Nirvana (1960s band)
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- For other uses of the name, see Nirvana (disambiguation).
Nirvana was a British rock band of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Formed in 1965 in the beginnings of psychedelia, the band, composed of Alex Spyropoulos and Patrick Campbell-Lyons, produced a number of singles (notably "Rainbow Chaser", "Pentecost Hotel", and "Tiny Goddess") for the fledgling Island Records, following them with the concept album The Story of Simon Simopath. The album was the first concept album ever. Musically, the group mixed together psychedelia, chamber, rock, pop, beat, and folk music to create a unique whole. The next year their follow up, All Of Us, repeated the success. Their third album To Markos III was released on the financially-strapped Pye label in 1969.
By 1971 the band had split, with only Campbell-Lyons contributing to their two later albums, Local Anaesthetic 1971, and Songs Of Love And Praise 1972. Campbell-Lyons later used his own namae to issue three further, low-selling, albums... Me And My Friend 1973, Electric Plough 1981, and The Hero I Might Have Been 1983.
The band reunited in 1985, successfully touring Europe, and releasing a compilation album Black Flower 1987 containing some new material. In the 1990s two further albums were released. Secret Theatre 1994 compiled rare tracks and demos, while Orange And Blue 1996 contained previously unreleased material recorded for Island Records in 1968 and 1969 plus one new song, a cover of the track "Lithium" originally recorded by the American rock band Nirvana who had been recording music since 1988, and who Campbell-Lyons had sued over use of the name Nirvana.