🎵 AotW Classics Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends

[Harry]

Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends
ROGER NICHOLS & THE SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
A&M SP-4139

Also released as LP-139 in mono, and at least 3 times on CD in Japan and the UK as POCM-2047, POCM-2065 (expanded), RevOla CR REV 86 (expanded)

Tracks:

Side One:
1. Don't Take Your Time (Nichols-Asher) 2:30**
2. With a Little Help from My Friends (Lennon-McCartney) 2:46*
3. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Bacharach-David) 2:50****
4. I Can See Only You (Nichols-Roberds-Margolin) 2:58**
5. Snow Queen (C.King-G.Goffin) 3:25*
6. Love So Fine (Nichols-Asher) 1:57*

Side Two:
1. Kinda Wasted Without You (Nichols-MacLeod-Riopelle) 2:17*
2. Just Beyond Your Smile (Nichols-Asher) 2:22*
3. I'll Be Back (Lennon-McCartney) 2:38*
4. Cocoanut Grove (Sebastian-Yanofsky) 2:35***
5. Didn't Want to Have to Do It (John B. Sebastian) 2:35***
6. Can I Go? (Nichols-Asher) 2:12**

Producer: Tommi LiPuma
Arrangers: *Nick DeCaro/**Bob Thompson/***Marty Paich/****Mort Garson
Engineers: Larry Levine and Henry Lewy
Stereo Compositions: Bruce Botnick
Morale Booster: Randy Newman/Van Dyke Parks/Lenny Waronker/Dezz Buetal
Album Design by Corporate Head
Art Director: Tom Wilkes
Photography by Guy Webster

There was always friendship within the Nichols circumference for in high school and through college they worked musically together without dispute. ¤ ...Roger Nichols, leader, song writer, piano player, guitar man, bassist, warmly shy... ¤ Murray MacLeod, actor; elegant, slim and dark, tall and often amused. He too plays guitar and has a beautiful sister... ¤ Melinda, who formed the third point of the Trio and now gives the Circle its infinity and also the harmony which decorates the delightful tracks of this album--this album which you will enjoy. ¤ It seems to me there can be no doubt about your enjoyment since the selection of tracks is a wide, happy embracing of the best that young writers of the prolific mid-1960's can provide. ¤ There is nothing on this album left over from another age; there is nothing which is not fresh, bright and optimistic. ¤ Roger Nichols and the Trio, smoothened into a Circle, are identified with the great cause of cheering us all up--for their aim is to make music and their reasoning is what's it all about, if not for fun? ¤ Five of the songs are written by Roger, one by Murray, two are Beatles, two are Spoonful. One comes from Burt Bacharach, another from Goffin & King. The record is beautifully programmed, finely engineered, and if you will be so kind to note the name of Tommy LiPuma--now and whenever you check the credits on other A&M albums--you will have a name of note on your Adressobrain for he is assuredly a wondrous producer. ¤ In short, a round, full Circle and a total album. -Johnny Magnus

 

[Harry]

“Completing the Circle”

In 1995, A&M in Japan released the above album in a “Complete” version by adding a number of single sides to the track listing:

Our Day Will Come (Roger Nochols Trio) b-side on A&M 801
Love Song, Love Song (Roger Nichols Trio) a-side of A&M 830
Just Beyond Your Smile (Roger Nichols Trio) single version on A&M 849
I’ll Be Back (Roger Nichols Trio) single version on A&M 849
Let’s Ride – a-side of A&M 946
The Drifter – a-side of A&M 1029
Trust – b-side of A&M 1029

In 2005, RevOla in the UK released the same, but added an additional rare novelty single to expand it even further:

St. Bernie The Snow Dog (AVA single)

 

[Dave]

Ooh, the holy grail of A&M collecting...! While "Kind'a Wasted Without You" is a fav' there is not a bad track on this, whether album or bonus non-LP singles...!

Man, I better get the Rev-O-La set!..., I kind'a gave my old one away...



