Culpeper's Orchard -

Culpeper’s Orchard was a Danish hard-rock/folk band that released the 1971/72 Polydor albums Culpeper’s Orchard, Second Sight, and Going for a Song. They regrouped as Culpeper for the 1977 Sonet title All Dressed Up & Nowhere to Go.

Members: Cy Nicklin (vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion), Nils Henriksen (lead guitar, piano, vocals, acoustic guitar, harpsichord), Michael Friis (bass, organ, flute, percussion), Rodger Barker (drums, percussion), Ken Gudman (drums), Niels Vangkilde (guitar), Nils Tuxen (pedal steel guitar, dobro), Thomas Puggaard-Müller (guitar), Tom McEwan (drums)

Background

Culpeper’s Orchard was a Copenhagen hard-rock/folk act formed in late 1969 by London-born guitarist–vocalist Cy Nicklin with guitarist–keyboardist Nils Henriksen, bassist–organist Michael Friis, and drummer Rodger Barker. Nicklin, resident in Denmark since 1963, emerged from the folk trio Cy, Maia & Robert and co-founded Day of Phoenix before leading Culpeper’s Orchard, where he wrote the bulk of their English-sung material. They debuted live on January 30, 1970, with a style rooted in country-rock and folk-rock in the mold of The Band and CSNY, heightened by progressive turns and harder rock dynamics.

Culpeper’s Orchard

Culpeper’s Orchard released their self-titled debut album in March 1971 on Polydor.

The album combines country-influenced folk passages, hard rock sections, progressive shifts, experimental textures, and acoustic interludes. Its structure alternates between subdued and forceful passages, with extended sections moving from pastoral to heavy.

Singer and rhythm guitarist Cy Nicklin wrote everything apart from two co-writes each with guitarist/harpsichordist Nils Henriksen (“Your Song & Mine,” “Blue Day’s Morning”) and “Gideon’s Trap” writer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Friis (“Teaparty for an Orchard,” “Ode to Resistance”). Friis plays bass, organ, flute, two finger piano, and shares percussive sundries with Henriksen and drummer Rodger Barker.

“Banjocul” opens with banjo and light folk vocals, leading into “Mountain Music Part 1,” an extended piece that alternates guitar-driven passages, strong rhythm parts, and softer organ–acoustic sections. “Hey You People” follows with brisk vocal harmonies and abrupt heavy shifts. “Teaparty for an Orchard” moves between folk passages, heavy breaks, and a midsection of avant textures before the vocal-led reprise. “Ode to Resistance” contrasts flute-acoustic sections with sudden rhythmic surges and guitar climaxes.

Side two starts with “Your Song & Mine,” which sets a forceful rhythm and guitar figure beneath extended solos. “Gideon’s Trap” layers piano over a steady beat before giving way to a guitar-led instrumental passage. “Blue Day’s Morning” places a short acoustic interlude before “Mountain Music Part 2,” which reprises earlier themes with blues-toned solos and a closing return to the banjo motif.

A1. “Banjocul” (0:45)
A2. “Mountain Music Part 1” (6:22)
A3. “Hey You People” (1:25)
A4. “Teaparty for an Orchard” (6:10)
A5. “Ode to Resistance” (5:55)

B1. “Your Song & Mine” (5:31)
B2. “Gideon’s Trap” (5:40)
B3. “Blue Day’s Morning” (2:08)
B4. “Mountain Music Part 2” (7:23)

Sessions occurred at Rosenberg Studio in Copenhagen with producer Casper and engineer Philip Foss. The sleeve design and layout came from Bernhard Boesen. Casper worked in sequence on the sole album by Blast Furnace.

Polydor followed the album with a standalone single: “Steamhouse” backed with “Classified Ads.”

A. “Steamhouse” (2:30)
B. “Classified Ads” (4:08)

Second Sight

Culpeper’s Orchard released their second album, Second Sight, in July 1972 on Polydor.

The album leans more toward acoustic and folk elements than the debut, while retaining blues-based rock passages and extended instrumental interplay. Its tone is generally more subdued, balancing carefully arranged harmonies and acoustic textures with heavier electric sections.

Cy Nicklin wrote most of the material, with Michael Friis co-writing “Keyboard Waltz” and writing “Autumn of It All.” Nils Henriksen contributed “Late Night Woman Blues,” and the closing “Satisfied Mind” came from Joe Hayes and Jack Rhodes.

