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Beetles Are Coming

by Chet Nichols

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1.
Electra 02:29
"Electra" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1969/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com * chet@chetnichols.net ALL RIGHTS RESERVED VERSE 1. Electra come down from above Come from the shrouding skies Share in a conversation Teach me contemplation, please CHORUS Is it true you grow constantly Is it so good to be wise Offer me your meditations And I'll give you my touch and my eyes Oh, Electra Oh, Electra VERSE 2 Then I gave you my soul And you gave me your dreams And all was at peace All was at peace Then I gave you my touch And you gave me a warmth that I never knew All was at peace ELectra come to me here Bathe in love's pure beams For you know my soul Yes, And I know your dreams CHORUS Is it true that you've waited for me Across the sands of time To offer me no limitations And to give me your love and your life Oh, ELectra Oh, Electra BRIDGE Then you gave me your soul And I gave you my dreams And our love was at peace Our love was at peace Then you gave me your touch And I gave you a warmth that you never knew Our love was at peace VERSE 3. Electra come to me here Bathe in love's pure beams For I know your soul Yes, and you know my dreams CHORUS Is it true we grow constantly Is so good to be wise Offer me your meditations And I'll give you my touch and my eyes Oh, Electra Oh, Electra :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1969/2015 ® by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at: chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to: "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
2.
"Water Sand Castles" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1969/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnichols.net. * chet@chetnichols.net magicgaragemusic@protonmail.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED VERSE 1 Singing salted sailors Sleeping on the decks The whales have all gone down To the lower depths Many seas to follow through Many sailor's bait to pass Hoping that the moon and the sky Will cover up my past REFRAIN My first love was a fairy tale The days were our ship Daily we would sail My first love was a summer tale The sun was our ship Daily we would sail CHORUS Water sand castles Build new ones Let the old ones die away Water sand castles Build new ones Let them fall to the spray VERSE 2 Diana, she's a goddess She sails an ivory jammer Likes to sail in hurricanes Through wind, water and clamour We bathed together 'Neath a high waterfall We dove from cliff to sea When we heard the siren's call REPEAT REFRAIN REPEAT CHORUS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1969/2015 ® by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) & Time Loop Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at: chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to: "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
3.
"Who Stole The Ivy" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1969/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com * chet@chetnichols.net ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Verse 1 Shaking heads and shaking hands Seem to describe your kind Why have you come here Is it just to toy with my finds The sounds they are so fine The sounds are so flowing It's July here, my dear And somehow it's begun snowing And I can see down the street both ways From where I sit And neither way do I see anything coming That'll tell me Chorus Who stole the ivy Who stole the valley Who stole the timothy and clover That used to grow all over Verse 2 Eyes closed and laid back Let it happen to you With open heart and hands Yours do not shake or stammer But I can't truly say That I can see her Coming back to you But you can be well assured I'd inform you if her train arrived The separation is cut and clear What has been said could have been left unsaid But you felt it was your duty to speak up Repeat Chorus Verse 3 Eyes alone engulfed in our own mainstream I'm looking deeper than I've ever looked And to see the basis is all very well and good Its good (just) to know that us laying here Is not a challenge to your womanhood Rocking and tapping and looking up for a sign But the streets are full of them One for this and one for that Will they tell me? Repeat Chorus. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1969/2015 ® by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at: chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to: "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
4.
Lonely Woman 05:42
"Lonely Woman" Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnichols.net * chet@chetnichols.net chet@chetnichols.net :: chetnichols@me.com Magicgaragemusic@protonmail.com All Rights Reserved I heard a lonely woman crying through the wall To be alone can be a pleasure, but loneliness haunts us all The woman strummed on silver strings Sang songs of wonderful things And of the joy that love brings Her lover left and the loneliness stings Out in the streets she looks over her shoulder God, she looks so much older She lets her hair rest quietly She lets it down nightly She wonders why it made her cry After all the times that she's heard him lie Oh, why, why, why Oh, why, why, why Well, the flags are flying upside down From the crosses on the hill The steps of the dancer And the songs of waking Are suddenly very still Their nation of two, their sanctuary Grew silver wings and flew away Her brown eyes are red and gray and blue The bond she dreamed of as a little daydreamer The games of making up children's names Her prince charming Turned out to be very alarming Oh, will her life Will her life ever be the same? Oh, there are so many noble men With noble words to say But, their words and their thoughts Oh, they go in so many different ways But, never in the same direction No, never in the same direction No, never In the same direction, no I saw a lonely woman Walking through the park Leda and the swan made love on the lawn So, we joined hands and took turns singing songs The woman strummed on silver strings Sang songs of wonderful things And of the joy that love brings Her lover left and the loneliness stings She lets her hair rest quietly She lets it down just for me She lets it down every night She lets it down for me She wonders why her cry After all the times she's heard him lie Oh, why, why, why Oh, why, why, why Oh, why, why, why, yeah Copyright 1969 Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) & Time Loop Music (ASCAP) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1969 & 2015 & 2020 ® by Chet Nichols ASCAP & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net Copyright 1969 Magic Garage Music (ASCAP)
5.
"The Ballad Of Diamond Joe" ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1969/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) www.chetnicholsmusic.net * chet@chetnichols.net VERSE 1 Well, don't go to the county farm Conditions there are raw The boss has just gone raving mad He just killed three men with a saw CHORUS Have you seen him? Well, if you do Tell him, Keep on keeping on? Tell him, Keep on moving on? Tell him, Get on, get along? VERSE 2 Well, the boss, he is a hunted man And I wonder how he feels His boss has promised that He?d be killed And to be forever at his heels REPEAT CHORUS VERSE 3 Well, Diamond Joe is his name He's the meanest man alive When Joe finally met his boss Well, he was not the one to die I hear he's in Montana Living on some rancho land If you see him, please tell him That I'm the better man Oh, tell him, I'll get him Tell him, I'll get him Tell him, I'll get him Tell him, I'll get him Shoot him down Shoot him down, down, down Shoot him down, down, down Well, don't go to the county farm Conditions there are raw The boss has just gone raving mad He just killed three men with a saw REPEAT CHORUS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1969/2015 ® by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at: chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to: "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
6.
"(Spinning On The) Time Loop" ************************************** Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1971/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP)/Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) chet@chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CHORUS Spinning on the time loop They start to phase you in When the man comes and turns the wheel He'll phase you out again Spinning on the time loop They start to phase you in When the man comes and turns the wheel He'll phase you back again VERSE 1 Yesterday was your point of disappearing Yesterday was yesterday and that's no doubt Yesterday was your point of disappearing And disappearing is the only way out REPEAT CHORUS BRIDGE When the time came to take your place Was it really worth the taking? When the time came to change your hand Was it worth the re-arranging? When your need poked you full of holes Was it really worth the habit? Is it worth all these illusions When people treat you like they own you? REPEAT CHORUS ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1971/2015 ® by Chet Nichols ASCAP & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at: chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
7.
Red Tide 04:35
"Red Tide" ************************************** Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1969/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP)/Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) chet@chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED VERSE 1. Water rips and flows between my stance The water strains to show me heat It tries to comfort and embrace Sand rips and flows between my feet Red tide makes the night the day Naked aqua children play Splashing life as we swim Red tide makes the night the day The sea is full of stars The stars are full of life The sea's the sky The sky's the sea Give me dreams love, bread and wine Makes the days go by so fine I'll butter your love You toast my dreams We'll do it up right The bulging will be slight Why ruin a perfect flight VERSE 2. He asked me where we came from Just watch that wave there breaking Creation's in its middle years And history's only faking Red tide makes the night the day Naked aqua children play Their smiles out glow the shining tide Celebration 'tween the sea, the sky, my eye The sea is full of stars Hovering sky's a sea The sea's the sky The sky's the sea The sea's the sky The sea's the sky The sky's the sea Life is shining to me Life is shining to me Life is shining to me Give me dreams love bread and wine Make the days go by so fine I'll butter your love You toast my dreams We'll do it up right The bulging will be slight Why ruin a perfect flight :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1969/2015 ® by Chet Nichols ASCAP & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
