Nits
The Nits
Label ©  Scramble
Release Year  1978
Length  1:13:33
Genre  Alternative Pop
Personal Star Rating [1-5]  
  Ref#  N-0040
Bitrate  (various) Kbps
  Other  
  Info  
    Track Listing:
      1.  
      		 Rails And Rain  
       3:13  
      2.  
      		 Tutti Ragazzi  
       2:33  
      3.  
      		 Mister Mister  
       2:59  
      4.  
      		 Fantasies And Factories  
       3:40  
      5.  
      		 So In Love  
       3:42  
      6.  
      		 London Letters  
       3:29  
      7.  
      		 Yes Or No  
       3:00  
      8.  
      		 After Thoughts  
       3:17  
      9.  
      		 Amarilla  
       3:51  
      10.  
      		 Dancing Girl - Red Cat  
       5:12  
      11.  
      		 Susan My Love  
       2:39  
      12.  
      		 Caravan  
       3:41  
      13.  
      		 Yes Or No (Single Version)  
       3:12  
      14.  
      		 Ronald Razorblade (B-Side Of 'yes Or No')  
       3:51  
      15.  
      		 Looking For A Friend (1977)  
       3:57  
      16.  
      		 Tell Me Baby (1977)  
       4:07  
      17.  
      		 Tutti Ragazzi (Live At The Paradiso, Amsterdam, Feb. 1978)  
       2:17  
      18.  
      		 Some Other Night (Single B-Side, 1979  
       2:40  
      19.  
      		 Harrow Accident (Single B-Side, 1979)  
       3:03  
      20.  
      		 Her Second Zebra (Single B-Side, 1980)  
       2:35  
      21.  
      		 Tables And Chairs (Single B-Side, 1981)  
       5:41  
      22.  
      		 Goodbye, Mr. Chips! (Single B-Side, 1981)  
       0:54  
    Additional info: | top
      Published 1978, catalog number Scramble 910.033, but only about 1000 copies have been printed. To my knowledge this was also not re-released on CD. The band signed their contract with CBS after this LP. Probably unavailable by now

      Review

      For a person like me who thinks Tent is among Nits' top 5 albums 1st album is a must have. I see they form kind of pair, just like New Flat and Work, and Omsk and ASB.

      There are at least four great songs in 1st LP. Rails And Rain is a perfect opening number, just like Radio Shoes, Bike In Head, dA dA dA or The Train. It sets a fine tone for the whole set of songs. Deep pop!

      Fantasies And Factories is a near-masterpiece, piano-leading ballad without any dangers to slip into billyjoelisms. Henk sings it wonderfully; the chorus and chord structures are very interesting.

      Amarilla is a beautifully written love song with slightly mystic tones. Great Rhodes piano floating here and there.

      Then there's Yes Or No, which is a kind of tribute to the Beatles' Hello Goodbye. A classic pop composition.

      --- Of course it's quite easy to see why the Nits don't want to release the album as a CD. The sound is not the Nits sound familiar to us, it's more "commercial". The band seemingly hasn't got very much studio experience, as they don't sound very tight unit. Bass lines are nice (Roelofs?) and Peters plays some great guitar parts, but Rob's not in his best mood. It's almost funny to hear the Nits toying with funky rhythms on two of the tracks, Mister Mister and Dancing Girl - Red Cat...

      The first version of Tutti Ragazzi can also be found on the album, and it really shows how much better they will get within one year.

      (From Suonna Kononen)

      Credits

      all songs written by henk hofstede (except london letters/after thoughts/susan my love by michiel peters)
      alex roelofs bass guitar backing vocals
      rob kloet drums percussion backing vocals
      michiel peters guitars lead and backing vocals mandolin
      henk hofstede keyboards guitars lead and backing vocals
      paul telman stage sound engineer rails and rain was recorded at dureco studios weesp
      produced and engineerd by sytze gardenier
      all others were recorded at rockfield studios monmouth south wales
      during the last two weeks of july 1977
      produced by alan david sound engineer mike (aca) pela
      all songs arranged by the nits
      mixed by sytze and the nits
      special thanks to rob dresselhuis and jean-pierre burdorf our executive producers for making it possible to record this album
      cover design henk
      photo insert alex
      cover photography john prins fotografie b.v.
      special credits to rob flapperhorst
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