Exquisite and extensive- The Show Must Go On collects the complete works of the first incarnation of the British Nirvana, plus a plethora of non-album singles, outtakes, rarities and later works – on a mammoth 12-CD set.  A veritable treasure-trove for completists and new initiates alike!

Release Date:  12^th September 2025

Label: Madfish Records

Formats: 12 x CD

FIRST WITH THE NAME

The British band that were first to the registrar’s counter with the name Nirvana, formed in 1966 and lasted until 1972.  They never enjoyed any significant or sustained success – their commercial peak came when 1968 single Rainbow Chaser reached the heady heights of #34 on the UK singles chart.  And, yet, it seemed that the band – principally guitarist/vocalist Patrick Campbell-Lyons and keyboardist/vocalist Alex Spyropoulos – left a lasting impression with everyone with whom they came into contact. 

And, now, with The Show Must Go On, a lavish, extensive, exquisite 12-CD boxset that gathers the complete works of that initial Nirvana incarnation and much more, Nirvana can continue to charm both their committed fanbase and, hopefully, a generation of new followers.  After all, there’s always a place in anyone’s record collection for whimsical psychedelia that blends late 60s observational pop, folk, world music and baroque styles, isn’t there? 

INTRODUCING: NIRVANA

Patrick Lyons-Campbell was born in Lismore, Co. Waterford and was educated in Ireland’s harsh, repressive Catholic institutions.  He hated the experience and, immediately after he managed to break free, in 1961, he headed for London.  In London, he fell in with the burgeoning music scene and soon started to form bands – first The Teenbeats and, later, The Second Thoughts, with whom he played the same circuits as, amongst others, the nascent Rolling Stones, the Who and The Pretty Things.  Stints with bands such as Swedish outfit, Lucifer and the Angels and The Merrymen followed, until Patrick met up with partner-to-be Alex in a Soho coffee bar in November 1966.

Alex Spyropoulos was born and raised in Athens.  He was a gifted artist and musician, but took the decision to study law in Paris – a decision almost certainly influenced by a desire to flee the military junta that, at the time was ruling Greece.  From Paris, he drifted to London, arriving there in 1964.  Upon arrival, he hooked up with record producer Ray Singer (a man who was to play a significant role in the establishment of Nirvana as a recording entity).  Along with Singer, Alex pursued a number of music projects, including writing and recording songs for a short film, and preparing material for Kiki Dee.

FROM COFFEE BAR TO STUDIO

Following their fortuitous Soho meeting, Patrick and Alex got down to work almost immediately and several of the songs that would feature on the as-yet-unnamed duo’s first couple of albums – including Tiny Goddess, Pentecost Hotel and Rainbow Chaser – first saw light of day during this initial period.

Patrick had performed with The Spencer Davis Group during his Second Thoughts Days and had kept in touch with that band’s bassist, Muff Winwood, bother of Stevie.  By 1967, Muff was working in A&R and he facilitated an introduction for Patrick and Alex to his label boss, Chris Blackwell.  The timing was immaculate, as Blackwell was, just then, in the process of expanding his Island Records roster from its reggae base, to include artists from the wider ‘underground’ movement.  The duo adopted the name ‘Nirvana,’ and they were up and running.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

This new boxset is a treasure trove, indeed.  Each of the eight Nirvana studio albums are included, all remastered and individually packaged in reproduction sleeves.  The three bonus discs of singles, B-sides, outtakes and demos include every Nirvana single with the exception of 1981 single, The Picture of Dorian Gray, including, particularly notably, the 1969 non-album single Oh! What a Performance, recorded with Island labelmates, Spooky Tooth.  The set is completed by a lavish hardback book that’s packed with pictures (many previously unseen), reproduction music press cuttings, full details of each of the featured tracks and a detailed and informative essay by journalist and record label owner, Richard Morton Jack.  Whether you’re a Nirvana afficionado or a curious newcomer, this product has everything you’ll need for your Nirvana voyage.

THE STORY OF SIMON SIMOPATH

Debut album, The Story of Simon Simopath (1967), included here in both stereo and mono formats as Discs 1 & 2 of the set, has a strong claim to the title of first-ever rock opera, pre-dating, as it does, the other principal claimants to that honour: The Pretty Things’ SF Sorrow, The Who’s Tommy, The Kinks’ Arthur and even The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle.  Over ten songs, the album tells the story of a disaffected office worker who flies away to find happiness with the goddess of his dreams.  It’s one of the great, lost, albums, well worth revisiting.  In fact, if you’re one of the lucky ones to have rediscovered Odessey and Oracle, you’ll find much that’s familiar here, but even more charming.

1968-1973

1968 album All of Us – included as Disc 3 – follows along the same lines as its predecessor, with similar late-60s psychedelic flavours, as does the third Nirvana album, To Markus III (1969).  Named after an uncle of Alex’s who, as legend has it, bankrolled the album, To Markus III had a troubled birth; it was rejected in its original form by Island (an affront reflected in Christopher Lucifer, a track on the album that hits back at label owner Blackwell).  The album was eventually released by Pye Records, but in limited numbers only and, like both its predecessors, it didn’t sell.  But, with tracks like Black Flower and The World is Cold Without You, it’s well worth a listen.

Alex and Patrick separated in 1971 and the next two Nirvana albums, Local Anaesthetic (1971) and Songs of Love and Praise (1972) were, essentially, Patrick Campbell-Lyons solo offerings, albeit recorded with the aid of established Nirvana aide, cellist Sylvia Schuster.  The breakup was the prelude to a short burst of solo work from Patrick and his 1973 solo album, Me and My Friend is included as Disc 8 of this set.

NIRVANA REFORM!

The breakup was a temporary one and, in 1985, Alex and Patrick reunited and Nirvana were whole once more.  Not included in this set, Secret Theatre, a compilation of outtakes and other previously unreleased material appeared in 1994, before Orange and Blue, notable for the duo’s reworking of Lithium, a song by the ‘other’ Nirvana, appeared in 1995.  Apparently, Lithium was intended as a forerunner of a complete album of interpretations of Nirvana#2 songs, by Nirvana #1.  It didn’t happen, unfortunately!

In 2020, Patrick unearthed a box of tapes of previously unreleased Nirvana songs.  With Alex’s help, the tapes were cleaned up and remastered, eventually seeing release, in 2023, by Madfish records as Secrets, the final Nirvana album in this collection.  Highlights amongst the album’s 14 tracks include the excellent Freedom Chaser, It’s Good to Have a Heart and the album’s enticing title track.

The Show Must Go On is an outstanding collection of material from a band that was criminally overlooked during its heyday.  Don’t make the same mistake again – this is a collection that could open minds to a whole world of excellent, enduring, music.

Watch a video – and listen to Rainbow Chaser, the 1968 ‘hit’ single from Nirvana, below:

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