8.
"Tell Me What The Count Is" ********************************* Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1970/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) /Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) chet@chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BBBEBE I made love with an angel once She never compared to you For I know she didn't love me She just wanted to see how I'd do (did pretty good) I stayed in the mountains of Mexico And I lived off of the land Every morning when I watched the sun rise I wish I could have held you hand Tell what the count is Is it one, two, or three? Or Have I been down so long That I can't even see? I can still remember mama With her apron blowing free Wishing I would be a doctor But, she left the choice up to me But, I found the cow Was my real mother For she gave me her milk My own mother never gave me hers For she thought I was just a joke Tell me what the count is Is it seven or is it eight? Or have I been down so long That all I can do is hate? I've made love with my mind so long That now I live for the past 'Cause I still talk to you in my sleep And wake up breathing fast I've seen and touched many things That I'll never understand But, now I know I know your heart And understand your hand Tell what the count is Is it nine or is it ten? Or have I been down so long That I'll never get up again Never, never, never know Never, never, never no Never, never, never know Never, never, never no :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1970/2015 ® by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at: chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to: "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
9.
The Offing 03:34
"The Offing" ************************************** Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1969/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP)/Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) chet@chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Today it was cold There was ice all around But, the ship, it was happy We were homeward bound Sea dream, daydreams loom around It?s been so long since they've been found Pictures painted by a virgin's hand That someday soon will please her man Today it was calm There was fog all around But, the ship it was happy We were homeward bound And I?m on the masthead looking for land Just a-waiting to be touched by that virgin's hand Oh, land? Oh, land?. A roof of straw and seaweed walls Sun's itself on the beach's halls Quiz the mermaids in the cove Well, they say that she's waiting And growing quit old Today, it was warm There was sun all around And the ship it was happy We were homeward bound And I'm on the masthead just looking for land Just a-waiting to be touched by that virgin's hand Oh, land?.. Oh, land?. Land, ho! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1969/2015 ® by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at: chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to: "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
10.
"The Beetles Are Coming" ************************************** Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1969/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP)/Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) chet@chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED You dress yourself up to look like an elf And you walk around this place With a sign against the rat race And you go get wood to cover the fire Then you reverently place it down upon yourself So, you'd better get your hoe And clean up your garden Because the beetles are coming The leaves are enough to turn you on You know this, so you start a collection There are greens, reds, yellows, golds and candles But, what will happen to them Once they've dropped their bomb So, you'd better get your hoe And clean up your garden Because the beetles are coming So, you go and get a big brown shopping bag And in it you place your hair your roaches and part of your life And you drop it from the long shoestring bridge by the ocean An silently wave goodbye as it sails for Japan The you turn to look one last look at The City Then start to thumb to the world that's, oh, so gritty So, you'd better get your hoe And clean up your garden Because the beetles are coming :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1969/2015 ® by Chet Nichols ASCAP & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net
11.
"Quasar Sleeper" ************************************** Sound effects,vocals and music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1971/2015 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP)/Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) chet@chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Rain Sonic Snoring Fender Rhodes piano Sonic Snoring Thunder Sonic Snoring Train whistle Sonic Snoring Rain Sonic Snoring Crickets Cracking knee bend Crickets...... :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copyright © 1971/2015 ® by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) All US and Global rights reserved. This song or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at: chet@chetnichols.net or http://www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to: "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below. Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065 More information at: http://www.chetnichols.net

