Nuggets II Reveals that There Were Plenty of Gifted Also-Rans Jamming All over the World in the 60s

I would like to tell you a story about a little boy who was watching television late one night. A movie came on that was called Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster. It starred James Karen, who, in a land far to the north, was better known as the Safeway Man. This little boy was baffled and thrilled by the incoherent tale of sexy alien females and a radioactive American astronaut. But what really caught the boy's attention was a fuzzy rock song that blasted away throughout the film, with a tired vocal that somehow summoned up defiance from within the very pits of resignation.

That little boy was me?except, actually, I must have already been in my mid-20s by then. Imagine that. A young man sitting around watching crappy horror films when he should have been out getting laid. It's a miracle I didn't end up as effeminate as the creepy Uncle Fester lookalike who was playing the alien henchman. Christ, some days it seems like a miracle that I've ever even kissed a girl. How do people end up like that?

But that's all in the past. I'm really cool now. And if the version of "That's the Way It's Got to Be" on the Nuggets II box set isn't the same "That's the Way It's Got to Be" that's heard in Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, it's close enough to make me really happy. Let me say right now that I'd gladly pay the $64.98 list price just for that one song in this massive collection.

Of course, I can say that because nobody's going to call me on my bullshit. On the other hand, let's consider the hard-working American who doesn't have a pathetic personal connection to this four-CD set. That man would have every reason to think twice about the $64.98. In fact, consumers have every reason to look at Nuggets II and think this is the worst thing to happen to music since some Northwestern school bully first took Kurt Cobain's lunch money.

The reason is very simple. The 1998 Nuggets box set was?like the legendary vinyl series?dedicated to the garage-rocking psychedelic sounds of the 60s. The Nuggets II box set is also dedicated to the garage-rocking psychedelic sounds of the 60s, but only from acts located outside the United States. A well-informed consumer should expect four CDs of lame blues-rock from snaggletoothed idiots who stole from Willie Dixon and ended up playing bass in bands like Whitesnake. And that consumer would normally be right.

The 1960s had American garage-rock bands playing around with bizarre influences ranging from psychedelia to surf to folk music. In contrast, the only good garage-rock bands from overseas were folks who were too inept or stoned to properly rip off the Stones, the Yardbirds or the Who. Thankfully, Nuggets II reveals that there were plenty of gifted also-rans jamming all over the world. Some even went on to stardom. Consider the case of one Van Morrison, who's downright underrepresented here with "I Can Only Give You Everything." As an Irish drunken lout, Morrison already knew his way around hallucinations. His subsequent work established him as the closest any foreign country has ever come to a Roky Erikson. On this Nuggets II appearance, Morrison manages to rock out while sounding absolutely pathetic. That's the formula for a great 60s sound. Same goes for the Small Faces, whose two tracks only hint at the brilliance they stumbled upon during a brief shining moment that led to all-too-long careers for some of them. And while Rhino is happy to pad their self-proclaimed collection of "no hits" with future big names, the Davy Jones/Bowie song, "You've Got a Habit of Leaving,"mainly thrives through a clever mind screwing up proper pub rock.

This kind of collection really depends on forgotten greats. Fire's "Father's Name Was Dad" is a remix that sounds vastly improved over the version that some of us have on bootleg CD. The La De Das' "How Is the Air Up There" is easily superior to the barely better-known Bangles cover. "Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad," by the singularly named Caleb, is a brilliantly dated tune that further enhances the reputation of a forgotten great producer and Elton John sideman. And Mickey Finn's "Garden of My Mind" is to Hendrix what Mouse and the Traps were to Bob Dylan. (If you get that reference, then you are to music what community-college instructors are to Mystery Science Theater 3000.) There's tons of great stuff like this all through the collection, and that's just from the UK acts (and one band from New Zealand, which is technically the UK to graduates of public schools). But a really dedicated fan of garage rock would be much happier discussing everything wrong with the Nuggets II box set. There're no disappointments there, either. Let's start with how it's a good thing that Greg Shaw got a new pancreas a few years back, since the old one would've blown when he first got word of this project. After all, Shaw essentially covered the same ground first with his Pebbles series. But Shaw gets to write a nice essay in the extensive booklet that accompanies Nuggets II, so there're probably no hard feelings.

Nuggets II also wastes no time getting to the first wasted track. The fourth song on the first CD is "My Friend Jack" by the Smoke. This single has always been one of the worst indulgences of garage-rock fiends, as a dopey singsong tune gets raves just because the Jack in question eats sugar lumps. In reality, this is simply a lame novelty tune that served as the UK equivalent to the Jefferson Handkerchief. The Action's a pretty great band, but their r&b stylings don't really belong in Nuggets II. The same goes for the three tracks by the Pretty Things, whose primary contribution to rock was making the Flamin' Groovies look like geniuses. There's also no excuse for including "125" by the Haunted. It's a great tune, but the Haunted was a Canadian act. That's a 51st state in all things garage rock. And it's always sad to see anyone celebrating "Social End Product" by the Bluestars. This New Zealand act mainly proves how cliched certain sounds had already become by 1966. Unfortunately, the song fits in with the other tracks that make the third CD a microcosm for all that could have gone wrong with Nuggets II. However, keep in mind that somebody out there thinks it's terribly vital that we hear important tracks like the Jury's "Who Dat?" In the same vein, why would anybody subject us to "Bat Macumba" by Os Mutantes? These overrated innovators sound more like the Bugaloos than the Hullaballoos. Even worse, Nuggets II makes 60s rock seem like a NAFTA disaster. Anyone looking for great sounds from South of the Border will have to augment this collection with the AIP label's Exitos A Go Go compilation.

Also?with a few exceptions?Nuggets II isn't so great for clearing out the CD collection. The two Idle Race tracks are all anyone needs from Jeff Lynne's old outfit, so there're a few import compilations getting sent to starving hipsters in China. "The First Cut Is the Deepest" is the only great moment from the Koobas, so you can ditch their CD. And, if you think about it, "Making Time," "How Does It Feel to Feel" and "Biff! Bang! Pow!" kind of sum up everything you need from the Creation. You'll still want to hold on to that Rushmore soundtrack, though. Finally, let's kindly assume that licensing difficulties are why the Brothers Gibb's only appearance in this compilation is as backing musicians on Ronnie Burns' cover of their "Exit Stage Right."

Still, Nuggets II has enough one-stop listening to make the box set a perfectly reasonable investment. That leaves us anticipating Nuggets III, and you can be sure the Rhino label is doing the same. The logical progression is a look back to the Paisley Underground and the international 80s scene, although all the best tracks will be bands from Denmark covering songs from Nuggets and Nuggets II. It could maybe work if Rhino avoids celebrating too much L.A. hippiedom. With 40,000 units moved on the first Nuggets box, the audience certainly seems to be there. Rhino will just have to make some tough decisions about the target audience. While they can keep selling Echo & the Bunnymen box sets to folks who applauded the fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Nuggets series can serve the folks who applaud the race scenes in The Fast and the Furious.