Nicely Out Of Tune

Product Information

Reinhard Groll: Ray, on the rear side of the album cover of the original Charisma album, and only there, one can find a "Thanks to. The upshot is that I was always going to be well disposed to this album, even though I haven’t listened to it for quite some time.

Long before Lindisfarne made their first album we had a collective interest in things visual and often fantasised about what our sleeve would be like when we eventually made our first album. Nicely Out of Tune was Lindisfarne’s debut album, released on Charisma when they were touring with two labelmates, Van der Graaf Generator and Genesis, and holding their own. Mr Bolton, owner of the local garage that regularly repaired Lindisfarne's vans at ridiculously low cost.All of us in the band were enthusiastic supporters of the films of Fellini and we often used to have trips to the Tyneside Cinema where all the arty films of the late sixties could be seen. Title change because Lindisfarne's in-joke 'Alan in the River with Flowers' = 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' did not amuse the americans so they reverted to the songs original title.

Songwriting is decent, usually containing ok verses followed by some catchy singalong choruses (complete with great harmonies). This is truly a great song, listen to the words and think how something written over 40 years ago is still so meaningfull today. Then there is the "Hull family", Alan's wife Pat and their daughters Rosamund, Francesca and Berenice.

The record itself comes in a printed brown paper inner sleeve with a small white band logo in the centre. Ray Jackson and myself had met at art college, a well-known safe haven for musicians who had yet to figure out how to make a living from music. A more masculine brand of English folk rock, complete with strong melodies and eerily reedy harmonies.