about

This album is also available on all on-line music sites including: Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon Music, eMusic and others.

Lyrics & music to all songs by Chet Nichols
Produced, recorded and mixed by Stephen Barncard
Co-produced by Chet Nichols
Recorded at Wally Heider's Studio in San Francisco, CA 1970-71
Remix-mastering 2015 at International House Of Cubes Sebastopol
houseofcubes.com
Instrumentation and vocals on all tracks by Chet Nichols, except:
"(Spinning On The) Time Loop" co-produced by Nick Gravenites
…… Lyrics and further credits shown on individual song pages


If you haven’t heard Chet Nichols, and love great original acoustic music, be prepared to have your socks blown off. He’s a wonder of nature that plays and sings these original, complex yet endearing melodies, and sounds like 3 people playing.

This state is enabled thanks to the gifts of incredible range and choir-boy quality of the voice, driving rhythms that may include hands, feet, rings, ( sometimes even a trick knee ) and special “open tunings” used to create the song space.

I first caught Chet back in KC in 1969, where he was headlining at the Vanguard Coffee House on Main street. I was blown away. An invitation is offered to come to play at KCJC, the radio station (where I was known as ‘NightFreak’) followed, and the rest is history.

That night at the radio station, I set up the news mic on Chet’s guitar (an old RCA 44) and another beat up 44 at my announcer’s position, and just let him play..

.. after an hour and a half of a stunning performance I realized we had to work on a project together at some point in the future.

And it happened - we ended up in San Francisco and were able to cut the tracks for this record between 1970 and 1971.

This release is the long-awaited 2015 remix of Chet Nichols' CD, "Beetles Are Coming". It features ALL-NEW HD/HiFi-quality restoration, re-mixed, re-edited and re-mastered tracks from Chet's ground-breaking first album, "Time Loop".

Great care was taken to preserve all that was on the original master tapes:
16track 2inch 3m or Ampex machine ——>
3m tape——>
16 track Studer——>Digital HD 24/96——>
digital mix——>
dithering-resampling to 44/16 in mastering—>
44/16 master file at Bandcamp—>
Bandcamp delivers file format of your choice.

This remixed-remastered version restores the vision we had had for this project all along. It just took a little time. We located some better takes and alternate parts and took away some others. We also fixed some pesky phase and polarity problems with the many microphone experiments, including stereo vocals.

Revisionism? Perhaps, but for the better. For the songs. For the Sound. This record is a special treat.

You can have the best experience if you download the larger Apple Lossless or FLAC files before burning to CD or placing in your library. We hope to offer a 24/96 version at some point in the future.

thanks for listening.


stephen barncard
barncard.com

——————————————————

ALL SONGS Copyrights by:
Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) - USA
ALL US & GLOBAL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED

These songs or any portion thereof (lyrics, music, samples, vocals) may not be reproduced in any form or media, distributed, transmitted, downloaded, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publishers. For permission requests, write to the publisher at chetnichols@me.com or www.chetnichols.net, or addressed to "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the address below.
Magic Garage Music, PO Box 2398, Northbrook, IL 60065

More information at: www.chetnichols.net

_______________________________

CD REVIEWS

VINYL ANTIQUITY


Friday, March 1, 2013 by Blake Mitchner

Chet Nichols Is On The Time Loop Of Your Mind-

Here's One For You Freaky Folk Prog Fans!

In America and really worldwide in the early to late 70s the solo
artist or if you like "Singer Songwriter" came into his or her own
with classic releases by the likes of Emmit Rhodes, Carole King,
Todd Rundgren, and lesser known masterful artists like Pete Dello
and Clifford T. Ward who himself is only lesser known a bit in
America. Now there didn't have to be a whole band it could be
one person with a whole lot to say and a great melodic sense. If
you take away the valuable content and the great melodic or
creative sense you end up with some of the worst rubbish ever,
but in my mind at least the vast array of early 70s solo artists
could come up with some really briliant and interesting results.

Chet Nichols Gets Deserved Respect From Paul Major
And From Me

Chet Nichols probably got signed to Kama Sutra not because
he was a later west coast San Francisco progressive folk psych
mastermind who came up by himself with a full band sound on
his one album TIME LOOP, but probably because Kama Sutra
thought his eccentricities would be overlooked for the very
pleasant and inventive voice he has. Far removed from James
Taylor, Jim Croce, Leonard Cohen and the like Chet's music is
more comparable to British pastoral on-the-edge folk psych
progressive acts like Northwind and their lead vocalist Brian
Young and Dog That Bit People's John Caswell.

Back in the beginning with Paul Major we didn't agree on
everything and certainly he always had a weakness for the inept,
but he loved and hopefully still loves great British records and
that may be just one reason why he raved about Chet Nichols
ages later championing his album TIME LOOP as a work of
stunning somewhat strange folk psych.

When I first heard Nichols in 2002 I was very impressed by
the album, but I couldn't believe despite the sparse nature that
this was all one guy. Hearing him again now I can say that my
opinion hasn't changed. That means something. Paul was onto
something that really had merit with Chet Nichols and its a
shame that some other dealers don't share his views on the
album and have unjustly slammed it. Well to each his own
pleasures and prejudices and I'd say this album belongs in
every collection in my opinion.

