Nick Nicely
Encyclopedia
nick nicely is a British musician. His music can be categorized as psychedelic rock
.
nicely was born in 1959 in Greenland during a transatlantic stopover by his parents, but he grew up in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, as Nickolas Laurien. In the 1970s, nicely became heavily influenced by the popular music of that time, as well as British psychedelic music from the 1960s. He began making music in the mid-70s without releasing anything initially.
In 1980, nicely released his single, "DCT Dreams" / "Treeline", which some received airplay and favourable reviews. The single became a minor hit in France and The Netherlands. The A-side, "DCT Dreams", is a blend of equal parts 1980s electronics and 1960s psychedelia, whereas the B-side, "Treeline" is more inclined towards psychedelia. The single was originally intended to be part of the first, now-famous Some Bizzare Records
sampler SBL-1, but was left off at the last minute because it was already a minor hit.
The follow-up, "Hilly Fields (1892)", released by EMI in 1982, is regarded by many as nicely's masterpiece and in spite of, or due to, its obscurity is considered in some circles as "legendary". "Hilly Fields" took almost a year to complete, and the track features an obvious 1960s pychedelic influence, cello playing, the 1980s synth-pop sound and what may have been the first ever example of scratching
on a non-hiphop recording. The title is inspired by Hilly Fields park in Brockley
, southeast London. The flipside, the typically 1960s-psych-inspired "49 Cigars", was mixed in one day and included on the b-side at the last minute, replacing a song called "6 B. Obergene". Despite favourable reviews and airplay, a badly-timed release meant the single wasn’t promoted properly by nicely's label EMI and sank from the charts without a trace. A third single, "On the Coast", was remained unreleased due to nicely's dissatisfaction with it. Frustrated, Nicely abandoned pursuing a career in music and released nothing for more than two decades. However, Nicely still recorded continuously. A compilation of his two singles and selected unreleased tracks was finally released in 2004 as an LP on Tenth Planet and later on by Sanctuary
in CD format with extra tracks. The CD was reissued on Grapefruit / Cherry Red
in 2010. nicely is currently working on a new release. Leading UK newspaper The Guardian
added Hilly Fields to their July 2010 playlist of favourite tunes.
Although nicely's work is not widely known, he has inspired numerous later modern psychedelic artists, notably XTC's psychedelia pastiche The Dukes of Stratosphear
. "49 Cigars" found its way onto the compilation A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 1
compiled by Amorphous Androgynous in 2008.
In June 2011, Nicks second album Lysergia was released on cassette by Burger Records
.
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
.
nicely was born in 1959 in Greenland during a transatlantic stopover by his parents, but he grew up in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, as Nickolas Laurien. In the 1970s, nicely became heavily influenced by the popular music of that time, as well as British psychedelic music from the 1960s. He began making music in the mid-70s without releasing anything initially.
In 1980, nicely released his single, "DCT Dreams" / "Treeline", which some received airplay and favourable reviews. The single became a minor hit in France and The Netherlands. The A-side, "DCT Dreams", is a blend of equal parts 1980s electronics and 1960s psychedelia, whereas the B-side, "Treeline" is more inclined towards psychedelia. The single was originally intended to be part of the first, now-famous Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records is a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The, Neu Electrikk and Blancmange.-1981-1989:One of the first bands that...
sampler SBL-1, but was left off at the last minute because it was already a minor hit.
The follow-up, "Hilly Fields (1892)", released by EMI in 1982, is regarded by many as nicely's masterpiece and in spite of, or due to, its obscurity is considered in some circles as "legendary". "Hilly Fields" took almost a year to complete, and the track features an obvious 1960s pychedelic influence, cello playing, the 1980s synth-pop sound and what may have been the first ever example of scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
on a non-hiphop recording. The title is inspired by Hilly Fields park in Brockley
Brockley
Brockley is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross.It is covered by the London postcode districts SE4 and SE14.-History:...
, southeast London. The flipside, the typically 1960s-psych-inspired "49 Cigars", was mixed in one day and included on the b-side at the last minute, replacing a song called "6 B. Obergene". Despite favourable reviews and airplay, a badly-timed release meant the single wasn’t promoted properly by nicely's label EMI and sank from the charts without a trace. A third single, "On the Coast", was remained unreleased due to nicely's dissatisfaction with it. Frustrated, Nicely abandoned pursuing a career in music and released nothing for more than two decades. However, Nicely still recorded continuously. A compilation of his two singles and selected unreleased tracks was finally released in 2004 as an LP on Tenth Planet and later on by Sanctuary
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
in CD format with extra tracks. The CD was reissued on Grapefruit / Cherry Red
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
in 2010. nicely is currently working on a new release. Leading UK newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
added Hilly Fields to their July 2010 playlist of favourite tunes.
Although nicely's work is not widely known, he has inspired numerous later modern psychedelic artists, notably XTC's psychedelia pastiche The Dukes of Stratosphear
The Dukes of Stratosphear
The Dukes of Stratosphear was a pseudonym used by the British rock band XTC in the mid to late 1980s, concurrently with XTC's continued musical activities...
. "49 Cigars" found its way onto the compilation A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 1
A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding In Your Mind: Volume 1
A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding In Your Mind: Volume 1 is a 2008 compilation album with selections by Amorphous Androgynous It was released on CD in November 2008. It is an extensive compilation mix album featuring a wide variety of artists, selected and mixed by the duo...
compiled by Amorphous Androgynous in 2008.
In June 2011, Nicks second album Lysergia was released on cassette by Burger Records
Burger Records
Burger Records is an independent record label and store based out of Fullerton, California. The label was founded in 2007 by Sean Bohrman and Lee Noise, members of the southern California band Thee Makeout Party...
.
Singles
- 1981: "DCT Dreams" / "Treeline" Voxette; Hansa 102.928
- 1982: "Hilly Fields" / "49 Cigars" EMI
Albums
- 2004: Psychotropia (LP)
- 2005: Psychotropia (CD)
- 2010: Psychotropia (CD; reissue with one extra track "Marlon")
- 2011: Lysergia (Cassette)
External links
- http://www.willem.to/nicknicely