Guide to British Music of the 1960s

October 2001

CD Review

Nuggetts II- Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond

 

 

The original Nuggets compilation collected together many US 1960s brands from the well-known to the obscure. Nuggets II moves across the Atlantic and brings together British groups and those from the "British Empire" and beyond including across Europe, South America and even Japan. This is a veritable richness of late 1960s British(ish) pop and "near-psychedelia." Like the original Nuggets the coverage varies from the well-known like the Small Faces, Status Quo and the Creation to the more obscure. However, all the tracks are worthy of inclusion on this compilation. 

The set is put together from an American perspective so some of the artists viewed as more obscure will be better known to UK listeners. However, there certainly are some more obscure but wonderful sounds here. This does not devalue it except that many of the well-known tracks are available in many forms already. 

The genre of the music varies through R & B through to pop and near-psychedelia. Let's start with the better known tracks. The Small Faces need no introduction, of course. Van Morisson and Them provide I Can Only Give You Everything, a rough and ready blast with plenty of fuzz guitar. The Troggs' Lost Girl is one of their lesser-known songs but it was the band's first single (followed by Wild Thing). The Move are here with the suggestive I Can Hear The Grass Grow and Fire Brigade. Status Quo's Pictures of Matchstick Men has  a distinct sound, very unlike the Quo of later years. 

Those whom became famous later are well-represented. Yes's Steve Howe was in Tomorrow, The Idle Race contained Jeff Lynne, later of ELO and the Traveling Wilberries, The Birds had some guy called Ronnie Wood, John's Children has replaced their original guitarist with a young Mod called Marc Bolan. The Mockingbirds contained a lyricist called Graham Gouldman who, apart from writing hits for the Yardbirds, later formed 10CC along with fellow Mockingbird Kevin Godley. Ronnie Burns' Exit Stage Right featured Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, later the Bee Gees. 

Then there are the bands who should have been better known than they are. Top of this list must be The Pretty Things whose superb Midnight to Six must be one of the box's highlights. The Action was one of the most popular bands on the club circuit in the UK. Reggie King as once described by Paul Weller as having a better soul voice than Steve Marriott. Praise indeed. Probably the Action's two best tracks are included here, the cover of the Marvelette's I'll Keep on Holding On and Shadows and Reflections where the band is moving slightly away from the soul style towards a more psychedelic approach.  

Above all, there are the bands who made one or two singles, failing to trouble the compiler of the charts. Some may have made an album, others not. Check out My Friend Jack by the Smoke, Caleb's Baby Your Phrasing is Bad, Flight From Ashiya by Kaleidoscope and Glendora by the Downliners Sect. 

The 4CD set comes complete with a highly detailed book with information about the bands included. this is a marvel of research in itself. 

Are you ready? Get out your fuzzbox and use it!

Release date: 2001 Rhino R2 76787

Essential Tracks:

  • Imposters of Life's Magazine- The Idle Race
  • My Friend Jack- The Smoke
  • Real Crazy Apartment- Winston's Fumbs

Track Listing:

Disc One
  1. Making Time- The Creation
  2. Father's Name Was Dad- Fire
  3. I Can Hear the Grass Grow- The Move
  4. My Friend Jack- The Smoke
  5. My White Bicycle- Tomorrow
  6. I'll Keep Holding On- The Action
  7. When The Night Falls- The Eyes
  8. Sorry- The Easybeats
  9. Imposters of Life's Magazine- The Idle Race
  10. How Is The Air Up There?- The La De Das
  11. Mud in Your Eye- The Fleur de Lys
  12. Everything (That's Mine)- The Motions
  13. Garden of My Mind- The Mickey Finn
  14. Take a Heart- The Sorrows
  15. The Life I Live- Q'65
  16. Midnight to Six Man- The Pretty Things
  17. I See The Rain- The Marmalade
  18. First Cut is the Deepest- the Koobas
  19. You Stole My Love- The Mockingbirds
  20. 125- The Haunted
  21. My Mind's Eye- The Small Faces
  22. Going Nowhere- Los Bravos
  23. All Night Stand- The Thoughts
  24. War or Hands of Time- The Masters Apprentices
  25. It's a Sin To Go Away- We All Together
  26. A Dream for Julie- Kaleidoscope
  27. I Read You Like an Open Book- The Tages

