Roger Nichols wrote some of the biggest hits of the 20th century, his songs were recorded by such illustrious names as Frank Sinatra, The Carpenters, The Monkees and many more. Before he made a name for himself as a songwriter, he recorded a disc of his own for the ultra-hip A&M label in 1968, the legendary Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends album.

The friends in the title were Melinda and Murray MacLeod, sister and brother, joined by a veritable who’s who of the Californian music scene. Alas, not even the presence of sound engineer Bruce Botnick, fresh from the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds production, Van Dyke Parks and A&M in-house producer TommyLiPuma could rescue the album from its fate as a flop.

The sales figures may have been disappointing but Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends ultimately attained classic status as a lost masterpiece of Californian pop, earning its rightful place in discerning record collections alongside Pet Sounds, Forever Changes and Head. Possibly the most important LP of the soft-pop/sunshine-pop era has been reissued on more than one occasion over the years, yet has been unavailable in recent times – unless you are willing to part with vast sums of money on typical online platforms. Tapete Records have vowed to rectify this intolerable situation.

With impeccable timing, we are rereleasing this superb record on its 50th anniversary. To celebrate, the limited edition LP version of 1,000 copies also contains a 7 inch single from the 1960s: The Drifter/Trust