V/A: Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (2LP, psychedelic colour vinyl, indie exclusive) [RHINO]

Why you'll love it

This 50th anniversary indie exclusive puts the original 27-track double album on psychedelic colour vinyl. Kaye's liner notes contain one of the earliest known uses of the term "punk rock."

This edition

• 2LP set
• 50th anniversary edition
• Psychedelic colour vinyl
• Indie exclusive
• Pressed in the Czech Republic

About the album

Some of the best compilations start with a record-store clerk and a stack of singles. Lenny Kaye was writing about music and working the counter at Village Oldies in New York when Elektra boss Jac Holzman let him gather the mid-60s garage and psych 45s he loved into one double album.

It's a treasure chest of one-hit wonders and should-have-beens. The Electric Prunes open with "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)," The Standells deliver "Dirty Water," The Count Five crank out "Psychotic Reaction," and the 13th Floor Elevators howl through "You're Gonna Miss Me." The Seeds' "Pushin' Too Hard," The Castaways' "Liar, Liar," The Amboy Dukes' "Baby Please Don't Go" and Nazz's "Open My Eyes" keep the fuzz coming. Many of these bands had a single moment in the sun, and Kaye's selection turns those moments into one long, glorious afternoon of fuzz and Farfisa.

Jon Savage named it a major influence on UK punk, and Kaye himself went on to play guitar with Patti Smith. We mention his day job purely so our own staff know what's expected of them.

Also at Kops: more Nuggets on vinyl · browse Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On Elektra / Rhino (cat# RCV1 2006R), a reissue of the 1972 compilation.