2. �Dirty Water�- Standells (3/5). Now I know this was supposedly one of garage rock�s highlights, but it�s lost on me. The guitar riff sounds cool until you realize it�s all over the danged song. Their Boston lyrics (and their er, uh, accent) rings false on me. Most likely cuz these dudes are from Cali. Oh well, there could have been worse hits (and there were) in the mid �60s.
3. �Night Time�- Strangeloves (2/5). Even worse. These guys did get it right with �I Want Candy�, but that should have been on the original Nuggets, not this stinker. It�s a primitive one-chord stomper that doesn�t hold much interest. If I wanted to hear someone talking about how the �night time is the right time,� I�ll go hear it from Ray Charles, thank ya.
4. �Lies�- Knickerbockers (5/5). Here we go now! The absolute best Beatles imitation ever. Not easily mistaken for a Beatles track (except to the uninitiated), but the chord changes, harmonies, guitar sound, and the screams are prime early Beatles. It was a Top 20 hit in late 1965, so maybe it was mistaken for a Beatles song by the public. Except the real Beatles had matured to �Yesterday� and whatnot, so who knows.
5. �Respect�- Vagrants (2/5). Well, they sure came close to recreating the original by Otis Redding. Main difference: they have organs instead of trumpets. But I have Otis� version, which makes this amateur-soul reworking unnecessary. Liner notes say this came out the same time as Aretha�s definitive version. Poor guys.
6. �Public Execution�- Mouse and the Traps (4/5). How amusing. Some acts imitate the Beatles, others, like Mouse, chose to go after Dylan. The �melody� is right out of �Like a Rolling Stone,� and Mouse even tries to mimic Dylan�s vocal style, sounding like an old lady at times. Sure, it�s not as good as anything off Highway 61, but it�s entertaining all the same. Might have been mistaken for Dylan if not for the piercing guitar riff and how the tune modulates up right at the end; neither tricks you�d hear on a Dylan 1965 record.
7. �No Time Like the Right Time�- Blues Project (4/5). Ohhh, Al Kooper. His legendary status need not be explained here, all I�ll say is that he fronted this short-lived group. It�s an awesome pop tune with exciting chord changes and a happy refrain. Psychedelic too...the Mid-Eastern instrument pops in right after the first chorus and changes the song slightly. Good for Kooper.
8. �Oh Yeah�- Shadows of Knight (2/5). Oh no. Get it??? HAHAHAHA!!! Fine, back to the song. Their follow-up to their cover of �Gloria� is about 5 times less interesting. It�s not really bad, just boring. A Bo Diddley-style beat just keeps chugging along, with nothing to back it up. It hit the Top 40?? Well, the public must have still been reeling over �Gloria.�
9. �Pushin� Too Hard�- Seeds (5/5). Sweet! Is it primitive? Yes, big time amateur quality here. From the two-chord melody to the ugly vocals (�pushin too hawwwd!�) to the sloppy guitar solo. What makes it work? They�re not trying too hard, they�re just having a good old rockin� time. That�s why this works, and not �Night Time.�
10. �Moulty�- Barbarians (2/5). Snooooze. No wonder these guys got mad when their manager released this as a single. Moulty was one of the band members, who lost his hand in an accident. I�m not poo-pooing what he did: it�s great not to let an accident keep him from doing what he wants. But this is a cheap way to cash in on it, a dull narrative with Bob Dylan�s backing band(???) Ehhhh. At least Def Leppard didn't do something like this after their drummer lost his arm.
11. �Don�t Look Back�- Remains (4/5). Great energy here. It rocks hard and lets up only in the middle, where the lead singer stops everything and calls people to take action against...whatever. As George Starostin said, a guitar solo would for sure put this over the top, but it ain�t to be found here. Just a hard-edged punk sound by a group who apparently has a cult following in Boston.
12. �An Invitation to Cry�- The Magicians (4/5). And here we have a ballad on Nuggets. Be prepared for that loud feedback burst at the beginning, it�s mixed a bit loud. It�s a moving performance, waltz-y and mournful. I especially love those wordless vocals during the guitar instrumental. Not completely mind-blowing, but it�s great in its own right.
13. �Liar Liar�- Castaways (4/5). Loooove that organ sound! It�s basically the backbone of this short tune, which isn�t even two minutes. The falsetto �chorus� isn�t at all irritating, and the lyrics are funnily childish (�still going out/other guys.� Did Tarzan wrote that?). Says all it needs to in its short time, only interrupted by a scream and a short guitar solo. Deserved oldies radio standard.
14. �You�re Gonna Miss Me�- 13th Floor Elevators (5/5). Don�t mess with Texas. They�re great at hard-rocking violent tunes like this one. The lead singer screams wildly, and those weird electric jugs aren�t intrusive. I love how it progresses from angry rock to a moody mid-section to an abrasive harmonica that ends the song. One of a kind.