I recently heard what is supposed to be the big monster on
Kama Sutra to most dealers/collectors Hackamore Brick's
ONE KISS LEADS TO ANOTHER and what a piece of garbage!
I actually got both records from the same record store on the
same day and ONE KISS went right out the door with Chet
securing a permanent home in my collection. Hackamore Brick
sound nothing like The Velvet Underground who they are
claimed to be just like. That could have been a good thing since
for the most part I hate Velvet Underground and most other
experimental New York noise groups like The Godz for instance-
I'll admit they were hugely talented revolutionaries, but myself
if I'm gonna go out there I prefer something more like Earth Opera.

Hackamore Brick is a bad plain country rock record with a
few other ideas thrown in that go nowhere and the whole album
sounds like the band were in a comatose or just plain sloppy and
lazy mindset when they made the album. Don't waste your time
and your dough. To get back to Chet Nichols his album
TIME LOOP really is special, but it doesn't get enough praise
for how brilliant and creatively inventive it is. Initially the album
was $50 to $75 and worth it and now the price fluctuates all the
time and proves that the price of an album means nothing.
I picked this up for $25 mint in the shrink and it is musically
even beyond $50 or $75 it's priceless. So now let me give you
the lowdown. Are you ready and steady to here my latest rant!?
Hold on coz a here it comes!

Spinning On The TIME LOOP With Chet Nichols An Extraordinarily Great Record

Chet Nichols only used other musicians on one track on his
TIME LOOP album and that is the title track with an appearance
on piano from the late and brilliant Nicky Hopkins. The title
track is a great song, but much more commercial than the rest
of the amazing record. Tracks like "Electra," "Tell Me What The
Count Is" and the bizarre short closing bit of madness "Quasar
Sleeper" are all vocals and instruments by Nichols himself. Even
when it is just a sparse backing of acoustic guitar and weird vocal
effects somehow this album is far from folky in the bad way and
much more roomy, much more progressive. I mean the kind of
progressive that was going on in the UK at the time and I apologize
for my slandering of Britain in one of my last blogs.

I shouldn't let stupid people put me off my favorite country
although I think England is really in a bad state of decline now
like much of the world. The songs tend to be a bit longer on here
than on Dog That Bit People and a bit shorter than some of
Northwind's, but both bands with their freaky mellow progressive psychedelic laced sound would be good comparisons especially
Northwind. There's a subtle moodiness here and some subtly
dark moments that might even bring to mind some of the eccentric ramblings of the aforementioned Earth Opera's Peter Rowan.
Unlike Rowan Chet Nichols had a voice that would have been
commercially marketable had he not been a really progressive
writer and singer with grand ideas and strong leanings towards
freaked out wasted psychedelia.

"Electra" begins the album and is a strong percussive number
with soaring vocals and a captivating sound to it that sounds half
California half England. The half California half England vibe
comes up a lot. It's a shame Paul Major and I have been so long
out of touch. I'd like to think that Paul will see this and be glad
because Paul is a great guy and I'm sad to no longer be in
communication with him. "Electra" has some very out there lyrics
and a nice balance between acoustic and electric instrumentation
with a nod to the past decade of the 60s and what the
counterculture could produce in terms of brilliant music.
Stoned looking Chet is definitely not a square guy- in fact
you could say he's pretty strange and definitely someone
who would defy authority.

"Water Sand Castles" delves into a nautical mood that is very
pastoral and pleasant with excellent vocals from Chet and
some great musical creativity flowing from this brilliant man.
He is very different from Todd Rundgren because he is coming
from a completely different background and a completely
different part of the country. Todd started out in a band. They
were called Nazz and they were a great band, but Todd abandoned
his Angophile phase before his solo career and became the East
Coast's foremost pop/progressive/weirdness purveyor before he
went completely narcissistic and crazy. I love Todd Rundgren, but
I prefer Chet Nichols. Chet has going for him that he only did one
album. He has going for him the UK meets San Fran vibe of songs
like "Water Sand Castles" with its oceanic sweetness, the
environmentally concerned thought provoking beautiful folk
pop of "Who Stole The Ivy" and the stark acoustic guitar and
voice intensity of "Lonely Woman." Every song on this album
tries something new.