Disc Two

  1. Children of the Sun- The Misunderstood
  2. Save My Soul- Wimple Winch
  3. Desdemona- John's Children
  4. I Can Only Give You Everything- Van Morrison
  5. Lost Girl- the Troggs
  6. I Must Be Mad- The Craig
  7. Say Those Magic Words- The Birds
  8. Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad- Caleb
  9. Daddy Buy Me A Girl- Golden Earrings
  10. Exit Stage Right- Ronnie Burns
  11. Gone is the Sad Man- Timebox
  12. I'm Rowed Out- The Eyes
  13. You've Got Habit Of Leaving- Davy Jones
  14. Reflections of Charlie Brown- Rupert's People
  15. Words Enough to Tell You- The Mascots
  16. That's The Way It's Got To Be- The Poets
  17. 14 Hour Technicolour Dream- The Syn
  18. Walking Through My Dreams- The Pretty Things
  19. You Said- The Primitives
  20. This Life of Mine- The Lost Souls
  21. Shadows and Reflections- The Action
  22. Friday on My Mind- The Easybeats
  23. In the Land of the Few- Love Sculpture
  24. For Another Man- The Motions
  25. Fire Brigade- The Move
  26. Gaby- The Boots
  27. Biff! Bang! Pow!- The Creation

Disc Three

  1. Your Body Not Your Soul- Cuby and the Blizzards
  2. Cathy, Come Home- The Twilights
  3. Circles- Les Fleurs de Lys
  4. Got Down From the Tree- The Matadors
  5. Cry in the Night- Q'65
  6. Changing the Colors of Life- Los Chijuas
  7. Social End Project- The Bluestars
  8. Crawdaddy Simone- The Syndicats
  9. Don't You Remember- The Sound Magics
  10. It's My Pride- The Guess Who
  11. Magic Potion- The Open Mind
  12. You're Driving Me Insane- The Missing Links
  13. Who Dat?- The Jury
  14. A Midsummer Night's Scene- John's Children
  15. Listen to the Sky- Sands
  16. How To Find a Lover- The Mockingbirds
  17. Days of the Broken Arrows- The Idle Race
  18. By My Side- The Elois
  19. Path Through the Forest- The Factory
  20. Love Hate Revenge- Episode Six
  21. Pictures of Matchstick Men- Status Quo
  22. The Train to Disaster- The Voice
  23. Sad- The (Australian) Playboys
  24. Slaves Time- The Slaves
  25. You Can Be My Baby- The Red Squares
  26. I Wish I Was Five- Scrugg
  27. Glendora- The Downliners Sect

Disc Four

  1. Rosalyn- The Pretty Things
  2. Come On- The Atlantics
  3. The Madman Running Through the Fields- Dantalion's Chariot
  4. How Does It Feel To Feel- The Creation
  5. I'm Just a Mops- The Mops
  6. While Don't You Smile Now- The Downliners Sect
  7. Nothin'- The Ugly Ducklings
  8. Break It All- Los Shakers
  9. The Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane- Timon
  10. Touch- The Outsiders
  11. Vacuum Cleaner- Tintern Abbey
  12. My Life- Thor's Hammer
  13. Bad Little Woman- The Wheels
  14. No Presents for Me- Pandemonium
  15. Bat Macumba- Os Mutantes
  16. Real Crazy Apartment- Winstons Fumbs
  17. No More Now- The Smoke (New Zealand)
  18. No Good Without You- The Birds
  19. Kicks and Chicks- The Zipps
  20. Dance Around the Maypole- The Acid Gallery
  21. Get Yourself Home- The Fairies
  22. I'm Your Witchdoctor- The Chants R&B
  23. But You'll Never Do It Babe- The Boots
  24. One Third- The Majority
  25. Flight From Ashiya- Kaleidoscope
  26. Here Come The Nice- The Small Faces
  27. It's My Fault- The Rattles
  28. When the Alarm Clock Rings- Blossom Toes

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