TheCellarTapes

Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968
(1972)



Tracks


What can I say about Volume One of the Nuggets compilation that hasn't already been said, this album after all is still one of the most important purchases I have ever made.

The cheap price tag of this collection is quite frankly daft, but with an array of quality songs from relatively unknown bands being quite literally immense on this compilation, as a starting point you cannot really do much better. So in short, you have no excuse, you need to have this compilation in your collection now.

Originally compiled and released in 1972 on the Sire Record label, by Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman with help from Lenny Kaye, Nuggets has become a superb gateway into the 1960's Psychedelic and Garage scenes of the United States, and in particular the vibrant West Coast scene.

I play at least 3 songs from this record every week on my radio show and since my purchase, have expanded my collection buying albums from bands which featured on this compilation and strangely even bands that didn't. Bands which before I bought Nuggets, I never even knew existed, but whom I now consider to be producers of some of the finest songs from the period.

At the time this record was released, compilations were the reserve of the greatest hits from the biggest acts. But Holzman and Kaye took a different view; their work here was to place the spotlight on acts which may have otherwise easily been overlooked by history, which makes this compilation even the more staggering.

I could list all the quality songs on this compilation, but that would mean just listing the entire track list, but I’m going to try and condense the highlights.

The album begins with the title track from 1967’s I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) by The Electric Prunes, which as mentioned previously in this journal is a stunning fuzzy opener written by the queens of the underground, Nancy Mantz and Annette Tucker.



Next up is 1965’s Dirty Water by Los Angeles group The Standells, a veiled protest song; it probably has the catchiest hook on the record. Track 9 is also from Los Angeles and is instantly memorable; Pushin’ Too Hard by The Seeds is a relentless rampage from 1966, it won’t win awards for lyrical content but certainly follows the winning formula of what makes a garage classic so marvellous.



More underground hooks follow, the most well known is probably Liar Liar by Minnesota group, The Castaways. On first listen it may appear jolly and upbeat, but I’m starting to think that this song is rather dark and sinister. The same can be said for the output of Texas Garage Greats The 13th Floor Elevators. Their breakthrough from 1966 You’re Gonna Miss Me can of course be found on this compilation.

The next track which probably deserves a mention is Hey Joe, a fast paced early version from 1965 by Los Angeles group The Leaves, at present this is my favourite song on this compilation and in my view makes a mockery of the Jimi Hendrix version…..controversial I know.



There are of course examples of pure filth to be had on this compilation as well, namely from Michigan with The Amboy Dukes covering 1935’s Big Joe Williams number Baby, Please Don’t Go, a song made famous by British group, Them. Say what you want about Ted Nugent, but with this song he certainly has napalmed this classic to the depths, wonderful. More filth follows from San Jose, with the brilliant Lets Talk About Girls by The Chocolate Watchband, this song should probably come with a health warning.

And there I shall stop, to be fair I could have written tonnes about every song on this compilation, but that would probably ruin the surprise. Its easy to say that this album is a "must have" as such comments are used all over the shop on this World Wide Web thingy, but seriously if you don't own this album, you are missing out on a whole new world of music.

But that said this album should not be considered the definitive, but more a starting point. Buy this album and start saving straight away, because you're going to need a bigger boat.