Dave

 

[mexicat]

I never tire of this album! Lovely version of "I'll Be Back" on here but really it's all killer, no filler...

 

[Harry]

The best of the "obscure" A&M's, to be sure.

This album should have been a huge hit, and its cult status all these years later speaks to that fact.

I came to the album in a backwards kind of way, acquiring from eBay a number of years ago, a Japanese compilation called THE A&M SONGS OF BURT BACHARACH. On that disc was a track called "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends. I was quite impressed with that track upon first listening to it, and it made me wonder what other treasures might be found on that old SP-4139 album.

Given that the vinyl was nearly impossble to come by, I decided to take a chance and get the recently issued COMPLETE version from Japan. Unheard save for one track, the disc arrived at my house one Saturday afternoon toward the end of the last millennium.

Somehow, when you get a new disc, especially one by a relatively unknown artist, you're just not expecting that much. I wondered, as I placed the disc in the player, if any other single track could be as good as "Don't Go Breaking My Heart".

My trepidation was put to rest in short order as the songs played out. One after one that sounded pretty good. This album was "right up my alley". Good songs, expert arrangements, and an easy-on-the-ears approach that though surely from the '60s, somehow didn't sound "dated".

I loved leafing through the booklet too, with pictures included of the original A&M 45 labels.

ROGER NICHOLS & THE SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS quickly became a favorite, and an enduring one to this day. It's surely one of those "desert island" discs on my list.

A favorite track is tough to pick, but I think I have to give the edge to "Love So Fine" - a kick-a$$ pop arrangement if I ever heard one.

Harry

 

[Harry]

Posted before, but deserving an encore here, from the archives:

Back on our old Forum, a poster named Bill Reed stopped by with a translation of the liner notes for the Roger Nichols and the Small Circle Of Friends Complete CD. At the time, I printed out the post and just found it again and thought it should be reposted here:

Roger Nichols

Posted By: Bill Reed
Date: Sunday, March 11, 2001 at 9:49 p.m.

Recently I wrote an article about A&M artist and arranger Nick DeCaro for the Japanese publication, "Record Collectors." It will hit the stands there on Wednesday. As part of my research I had translated for me the liner notes for the 1997 reissue of the much-loved A&M album, "Roger Nichols and The Small Circle of Friends," for which ND did a large share of the arranging (Tommy LiPuma produced those and other tracks).


The notes for the Japanese reissue were written by one of the biggest pop stars of the past decade in that county, Konishi Yasuharu. He is the guiding force behind the wildly popular duo, the Pizzicato Five. Not a typo; there are only two, sometimes three, but never five in the group. Much of PS's output is in fact remindful of "Circle," but ultimately partakes of a lot of stylistic influences, especially Burt Bacharach. They are great! Yasuharu san writes:

"I can't remember the first time I heard the album by Roger Nichols. But in 1987 Yoshi Nagato, of the Pied Piper House record shop in Minami Aoyama [in Tokyo] asked me to write the liner notes for the reissue. Now I happy to write again the liner for this dream CD, with the addition of singles not on the original album. I am a fan of Nichols and I am honored. At the same time I feel a little ashamed. The first time I wrote the notes I was a fan, but wasn't a collector or researcher and I didn't know a lot about Nichols and the other members. Even now I'm not hard-core researcher or collector.

After the 1987 reissue, their CD began to get quite a reputation among music lovers and started decorating the windows of used record shops as a hot item. Collectors of soft rock music started digging to know more about Nichols, and their knowledge gradually increased. Famous collectors Osamu Sakaguchi and Sou Ishizuka, my friends, let me hear some of the singles, including "Love Song Love Song." In 1991 my group Pizzicato Five had a song based on the title, and to tell the truth I hadn't heard the version by Roger Nichols. I just knew the title from their discography. Then in 1993 1 got the tape of the Nichols version from Sakaguchi. I almost cried over the beauty of it. How wonderful it was. Then I was inspired and I wrote an homage to Nichols, called "My Name is Groovy." It's in the repertoire of Pizzicato Five.


Ruby and the Romantics' "Our Day Will Come," was co-written by Mort Garson, who arranged the version on the Roger Nichols album. The dreamy, romantic arrangement by Ruby and the Romantics is more or less based on this one. Recently the synthesizer album by Garson is getting more attention by the public. He is a splendid melody maker. I am very moved by the the Garson synthesizer recording.


My connection with Roger Nichols reached its height in the Autumn of 1994 when he came to Tokyo and I had a chance to meet him. I was to interview him for the magazine "Brutus." It was an extremely emotional moment for me. I was so overcome that I could barely talk to
him. I had him autograph the album and had a picture taken. The picture is posed just like the back of the album, with myself Roger Nichols, Nomia Amaki [the other half of the Pizzicato Five duo] posed together just like the jacket of the album. I'd heard that Nichols was extremely shy. I found him to be a tender and kind; just like the person I would imagine to write such haunting melodies

At the end of the short interview I gave him a Pizzicato Five button. That evening at a signing in a Shibuya [Tokyo] record shop, Roger was wearing the badge. What a wonderful happy moment that was for me. Lately Roger has recorded new songs, and is writing once again with Paul Williams.

People are finally beginning to catch up with the greatness of "Roger Nichols and The
Circle of Friends." I still don't know a lot about them. I know that among collectors, the
'The Drifter' is considered very important. When I read about things like this in Vanda
[Japanese AOR magazine] I am constantly surprised.

Even I'd never shaken hands with Roger Nichols, I'd still feel the same about the wonderfulness of this album. I'll always feel this way. Even if I didn't have ANY information and only the album, I would forever be knocked out by it. It makes me feel reborn and happy each time. Every time I learn more I listen to the album from the beginning all over again.

Japanese were the first to become aware of Roger Nichols and The Small Circle of Friends. We should be proud of that."


translated by Moriyasu Hiroshi and Bill Reed

Harry
...still quite enamored of the Roger Nichols album, online...

 

[Dave]

A pleasing synthesis of psychedelia, gentle folk sounds and of course gobs of feel-good sunshine pop...

I remember buying what was probably one of the last still-sealed copies on vinyl... And of course finding out about it on CD with "a lot more to hear" led me to then make it my first Amazon purchase, as well...


Dave

(--And a few Sad Songs...!)

 

[JOv2]

First picked up this LP here in San Francisco in '86 [$2.00 | VG+]. Wonderful LP. The rather high (and as it turns out, completely unnecessary) number of covers keeps the LP from 5-star categorization. The originals are of excellent quality as are virtually all the arrangements.

Love So Fine, baby!

Too bad Melinda didn't take the lead on most songs as she easily outshines the others -- who are very reminiscent of those creepy Harpers Bizarre / chipmunk vocals...which are like soooo gay.

 

[Rudy]

I can't decide a favorite on this one: on some days, the upbeat songs like "Love So Fine" win out, where the mellow "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" often wins out in quiter moments. This one's a great snapshot of 60s California pop...and while I don't listen to it often (for fear of "burn out"), it's definitely a keeper. The Beatles' covers are the only tracks that don't do much for me.

I have the "Complete" CD from Japan, but still looking for this on vinyl.

 

[Mr Bill]

Too bad Melinda didn't take the lead on most songs as she easily outshines the others -- who are very reminiscent of those creepy Harpers Bizarre / chipmunk vocals...which are like soooo gay.

--Mr. Bill

 

[Moritat]

I bought the version with the extra tracks. This is a really a great lp. Some of those extra tracks like Trust and The Drifter are excellent as well. I voted for I'll Be Back. A very creative arrangement and the trumpet really tops it off well. I also really like Cocoanut Grove, but there are many gems here.

 

[Rudy]

It's too bad those extra tracks never made it to a full second album by Nichols (with more new tracks). And it's a shame that such a winning formula was overlooked by the record-buying public..."Love So Fine" should have been a Top 10 hit, IMHO. Classic pop song--about two minutes long, catchy, plenty of hooks, danceable, etc. Maybe it just needed a promotional push...?

 

[Murray]

This album had been mentioned so many times on this forum, that curiosity finally got the better of me, and I ordered a copy from the UK. Coincidentally, it just arrived today, and here it is the album of the week! I listened to it this afternoon, and my first impression is that it's a pretty good pop album, and a relaxing enjoyable listen. I imagine that this is the kind of music that California flower children might have listened to while chilling out, in a pot-induced haze, in between anti-war protests!

My early favourite track is "Love So Fine", but that is subject to change as the disc gets further listens...

 

[JOv2]

Mr. Bill -- I see that Moe Howard's hair style is similar to that adorned by your Lego "Iron 'n Sickle" Man...

 

[Rudy]

Murray--it'll grow on you even more. When I heard it first (via a CD-R copy), I picked out a couple of favorite songs on the first listen, but one Sunday afternoon, I had it on repeat while doing a few things around the house, and got to know it really well.

The arrangements seem simple, but (as they say about Shrek and onions) they have layers: you discover more each time.

Too bad this configuration was short-lived. I can't tell if Roger Nichols has recorded anything in the meantime. I've seen a couple of album titles, but can never find anything to support that they actually exist. With Paul Williams, they made a helluva good songwriting team, and Nichols' own group was a great way to showcase it.

Here's what Roger Nichols is up to today:

http://www.rnstudios.com/about.asp

 

[Dave]

Somehow despite the attempted commerciality of this group and the wealth of promotion this album got, it is a shame than except as a song-writer with Paul Williams, Roger Nichols could not make himself a household name in every household...!

The names under "morale booster" Lenny Waronker & Randy Newman, suggest a rejection by Warner/7-Arts/Reprise, maybe not? (Hey, who needs another Harper's Bazaar?)

The last singles "Drfiter" and "Trust" are very much un-A&M-like as they were arranged by John Andrews Tartaglia, (the Staff Musical Arranger at Capitol Records) and more-over recorded by Bill Cooper at his American Sound Studios on Ventura Blvd. which is more of the norm for Dunhill artists such as Three Dog Night & Steppenwolf...

Guess another try to give this trio another shot, if "The Drifter" was done better by fellow-A&M'ers The Sandpipers and John Pisano & Willie Ruff and "Trust" was bettered by The Peppermint Trolley Company and on Paul Williams' Someday Man...!

Somehow "Love Song, Love Song" has a familiarity to it... Hearing in the kitchen when I was young, and thinking the wash arm in the dishwasher was going back-and-forth with it (but it really spins around and around no matter what's playing!)...!

C'mon, give this group a chance...! --Another Chance...!


Dave

 

[Harry]

This album had been mentioned so many times on this forum, that curiosity finally got the better of me, and I ordered a copy from the UK.

That's exactly how it happened to me - discussions here plus hearing that one song pushed me into blindly ordering it from Japan.

Like Rudy said, the album will grow on you, and you'll find yourself humming one of the songs. To me, the album sounds like something that Richard and Karen Carpenter were listening to and were influenced by. Much of the sound of this album reminds me of the sounds on their OFFERING album and the early Spectrum demos.

Harry

 

[mikeargo]

This album had been mentioned so many times on this forum, that curiosity finally got the better of me, and I ordered a copy from the UK.

That's exactly how it happened to me - discussions here plus hearing that one song pushed me into blindly ordering it from Japan.

Like Rudy said, the album will grow on you, and you'll find yourself humming one of the songs. To me, the album sounds like something that Richard and Karen Carpenter were listening to and were influenced by. Much of the sound of this album reminds me of the sounds on their OFFERING album and the early Spectrum demos.

