index page for Delicado Album Details
Would You Believe  - Billy Nicholls - 1967
Label: Sequel NEMCD414 (UK)
Format: CD
From: UK
My rating: 6/10

Entered: 10/03/2002
Last updated: 05/03/2003

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This album was reissued (well, apparently it was never really issued originally) a few years ago to much fanfare, billed as 'Britain's answer to Pet Sounds'. This set me up for some disappointment, since it really is a completely different kind of album. Nevertheless, it's quite fun.

'Would you believe', the single, is a strong track. It's overproduced and anything but subtle, but fun all the same. 'Come again' has a dreamy Stone Roses kind of feel to it, with jangling acoustic guitars. To my ears, 'Life is Short' has a kind of 80s feel to it. The vocals are very high, and rather lame-sounding. The backing is quite rich, with ba-ba vocals, harpsichord and brass.

'Feeling Easy' is one of the better songs, with piano, strings and a strong, Beatlesey melody. I'm less into 'Daytime Girl', a jaunty, slightly psychedelic pop tune. More effective are the simple piano and guitar riffs of 'London Social Degree' and the delicate melody of 'Portobello Road'.

The album has a cool sound overall, but there's a feeling that something isn't quite right at times. The riff at the beginning of 'Girl from New York' is very catchy, but at the end of the day, I find most of the tracks a bit too precious, and the arrangements slightly too clunky for my taste.

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