Nice Day EP

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Nice Day EP
Nice Day EP cover
EP by His Name Is Alive
Released 1997
Recorded 1996
Genre Rock
Length 14:22
Label 4AD Records
Producer His Name Is Alive
Professional reviews
His Name Is Alive chronology
Stars on ESP
(1996)		 Nice Day EP
(1997)		 Ft. Lake
(1998)

Nice Day is an EP released by 4AD in the UK in 1997, originally only as a limited mail-order release. An expanded version, featuring songs previously released in the UK, appeared on 4AD's USA release (distributed by Warner Bros. Records), was called Nice Day, Pt. 2.

Contents

[edit] History

After the completion of the tour for Stars on ESP, His Name Is Alive leader Warren Defever found himself with a steady lineup for perhaps the first time in the band's history: veterans vocalist Karin Oliver and drummer Trey Many; newer members vocalist Lovetta Pippen and bassist Chad Gilchrist, along with Defever himself on guitar, and newer vocalist Erika Hoffman (who sings on four of the six tracks). As a result, Defever was anxious to make a new recording and quickly recorded the tracks for this EP in late 1996. It would be almost a year later, in October 1997, before it was released. Apparently this irked Defever somewhat, as the booklet for the 1999 compilation Always Stay Sweet features a copy of a fax that Defever sent to 4AD urging them to hurry up and release the EP.

While originally intended as a mail-order only release of 1,000 copies, the CD EP was soon re-pressed and sold in stores.

[edit] Concepts

Nice Day furthers the motifs of Stars on ESP--classic AM radio pop and Michigan in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but takes a more rock-oriented approach. The sound could be described as a mix between Motown and the grittier side of that era in Detroit: the protopunk sounds of The Stooges and the MC5. The Motown influence comes through via the increased presence of Pippen, an experienced soul and gospel singer.

[edit] Track listing

[edit] 4AD UK release (JAD7009CD)

  1. Nice Day
  2. Drive Around the Clock
  3. Crashed Up on the Corner
  4. Soul Resides in the Horse Barn
  5. Whale You Ease My Mind
  6. Oh Sinner Man

While the EP is out of print, these tracks are now appended on current releases of Stars on ESP.

[edit] 4AD/Warner Brothers release

The 4AD USA release, distributed by Warner Brothers, was named Nice Day, Part 2, and contained the tracks from the 1996 Universal Frequencies CD single, which had only been released in the UK. This version was released in an extremely small quantity and has not been reissued since.