Harry

Same here. I ordered some music through the A&M Corner Store last month to support the site, and I just added this one on a whim, figuring I couldn't go wrong. And I didn't. What a lovely, eye-opening album. The Rev-Ola reissue comes with extensive liner notes (hmmm, where did I put my reading glasses) and I just love the overall sound of this set. A very revealing look at the late-60s A&M. You really get a sense of the genesis of such things as Richard Harris/MacArthur Park and Marvin Gaye/What's Goin' On . . . in terms of the orchestration and concept. Beautiful stuff. I picked "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" as a fave for its haunting sound.

--Mike A.

 

[Harry]

I have the "Complete" CD from Japan, but still looking for this on vinyl.

I spent a long time on eBay a few years ago trying to acquire the original vinyl, much of it competing with someone from Japan with seemingly deep pockets who bought up every copy he could find.

I finally managed to find a pretty nice piece of vinyl in a fairly well-used cover.

Harry

 

[dostros]

I should've looked at the results first, as my vote for Kinda' Wasted Without You probably should've gone to Love So Fine like everybody else. It was the TJB's fabulous version of LSF that sent me on the hunt for the vinyl for this album. Unfortunately my pockets aren't deep enough and I had to settle for the CD.

It's a great album, but I agree that it sounds like the guys' vocals are sped up almost to Chipmunk frequency. Could they really sing like that? The other destabilizing factor are the neck-breaking lop-sided mixes (where most of the music is on the right and just some light strings and harmonies on the left). Was that intentional or a result of the multi-tracking techniques of the day?

 

[Rudy]

The other destabilizing factor are the neck-breaking lop-sided mixes (where most of the music is on the right and just some light strings and harmonies on the left). Was that intentional or a result of the multi-tracking techniques of the day?

Typical 60s stereo, probably recorded on 3-track. Don't have it in front of me to see where it was recorded, but the TJB recorded at Gold Star. Might have done this album there as well.

 

[Dave]

Man, I better get the Rev-O-La set!

And get the Rev-O-La set, I did...! "Our Day Will Come" sounds a bit more clearer as if the original master tape WAS found, compared to the way it sounded on the Japanese reissue (unless it was cleaned up more)...

According to the extensive liner notes, Melinda and Murray MacLeod, years later did wonder "who was who" on some of the songs (to paraphrase how things were sped up, in the mixing process; in which "mixing" could have been a new technique at the time)... Herb Alpert sites how "the group was "unique" and "uniqueness" rates high on his scale", though A&M of course, was and would be best known for uniqueness of this caliber--beginning here...!

In short, the album could have been an also-ran in the growing number of "flower power" outings out there (and it didn't help that Roger and Murray, wearing cowboy hats would lead a buyer into believing this was a country western band) but fortunately the lasting impact of the small circles Roger had reached then, helps this still make the splash into much larger circles, today...



Dave

 

[Harry]

Man, I better get the Rev-O-La set!

And get the Rev-O-La set, I did...! "Our Day Will Come" sounds a bit more clearer as if the original master tape WAS found, compared to the way it sounded on the Japanese reissue (unless it was cleaned up more)...

I think it's the same needle-drop recording that was probably used, but Rev-Ola cleaned it up a bit more to remove the ticks that were present in the Japanese POCM-2065 release.

Harry

 

[Harry]

I just came across a needledrop video of "Love So Fine" on YouTube. It shows the Roger Nichols album on the ochre label, but the A&M logo is all in black lettering, making it look somehow unofficial.

Did some other territory release this album with a black logo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBt_F7E-yE8&feature=related

Harry

 

[Rudy]

I think it's the same needle-drop recording that was probably used, but Rev-Ola cleaned it up a bit more to remove the ticks that were present in the Japanese POCM-2065 release.

I actually did that for my own copy--I burned a CD with this track cleaned up with the Waves Click and Crackle filters. Much better.

BTW, if you like this CD, you'll also probably like the follow-up album... I'll post on it shortly.