Nicklin sings and plays acoustic, electric, and mandolin, while Henriksen handles lead guitar, piano, and steel guitar. Friis plays bass, organ, piano, sitar, acoustic guitar, and percussion. For this album, Rodger Barker cleared for Young Flowers drummer Ken Gudman, a onetime member of Danish beatsters The Defenders.

“Julia” opens with acoustic folk restraint. “Keyboard Waltz” blends acoustic interplay and organ textures. “Classified Adds” shifts to driving hard rock. “Late Night Woman Blues” stretches into amplified slide and rhythm guitar over a traditional blues form. Side two centers on “Mind Pollution / Weather Report,” a near-ten-minute piece that moves from acoustic folk beginnings to a forceful rock section. “Autumn of It All” returns to a folk setting, while “Satisfied Mind” closes with country-leaning American folk.

A1. “Julia” (3:14)
A2. “Keyboard Waltz” (4:20)
A3. “Classified Adds” (4:08)
A4. “Late Night Woman Blues” (6:33)

B1. “Mind Pollution / Weather Report” (9:30)
B3. “Autumn of It All” (4:04)
B4. “Satisfied Mind” (6:00)

Sessions occurred at Rosenberg Studio in Copenhagen with producer Casper and engineer Freddy Hansson.

Second Sight features a cover drawing by Swedish illustrator John Bauer, adapted from his 1913 work “Tuvstarr is still sitting there wistfully looking into the water.”

Going for a Song

Culpeper’s Orchard released their third album, Going for a Song, in December 1972 on Polydor.

The album pivots almost entirely into country rock, favoring steel guitar, mandolin, and vocal harmony arrangements. The lineup changed again with Tom McEwan on drums and vocals, Niels Vangkilde replacing Nils Henriksen on guitar, and Nils Tuxen added on steel guitar and dobro.

Cy Nicklin remains the primary writer, with contributions from Michael Friis and Tom McEwan (“She’s Back Again,” “Before It Begun”), Niels Vangkilde and McEwan (“Time Flies”), and Nicklin’s brother Gary (“Good Days,” “Sailor,” “Couldn’t Be Better,” “Roger and Out”). Nils Tuxen co-wrote “Alone in Pain.”

The short opener “Trying to Find Home” sets a brisk, country-inflected pace, while “Good Days” follows with bright harmony passages. “Alone in Pain” slows the pace with steel guitar stretches and a reflective tone. “Time Flies” expands into six minutes with layered guitars and shifting instrumental interplay. The second side leans into longer tracks, with “Sailor” extending on vocal harmonies and “Roger and Out” built on heavier guitar passages. The album closes with “New Day, New Day,” a brief coda centered on Nicklin’s voice and acoustic guitar.

A1. “Trying to Find Home” (3:32)
A2. “She’s Back Again” (3:13)
A3. “Good Days” (2:25)
A4. “Alone in Pain” (4:07)
A5. “Time Flies” (6:12)

B1. “Sailor” (6:15)
B2. “Couldn’t Be Better” (4:10)
B3. “Roger and Out” (3:48)
B4. “Before It Begun” (2:50)
B5. “New Day, New Day” (1:33)

Sessions occurred at Rosenberg Studio in Copenhagen with producer Casper and engineer Freddy Hansson.

All Dressed Up & Nowhere to Go

Culpeper released their fourth album, All Dressed Up & Nowhere to Go, in 1977 on Sonet.

The album marked the addition of Thomas Puggaard-Müller on guitar and shifted the band toward progressive jazz-rock.

The lineup featured Cy Nicklin on electric and acoustic guitars and lead vocals, Thomas Puggaard-Müller on electric and pedal steel guitars, Michael Friis on bass and keyboards with backing vocals, and Tom McEwan on drums, percussion, and secondary vocals.

Nicklin composed five tracks and co-wrote “Moontime” with Friis, who contributed “Who Feeds the City.” Producer Gary Nicklin wrote lyrics for all tracks apart from “It’s All Done by Mirrors,” a short piece by Puggaard-Müller.

A1. “Somewhere Near You” (3:54)
A2. “Moontime” (4:50)
A3. “Winners and Loosers” (3:45)
A4. “Prelude” (5:51)

B1. “Who Feeds the City” (5:05)
B2. “At the Speed of Sound” (3:27)
B3. “It’s All Done by Mirrors” (1:44)
B4. “Sad Decline” (8:22)

Sessions occurred at an unspecified studio with Gary Nicklin producing and providing backing vocals.

Discography: