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Title: Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedlic Era 1965-1968 [Box Set]
By: Various Artists
Released by: Rhino
Released on: September 15, 1998
Rating (out of 10): 10
Date: 05/24/2001

Dig It

The Nuggets double LP collection and its many imitators, culminating in the Nuggets box set reviewed here, represent a sort of shadow history of '60s rock 'n' roll. Although many of these songs became minor hits, they don’t really exist in the consciousness of the average fan of '60s music. This is sloppy music (in a good way), filled with fuzz guitars, simple chords, and killer hooks. It is as influential on the music that followed it as The Beatles, Dylan, and The Rolling Stones were. This is the original "punk rock," as many of the essays in the liner notes contend.

When the original Nuggets appeared in 1972, it was a 27-song double album. That album is reproduced here as the first disc of this outstanding box set. The other three discs push the total number of songs here to a whopping 118 that further the legend.

I first became aware of the original Nuggets in the late '70s. I was living just outside of Boston and the song “Dirty Water” by The Standells was a radio staple there. It had become a sort of unofficial Boston anthem (ironically, the band was based out of Los Angeles).

I’m gonna tell you a story
I’m gonna tell you about my town
I’m gonna tell you a big fat story baby
It’s all about my town

Yeah, down by the river
By the banks of the river Charles
Oh that’s whats happenin’ baby
That’s where you’ll find me
Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves
Ahh, but they’re cool people
Well I love that dirty water
Oooh Boston you’re my home.


This was just one among many songs from the Nuggets compilation that got played on Boston radio in those days. Unfortunately, the compilation was impossible to find, as it was long out-of-print. The rerelease of the set should be manna from the gods for any serious musicologist.

Some of the tracks on Nuggets are considered to be among the greatest rock songs ever ("Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen or "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs). Others may be obscure points on the map for even the most dedicated of garage-rock fans. Surely, you have heard many of the songs before, although you might not be able to place them just by hearing the song title or band name. Songs like “Night Time” by The Strangeloves or “Lies” by The Knickerbockers may hold a special place in one-hit-wonder history but they will most likely still be listened to years from now as examples of what makes rock 'n' roll great and exciting.

The Nuggets box set is subtitled Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968. Many of the bands here contain members you wouldn’t normally associate with psychedelic music. Have you ever heard of The Golliwogs? Probably not. They were Tom & John Fogerty’s band before they formed Creedence Clearwater Revival (and there is a hilarious picture in the liner notes of them wearing big, fuzzy white wigs). “Follow Me” by Lyme & Cybelle features Warren Zevon. Ted Nugent’s Amboy Dukes are represented here—as well as is Glen Campbell (?!?) on Sagittarius’ “My World Fell Down.”

On one of the more unusual songs, a mysterious band “The Elegants” join The Barbarians as accompanying musicians on a song called “Moulty,” named after drummer and vocalist Victor “Moulty” Moulton. According to the liner notes:

The band’s barbaric, nonconformist image was a big part of their appeal. They grew their hair longer than most of their contemporaries and wore leather sandals instead of Beatle boots. And then there was their drummer, Moulty, who had a hook for a left hand. Deciding to capitalize on Moulty’s disability, The Barbarians’ producer, Doug Morris, talked our hook-handed hero into recording this "autobiographical" soliloquy in early ’66 using Dylan’s group, The Hawks (aka The Band), as accompanists. . .Moulty was so furious when he found out that the track had been released that he flew straight to New York and chased the president of Laurie records around his office, breaking copies of the single over his head.


As noted above, The Elegants are The Band, not a group usually associated with the genre of psychedelica.

There are other reasons to rejoice for the Nuggets box set beyond the fantastic music. The liner notes are the type that should always accompany such archival releases. There are several essays, all of them brilliant. The song-by-song annotations are the real gem. Detailed listings of song personnel, recording locations, and chart placement are given, as well as a brief-but-detailed (and often humorous) look at each song and band. The liners are very compelling reading.

This missing link in musical history is something that should be sought out and cherished. Putting together the Nuggets compilation must have been a labor of love for all involved. I have no doubt that you will enjoy it just as much.

© Copyright CultureDose.com 05/24/2001

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