There's a lot going on and a lot of pleasure to be had if you have
an open mind. "Who Stole The Ivy" would have fit perfectly on an
album from 1967 or 1968, but it is updated a little here to sound
more of the early 70s era. Most of the songs on TIME LOOP were
written between 1968 and 1970, but the album was recorded in
1972 and came out then. A sure sign that it was the 70s and not
the utopian 60s is the lyrically violent musically crazed closing
track on Side One "The Ballad Of Diamond Joe" about a guy who
kills 3 guys with a saw and then gets hunted down and killed by the protagonist which is of course Chet's character.

This kind of old West gone mad vibe was so popular in the early
70s, but it speaks of something that is as dark as the lyric Chet
wrote. Altamont had happened (To Hell with the Hell's Angels
says I!) and so had Kent State. The 60s were in retreat and getting
further and further from the dream of a beautiful world as the
70s went on. There were still places and still dreams of places
where there was a more relaxed and open life, but society and
authority were closing in leading to paranoia and disillusionment.

Side One of this album covers the ground from the hopes of the
60s right on through to the turning back on the world "We've Got
To Just Make It Alone" vibe of the 70s. Strangely, it isn't a sad
album. In fact, you may like me have a sense of joy or relief even
when you hear the sound more of the early 70s era.

Side Two begins with "(Spinning On The) Time Loop" a really
catchy commercial number and the only track to use session
players including Nicky Hopkins the late keyboard genius who
helped out The Rolling Stones and The Kinks. "(Spinning On The)
Time Loop" isn't like anything else on the record and it works
instead of sounding like something hastily thrown together to fill
up space.

"Tell Me What The Count Is" goes right back into the UK
and California gone twisted folk psych progressive vibes with
insightful wary lyrics and a real sense of intensity. Nichols does
a lot by working by himself. The least full sounding track is the
title track with the full backing of session players and something
like "Tell Me What The Count Is" speaks a lot for the true
eccentric solo artist who does it all ably by himself.

I, personally, would probably not sound half as good attempting something like this. I love Chet's voice it is so warm and crystal
clear yet so quietly intense. He has that gift for sounding real
and human that Brian Young in Northwind and John Caswell
in Dog That Bit People have. He gives you the facts. He sings
from the heart not the intellect.

"The Offing" is a very pleasant song with a nautical theme
again like "Water Sand Castles" and a really beautifully wasted
vocal sound that drifts along just like the sea he is talking about.
The lyrics are very pastoral and the sound is very warm and
honest with a magical vibe about it that the whole album has.
By contrast "The Beetles Are Coming" is a put down character
study of someone who has no real personality and is just a loser
trying to string other people along into his or her shallow
selfish life.

I know the type well. The hangers on had become even more
stale and annoying than they were in the beginning as the 1960s
dream was really getting far from view and it was the beginning
of a bad period of people pretending to live in that kind of
counterculture way who were just as conformist as those they
said they despised. I turned my back on most of the friends I
had when I was at my height of Hippy-in-my-own-way because
of all the fake people who were fucking my life around with their
narrow beliefs and drug abuse.

I still have a lot of counterculture-alike beliefs and believe in
living my life with a love for nature and other people and an
open mind, but it gets harder and harder. "The Beetles Are
Coming" nails it. Chet Nichols isn't as pissed off as Bob Dylan's
pissed off lyrics, but he certainly lets whoever this was written
for know that they are a loser.

Even when Nichols is at his most intense he remains more
gentle than overbearing although he isn't at all fragile sounding
in the way that someone like the brilliant much lamented
Clifford T. Ward was/is/will stay. Clifford T. Ward is far from
Chet Nichols in the kind of music he produced during his
all-too-brief life. Clifford was more British pop at its most
melancholic and refined. He wrote sad and tear jerking songs
and he wrote a few happy ones too, but Clifford was so British
sounding and England oriented that there can't really be an
American Clifford T. Ward without the word "Americana"
coming into play. There is a little Americana here and there
on TIME LOOP, but Chet Nichols is looking toward the UK
and then he sends you off into outer space with the crazy
mind-blowing psychedelic strangeness of "Quasar Sleeper"
which is more just strange sounds than a song.

