Day of Phoenix -

Day of Phoenix was a Danish post-psych band that released the 1970–72 albums Wide Open N-way and The Neighbour’s Son.

Members: Cy Nicklin (guitar, vocals, 1968-69), Karsten Lyng Nielsen (guitar), Jess Stæhr Nielsen (bass, 1968-69), Ole Prehn (guitar, acoustic guitar), Henrik Friis Nielsen (drums, percussion), Hans Lauridsen (vocals, 1969), Erik Stedt Rasmussen (bass, piano, 1969)

Background

Day of Phoenix formed in early 1968 in Copenhagen. The band came out of the rhythm-and-blues unit The Maniacs and took an early push from British guitarist-singer Cy Nicklin, who had already worked through the Danish folk circuit in Cy & Maia and Cy, Maia & Robert. Guitarists Karsten Lyng Nielsen and Ole Prehn, bassist Jess Stæhr Nielsen, and drummer Henrik Friis Nielsen gave the group its local core, while Nicklin brought outside experience and a stronger link to the city’s late-1960s underground.

In April 1968, they debuted with the Sonet single “Tell Me” (3:00), a Dave Cousins composition backed with “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today” (2:24), a Randy Newman cover. That first phase still held close to the band’s beat and blues roots, but the lineup soon shifted.

Nicklin left in 1969, Hans Lauridsen took the lead-vocal role, and bassist-pianist Erik Stedt Rasmussen arrived from Beefeaters. That version of Day of Phoenix appeared in the 1969 film Helle for Lykke and moved toward longer, darker material with twin-guitar interplay and wider instrumental space. Elsewhere, Nicklin shuffled through High Crossfield and Pan before he launched Culpeper’s Orchard.

Wide Open N-way

Day of Phoenix released their debut album, Wide Open N-way, in December 1970 on Sonet.

Guitarists Ole Prehn and Karsten Lyng stretch the debut through dual-electric lines, 12-string passages, and long sections that break apart and gather again under fresh accents. Bassist-pianist Erik Stedt adds piano and saw to that surface, and the writing splits between Prehn alone and Prehn-Lyng partnerships.

The title track builds through repeated surges, each return hitting harder before the center gives way to echo, fracture, and near-stillness, then gathers itself for one last vocal rise. “Cellophane 1&2” starts in a warmer, more intimate frame, then tightens and darkens as the singing grows harder and the arrangement pushes toward sharper, more exposed exchanges.

“If You Ask Me” lands with the album’s bluntest impact through its rough surface, straight attack, and unsoftened pace. “Mind Funeral” opens in a hushed, reflective state, then shifts into a more volatile second half where the tempo, weight, and internal pressure keep changing until the closing break hits the album’s hottest point. “Tick-Tack” ends the record in miniature, stripped to a fragile outline.

A1. “Wide Open N-Way” (11:33)
A2. “Cellophane” (13:44)

B1. “If You Ask Me” (4:49)
B2. “Mind Funeral” (12:29)
B3. “Tick-tack” (1:10)

Day of Phoenix recorded Wide Open N-way at Ivar Rosenberg Lydteknik in Copenhagen between June 1 and June 10, 1970, then mixed the album at Olympic Studios in London with producer Tony Reeves, engineer Ivar Rosenberg, and mixer-engineer George, whose surname does not appear in the supplied credits. John Ovesen designed the gatefold sleeve, Mogens Carrebye supplied the front photograph, and Jens Forlev supplied the center and back photographs.

The band did not move straight to a follow-up. Erik Stedt Rasmussen died in 1971, and that loss broke the group’s momentum and forced a pause.

In the meantime, Day of Phoenix released a non-album single, recorded at Rosenborg Studio with Freddy Hanson.

A. “Deep Within the Storm” (3:25) – Prehn
B. “Chicken Skin” (3:53) – Lyng, Prehn

The Neighbour’s Son

Day of Phoenix released their second album, The Neighbour’s Son, in 1972 on Sonet.

Karsten Lyng broadens the second album with piano and organ while Ole Prehn shifts between bass, guitar, maracas, and tambourine, which gives the shorter songs a denser internal weave than the debut. Guitarist-keyboardist Karsten Lyng and guitarist-bassist Ole Prehn carry most of the lead motion, with wind player Bent Hesselmann entering as a secondary color.

“Paradox” gives the group its broadest canvas, extending the instrumental exchange and opening more room for movement than the surrounding songs. “Our Love Has Ended” closes on a calmer, cleaner note, while the rest of the album holds to a rougher, more direct attack.

A1. “I’m Feeling So Lonely” (2:24) – Lyng
A2. “Magic Wind” (2:38) – Lyng, Prehn
A3. “Drifting” (1:53) – Prehn
A4. “Zombie” (3:35) – Lyng, Prehn
A5. “Paradox” (6:30) – Lyng, Prehn

B1. “It’s a Long Way” (3:23) – Lyng
B2. “Turn Me On” (3:25) – Lyng
B3. “So We Meet Again” (4:33) – Lyng, Prehn
B4. “Use Your Sense” (3:57) – Lyng
B5. “Our Love Has Ended” (2:49) – Lyng

Day of Phoenix recorded The Neighbour’s Son at Ivar Rosenberg Soundtechnic in Copenhagen with producer Tony Reeves and engineer Freddy Hansson for Danish Music Centre Production. John Fowlie handled the artwork, Chris Olesen supplied the layout, and Sonet housed the album in a thin textured sleeve with a pinched spine at top and bottom.

Discography: