As someone once said, age is just a number. It certainly is for 70-years-old Nick Croft, who releases his debut album, Beyond Why? on the 9th February 2024. “Actually, there was no rush,” chuckles the wise old owl. “I could have waited until I was 90.”
It’s probably best he didn’t wait; for Beyond Why? is a glistening, mostly self-penned collection of what Nick likes to call English Americana. These beautifully crafted songs are packed with the wisdom of experience, brimming with insight, rue and wit and you can whistle them in the bath.
And what experience he has. As the oldest of seven children, his upbringing was one of glorious chaos. The septet’s parents, David Croft and Ann Callender, were a significant part of the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s British television elite. Dad was co-writer of some of the era’s most loved comedy: Dad’s Army, Are You Being Served?, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Hi-De-Hi!, ‘Allo ‘Allo! and a slew of others which still raise warm smiles today.
“For me, it was completely normal,” Nick insists. “The actors – Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Paul Shane and the rest – would come round and we’d know them as people rather than stars. They’d share a bottle of wine with mum and dad and I’d hear the guffaws from the living room.”
Normal or not, Eddy Grant’s chart-topping band, The Equals, played Nick’s 16th birthday party and his date for his 18th was Miss Brahms of Are You Being Served?, aka Wendy Richard.
For Nick, though, convention and a City job in investment banking beckoned, “until it drove me mad” and his restless creativity won through. By the mid-‘70s he found himself in Redington Road, Hampstead, a jobbing songwriter and performer on the fringes of the London singer-songwriter scene. Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown lived in the basement. Above Nick were future Policeman Stewart Copeland and fellow Curved Air member Sonja Kristina, while Al Stewart’s manager Luke O’Reilly was putting the finishes touches to The Year Of The Cat.
In his last days as a banker, Nick had grasped the potential of the looming frisbee fad: “I went to America and discovered a 20c piece of plastic could retail for $3.50 and fell for it hook, line and sinker”. When he entered the British frisbee championships, held at half-time during a Chelsea game at Stamford Bridge, since “nobody else knew how to throw a frisbee”, there would only be one winner…
From there, there were freewheeling hedonistic times in California, pub gigs as a singer-songwriter, a water filtration business, street theatre, decorating and landscape gardening until the mid-’90s when Nick and his brother John acquired a recording studio in Camden Town.
Nick and John used their studio facilities to become ambient titans innersense. “We noticed everyone was getting so uptight; people needed to chill out”. For five albums and a slew of residencies in the chillout rooms of megaclubs, they were the gentle flipside of the rave scene as Nick stayed home to raise his kids. “My father wasn’t around much as was the custom of the time, so I made a vow that I would be there much more for the kids.” Those innersense albums are being remixed right now.
In the meantime, John had taken a ‘proper’ job in real estate management and was then able to save some money. With his booty, he turned to Nick and said “let’s make an album of your songs with some proper musicians”. As you might imagine, Nick replied “that’s a great idea” and Beyond Why? was born.
The brothers recruited Cameron Jenkins – late of Lana Del Rey, John Cale and The Charlatans – as producer, Charlie Jones of Page & Plant, Cult and Goldfrapp fame plays bass, Siouxsie’s drummer Rob Brian brings subtle rhythm, Melvin Duffy plays pedal steel and a handful of other accomplished musicians do their thing. The album was recorded at Real World Studios, England using analogue tape machines and plenty of other vintage gear. “It was a total delight – so easy on your ears”.
“The songs are mostly about my life,” explains Nick, “although there are collaborations with my writing partner Tim Nash. I used to ask ‘why?’, as in ‘what the f*** are we doing here’. Did we decide to come here? Did you ask your parents to come? It’s a mystery, so I kept asking’ why?’ As I got older that stopped. Now I’m beyond ‘why?’”.
Impeccably played, emotionally moving and packed with earworms and wisdom, Beyond Why? is the sound of a man belatedly coming to terms with his gifts.
“Beyond The Comfort Zone” is an anthem, a driving song. When my first relationship ended. I had no money and was, as the song says, “All alone, living in my father’s home, hitting all my friends for loans”, as the girl was the mother of my children I couldn’t just disappear. Then I found a flat near Hampstead Heath. Downstairs was a lady who was separated from her husband had two kids the same age as mine. I got over the blues.
“Razor’s Edge” found me pursuing an extremely glamorous woman who was into a party lifestyle, a lifestyle I was pulling out of. She wasn’t. Seeing someone on a downer and not being able to go with them meant I was in considerable discomfort. Talking about it now is making me shiver. It took me a long time to be able to sing this song.
“In contrast, “Roses In The Rain” is a proper love song, where love has gone beyond infatuation, beyond sex. It’s about the mother of my children in Beyond The Comfort Zone – I spent Christmas with her – so there’s a circle in these songs.”
“LOVE IS TOO SMALL a WORD” is the single from the album and has a real country feel.
It’ll be well-received of course, but as he embraces his eighth decade, Nick is under no illusions.
“I would love to make another album” he insists and if he does, it may reflect his Christian faith. “If a bit of stardom happens, that’s fine, but I’m old enough and ugly enough to not to worry”. My dad was into Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand and a good tune. He had a great work ethic and he’d admire the work that’s gone into this. I know he’d be proud.”
And finally, will Nick tour?
“I do hope so. It’ll be called the Hello & Farewell tour.”
