While the original Nuggets compilation concentrated on the American pop
and rock scene, the second Nuggets shifted its focus to the rest of the
world, collecting cuts from the United Kingdom (such as the Pretty
Things and the Small Faces), Canada (The Guess Who and The Haunted),
Japan (The Mops), Australia (The Easybeats, The Masters Apprentices),
New Zealand (The La De Das and Chants R&B), Sweden (The Tages),
Iceland (Thor's Hammer), the Netherlands (Q65, Cuby & the Blizzards
and Golden Earrings), Peru (We All Together), Brazil (Os Mutantes) and
Austria (The Slaves).
All those who enjoy music richer in energy and daring than intelligence and maturity should add
Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond (1964-1969) to
their music collection--where it should sit right next to the series'
first volume. The lyrics to songs such as "I Can Hear the Grass Grow"
and "14 Hour Technicolour Dream" won't unlock life's mysteries, but the
reckless abandon with which these songs were written and played will
remind anyone how it feels to be young and angst-ridden. A few of the
selections, including "Pictures of Matchstick Men," achieved some
commercial success upon release; some were covered by bands more recent
or lasting than the mostly one-hit wonders who performed the originals;
others are so simple they sound like a lot of rock songs; and a number
include a distinctive sound or effect other rockers felt compelled to
steal. Plenty of songs, though, will be new to all but the most
dedicated collectors, and the fact that the best of these didn't make
the charts when they were originally released confirms that timing is
indeed everything.
Little Richard was not the only
original rock & roller to attempt a comeback in the late '60s and
early '70s, but he may have been the one to take the greatest musical
risks. Fats Domino merely updated his sound (albeit in a charming
fashion), Jerry Lee Lewis refashioned himself as a hardcore country
singer, and Chuck Berry pandered with "My Ding-A-Ling," but Little
Richard pushed himself on his three albums for Reprise, all of which
were collected -- along with his contributions to Quincy Jones' 1972
Dollar$ soundtrack album, non-LP singles, session outtakes, and a
complete unreleased album from 1972 called Southern Child -- in 2005 by
Rhino Handmade for the triple-disc set The King of Rock and Roll.