This is a wonderful album. There's not a track I'd take off or
a thing I would change. Everything is so tasteful and so good
and Chet has so much talent that I'm glad he is back performing,
writing, and playing again with new interest in his music
making him smile I'm sure. Nichols never could have made
it on a pop/bubblegum label like Kama Sutra and it's unfortunate
that back in 1972 his album went largely unnoticed, but I'd like
to help out by my rave review here and Chet if you read this
drop me a comment and I'll be overjoyed. I will be overjoyed
if people go out and buy this record after reading this as it is
definitely a masterpiece and a very, very special work of
musical art.


________________________________________________

"Time Loop" record review
Chet Nichols : Time Loop
(Kama Sutra - 1972)
Category : criminally overlooked
4:33 stars

If you're into smart and poetic Folky singer/songwriter stuff, then this
obscure release is a must have because of the high quality of the songs and the driven yet pleasant way in which they are performed. But as several of these Chet Nichols songs also have doses of Rock, I guess the album could also be of interest to fans of Classic Rock and Folk Rock.

'Time Loop' has a pure and honest and at the same time slightly
melancholic feel that's reminiscent of James Taylor or, to name someone more recent, José Gonzales. And it's just as good as the best material either of these artists released, which raises the question why this album didn't get the attention it deserved and why it didn't propel Nichols to stardom. One listen to the album highlights 'Electra' and
'Who Stole The Ivy' is enough to make you understand what a
gifted composer and lyricist he was. In fact, there's only one
average track on the entire album (not counting the superfluous
outro 'Quasar Sleeper').

Highly recommended.

A RECORD REVIEW:

“Time Loop” – a review

“Amongst the obscurest LPs on the Kama-Sutra label, bent loner
outsider folkie like a disturbed Tim Buckley at times, has a raw underground
edge that it gaining a big following with collectors. But it is still a bargain
having been released in the waning days of this semi-major label.
Weird song titles like "Who Stole The Ivy", "The Offing", "The Beetles Are
Coming", “Water Sand Castles” and "Quasar Sleeper, give an indication
that this guy was out there. But he makes the acoustic guitar really sing
and he creates some of the most unique guitar tunings ever created. His
voice is melodious and multi-faceted. His lyrics are spacey, yet, thoughtful
in an abstract way. The lyrics are borderline poetry. This record really
grows on you. Chet’s Co-Producer and Engineer, Stephen Barncard, states
at his website that Nichols was his guinea pig to help create the acoustic
guitar sound made famous by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Nichols is
also quite a musician and plays all the instruments on this record, something
very rare in the early 1970s. He combines a Richie Havens feel, a Donovan
attitude with a Dylan prespective. The production is minimalist, yet
dynamic. On the title tune, "Time Loop", he has San Francisco's Nick
Gravenites producing and he brings in a back-up band that includes
piano by Nicky Hopkins (Rolling Stones-RIP), drums by Dave Garabaldi
(Tower Of Power) and bass by Peter Sears (The Airplane). Quite a
supporting cast. The record was recorded at Wally Heider's studio in SF,
so maybe he's outta California. This is a necessary LP for fans of outside
folk, since Nichols appears to be one of the pioneers of this unique genre.
I caught a concert that he played at Long Island University and he was
the best solo performer I saw play back in the 1970’s.”

A RECORD REVIEW:

"TIME LOOP is one of the BEST FOLK PSYCHEDELIC ALBUMS EVER MADE!

Thank you CHET for this KILLER ALBUM.

Warm Regards,......Miguel - Germany"

A RECORD REVIEW:

"I picked up a copy of your album, "Time Loop" on Kama Sutra yesterday. I had never heard of you, but it looked interesting. When I listened to it, I realized that it was a tragically overlooked album. There
isn't a bad song on it. Thanks for making such great music!"

Sean Gaston.....04/09
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released January 1, 2023

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Chet Nichols

Chet Nichols is a singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and recordist. His poetic lyrics, & variety of singer- songwriter & instrumental tracks are inspired by the ever-changing world around us.

Chet is an inductee in The Kansas Music Hall Of Fame. He joins artists like Pat Matheny, Melissa Ethridge, and Martina McBride. His touring bio includes the "Who's Who" in the music industry.
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