Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (1972)

There were a lot of bands in the 60s. So many that most people have never heard of most of them. After the 'British Invasion' of the American pop charts in 1964 the amount of bands in America seemed to explode overnight. In 1972, this double LP was released to celebrate those bands from the grooviest era of music who went largely unheard. Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 is a journey through all those missed gems of early garage rock and psychedelic pop. Usually I'm not a big fan of compilation albums, but Nuggets is so much more than your average compilation album. Twenty-seven of the best songs of the 60s made by young and upcoming bands who inspired countless bands after them. The conception and popularity of young, loud garage bands such as The Seeds and The Blues Magoos would also go on to influence punk and hard rock in the 70s.

Putting the historic context of the album aside, Nuggets is a fountain of brilliant bands and songs, all with their own unique twist or sound. The Thirteenth Floor Elevators are a prime example of a band who have been forgotten by the world after the 60s ended. Their song "You're Gonna Miss Me" features an instrument called an 'electric jug' which makes the most unusal sounds whilst the rest of the band give it all they've got. Whether you're a fan of psychedelic music or not, it makes little difference; this album will blow you away. I challenge anyone to listen to this album and not have at least one song stuck in their head by the end of the second side. If you want to see a side of the 60s that regularly goes unnoticed then you should make it your duty to track Nuggets down.

Label: Elektra

Tracklist:
1. I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) - The Electric Prunes
2. Dirty Water - The Standells
3. Night Time - The Strangeloves
4. Lies - The Knickerbockers
5. Respect - The Vagrants
6. A Public Execution - Mouse
7. No Time Like The Right Time - The Blues Project
8. Oh yeah - The Shadows of Knight
9. Pushin' Too Hard - The Seeds
10. Moulty - The Barbarians
11. Don't Look Back - The Remains
12. Invitation To Cry - The Magicians
13. Liar, Liar - The Castaways
14. You're Gonna Miss Me - The Thirteenth Floor Elevators
15. Psychotic Reaction - Count Five
16. Hey Joe - The Leaves
17. Just Like Romeo and Juliet - Michael and The Messengers
18. Sugar and Spice - The Cryan Shames
19. Baby Please Don't Go - The Amboy Dukes
20. Tobacco Road - The Blues Magoos
21. Lets Talk About Girls - Chocolate Watch Band
22. Sit Down I Think I Love You - The Mojo Men
23. Run Run Run - The Third Rail
24. My World Fell Down - Sagittarius
25. Open My Eyes - Nazz
26. Farmer John - The Premiers
27. It's-A-Happening - The Magic Mushrooms

Bent Wind - Sussex (1969)

Nobody has heard of Bent Wind. Even the most trained of psychedelic connoisseurs could be forgiven for having not heard of them. They were a Canadian garage band formed in 1969 and in the same year released their debut album Sussex. Sussex has an almost unique sound, despite using established psychedelic rock conventions. The guitars are sharp and heavy, the drums are thick and booming and the vocals seem to float hauntingly over the rhythm. During the song Riverside the sounds of a bird singing and screeching over the top completely catches you by surprise and changes the song entirely.

Altough the sound is as lo-fi as can be, It's a credit to the production of the album that the band can sound eery as well as loud unlike any other band I've ever heard. The highlight of the album is the first track on the second side ('Look at Love'), a beautiful slower song proving that Bent Wind can chill out as well as rock out. This album is as brilliant as it is hard to find, nowadays its quite a collectors item and an album any die hard psychedelica fan would love to have in their collection.

Label: Heyoka

Tracklist:
1. Sacred Cows
2. Riverside
3. Mistify
4. Going To The City
5. Look At Love
6. Hate
7. Touch of Red
8. The Lions

The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand (2009)

In the face of their growing fame you could be forgiven for thinking that The Black Lips might finally warm to a cleaner sound, without the screaming and scratchy guitars. But their new record proves that they haven't lost any of their edge, despite being together for a decade now. If anything, their latest release hints at a darker edge than before. The production sounds almost claustrophobic at times, like the band are trapped in a basement, crying for help (which, appropriately enough, is actually what the song 'Trapped In A Basement" attempts to portray).

At first, it sounds as if the band are hiding behind their wall of harsh noise, too scared to use open and honest melodies and sounds. But if you continue listening, The Black Lips' brilliance shines through once more. From the first two raucous opening tracks all the way through to the climactic ending (from which this blog takes it's name), the album oozes style. It's not easy for a band to create a piece of work that has it's own feel and it's own personality but all that and much more has been accomplished by the garage rock American band. Wailing solos, simple sing-a-longs, block rocking hip-hop, latin flavoured riffs and an encounter with god: what more could you want from a rock album?

Click here to listen to 'Drugs' by The Black Lips

Label: Vice

Tracklist:
1. Take My Heart
2. Drugs
3. Starting Over
4. Let It Grow
5. Trapped In A Basement
6. Short Fuse
7. I'll Be With You
8. Big Black Baby Jesus Of Today
9. Again & Again
10. Old Man
11. The Drop I Hold
12. Body Combat
13. Elijah
14. I Saw God
15. Meltdown (Hidden Track)