2. "Come On"- Atlantics (2/5). I don't know why, I just don't like this song. Could it be the last-Nuggets II-CD-of-8 complex? Maybe. Or else it could be the production sucks, the singer doesn't sound too hot, and the call-and-response chorus is messy in a bad way.
3. "Madman Running Through the Fields"- Dantalion's Chariot (5/5). Why didn't this kick off CD 4? This could very well be my favorite selection in the entire boxset, period! Hell, it's up there as one of my favorite songs I've heard this year (2005)! There's some psychedelia in the backwards cymbals and piercing organ parts. But the body is actually normal folk-pop that just hits me hard. Maybe it�s the weary vocals, or the simple melody. It goes to an ominous midsection with Police-style guitar stylings (Police geetarist Andy Summers was in this group, you see) augmented with an angry final line. Then all of a sudden, it kicks into a flute-led acoustic part where an onlooker observes a madman (the angry vocalist, probably) running through the fields. Love, love, love this song. Makes me want to explore prog-rock, as Starostin likened this to early Genesis.
4. "How Does it Feel to Feel"- Creation (4/5). Looks the Creation scores three for three on the Nuggets II set. This tune came a year after the first two, by which time the band got a new lead singer and evolved from Who-aping to a lazy '66-era-Beatles one-note sludge. I'm serious, it's like a cross between "Rain" and "Ticket to Ride," as they sound drug-induced and detached. These guys chose their influences well.
5. "I'm Just a Mops"- Mops (4/5). Answer me this: why is this the only selection on Nuggets II to come from the continent of Asia?? The Mops come from Japan, and have their own twisted take on garage rock here. Nothing special about the instrumentation, but the lost-in-translation lyrics are priceless, especially the chorus: 'but I don�t care of them/so I�m just a mops!' I wonder if there exists a Japanese version. I hope so.
6. "Why Don�t You Smile Now"- Downliner's Sect (3/5). Where's the group that gave me the offbeat "Glendora"? They're not here, instead they give us a mediocre runthrough of a mediocre song. Lou Reed and John Cale wrote it, but I won't take it as an indication of their work with the Velvet Underground. I never even heard anything by them. I must be a loser.
7. "Nothin"- Ugly Ducklings (2/5). Hey, what a title!!! This song is pretty much nothing, no drive, no personality, no hooks, nothing. Of the four Canada groups on here, only the Jury�s selection is any good. Well, at least the Great White North has Gretzky. And Rush. And Mike Myers. And the cast of SCTV. And the Barenaked Ladies.
8. "Break it All"- Los Shakers (4/5). This is cool! This Uruguay group took the Merseybeat sound to a tee, and made their own little contribution. The lead singer sounds awesome, especially when he tries to muster a low voice at parts. Were these dudes ever in a movie? I can definitely see this as the title track to their own feature, where they run from screaming Uruguay girls. Or has that idea already been taken?
9.. "The Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane"- Timon (4/5). Thirteen years before channeling Geddy Lee on the Clash's "Lose This Skin," journeyman Timon Dogg apes the Kinks here. It's a classic case of happy nursery-rhyme music against disturbed lyrics of a girl going insane. Not the best slice of Brit-pop on here, but it's still nice.
10. "Touch"- Outsiders (4/5). Not the boys behind "Time Won�t Let Me," these Outsiders hail from the Netherlands, and supplied this different outing. Different, you ask? Well, the whole band plays really subdued, while the lead singer gently sings of a relationship. Gets sheer points for being out of left-field, not loud or defiant or horny like the rest. If you wish to slow-dance or get laid to any song on Nuggets II, this'd be your closest I guess.
11. "Vacuum Cleaner"- Tintern Abbey (4/5). That lead singer looks like a freak in the liner notes, don't he? He doesn't sound so much like one on this mild psychedelic number. The lyrics are freaky, about being fixed up with a chick's sweet dose. Oooh and get this, the guitar solo recreates a vacuum cleaner!! Gotta justify the song title, right??!!
12. "My Life"- Thors Hammer (3/5). Too bad, they broke the 4-star streak, just barely. From Iceland these dudes hail, and while the name (which is Hlj�lmar translated to English) and the opening chord sound menacing, the track is just a speedy Beatles-inspired tune. I can see this being penned by McCartney, albeit during his Help! period. Think "Another Girl." Good, but not special. And it would have been a lot more interesting if he was saying that if his girl left, his life 'would be like it was before' like I thought he was saying at first. That'd be cool, indifference!! Alas, he's saying won't instead of would. Boo.
13. "Bad Little Woman"- Wheels (5/5). At this point, I've stopped sticking up for the Shadows of Knight. I used to think their version of "Gloria" was better than the 'ugly' Them version, but their first two Nuggets songs stunk. They turned in a decent cut with, well, "Bad Little Woman" on CD 3. But this version, which came first, outclasses it by far. Like Them, the Wheels were a hard-nosed Northern Ireland combo, and the lead singer sounds like he's gonna throttle you, especially in the sped-up sections. By the same logic, I like Them's "Gloria" now, and the Shadows of Knight have lost. Sorry.
