|
| Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond | 
 enlarge | Artist: Various Artists
Label: Rhino / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $64.98
Buy New: $39.98
You Save: $25.00 (38%)
New (32) Used (11) Collectible (1) from $39.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 10029
Format: Box Set
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 12.4 x 6.3 x 1.5
MPN: 76787
UPC: 081227678722
EAN: 0081227678722
ASIN: B00005JGA7
Release Date: June 19, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New sealed stock. Immediate shipment
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Landmark Compilation June 22, 2001
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Oh, valiant Rhino. Oh, faithful keeper of the sacred fire. Other labels bow their heads in shame. Just how could a sequel be even better than it's mighty predecessor? How is this possible? Nobody pours as much careful genius into re-issuing important material from the past as Rhino. Nobody. And they've now shattered their own record with the second installment in their "Nuggets" series. With the usual superb taste and punctillious documentation, this new 4 CD box set collects 109 tremendous tracks of psychedelia from around the globe. Though largely British, there are dynamite cuts from as far flung locales as Iceland and Uruguay. So, though you might have had a bunch of singles from the first box, it's most likely not the case this time around. I've been collecting this stuff for decades, and had less than half of this remarkable collection. America has rightly been called the birthplace of rock n" roll. But over the years, the Brits have often beat us at our own game. The Beatles-led first "British Invasion", the late sixties amalgam of blues influenced rock, and the mid seventies punk phenomenon are all familiar to most on this side of the pond. I've enjoyed 'em all, but none more so than the period represented herein, 1964-1969. More ernest adventurism never existed. What a wild ride! With several cuts included by essential bands like Creation, The Idle Race, and The Move, most songs here figure in at one per band. Some fine recent CD collections have included a few of the bigger hits (if you could call them that), and a handfull of these bands have their albums available (often expensive), it's a pretty safe bet you don't have copies of, say, Dantalion's Chariot, Thor's Hammer, or The Mops. Equally noteable, is the outstanding sound quality, often superior than the sound on those few albums available. Demonstration class. The outsized 100 page booklet is quite lush, with full length overviews and high quality photos of each group. And because the material here is so strong (all killer and no filler, as they say), hopes are kindled for a sequel to the sequel. I just know there's more oil in the pipeline! This release is the rock n' roll event of the season. Nobody's collection should be without it. The sooner you go out and buy it, the happier you'll be. And, the sooner Rhino can get started on Nuggets 3.
 Essential listening, although not every track is a winner July 1, 2001
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This second compilation box of rare garage/freakbeat/psych from the 60s is certainly worth the price. I had heard 28 of the 109 tracks on here before I bought it, and had been looking for most of the other bands for quite some time now. Thank you, Rhino, for making these obscure groups and songs available, as you did for the first set. An important missing piece of rock history is being filled by "Nuggets II", for one gets to see that rock music extended as far as Iceland and Peru, where groups tried their best to mimic The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Yardbirds--and didn't do too bad a job, either. The majority of the set, however, is taken up by the glorious UK acts, where one can see R&B raveups turn into mod-influenced freakbeat and then flower into psychedelia all within a three-to-four year timespan. The sound quality and extensive liner notes are top-notch, as usual. However, in spite of being a huge fan of this music, about a quarter of the songs have a certain mediocre/generic/Spinal Tap-ish quality to them (the same thing slightly marred the first Nuggets box), which can't be helped in such an overview of ultra-obscure acts: some will be surprisingly great, while others probably deserved their fate. Also, hearing the set all in one lump (as I did) will cause some listener fatigue, as the songs do tend to run into each other in spite of the compiler's best attempts at diversity (you will find no ballads on here, for one--it's all full-blast "beat music from hell" from start to finish). The classic tracks include "Making Time", "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" (the lyric *does* unlock life's mysteries, I swear!), "My Friend Jack", "A Midsummer Night's Scene", "Midnight To Six Man", "Mud In Your Eye", "Save Your Soul", "My White Bicycle", "Listen To The Sky", "Children Of The Sun", "Crawdaddy Simone", "Here Come The Nice", and "I Must Be Mad". So, in spite of the quibbles--which, again, almost can't be helped in a set whose purpose is partly archival--"Nuggets II" contains essential listening on some of the coolest genres of the mid-to-late 60s, by bands the casual listener (and even the avid collector) will probably have never heard. What more can you ask for? Well, maybe a "Nuggets III"...
