2. "Father�s Name Was Dad"- Fire (5/5). I really like this one too. Those lyrics aren't your typical �60s fare, at least I don�t know very many 'I'm-not-normal-like-the-rest' type tunes from the era. Musically, it's driving and has an insanely catchy chorus. Cool riff too, like an expanded "Last Train to Clarksville" (thanks, Starostin).
3. "I Can Hear the Grass Grow"- Move (4/5). I know not very much about this influential psycho-pop group, nor about its leader Roy Wood. I do like this eccentric little number with typical psychedelic lyrics. My favorite part has to be that throaty bass voice during 'I see rainbows in the evening'. Little things like that make this a winner.
4. "My Friend Jack"- Smoke (4/5). You know what they should have done, they should have placed �Father�s Name Was Dad� after this one, just so I can roll out 'where there�s smoke, there�s fire' joke. Get it??? This song is one of those thinly-veiled drug dealer praising songs, more repetitive than "Dr. Robert" but more genial than "Mr. Pharmacist" off Nuggets I. That feedback sounds cool, too.
5. "My White Bicycle"- Tomorrow (4/5). Oooh, this sounds impressive. Backwards effects everywhere and seemingly simple lines about riding your bicycle late at night. Makes me think of early Pink Floyd, probably because of their psychedelic tune "Bike." I don't love it as much as everyone else does, but I respect it a lot.
6. "I'll Keep Holding On"- Action (4/5). I�m always complaining that '60s bands should not cover girl-group songs, but I may make an exception here. These British dudes handle a Marvelettes tune which I've never heard, but it works because the leader doesn't sound effeminate nor does he try too hard. And the back-up singers sound cool too, especially when they sing behind the lead singer. None other than George Martin produced this too.
7. "When the Night Falls"- Eyes (3/5). Yeah, these guys have the whole raw, minimalistic thing going. It�s very Who-inspired, with a feedback-y guitar solo. And the words are more mysterious than usual. Still, I'm not really a fan of this one. Maybe the singer isn't too convincing. Yeah, that's it.
8. "Sorry"- Easybeats (5/5). Aw, these guys aren't really from Australia? They just cut their teeth there? Too bad. This song is a ton of fun, with a great riff that never gets old and a very subtle change in tempo for the chorus. I'll need to listen to "Paranoid" very carefully to look for connections that Starostin pointed out.
9. "Imposters of Life�s Magazine"- Idle Race (4/5). Lead singer sound familiar? That's our friend Jeff Lynne, from that little band called E.L.O. Before that, he headed this Move rival group and had this cool lil' psycho number. Not as good as "Grass" but distinguished by those shrill horn(?) lines and hipper-than-thou words. Too bad I can't point out Lynne in the liner notes. Not without the sunglasses and the afro!
10. "How Is the Air Up There?"- La De Das (3/5). This is the kind of stuff I got tired of throughout Nuggets I. Liner notes say it was first done by some American band, so that explains the typical rich-girl bashing lyrics. These New Zealanders have enough attitude, but the song itself isn't all that memorable.
11. "Mud in Your Eye"- Les Fleur de Lys (3/5). They tricked me! With the French name, I thought these guys hailed from France. Either way, this is another tune like "When the Night Falls," with enough menace and drive but not a lot of personality.
12. "Everything (That's Mine)"- Motions (2/5). The first song on here I don't like, this one is. The swinging riff wears out its welcome quickly, and the psycho section kinda sucks. At least this Dutch outfit kept it short.
13. "Garden of My Mind"- Mickey Flynn (3/5). Not much better. The singer does sound like an American in the U.K., but the song sounds too much like warmed-over Hendrix for me. It even stops at the last bar of each phrase, a la "Purple Haze." But hey, better than Blue Cheer, right?
14. "Take a Heart"- Sorrows (4/5). Thanks dudes, for breaking the mediocrity! This is more menacing than the Eyes and the Lys, and its relentless two-step bass-guitar part builds up nicely. Best part is the pouty low vocals by Don Maughn, who later had a semi-hit with "Cherokee Nation" before Paul Revere and the Raiders hit #1 with a cover in '71. Only a complete release from the tension is missing, so not quite a 5-star track.
15. "The Life I Live"- Q'65 (4/5). Remember that Nuggets I track "Primitive"? This is the Dutch equivalent, both have simple melodies and both celebrate the seedy lifestyle. Only this one is probably more explicit in extolling drugs. I prefer this one because it modulates for the chorus, whereas "Primitive" was stuck on the same note the whole song.