14. "No Presents For Me"- Pandamonium (3/5). Just like "Sad" on CD 3, this is an obvious Beatles sendup with all the 1967 trappings. But it's too sluggish and not very melodic. I don't see where the liner notes came up with church bells, those opening chords just sound like normal guitar stuff! Not much to say here. Next.
15. "Bat Macumba"- Os Mutantes (4/5). This Brazilian outfit has something of a cult following, yet I don't derive as much enjoyment from this as everyone else. It's native Brazilian beat with a garage-rock feel and electronic bloops all over the place. Not really avant-garde, just an odd mixture of world influences. I don't worship it, but I can see why others do so.
16. "Real Crazy Apartment"- Winston�s Fumbs (5/5). Nice!!! These guys invite us to their swinging apartment, no doubt full of some druggies. Yes, go in there and come out with your own cool falsetto! It switches gears to an atonal, eerie midsection before kicking back into fun. And quite a heavy performance, turn up the bass on this one. What fun, what fun.
17. "No More Now"- Smoke (3/5). Mind you, a different Smoke sung "My Friend Jack." They came from the U.K., these blokes from New Zealand. It's a nice performance, has a nifty pop melody, and they imitate the Yardbirds, but I�ve heard my share of nasal vocalists on these sets. I would have liked a different sound in that department. Oh well.
18. "No Good Without You"- Birds (2/5). I admit, I didn't like "Say Those Magic Words" too much and I'm less partial to this cover. Props to them for unearthing an obscure Marvin Gaye tune, but they have a bland hard rock sound/production here. And that vocalist sounds bored. If you want to hear R&B covered well, go to the Action's "I'll Keep Holding On" on CD 1. Maybe they shoulda tackled "I Heard it Through the Grapevine"? Oh wait, that wouldn't come out for another three years.
19. "Kicks and Chicks"- Zipps (3/5). Hey, I bet these guys hail from the U of Akron. Ya see, cuz their mascot is the Zips. Ahh, forget it. Seriously, some more Dutch rock. What really sticks out is the delivery of the singer, he�s heavily accented at first and then breaks off into a Dylan tone while almost predating Johnny Rotten!!! It�s got an amusing chorus: 'hangaround, stickaround, get your kicks!' But it could be more energetic.
20. "Dance Around the Maypole"- Acid Gallery (4/5). Another Move track?? Not quite, but Roy Wood wrote it and sang on the chorus. It's pretty much an unabashed olde-English track with electric guitar. In fact, the video for that '80s tune "Safety Dance" should have accompanied this song instead!! Apparently the lead singer went on to Christie and had his day with "Yellow River," which incidentally sounds nothing like this one.
21. "Get Yourself Home"- Fairies (2/5). First off, the only justification for a fruity name like �Fairies� is if these guys were a madcap psychedelic band. But no, just standard Bo Diddley that doesn't hold my interest in the least. The bad production guarantees a 2 along with "Come On." Maybe I�m just a neat freak. Or just a mops. A single mops.
22. "I'm Your Witchdoctor"- Chants R&B (3/5). All right, it's the same song as the last, only much more energetic and wild! OK, it's actually a John Mayall cover with Voodoo overtones and all. But it's more fun to listen to, especially when he imitates the harmonica in the breakdowns. It still doesn�t translate to a 4, but much better than the last one.
23. "But You'll Never Do it Babe"- Boots (4/5). This came a year before "Gaby," and is more conventional blues-rock than that one. But I like the touches: the singer has a lot of crazy vocalisms (the Germanic quality of �you told me 'zat you loved me') and the riff isn�t overdone. When it needs to speed up, it does so just fine! Two good ones for Das Boots. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I just thought of that on the spot!!! I'm the best!
24. "One Third"- Majority (3/5). First off, one third is not majority, at least not in the Senate! Besides the Hollies-like harmonies, not much goes on in this song. The melody isn't much, and even the harmonies get old. I guess they're telling us not to sleep too much, that we 'spend one third of (y)our life in bed.' How dare you hate on sleep! A lonely 3 you get!
25. "Flight From Ashiya"- Kaliedoscope (3/5). Hmmmph, these dudes again. OK, I'll be fair, this is an improvement over �Dream for Julie.� It has a better melody, and the story of a psychedelic flight is better than the strawberry dogs and the cucumber zebus and 'hear them smiling 1000x' of "Julie." Still doesn't mean much, as I've heard better on this compilation.
26. "Here Come The Nice"- Small Faces (4/5). Hmmm, I don't suppose this was a single in the States, only "Itchykoo Park" is played on the radio. This one is pretty blatant in their drug references, and it moves from a folksy section to a more celebratory chorus. Those vocals on the chorus sound pretty soulful, though. Talk about your mixed influences.
27. "It's My Fault"- Rattles (3/5). More Bo Diddley stylings, this time from another German group. The backing vocals totally get the call-and-response wrong, though! Not much to say, it's a better performance than "Get Yourself Home" but not quite on par with "Witchdoctor." I�m tired. 3.
28. "When the Alarm Clock Rings"- Blossom Toes (3/5). Odd way to end an album. I guess it's from some Sgt. Pepper-esque album, but I have no context, It�s one mellow performance, maybe like a less-orchestrated Moody Blues, but it isn't ultra-memorable. So was this whole Nuggets II boxset one big psychedelic, garage-y dream, and now it�s 'time to wake up'? Okay.