NUGGETS doesn't represent a single genre; here you'll find frenzied, fuzz-drenched psychedelia, Kinks-like frat rock slammers, Beatlesque harmonizing, and overly affected, suburban R&B knock-offs. In a welcome departure from the upscale aspirations of Rhino's earlier documents of the era, this collection mines the rich vein of psych/punk ravers that previously only surfaced on low-fi compilations like PEBBLES, BOULDERS, and the inimitably titled TURDS ON A BUM RIDE. The Third Bardo's "I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time," the Bees' "Voices Green and Purple," the Groupies' "Primitive," and the Other Half's "Mr. Pharmacist" receive better sonic presentation than previously seemed possible. Sound quality is excellent throughout, with original mono mixes preserved where appropriate.

A 100-page booklet packed with vintage photographs provides erudite track-by-track annotation by "Ugly Things" editor Mike Stax. The incredibly tacky-and glaringly inappropriate--Peter Max-style cover art of the 1972 LP has been adapted for the box set. Max's tasteless reiteration of the San Francisco poster idiom was a '70s excrescence entirely unrelated to the mid '60s garage rock scene. We had Peter Max placemats when I was a kid, and they made me want to vomit.

If you own any of the NUGGETS LPs or CDs, you're certain to be disappointed by the excessive familiarity of certain selections, as well as by some heart-rending omissions. While this set reprises 26 tracks from the poorly planned NUGGETS VOL. 1-3 CDs, highlights like Rumor's hypnotic "Without Her," the Association's raga rock confection "Pandora's Golden Heebie Geebies," the American Breed's power pop milestone "Bend Me, Shape Me," and Cherokee's "Girl, I've Got News for You" remain in vinyl limbo. But for the uninitiated, this collection will provide an excellent (if overpriced) introduction to a short-lived era defined by exhilarating energy, innocence, humor, and unalloyed adolescent passion.


Oh yeah...everything gonna be alright this morning!   February 28, 2004
 8 out of 10 found this review helpful

OK, it helps to have been around in the '60s; that way you have a context to the tunes you get here, and most likely memories attached to at least some of them. Unlike some reviewers who say The Five Americans, Shadows of Knight, Cryan Shames, Swinging Medallions, the Castaways, The Leaves, Standells, etc, etc can't compare to the Beatles; artistically that's obviously true, but if you were a Top 40 music lover from the day, how can you NOT get into at least some of these, well, "nuggets?" You don't hear them all the time on the radio, which is a good thing all by itself, and really, lots of those garage-rock tracks are catchy (and deep down inside, you agree). Disc 4 is weaker than the others (although it does have "Louie Louie", which is NOT a song about getting lucky), the only drawback to this collection. Ignore those who proclaim that lesser-refined bands with less commercial success, like those you find on compilations like this, are not worth the time or money, but like I said, you'll appreciate "Nuggets" more if you were around in the late 1960s. Which, I guess, makes me a geezer. So be it.


60s Garage Bands with some Psychedelia   June 16, 2005
 8 out of 13 found this review helpful

The title of this box set might mislead someone into buying this thinking it will provide a good overview of the 60s psychedelic era. Actually it gives a decent picture of the GARAGE BANDS that existed during the era, but has very incomplete coverage of the pyschedelic music scene. I suggest listening to the Technicolor Web of Sound website to get a more realistic sample of 60s psychedelia. Of course, you will hear some of this box set's more psychedelic tunes there, but also alot more. (This box gives a good overview of the 60s psych/punk songs, so I'd recommend it to people who are seeking that, but keep in mind there's alot of garage rock mixed in.)