The summer of 1991 finally found Nick and Chris at home in their home studio “The Coach House”. Several new songs were being recorded for what was turning into a bizarre debut album.
During the recording of the album Nick’s grandmother, Trudy, entered the room when Nick and Chris were writing an as yet untitled string-arranged instrumental. “I’m off out now” said Trudy, “Where are you going ?” inquired Nick “To Nancy’s house for a tea party” came the reply. And so was born the bizarre concept of not only naming the song after the tea party but also using the whole theme as a backdrop for the entire album.
The boys warmed to the theme with growing enthusiasm. Sound effects were used between songs and narration added by Trudy herself, Monica and her husband Kevin. Anything that had any relevance to the theme or to the song or was simply silly enough was added giving the debut a fresh and unpretentious feel.
It was a concept album like no other. Even a waltz was quickly written and recorded with Cello accompaniment; a far cry from their usual rock’n’roll but somehow just as representative of the band’s outlook as any other of their tracks. It soon became apparent that Fawcett / Poustie had no musical restrictions on what genre they could attempt.
It was as experimental a debut album as you’re ever likely to here and somehow the senseless concept and weird mix of seemingly conflicting themes and genres fit together like a magic psychedelic jigsaw.
Added to all the songs recorded between 1989 and 1990 were several new pieces, “Makes Me Grow” a standard rocker, “Sail Away” a soft acoustic guitar ballad, “Those Were The Nights” a sentimental commercial rocker, “Come To Seranade You” a spoof 1920’s accapella anthem “Loves Monopoly” a bluesy rocker, “You Can Believe in Me”, a heartfelt ballad, “Turn The ignition” a petrol-fuelled honky-tonker, the aforementioned “Nancy’s Last Waltz” and a raw semi-live rework of the original anthem “We Rock’n’Roll”.
The end result was a staggering 16-song journey through the heart and veins of pure, young rock and roll experimenting teenagers. It was raucous, delicate, humorous, ludicrous, raunchy and more than anything else brilliantly eccentric !!
The boys were delighted with their debut. It was their first real album and it also represented their first documented contribution to rock’n’roll. They loved it like a son and proudly boasted to their friends of having recorded the greatest album of all time.
The cover picture predates most, if not all, of the recordings found on the album. It is a classic photograph taken by Chris’ mother in a Bangkok hotel lobby during a holiday the boys took in 1988. Also included in the packaging is a sheet detailing the songs, writers and special guests and narrators used during the recordings. There is also a special dedication to Thomas R Bolin, the boys’ hero and influence who had tragically died 15 years prior to the release of “Nancy’s Tea Party”.
Immediately following “Nancy’s” release the boys recorded some promotional videos to accompany the singles. “Sail Away” features a bearded Chris dressed as a New York pimp and Nick dressed as a 70’s disco king camping it up and obviously having fun in a field not far from “The Coach House”. The other tracks to be included on “Nancy’s Tea Party-The Videos” are “I Need Your Love”, “Love’s Monopoly”, “Those were the Nights” all recorded in bizarre costumes in a guest room at the Coach House and a storming live take of “We Rock’n’Roll” which fantastically captures the band live and raw.
1991 had been a triumphant year for Fawcett / Poustie. They had dispelled the doubters who had questioned whether they would ever complete an album and silenced the critics with a sound and style so varied and interesting that it couldn’t be labelled, classified or categorised.
If they were never to achieve anything else in their lives at least they had accomplished their most important dream. They had made an album and a great album at that. They had written, performed, recorded, mixed, arranged and produced the entire record without the help of a single music industry or record company outsider.
They had developed a unique and timeless style and sense of passion in their music that few artists ever achieve and what’s more they had captured songs representative of their lives at that point flavoured by their own distinctive sense of humour. They had covered a range of genres without relying on commercial formula or by following fashions or trends.
The summer success was further documented by the recording of “Live in Northwich II” a sequel to the original showcasing the new songs taken from “Nancy’s”. To be honest it was a shoddy affair, rush-released and surplus to requirements. The boys had excelled on their first live release but it seemed that after the enormous achievement of “Nancy’s” they had little energy or concentration left to produce a decent live recording. They would eventually learn their lesson from rush-releasing live albums but not for another year.
Returning to the studio for 1½ days just before Christmas in 1991 the boys had time to record the brilliantly enjoyable “Stocking Filler” EP.
Nick demonstrated his fast growing talent at song-writing with the wonderfully catchy and memorable “I Never Said Goodbye” whilst Chris added the typical rocker “Take a Chance”, and a truly heartfelt dedication to Tommy Bolin “Playing For You”. Also the band recorded one of their funniest songs to date, the dual-penned “Another Funky Christmas” (featuring Myles Ford on backing vocals).
And so they ended the year with a gift to their fans “Stocking Filler” a great treat and glimpse of things to come and also a much welcomed “filler” in the true sense with which to bridge the gap between “Nancy’s” and the next studio adventure.