Label & year : Original Immediate IMCP009 LP , Stereo 1968 UNRELEASED UK 1st Press!!!
Matrix's : Side A : IMCP 009 - 1C - 2 , Side B : IMCP 009 - 2C (IMSP - 009 - 2Y crossed out) with 1 G stampers on each side!!!
THIS IS IT!!!!! THIS IS IT!!!!!!!!!! WITHOUT QUESTION, THE VERY RAREST PSYCHEDELIC ALBUM OF ALL TIME!!!
AND NOT ONLY THAT, THE ACTUAL RECORD HAS ONLY EVER BEEN PLAYED TWO OR THREE TIMES AT THE VERY MOST!!! SURELY THE VERY BEST EXAMPLE OF THIS VINYL LEFT IN EXISTENCE!!!
There's a reason why this LP is the most valuable psych album of all time, and it's not just because a tiny handful were ever made, it's because it's stunningly awesome!!! It's an absolute tragedy that this never got released, as it would DEFINITELY be hailed now as a solid gold true 60's classic right up there with Pet Sounds, Blonde On Blonde, Electric Ladyland, Forever Changes, Beggars Banquet, Sgt Pepper, Wheels Of Fire e.t.c, but unfortunately hardly anyone's ever heard it!!! Let me take this opportunity to tell you a little about this monumental LP...
A young 17 year old Billy Nichols managed to track down George Harrison's house, knocked on his door and handed him a demo of his songs to pass on to Dick James (one of the main 60's song publishers). Somehow the demo got lost, so as an apology, the young Billy was invited to record a new demo in a swanky studio with Caleb Quaye (one of the very finest 60's session players, some of you psych heads may also know him from his awesome forgotten classic "Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad") on hand to help. Meanwhile across London, Stones manager and entrepreneur chancer Andrew Loog Oldham was looking for songwriters for his new Immediate label, got his grubby mitts on the demo, liked what he heard, and got Billy on board!!!
A little along the line after being blown away by Pet Sounds, Oldham decided to promote Billy from staff songwriter to the next Brian Wilson!!! (not too much to ask!!!) Apparently Oldham pumped a million pounds into this record, and it shows - magnificent lush production, beautiful string arrangements, all the magic potions a human body can take (notice the curious initials to London Social Degree?), The Small Faces as the house band, the FINEST London session players including Arthur Greenslade, Nicky Hopkins (the unseen 5th member of every band, he played on EVERYTHING!!! The Who, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, even some US bands too like Jefferson Airplane...pretty much any british 60's LP with piano or harpsichord on would be wired up to this guy!!!), and John Paul Jones (who went on to enjoy mild success in a little known band called Led Zeppelin).
Once recording was completed, Oldham had found he had blown all his money on the orchestra and didn't have any left to release it!!! Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!!! I suppose cash-flow is the biggest killer of businesses, but man, he really ought to have seen this coming!!!
So, that's the story of this LP. It's remarkable that it even exists at all!!! I suppose it barely does – 100 (some believe only 50) finished copies were pressed up to be sent to british DJ's and journalists for review purposes, and that was it!!! I would be seriously MASSIVELY surprised if even a fifth of them have survived. Well, this one has (and OUTRAGEOUSLY well too)!!! If you're fortunate enough to own an original and unfortunate enough to find your house on fire, be sure that this (after the family, of course!) be the first thing you rescue!!! Make no mistake, we are dealing with history here!!!
This will be the ONLY chance you will EVER have of owning this truly PHENOMENAL record!!! Played two or three times at the very most!!! Would You Believe it!!! Don't miss out on this magnificent masterpiece, it will most likely be worth more than your house one day!!!
Tracklisting : Would You Believe, Come Again, Life Is Short, Feeling Easy, Daytime Girl, Daytime Girl (Coda), London Social Degree, Portobello Road, Question Mark, Being Happy, Girl From New York, and It Brings Me Down.
Trivia : Steve Marriott went for the solo at the end of Girl From New York so hard, he actually snapped the neck off his favourite guitar!!! I guess it was worth it though, for it's the best solo i've ever heard him play!!!