I bought this 2021 cd(issued by Madfish) titled "Secrets"by Nirvana,as in George Alex Spyropoulos and Patrick Campbell-Lyons,and both are credited as the writers of all songs,and theres also performance credits to people from the london cast of Hair 1968.....so i'm taking or assuming these could be performances and recordings from 68 or 69,as there is very little info on the cd concerning the recordings,it's fruition,its recording, and why it lay unreleased.Though there is also a credit stating that the Grand Theatrical Rights for stage film and TV are the property of the duo.Plus 1972 is mentioned,so i've no idea of the timeline,these recordings would fit in with the Nirvana discography.Maybe someone can hopefully give more info?

I must also add,who ever thought up the sleeve artwork and graphics, need a new career,as the sleeve makes it looks like it could be a cd full of hi n-r-g music,or some synth jazzy cocktail music.It is s horrible garish cheap looking thing, and does this fab 60s outfit no favours at all.

As for the "story"in the centre sleeve,i take it there's some concept to go with the music and lyrics......but in truth i'd have preferred more information concerning the recordings.

Ahhh the music,from a act with 3 smashing albums,full of beautiful arrangements,lush orchestration,memorable songs and possibly a claim to one of the first early rock concept albums with "The Story Of Simon Simopath".So what do i hear on this?

Listening to this,it's clear there was an idea in musical form for a stage show,as genre wise,it's fairly all over the place musically,with gospel influences to be heard on the likes of Secrets and What Do You Are,but you do hear their pop writings with the likes of Bingo Boy and Living In a Blind Spot,but for me they are the only 2 songs with any semblance of anything in common with their 3 former albums,as this IS clearly aimed for a stage show,there is that chorus stage feel and vibe of say something like Hair or Jesus Christ superstar,but nowhere as good,as either of the music on those.

This feels like sketches of an idea,and it never got further,there's even mellotron on the number Someone Stole My Mona Lisa,which is a dreary song,and the mellotron is the ONLY decent thing about the song.THAT is the problem,the songs are NOT exciting enough,good enough to fill a full stage show,in fact its rather dreary listening in my opinion,and this is a curio at best,as i can't see anyone on hear listeninhg to this more than once or twice,as a musical experiences,it's flat,uninspiring,nothing in relation to their classic psych era stylings.

This also has the feeling of some modern ovedubs or tweeking has taken place, as a song like "Its Good To Have a Home" sounds like something a group like Yes would have drummed up in the 80s.....yuk!!!

I'm sorry to report,in my opinion,this is NOT worth investing a tenner on,in particular for those who come here,i mean the song "I Want To Touch"is dadaish,but horrible and again sounding well after early 70s.....and some of the most out of tune vocals in the last 30 seconds you'll ever hear committed to tape.Trully ghastly.

I have a funny feeling,theres lack of "real" informative liners because THIS is a mix of sounds,possibly NOT from the late 60s/early 70s,there ARE of course songs from that time on here, like "Two Of A Kind"which is orchestrated with hammond organ,female vocals,but again it's dreary song,and as for "Why Dont You Like Me"is like an old 50s doo wop style song....torture for my ears."Freedom Chaser"is in a 70s soulful funk vibe with piano,and is not up my street.It DOES cleverly use Rainbow Chaser theme in part of the song though.

I personally found this cd awful,with only 2 songs i'd think of playing again,i'd rather this was NOT released,as i could have spent a tenner on something worthy of my hard earned money,as THIS certainly is NOT it!!
Are the acts being honest about stuff like this?The lack of definite dates makes these type of "achive"releases sound rather ingenuine,and cash ins......wool over the eyes,as simple as that,so i thought i'd put this on here as a warning to others on here,as you will probably have the same reaction.......what is this shit?.......Be careful,be very careful.....i dislike overdubs or tweeks added decades later onto old recordings, this reeks of it.

An AWFUL cd,which tarnishes the real talent of this duo,whos 3 albums from the late 60s are classics ,but this is just plain bad!!!!

Probably the best retrospective put together in recent times was last years Tintern Abbey 'Beeside' on Cherry Red - all the previously unheard tracks on that are of a very high standard.

Thanks for that Stuart as I was toying with the idea of getting it. Will prioritise:relaxed: other things now instead.

Paul

I had a feeling others on here may have been thinking of buying this,but alas it's a rotten product all over mate,from the awful sleeve design,whch really should have told me,this IS a release that should have stayed in the can,even the most ardent Nirvana obsessive will find very little to give plaudits to this......Nirvana products certainly have a questionable history of mixing old recordings with modern overdubs or modern tweeks,i remember a Nirvana number on a 60s uk psych comp,which was precisely this,a mix of old with modern overdubs,also the 3 cd box set"Chemistry"has moments that sound like a mix of old recordings with modern tweeks and additions....and on that box set,no dates are given to any of the recordings,though the 3 cds are seperated by Orchestral,Acoustic and rock/pop concept,and the years covered are 67-99,and it was licenced from Patrick Campbell Lyons....so maybe he is adding the modern bits,and tweeks.....as many musicians can't help themselves in messing with old recordings from their younger days,and try to fix any mistakes or parts they've never been happy with.......but music collectors and enthusiasts,dislike this,even when remixes are done to original recordings,i dislike that too,as it changes what the original was!!!
It seems some musicians,the OCD takes over when hearing old recordings,and those mistakes cant be ignored.........ooffttt

I own Secrets as part of the magnificent Songlife LP box from 2021, and although I don't hate it as much as you do, I agree that it should have stayed in the vaults. Or they should at least have been upfront with when it was recorded etc. Personally I don't consider it a part of the box set, and I will probably never play it again.

Yeah, I bought the Songlife vinyl box too, and I didn’t dislike Secrets to any excessive degree. True, it’s not great, but some of the songs I enjoyed. I agree that Freedom Chaser is a bit of a mis-step, and the cover is pretty awful, but a few of the songs worked for me, and if I’m being honest, there are songs on All of Us that i find ridiculously twee and hard to enjoy. My favorite album might be to Markos III if I’m considering a complete listening experience from beginning to end.
The Local Anaesthetic album feels a bit like it was an EP stretched to an album, but it’s an interesting listen as the band is more progressive there.
My one complaint about the boxed set is they didn’t include a vinyl single with the unreleased but fantastic demo Goodbye Baby Bunting. That song is too good not to have a vinyl existence, and the boxed set would have been a great place for it. You can get it on the 2 CD Nirvana collection Rainbow Chaser The Island Years.