An indispensible collection March 13, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Absolutely the best single collection of '60s garage, psych, freakbeat and mod music from around the world ever produced. Nuggets II takes off where Nuggets I started by leaving American shores and exploring the rock phenomenon of the sixties from a world viewpoint. The result is stunning collection of music from Europe, Asia, South America, New Zealand and Australia that is a must have for any sixties rock enthusiast. Nuggets II is proof positive of the world wide reach of rock on sixties youth culture. For example not only do you get a great dose of English rock from bands such as the Move, John's Children or The Pretty Things, you get excellent bands from around the world such as the Netherlands Q65, Australia's The Easybeats (containing the older brother of AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm Young) and Japan's The Mops. One of the odder songs is Bat Macumba from Brazil's Os Mutantes which is a take on psychedelica Brazilian style. There's some really cool stuff in here folks. As an added bonus you get an excellent booklet that has a bio and pictures of each and every band as well as several essays on sixties rock and collecting. What I found to be especially amusing is seeing some later stars such as Andy Summers of the Police, Deep Purple's Ian Gillan, The Stones' Ron Wood or Yes' Steve Howe, among many others, in their earlier, oftimes first bands dressing in the heighth of hip sixties fashion. If you like sixties rock you owe it to yourself to pick up this collection of oftimes obscure and forgotten gems, you won't be disappointed.
Even Better Than Volume 1 June 26, 2001
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Somehow the folks at Rhino (with a nice assist from ex-Sneetch and writer Alec Palao, Greg "Mr. Bomp" Shaw, and Mike "Ugly Things" Stax) topped the American garage pop/punk box from a few years previous with this one.What really sticks out for me on this set is not only the incredible diversity of music, but also the quality of the tracks that are offered. It's one thing to be reminded of the genius of The Action on the sixth track in--quite another to find that deep into disc four the music is no less golden, and quite often by bands you may have heard of, but never actually heard. This definitely separates from the first Nuggets Box in more stylistic ways as well. Listening to many of the wonderful songs in the first box, a bit of "sameness" begins to take hold about the seventh time you hear the riff from "I'm A Man" kick in. Don't get me wrong--I love the American Punk Rock of the first set, but listening for more than an hour or so at a time induces a pretty heavy dose of listener fatigue. Not so with the more varied tunes chosen for this version. Finally, I've seen some get-a-life types on various chat lists moaning about the inclusion of so many "hits" in this box, and I don't get it. OK--"Friday On My Mind" and "Pictures Of Matchstick Men" were both top 20 hits. "Making Time" finally got some exposure thanks to the RUSHMORE soundtrack. Fans of the time and setting will recognize some of the offerings by The Move, The Pretty Things, and a few others. So, figuring that if 2 songs were hits and you've heard six to ten other songs on other comps...that still leaves 90-100 songs or so to discover, which doesn't exactly make this NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC VOL. XX.
An Absolute MUST for 60's/Garage/Psych Rock Fans June 28, 2001
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I just finished listening to this set for the second time today. Just like you can't put a good book down, I can't stop listening to this set. Every song is a winner, even more so than the first Nuggets box. Having been born in August, 1965, I kick myself often that I could not experience that era first hand. I could never have imagined the variety of rock that was around then. I am by no means an expert on 60's rock but I was familiar with the Small Faces, Pretty Things, the Creation, Love Sculpture, the Move, the Easybeats, Status Quo and David Jones (Bowie). But I never imagined that my favorite songs from this box would be by the Mops from Japan(!), the Poets from the U.K. and Os Mutantes from Brazil!! Or how about that gem by Los Shakers from Uruguay doing the best Beatles knockoff since the Knickerbockers. Rhino has yet to disappoint me. They really are saviors of the art of making an album. I guess I do things backwards but it's time to start finding some of these bands' original records on the internet.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