15. �Psychotic Reaction�- Count Five (4/5). I used to dislike this song, dismissing it as sloppy and lame (�That�s a psychotic reaction? Geez�). Then I actually paid attention to the �psychotic reaction,� which is guitar passages played a break-neck speed. It�s a bit better than the body of the song, which is standard boogie. This was a Top Five hit in 1966?! How come I never hear it on oldies stations?? Quit playing fluff like "See You in September" and give this nugget some air time!
16. �Hey Joe�- Leaves (5/5). Yes!!! This is a manic, fast cover with shouted lyrics that sound like Joe keeps leaving and the guy�s trying to keep his attention. Everyone knows Hendrix�s cover and most likely prefers it, but this version shows no mercy at all. Oh man, that speedy guitar solo! That chaotic race at the end of the instrumental! That bassline! Pretty daring for its time.
17. �Romeo and Juliet�- Michael and the Messengers (3/5). Now, I hear the original on oldies radio all the time, by some Brill-Building pop group. This is no worse or better. It�s a nice organ groove bogged down by the guy�s nasally pinched vocals, bordering on Cartman-quality at times. Only 2 minutes and change too.
18. �Sugar and Spice�- Cryan� Shames (4/5). I may like this better than the Searcher�s version. It�s not as syrupy, the jangle riff stays intact, and the harmonies ain�t bad. The big surprise is when they modulate down a few keys at the end, when every other �60s pop song would go in the opposite direction.
19. �Baby Please Don�t Go�- Amboy Dukes (3/5). Hey, what are you doing here? Late �60s hard rock that goes over 5 minutes. I never got into that type of jam music, I prefer mine short and sweet. But Ted Nugent�s guitar talents are undeniable and apparent here. Much better than Blue Cheer�s �Summertime Blues,� now there's a dud.
20. �Tobacco Road�- Blues Magoos (2/5). Not only is this not the best version of this song out there (I prefer the Nashville Teens�s version), it�s not too remarkable. Sure, it�s pretty unusual and a bit out-there for 1966, when it came out. But the jam section is boring, no guitar antics a la Amboy Dukes. All in all, not worth its 5-minute length.
21. �Let�s Talk About Girls�- Chocolate Watchband (2/5). Oooh, I�m so glad the lead singer here wasn�t a member of the group. At least Don Aguilar had a Mick Jagger thing going for him, this guy just pouts like some macho poser. The song itself is no great shakes, only point of interest is in its somewhat exotic overtone. Even that goes on too long at the end. Bleahh.
22. �Sit Down, I Think I Love You�- Mojo Men (4/5). Wash that unpleasant taste outta your mouth wid dis! A beautiful composition, taking a Stephen Stills-penned tune and putting it into a mild orchestral context. The guy and the girl�s vocals complement each other well, from the subdued verses to the energetic bridge that sounds like the Mamas and the Papas.. Best ballad on here so far, only to be outdone a few minutes later.
23. �Run Run Run�- Third Rail (4/5). This is a cute ditty; It�s pure bubblegum, with a speedy guitar (bass?) line and happy-sounding vocals. The lyrical content isn�t so bubblegum, it tells of woe and general gloom in a day. The Wall Street report in the middle almost goes too far in cuteness, talking about crap like heart attacks being up one quarter. But when all looks bad, the guy finds out there�s no work today! Run run run! I just have to smile.
24. �My World Fell Down�- Sagittarius (5/5). Messrs. Mojo are outdone by far by this ballad. Beach Boys associate Gary Usher comes up with a stunning adaptation of Brian Wilson�s orchestral-pop sound circa 1967. The lyrics and chorus are right out of the British Invasion (it was originally done by the Ivy League), but the breathtaking vocal harmonies and arrangement in general (esp. in the chorus) are magnificent. And that part where the sound collage takes over and fades out to a lone organ? Wow. It didn�t chart too high, but that makes finding it all the more satisfying.
25. �Open My Eyes�- Nazz (4/5). Todd Rundgren�s first group had this awesome single. It was simply ahead of its time for 1968, with its power-pop sound and amazing production. The B-side of their lone single �Hello It�s Me,� I prefer this to its slooow A-side. Then again, �Hello It�s Me� was redone by Todd in a superior version in the �70s. So there.
26. �Farmer John�- Premiers (4/5). So this is what concerts or parties were like in 1964. Fun! The atmosphere is fake, however, they just invited some friends over to the studio to make it sound �live.� They all laugh and go �whoooooa!� when the band mentions going with the farmers� daughter. Somewhat sloppy, but it�s as fun as any Johnny Rivers song with the similar atmosphere.
27. �It�s a-Happening�- Magic Mushrooms (3/5). Strange way to end Part One of Nuggets. Starts off with clumsy psychedelic noises, gives way to a passable boogie, speeds up and stops. Then, some guy yells dumb stuff like �The sky is falling! The ocean is calling!� It�s not that great, but it sure was different for 1966, before psychedelia really hit the mainstream. Had this come out 1-2 years later, I�d consider it parody. But no, I think these guys were serious.