Watt Nicoll   •   Nice To Be Nice

• Nice To Be Nice
  • 1971 - Transatlantic XTRA 1122 LP (UK)

• Side One
  1. Song of the Car
  2. Love's Over
  3. Willow Twig Artist (Nicoll/Campbell)
  4. El Condor Pasa (trad)
  5. Ach, Ah Dinna Ken
  6. Border Lands

• Side Two
  7. Today Is the First Day
  8. Ca the Ewes (Burns)
  9. Dodi's Boys (Instrumental Selection) (trad)
     1. Lodging In the Cold Ground
     2. Kate Dalrymple
     3. Reel O' Stumpie O
  10. Home Town
  11. The Hour Glass Song

• Musicians
  • Watt Nicoll: vocal, whistle recorder
  • Doreen Swan: six string acoustic guitar, spoons, backing vocal
  • Eddie McEwan: banjo, mandolin, backing vocal
  • John Ballard: twelve string and six string acoustic guitars, backing vocal
  • Ronnie Rae: double bass
    Stanley Thomson: trombone, piano, fluegel horn, accordin, backing vocal

• Credits
  • Producer: Keith Bleasby
  • Recorded at Craighall Studio, Edinburgh
  • Engineer: Robert Sibbald
  • Mixed at Maximum Sound Studios, London SE1
  • Engineer: Dave Hadfield
  • Sleeve design: Michael F Hill
  • Front/back photographs: Robert A Collins
  • All songs written by Watt Nicoll, unless otherwise noted.

Sleeve Notes

Watt Nicoll is the Living Bard, of that there can be no doubt, his written word depicts the moods and changes of every working man. Like Scotland's immortal bard he is often criticised for his blunt attack in verse but, akin to the great man he does not jealously guard his manly reputation and bottle his finer emotions for fear of being branded 'nice'.

In this album Watt has his friends and relations around him, they have a knowledge of his work and are tuned to his thinking, the mood is reflective and the sentiments are rich, the music is exciting and like all Watt Nicoll performances, the material is original but one difference is that, for once, the bard has agreed it can be 'Nice to be Nice'.

Come fill yir jar an sit ye doon, ye'll no be askit twice
An if fir nae ither reason ye agree — it's nice tae be nice!
W.N.