Billy Nicholls

While still in his teens, Billy Nicholls recorded one of the more sought-after rarities of British psychedelic pop, Would You Believe. Nicholls was one of the most Beach Boys-influenced British singer-songwriters, and Would You Believe often recalled the Pet Sounds/Smile period in its melodic construction and ornate production. The album understandably betrayed greater traces of late-sixties British psychedelia than the Beach Boys' efforts did, and it would be foolish to put Nicholls on the same level as Brian Wilson, as Would You Believe ultimately displayed more promise than pure genius. Nonetheless, that promise was considerable, and it is a shame that the album was essentially unreleased after it was finished in 1968 (although a few dozen promotional copies went out). This short-circuited Nicholls' career, and although he did some recording in later years, he's mostly known by mainstream rock fans (if at all) for his peripheral role in some group and individual member projects by the Who.

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