Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 1998, Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 2001

 

The original Nuggets double LP, compiled by Lenny Kaye, was released in 1972. It was an important seed for punk rock in the seventies, and frankly a whole lot of fun. Then in 1999, at the height of Rhino's compilation fever, comes this four CD box set. The first CD includes the same 27 tracks that were on the original LP. You might think that the quality would sag a bit to fill three more CDs, but alas you would be wrong.

Kaye's original concept was to focus on what he termed Garage Rock, a simple, bash-it-out aggressive style often featuring relatively primitive recording techniques. The psychedelic and poppier sounds included weren't exactly what Kaye was looking for, but the set achieves it's goal. Many of the songs made the charts although quite a few languished in the higher numbered positions. Quite a few didn't chart and will be new to many listeners. Some were regional hits that weren't as successful nationally. That was a thing in the 60s before corporate radio owned every station.

The box set was a big hit for Rhino, and for good reason. The song list is excellent. Songs you've heard if you were around in the 60s plus similar and only slightly weirder or more challenging songs from the period, many of which listeners haven't heard. The box is well curated, well sequenced, and the music is well documented in the accompanying book.

Three years later they couldn't resist a Volume 2. But they didn't try to dig up more similar material from the US. Instead they went international, collecting songs from the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Iceland, Peru, and Brazil. This time, there are not many that you've heard. That means that this is a big old box of garage rock exploration. Approach with open mind and ears, and you're in for a treat. While the band names may not ring a bell, a lot of the artists in those bands became familiar names a few years later. Again, well assembled material and another informative book.

Two great box sets. One a classic, the other a wild deep dive.