shiny and has no signs of play or handling what so ever. Labels are likewise mint.
Insert is mint - cover has a touch of rubbing to lower seam against opening, but is otherwise perfect - wasily a near mint cover - and overall a simply extremely nice copy at a fraction of the price of the original.

Tracklisting:

Side1:
1 Would You Believe (Jeremy Paul) 2:45
2 Come Again (Billy Nicholls) 2:32
3 Life Is Short (Billy Nicholls) 3:04
4 Feeling Easy (Billy Nicholls) 3:10
5 Daytime Girl (Billy Nicholls) 2:40
6 Daytime Girl (Coda) (Billy Nicholls) 1:36

Side 2:
1 London Social Degree (Billy Nicholls) 2:23
2 Portobello Road (Billy Nicholls) 2:05
3 Question Mark (Billy Nicholls) 2:26
4 Being Happy (Billy Nicholls) 2:23
5 Girl From New York (Billy Nicholls) 2:28
6 It Brings Me Down (Billy Nicholls) 4:45

Recorded At Olympic Studios, Barnes, West London & I.B.C. Studios, London
late 1967 - early 1968

Credits:
Billy Nicholls - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
Big Jim Sullivan - Acoustic and Electric Guitar
John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane - Bass, Backing Vocals
Jerry Shirley, Kenney Jones - Drums
Joe Moretti - Electric Guitar
Steve Marriott - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
Nicky Hopkins - Harpsichord
Ian McLagan - Organ
Caleb Quaye - Piano
Barry Husband, Denny Gerrard - Backing Vocals

Technical Credits:
Andrew Loog Oldham - Production
Ronnie Lane, Steve Marriott - Production (Would You Believe)
Alan "Irish" O'Duffy, Glyn Johns - Engineer
Small Faces - Arrangements (Would You Believe)
Art Greenslade, John Paul Jones - String Arrangements, Arrangements
Denny Gerrard - String Arrangements

Artwork:
Derek Burton - Cover Design
Anthony Stern - Photography
David Wells - Liner Notes

*Richie Unterberger, Allmusic