Forty years later, Rhino brings Nuggets back as a newly-remastered set on CD and vinyl. If you can believe it, this release marks the first time the original Nuggets compilation has been released as a standalone CD in America. (A 1998 edition included the original set and three more discs of tracks from the period; a standalone disc was issued in Europe in 2006.)
Elektra founder Jac Holzman, intrigued by the short, to-the-point nature of AM rock radio at the time, commissioned guitarist Lenny Kaye (who was soon to be a fixture of The Patti Smith Group) to curate a playlist of tunes from that brightly-burning period of rock and roll creativity in the mid-1960s. Consciously avoiding the biggest hits of the time (but not, contrary to popular belief, avoiding Top 40 hits altogether; 11 of the 27 tracks charted in that range, including Top 5 "Psychotic Reaction" by The Count Five and Top 20s "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" by The Electric Prunes and The Standell's "Dirty Water"), Kaye created an intriguing collage of sounds from the mid-'60s that had a considerable impact on the years to come. (Kaye's original liner notes even predict one of the most significant genres of the '70s: "punk rock.")
Nuggets will arrive as a 180-gram double LP on November 13 and a remastered CD, newly struck from the original analog tapes, two weeks later. The package, recreating the original gatefold sleeve, also features new notes by Kaye.
Amazon has order links for the CD (U.S./U.K.) and LP (U.S./U.K.), and the track list is after the jump.
Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968 (originally released as Elektra 7E-2006, 1972 - reissued Rhino, 2012)
- I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) - The Electric Prunes
- Dirty Water - The Standells
- Night Time - The Strangeloves
- Lies - The Knickerbockers
- Respect - The Vagrants
- A Public Execution - Mouse
- No Time Like the Right Time - The Blues Project
- Oh Yeah - The Shadows of Knight
- Pushin’ Too Hard - The Seeds
- Moulty - The Barbarians
- Don’t Look Back - The Remains
- An Invitation to Cry - The Magicians
- Liar, Liar - The Castaways
- You’re Gonna Miss Me - The 13th Floor Elevators
- Psychotic Reaction - Count Five
- Hey Joe - The Leaves
- Romeo & Juliet - Michael & The Messengers
- Sugar and Spice - The Cryan Shames
- Baby Please Don’t Go - The Amboy Dukes
- Tobacco Road - Blues Magoos
- Let’s Talk About Girls - Chocolate Watch Band
- Sit Down, I Think I Love You - The Mojo Men
- Run, Run, Run - The Third Rail
- My World Fell Down - Sagittarius
- Open My Eyes - Nazz
- Farmer John - The Premiers
- It’s-A-Happening - The Magic Mushrooms
It's a legendary comp, but this seems obsolete if the box is still in print.
Yep, for twice the price of this single-disc reissue one can own the entire four-disc box set. Anyone even considering the single-disc version should just spring for the full box. You won't be disappointed.
I have the Sire Records reissue of the LP from the late 70s as well as the CD box set, so I probably don't need these, except... I believe there are a few cuts on the 70s LP that are stereo, while the box is mostly mono. Is there any word on what sources will be used for this release beyond "original analog tapes"? If I can get some different mixes I may spring for these as well. There's a lot of great music on Nuggets.
Just more Rhino re-hash. Someone at that label needs to get more creative and adventurous with their releases. Why not remaster the great Warner Music group album catalog? Whatever happened to the Rhino LP replicas on CD?