nick nicely

Okay so we are agreed that ‘Hilly Fields (1892)’ is deserving of the tags ‘legendary’ and ‘classic’ – eccentric, peculiar and strange not to mention operating in a sound time / space that was so out of step and out of fashion – for the time at least – it bred the classic hallmarks and ingredients of a release destined to be lost to obscurity. Hard to imagine it was released in 1982 harder still to believe that even when played today it’s one of only a very select few tracks that still manages to instil that feeling that I’m hearing it for the first time. But what of its flip side ’49 cigars’ – irrefutably indebted to Syd Barrett though that’ll be Syd embarking on a chemically enhanced stroll through the warping landscapes of the Beatles’ ‘strawberry fields forever’ – it offered a more wiring and freakishly psychedelicised pathway that revealed, much is / as was the case with Messrs Hitchcock / Roland (to lazily name just two), a song writing talent born in the wrong decade. The author to whom we refer incidentally for those not quite up to speed is Nick Nicely. Revisiting the single following the limited outing of ‘hilly fields (1892)’ some years back, FdM have now gone back to square the circle so to speak giving the flip side a moment in the spotlight as it heads up a limited release 4 track coloured vinyl soiree that boasts a frankly zonked and wigged out live take of ’49 cigars’ along with a few choice cuts from his ‘lysergia’ full length – of those two selections ‘belinda’ – a remixed version exclusive to this release that is literally oozing in all manner of backward loops and head frying dissolving psych operatics – in short a truly kooky cornucopia of mind expanding mirages. As to the excellently and dare I say barkingly named ‘lobster dobbs’ (hello Anthony Newley) – a fracturing fog bound sortie hazily drizzled in a ghostly shadow lining all spooked by spectral apparitions – indeed you do need it.