Nikki Sudden

Nikki Sudden
File:94004nikki11.jpg Nikki Sudden at Cake Shop, New York - 24 March 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Adrian Nicholas Godfrey
Born	19 July 1956 (1956-07-19) London, England, UK
Died	New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Alternative Rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician, rock critic
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1977–2006
Labels	Creation, Glass, UFO, Glitterhouse
Associated acts	Jacobites, R.E.M., Swell Maps
Notable instruments
Ibanez Les Paul Gibson Flying V Gibson Les Paul Special Fender Telecaster

Nikki Sudden (19 July 1956 – 26 March 2006), born Adrian Nicholas Godfrey, was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks while attending Solihull School in Solihull.

Career

Nikki Sudden was born Adrian Nicholas Godfrey in London, England. The main influences on Sudden's music were artists such as T. Rex, the Rolling Stones, the Faces, Bob Dylan and Johnny Thunders. Following the break-up of Swell Maps in 1980, he started a solo career and also released records with Dave Kusworth as the Jacobites.

Sudden collaborated with, among others, Mike Scott and Anthony Thistlethwaite of the Waterboys, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, The Golden Horde as 'The Last Bandits', Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones, Rowland S. Howard, Jeremy Gluck of the Barracudas, Ian McLagan of Small Faces and the Faces, Phil Shoenfelt, Al DeLoner of Midnight Choir, Tom Ashton of the March Violets, members of R.E.M. and Sonic Youth. The Jacobites' tune "Pin Your Heart" was covered on the Lemonheads' 1997 single "The Outdoor Type".

Sudden also wrote for a number of music magazines, such as Spex, INTRO, Mojo, the local Birmingham based fanzine Waxstreet Dive, and Bucketfull of Brains. At the time of his unexpected death, he was writing his autobiography, as well as a history of the Wick (an estate in Richmond once owned by Ronnie Wood, currently owned by Pete Townshend), and was due to perform in London on the 29 March 2006. Sudden died from a heart attack at the age of 49 after performing at the Knitting Factory.

Reissues

In September 2013, it was announced that The Numero Group would reissue a series of Sudden's albums on vinyl, with Waiting on Egypt, The Bible Belt, Jacobites, and Robespierre's Velvet Basement scheduled for November 2013 release, and further releases Texas, Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc scheduled for February 2014.

Discography

Swell Maps

Albums

• A Trip to Marineville (1979)
• Jane From Occupied Europe (1980)

Compilations

• Whatever Happens Next... (1981)
• Collision Time (1981)
• Train Out of It (1986)
• Collision Time Revisited (1989)
• International Rescue (1999)
• Sweep The Desert (2000)
• Wastrels and Whippersnappers (2006)

Singles

• "Read About Seymour" (1977)
• "Dresden Style" (1978)
• "Real Shocks" (1979)
• "Let's Build a Car" (1979)

The Jacobites

Jacobites

• Jacobites (1984, Glass Records)
• Robespierre's Velvet Basement (1985, Glass Records)
• Lost In A Sea Of Scarves (1985, What´s So Funny About)
• Texas (1986)
• Dead Men Tell No Tales (1988)
• Howling Good Times (1993, Regency Sound)
• Old Scarlett (1995, Glitterhouse/EfA)
• God Save Us Poor Sinners (1998, Glitterhouse/EfA/Bomp! Records) (2 editions with different track lists)

Compilations and live

• The Ragged School (1985, US – Vinyl-Sampler for North America, Twintone)
• Fortune Of Fame (1988, Glass Records, Sampler)
• Heart Of Hearts (1995, Por Caridad Producciones, Sampler)
• Kiss Of Life (1996, n.UR-Kult Releases, Swamp Room Records - Live LP)
• Hawks Get Religion (1996, Regency Sound, Sampler)