16. "Midnight to Six Man"- Pretty Things (4/5). Gotta find out more about these guys, who apparently were as wild as the Stones in their day. They have a fun track here, an ode to nightlife that's really catchy. Those piano lines are courtesy of the most famous session man in the U.K., Nicky Hopkins. That dude is everywhere!
17. "I See the Rain"- Marmalade (5/5). Finally, another 5-star song! This is really pleasant, it's slightly sad and harmonic, and the guitar is awesome throughout. I think I know why Hendrix loved this one so much, listen to the riff between each line in the chorus. Doesn't that remind you of "Hey Joe"? It does me. This should have been a hit in U.K., but their big hit was instead a cover of "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da," which I never heard but doesn't sound promising.
18. "The First Cut is the Deepest"- Koobas (2/5). Come on, I'm sick of this song. I've heard the Sheryl Crow version enough while counting inventory! This ballad never impressed me either way, and these guys throw in a sickly vocal and too much orchestration. They may as well have thrown in some similar pap like Walker Brothers or Elton John cronie Long John Baldry's "Let the Heartaches Begin." Yeesh.
19. "You Stole My Love"- Mockingbirds (5/5). Wow. Graham Gouldman has a hefty resume of hits done by other artists ("Bus Stop," "For Your Love," "No Milk Today") but his band went nowhere. Go fig. He really should have had a hit with this one: it goes from an angry verse (where they even say the word 'hell' GASP!!!!!) to a waltzy midsection before breaking off into a faster instrumental. Very good Graham.
20. "125"- Haunted (3/5). The first band from the Great White North on this set. That's the best you can say about these guys, since they don't deliver here. It's standard garage rock with a good harmonica, but no variation within the song. Just the same four-note progression over and over. I don't even care that it alludes to a hooker.
21. "My Mind�s Eye"- Small Faces (4/5). Here�s a band you might be familiar with. This selection is one of their earlier tunes, and the liner notes are right on when they say the falling verses is right off "Gloria In Excelsis." Or, if it helps, the chorus of "Angels We Have Heard On High." It's sort of short and very Beatles-inspired, but nice all the same.
22. "Going Nowhere"- Los Bravos (4/5). Right after their massive hit "Black is Black," these Spanish boys (plus the German lead singer) shake off the sadness with this manic R&B raving. I really like the positive vibe throughout the song, despite the despondent-sounding title. Fun stuff.
23. "All Night Stand"- Thoughts (3/5). Ray Davies wrote this?? Hmmmm. It apparently never made any Kinks albums, so we can enjoy what could have been with this cover. It's somewhat catchy, yeah, and it sounds nice. It was short because there wasn't much to say, as I can hear.
24. "War or Hands of Time"- Masters Apprentices (5/5). Here�s where CD 1 really takes off. These dudes are true Australians, not Australia transplants like the Easybeats. The song has really great goodbye-for-the-war words, with a sadly upbeat minor melody which switches to major in the more swinging chorus. The tempo change was handled well, and the guitars have that jangle. A great garage-rock token.
25. "It�s a Sin To Go Away"- We All Together (5/5). The best damn farce ever. It sounds like a late '60s Brit-psychedelia tune, but it was done in 1970 by Peruvians! And have these guys done their homework. With the backwards guitar parts, spacey vocals, fuzz, and soaring organ, every detail is taken care of. I can listen to that chorus all day, as a matter of fact. To We All Together, I humbly tip my hat.
26. "A Dream For Julie"- Kaleidoscope (2/5). I'm going to go out on a limb here�these guys liked "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." The band name = 'kaleidoscope eyes,' and the random free-association words. This song ain't no "Incense and Peppermints," unfortunately, and the chorus gets repeated too much. Of the final four songs on here, this IS the weakest link! Goodbye!
27. "I Read You Like an Open Book"- Tages (5/5). Why can't more Swedish groups be like these guys?? I've warmed to ABBA, but Roxette and Ace of Base still bring things down. Two main sections of this winner: slow, organ-washed verses and a Beach Boys-inspired chorus. They�re both awesome, and the guitar link between the sections is cool, too. It's not perfect � the guitar link doesn't segue into the verses that well � but the pop hooks cannot be beat.