Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 featured a smattering of one-hit wonders and no-hit wonders from the not so distant past. The double album was hailed by critics when it arrived on Oct. 2, 1972, but contemporary record buyers viewed at it as little more than a curiosity at the time of its emergence.
Surfacing in an age when either the epic rock of groups like Yes, Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull or the soft-pop gloss of the Carpenters, Bread and Lobo ruled radio, the songs heard here seemed rather dated and raw by comparison. But it was those very traits that eventually turned the collection into an incredibly groundbreaking piece of work.
Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 ended up sparking an interest in long-forgotten acts from a truly magical period of rock ‘n’ roll, while spawning swarms of imitators in the form of Pebbles, Boulders, Psychedelic Unknowns and Mindrocker, to name some of the compilations to follow suit. Aspiring musicians also took note, as a whole new movement called garage rock was born – one that exists to this day.
Much of the material included on Nuggets paid homage to the blues-rooted romp of the Rolling Stones, Them, the Yardbirds and the Animals. Cocky vocals, accompanied by gobs of grit, a few simple chords and a trail of smoke characterize tough, tasty tunes like “Dirty Water” by the Standells, Count Five’s “Psychotic Reaction,” “Don’t Look Back” by the Remains, “Night Time” by the Strangeloves, the Chocolate Watch Band’s “Let’s Talk About Girls,” “Hey Joe” by the Leaves, the Shadows of Knight’s “Oh Yeah” and “Respect” by the Vagrants.
Absolute weirdness abounds in the haunted hallows of the reverb-spiked “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” from the Electric Prunes, while the 13th Floor Elevators jiggle and jug band their way through “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and the Barbarians deliver a motivational speech in the stripe of “Moulty,” a biographical confession of the group’s drummer who lost a hand due to a science experiment gone awry. Then there’s the Magic Mushrooms with “It’s-a-Happening,” which booms with silly drug-dappled lyrics and the screechy falsetto-laced “Liar Liar” from the Castaways.
Jammy and buzzing with banks of bruising feedback, “Tobacco Road” by the Blues Magoos and “Baby Please Don’t Go” from the Amboy Dukes both dial in as embryonic examples of heavy-metal thunder, where the Knickerbockers offer a shimmering slice of hard-rocking Beatles-esque bluster via “Lies” and the Nazz’s “Open My Eyes” zips and whips with loud, fast, relentless power and presence.
Flush with ferocious fuzz guitars, jangling tambourines, squawking harmonicas, galloping keyboards, hearty harmonies and contagious hooks by the score, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 really captures the tenor of the environment these enthused youngsters peddled their wares in. Inspired by the triple attack of the British Invasion bands, folk pop and freak rock, the groups still manage to project their own special sound, style and personality, making them equal parts unique and quaintly charming.
Fast forward a several decades, and Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 isn’t an anomaly anymore. In fact, it’s an album that no serious music fan should live without.
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