Double Nugget

Part 1 of a new series in which previously underpraised records/bands get the praise they deserve. Nuggets was the brainchild of Lenny Kaye, guitarist with the Patti Smith Group and garage rock enthusiast. ‘The Original Punk Rock’ claims the sticker on my box set. ‘Last Seen In Rolling Stone’s List Of 200 Essential CDs of the Rock ‘n Roll Era!’ 

In 1964 when America went Beatlemania crazy watching the Ed Sullivan show, anyone who had a TV and a guitar grew their hair overnight, got together with some like-minded souls and thrashed away in their garage until the 2 or 3 chords they had nicked from the Fab 4 or the Kinks or the Who had been fashioned together into something approaching a tune. Often, there were fantastic results. FANTASTIC RESULTS! Some of these results even made it onto record. Unfortunately, 99.9% of these records remained firmly outside the charts, but they proved to be the training ground for such future stars as Todd Rundgren, Ted Nugent, Warren Zevon, Glen Campbell and many others. 

Originally a double album, ‘Nuggets’ basically celebrates these no-hit wonders by compiling tons and tons of stuff onto 4 CDs. It is my favourite box set, one I go back to again and again. At least once a year I will wait until I have the house to myself and blast it out while I do some menial chore like cleaning the floor or changing the bed. It’s great music to strip wallpaper to. It’s great music to make the tea to. It’s great music to clean the toilet to. It’s great music full stop.

Double Nugget? I’d rather have a Knickerbocker Glory. The guy in the bottom left hand corner would later change his name and go on to play for Glasgow Rangers. Derek Johnstone, anyone?

Today’s Double Nugget comes courtesy of The Knickerbockers and The Amboy Dukes. New Jersey’s The Knickerbockers released ‘Lies’ in 1965 and it is so obviously under the influence of The Beatles it could easily have slotted onto ‘With The Beatles’ between ‘Don’t Bother Me’ and ‘Little Child’. You should try it in iTunes – it works! The harmonies throughout, the Ringo-style drum rolls, the George Harrison-indebted vocals. There’s even a McCartney-esque “Waaaaaaaaaa!” scream leading into the middle eight. You can just about picture him bobbing his head while he plays his Hofner bass along to this one. Even the adlibs at the end have that whiff of Fab Fourness about them. This track is a cracker!

Handsome

The Amboy Dukes are a totally different kettle of fish. Less pop for a start. Much less. Look at the picture above. This is heavy blues way before Eric Clapton even invented heavy blues. Listen to the feedback drenched opening to their version of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’. Originally a Big Joe Williams folk/blues song from the deep south of America, The Amboy Dukes were clearly taking notes from the Them version. I always liked that version until I heard this one. Released at the start of 1968, it sounds like Vietnam. An incessant, nagging rhythm section coupled with Ted Nugent’s amps set to 10 (and ‘stun’) this is the true sound of Detroit, pre-dating the MC5, Stooges et al by a few years. A few years later and Nugent was a gun lovin’ maniac. Listening to his playing on this track, we should’ve guessed. You’ll want to learn this version on guitar, trust me. Oh, and listen out for the Hendrix riff in the middle of the freak-out section.

England, 1966

(every Scotsman’s least-favourite phrase)

*Disclaimer. There’s a million great garage band websites out there. Most of them are way more knowledgeable and obsessive about this music than I’ll ever be. And I love this music! Click on the ‘Little Steven’ link on the left hand side for starters. I’m no expert on these things, and I don’t claim to be. As Lenny Kaye himself says in the original sleeve notes, “The notes enclosed are intended to provide a frame of reference in which to approach these hand-picked tracks, and have no pretense either to complete enlightenment or total truth” Happy downloading1