UK based artist Nick Nicely, originally hailing from Greenland if my sources are correct, is a veteran player in the UK psychedelic field, albeit perhaps not among the best known, at least not these days. He released a couple of heralded singles back in the early 1980’s, and some 20 years would go by before he started releasing material again. The single “49 Cigars”, released by UK label Fruits de Mer Records, is a reissue of one of his early tracks, and is here also supplemented with a live version and one track from each of Nick’s two latest studio albums.
The studio version of 49 Cigars is my select cut from this single. It is rather lo-fi and edgy sounding, true enough, not in a dramatic manner I’ll add, but for a composition that is so remarkably similar to The Beatles classic Tomorrow Never Knows in general sound, approach and execution, comparisons are bound to occur and Nick’s song lacks that smooth edge The Beatles had when they explored similar territories. I’ll add that 49 Cigars is a song that is similar but not a replica, it stands firmly on it’s own two feet, also when entrenched in psychedelic effects large and small alike.
Belinda, taken from Nicks’ 2001 album Lysergia, is a rather different kettle of fish entirely. It is a mesmerizing, hypnotic affair, albeit one that to my ears comes across as more of an atmospheric creation exploring the use of liberal and very liberal psychedelic sounds and effects first and foremost, with the composition part and the song aspect of this creation is more of an incidental feature. A richly woven tapestry of multiple, layered psychedelic effects, textures, instrument details and vocals, with a strong emphasis on the word psychedelic and not quite as much emphasis on the other details mentioned.
The live version of 49 Cigars is a much different one. It’s twice as long for starters, it’s also a more uptempo affair, with liberal amounts of eerie, strange sounds and effects complementing the core song, a stronger emphasis on a clean, ongoing guitar solo, some operatic vocals thrown in for good measure and occasional lapses into almost punk-tinged guitar driven details here and there. Still as compelling as the studio version, but filtered through an additional layer of weirdness one might say, and then in a good way.
Concluding track Lobster Dobbs is pulled from Nick’s 2014 album “Space of a Second”, and opens as a delicate plucked guitar and soft keyboards affair that develops into another psychedelic landscape, albeit one with a tighter correlation to a song based composition. It’s still an affair heavy on the psychedelic effects, with what sounds like dub style electronic rhythms accompanying the mainly dark textures and effects used in the second half of the song. Compelling, alluring and distinctly unusual.
Nick Nicely presents us with a peculiar breed of psychedelic rock on this single, three different tracks and, basically, four different styles explored, of which at least two at least for me are difficult to define within a musical context, not to mention a psychedelic one, apart from being undeniably psychedelic that is. As such I’d say that this is a single that merits an inspection by those who enjoy artists that seek to explore the more unexplored and, arguably, challenging sides of the psychedelic rock universe. Except for the title track that is, which is a compelling creation of the kind that would make it a perfect companion piece to The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows.
My rating: 80/100
