| Would You Believe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Billy Nicholls | |
| Released | April 1968 |
| Recorded | late 1967 – early 1968 |
| Studio | Olympic Studios and IBC Studios (London) |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, baroque pop |
| Length | 33:36 |
| Label | Immediate, Southwest |
| Producer | Andrew Loog Oldham; except "Would You Believe?" by Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane |
Would You Believe is an album by Billy Nicholls released in 1968.
Billy Nicholls was originally hired by Andrew Loog Oldham as a staff writer for Oldham's Immediate Records. Oldham was so entranced by the Beach Boys' 1966 album, Pet Sounds that he enlisted songwriter Billy Nicholls to record a British response. The Small Faces' Steve Marriott can be heard very prominently on "Would You Believe?," despite Oldham's attempts to drown him out with heavy orchestration. Oldham wanted this to be the British Pet Sounds but financial difficulties with the label caused it to be shelved (it only achieved an initial promotional run of 100 copies, as Immediate IMCP009) before it ever hit the streets.
In 1998, Nicholls re-released it on his own label Southwest Records. It was made more widely available on Sequel Castle Communications (CMQDD1358) records in 1999. Several Sequel/Castle editions have been released since, including a version containing demos from the 60s, also originally first released as Snapshot on Southwest Records in 2000.
Other artists recorded versions of Billy Nicholls' songs from Would You Believe. Like Nicholls, Andrew Loog Oldham also produced the 1967 Del Shannon LP Home and Away. This LP was also unissued at the time. It has been reissued in multiple formats since 1978, first called And The Music Plays On and later as Home and Away (album)|Home and Away on CD. Nicholls' songs also appeared on Dana Gillespie's LP Foolish Seasons, first released in 1968 and later reissued on CD.
Would You Believe was selected for The MOJO Collection as one of the most significant albums in musical history.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The Lama Reviews | 8/10 |
Original track listing
All tracks composed by Billy Nicholls; except where indicated
- "Would You Believe?" (Jeremy Paul) – 2:41
- "Come Again" – 2:34
- "Life Is Short" – 3:07
- "Feeling Easy" – 3:12
- "Daytime Girl" – 2:14
- "Daytime Girl (Coda)" – 1:36
- "London Social Degree" – 2:20
- "Portobello Road" – 2:05
- "Question Mark" – 2:26
- "Being Happy" – 2:28
- "Girl From New York" – 3:16
- "It Brings Me Down" – 4:39
Personnel
- Billy Nicholls – vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocals
- Joe Moretti – electric guitar
- Steve Marriott – electric guitar, background vocals
- Big Jim Sullivan – acoustic guitar
- John Paul Jones – bass
- Ronnie Lane – bass, background vocals
- Jerry Shirley, Kenney Jones – drums
- Nicky Hopkins, Ian McLagan, Caleb Quaye – keyboards
- Barry Husband, Denny Gerrard – background vocals
- Arthur Greenslade, John Paul Jones – arrangements; except "Would You Believe?" arranged by The Small Faces
- Alan O'Duffy – recording engineer for "Would You Believe?"
See also
References
- Various Mojo Magazine (November 1, 2007). The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition. Canongate Books. p. 125. ISBN 9781847676436 – via Google Books.
- Unterberger, Richie. "Review: Billy Nichols - Would You Believe". Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- Lundborg, Patrick. "BILLY NICHOLLS: Would You Believe". Retrieved June 23, 2021.