In its time, in the mid-'80s, Rhino Records' first volume of its Nuggets series was one of the basic starting points for a collection of mid-'60s psychedelic and garage punk music, and it still holds up for content. Almost everything here is a musical touchstone of the genres, either a major chart hit or an underground classic, and the little that doesn't really fit entirely into those categories, such as "Friday on My Mind" by the Easybeats and "Laugh Laugh" and "Just a Little" by the Beau Brummels, is still catchy enough ...
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In its time, in the mid-'80s, Rhino Records' first volume of its Nuggets series was one of the basic starting points for a collection of mid-'60s psychedelic and garage punk music, and it still holds up for content. Almost everything here is a musical touchstone of the genres, either a major chart hit or an underground classic, and the little that doesn't really fit entirely into those categories, such as "Friday on My Mind" by the Easybeats and "Laugh Laugh" and "Just a Little" by the Beau Brummels, is still catchy enough to fit in seamlessly with the rest. The main drawback for new purchasers may be the sound -- Rhino's mastering standards were always higher than those of virtually every other company, which means that their '80s CDs have held their value a very long time, but there are better things being done with the sound on most of this material in the early 21st century. As of 1998, thanks to a new licensing agreement, Rhino was able to issue a much-expanded version of that double album as a four-CD box and put out Nuggets From Nuggets, a 20-song highlights CD that includes five of the cuts from this CD and 15 choice additions; of the missing tracks, the Chocolate Watch Band's "Let's Talk About Girls" is the only hugely glaring omission, the others being a matter of subjective choice, some of which is dictated by their availability elsewhere and changing perceptions of the music. This remains a superb starting point, however, and even fits in well alongside Nuggets From Nuggets. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
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