The Story of Simon Simopath
| The Story of Simon Simopath | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1967 | |||
| Recorded | Early 1967 | |||
| Studio | Pye, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 25:28 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Chris Blackwell | |||
| Nirvana chronology | ||||
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The Story of Simon Simopath is the debut album by British psychedelic band Nirvana, released by Island Records in 1967. Described by Melody Maker's Chris Welch as a "science fiction pantomime album", the songs are linked with a story on the back cover which details the dream of Simon Simopath to fly.[2] "Pentecost Hotel" was released as a single with the non-album b-side, "Feelin' Shattered". "Wings of Love" was the next single, also with a non-album b-side, "Requiem to John Coltrane". "Girl in the Park", from the second album, All of Us, featured the b-side, "C Side In Ocho Rios", which is an instrumental version of "In the Courtyard of the Stars".
Story[edit]
On the back cover is a text story, "The Story of Simon Simopath: A Science Fiction Pantomime", which links the song titles. It deals with a boy named Simon Simopath who dreams of having wings.[3] He is lonely,[4] and after reaching adulthood goes to work in a "computer office block".[5] He suffers a nervous breakdown and is unable to find help in a mental institution, but gets aboard a rocket and meets a centaur who will be his friend and a tiny goddess named Magdalena, who works at Pentecost Hotel. Simon and Magdalena fall in love and get married, followed by a jazzy party.
The title of the album is a possible reference to William Burroughs' novel Naked Lunch, which coins the word to describe several escapees from a mental institution. In this context, the word refers to 'a citizen convinced he is an ape or other citizen'.[6]
Legacy[edit]
In a retrospective review on AllMusic, Stewart Mason feels that the "unashamedly twee early concept album", with its "deliberately childlike tone", despite being "a collection of unconnected songs forced together" in a "rather silly story", is a "uniformly solid set of well-constructed psych-pop tunes".[1]
The Story of Simon Simopath was selected for The MOJO Collection as one of the most significant albums in musical history.[7]
Track listing[edit]
- All songs written by Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos
- Side one
- "Wings of Love" – 3:20
- "Lonely Boy" – 2:31
- "We Can Help You" – 1:57
- "Satellite Jockey" – 2:35
- "In the Courtyard of the Stars" – 2:36
- Side two
- "You Are Just the One" – 2:07
- "Pentecost Hotel" – 3:06
- "I Never Found a Love Like This" – 2:50
- "Take This Hand" – 2:17
- "1999" – 2:09
The 2003 Universal Island Remasters collection includes both stereo and mono versions of the album on one disc. This release contains several bonus tracks:
- 11. "I Believe in Magic" (b-side to "Tiny Goddess")
- 12. "Life Ain't Easy" (previously unreleased version)
- 13. "Feelin' Shattered" (b-side to "Pentecost Hotel")
- 14. "Requiem to John Coltrane" (b-side to "Wings of Love")
All songs composed by Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos
Personnel[edit]
- Patrick Campbell-Lyons – guitar and vocals
- Alex Spyropoulos – piano, keyboards and vocals
- Clem Cattini - drums
- Barry Morgan - drums
- Herbie Flowers - bass
- Alan Parker - guitar
- Frank Ricotti - percussion
- Alan Hawkshaw - organ[8]
Production
- Chris Blackwell – executive producer
- Brian Humphries – engineer
- Syd Dale – conductor
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Mason, Stewart. "The Story of Simon Simopath - Nirvana". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ Welch, Chris (6 July 1968). "Pop Singles" (PDF). Melody Maker. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ ""Wings of Love" lyrics". genius.com.
- ^ ""lonely Boy" lyrics". genius.com.
- ^ ""We Can Help You" lyrics". genius.com.
- ^ Irvin, Jim; Alexander, Phil (2007). "Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion". Mojo. p. 115.
- ^ Mojo Magazine (1 November 2007). The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition. Canongate Books. ISBN 9781847676436 – via Google Books.
- ^ Dome, Malcolm (2018). Nirvana - Rainbow Chaser: The 60s Recordings (The Island Years) (Liner notes). London: Island Records. p. 15.