Singles

• "Shame For The Angels E.P." (1984, Glass Records)
• "Pin Your Heart To Me2" (1985, Glass Records)
• "When The Rain Comes" (1986, Glass Records)
• "Jangle Town" (1987) from Texas
• "Margaritta" (1993, Regency Sound) comes with "Howling Good Times" LP
• "Don´t You Ever Leave Me" (1993, Regency Sound) from "Howling Good Times"
• "Over And Over" (1997, Ultra Under Records)
• "Teenage Christmas" (1998, Chatterbox Records) comes with "God Save Us Poor Sinners" LP
• "The Otter Song" (2011, Sunthunder Records)

Solo

Albums

• Waiting on Egypt (1982)
• The Bible Belt (1983)
• Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc [with Rowland S. Howard] (1987)
• Crown of Thorns (1988)
• Groove (1989)
• The Jewel Thief [with R.E.M.] (1991)
• Seven Lives Later (1996)
• By The Light Of The Burning Citroen (1997, Cassette only release)
• From the Warwick Road to the Banks of the Nile (1997)
• Egyptian Roads (1997)
• Red Brocade [with The Chamberstrings] (1999)
• Treasure Island (2004)
• The Truth Doesn't Matter (2006 album)
• Golden Vanity (2009) [posthumous release with Phil Shoenfelt, original recording from 1998]

Compilations, live, reissues

• Back to the Coast (1990)
• Liquor, Guns and Ammo (with R.E.M.) (2000) re-release of The Jewel Thief
• The Last Bandit (2000)
• The Nikki Sudden Compendium (2001)
• Tel Aviv Blues (2011, acoustic recording from 2002)
• Playing With Fire (2011, Outtakes from "Treasure Island" & "The Truth Doesn't Matter")
• The Boy From Nowhere Who Fell Out Of The Sky (2013, 6xCD Box Set)
• Still Full Of Shocks (2013, Limited Edition, Live Acoustic Session)
• Fred Beethoven (2014, CD and Limited Blue Vinyl LP, original recordings from 1997-1999)

Singles

• "Back To The Start" (1981)
• "Channel Steamer" (1982) from Waiting On Egypt
• "Wedding Hotel" (1987) from Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc
• "Lunacy Is Legend EP" (1987)
• "The Angels Are Calling" (1989)
• "The Sun Is Shining" (1990) from The Jewel Thief
• "I Belong to You" (1991) from The Jewel Thief
• "Buick MacKane" (1991)
• "Whiskey Priest" (1992) from Seven Lives Later
• "Bourgeois Blues" (1992)
• "So Many Girls" (1999) from Red Brocade
• "Hanoi Jane" (2005) from Golden Vanity
• "Barroom Blues" (2006)

Bibliography

• The Last Bandit - A Rock´n`Roll Life by Nikki Sudden (2011 – Italy – Arcana Edizioni Srl)

Movieology

• "Unter der Milchstrasse" (1996 – Germany – Director: Matthias X. Oberg) – Nikki Sudden & Dave Kusworth play two drunken musicians on a train
• "Planet Alex" (2001 – Germany – Director: Uli M. Schüppel) – Nikki Sudden plays a drunkard
• "Far East Man" (2002, Live Concert of Ron Wood at Shepherds Bush Empire, 11.12.2001) - Nikki Sudden is standing in the audience in front of Ron Wood and can be seen several times
• "Honey Baby" (2004 – Germany – Director: Mika Kaurismäki, Music: Nikki Sudden)
• "Egoshooter" (2004 – Germany – Director: Wim Wenders, Music: Nikki Sudden a.o. – Nikki Sudden has a small role as himself)
• "The Pacific and Eddy" (2006 – USA – Director: Matthew Nourse, Music: Jacobites, Nikki Sudden, Epic Soundtracks) – Nikki Sudden as Silhouette
• "Last Time In Berlin - Nikki Sudden Documentary" (2006 – D – Director: Daniel Horn, Music: Jacobites, Nikki Sudden, a. o.) - unreleased

External links

• Profile, Discogs.com; accessed 15 August 2015
• Nikki Sudden performs live, WFMU.org; accessed 15 August 2015
• PUNKCAST#940 Live video from Cake Shop NYC, 24 March 2006