Have You Heard of the Other Nirvana ? Critically Acclaimed Psych-Prog Band of the late 60's !

We have written a lot on 60’s British Psychedelia and prog on Rock Revival (see the post on Nuggets), but have you heard of Nirvana, not the grunge band but the early psychedelic prog band who formed way back in 1967

They were part of the Island Records stable, along with Free and Traffic, releasing one of the first concept albums ever The Story of Simon Simopath

In true early prog style they mixed classical, jazz, , folk to produce modern day Bach-style chamber pieces of rock

They produced 9 studio albums between 76 and 96, masny of the early ones can fit right in with the sophistication and experimentation of Pet Sounds, Odessey and Oracle, Revolver, etc.

As with so many brilliant lesser known bands (Montrose, James Gang, The Nice, Curved Air) the people who worked with them went on to greater things, in terms of popularity.

Tony Visconti produced them before Bowie, Bolan and the Moodey Blues

Mick Vickers helped them with arrangements before work with the Beatles on Abbey Road
Guy Stevens, engineer went on to work with Traffic, Sabbath, and Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd

In 1992 members of the band took Grunge Nirvana to court over their name and agreed to keep both bands under the same name for an undisclosed sum.

They reunited in 1995 and in 96 did a jokey hippy cover of Lithium by the other Nirvana.

Image: Courtesy Island