Nuggets is a series of compilation albums, started by Elektra Records in 1972[1] and continued by Rhino Records thereafter.[2] The series focuses primarily on relatively obscure garage and psychedelic rock songs from the 1960s, but with some hits and pop-oriented songs also included.[2]
The music on Rhino's 1984–1989 Nuggets series is similar to that on Kaye's original compilation. While many of the songs on the 1980s series' 15 albums appeared on the original Nuggets double LP, others were new to the series and some eventually wound up on Rhino's 1998 box set. Although most of the music was recorded by US groups, there are some exceptions, such as the Troggs (English) and the Easybeats (Australian).
In 2012, Australian label Festival Records issued their own CD compilation titled Down Under Nuggets: Original Australian Artyfacts, 1965–1967,[3] followed by a vinyl release the following year.[4]
Discography
Original compilation: 1972
The original 1972 Nuggets compilation was a 2-LP set of 27 American psychedelic and garage rocksingles that were originally released during the mid-to-late 1960s. It was created by Lenny Kaye, and was reissued with a new cover design by Sire Records in 1976. For more information:
Rhino issued a 12-volume series of Nuggets LPs in 1984-1985; there are 168 tracks across the 12 volumes. All tracks are by American performers, and the LPs feature a mix of garage rock, folk rock, pop and other related genres.
The 12-volume Nuggets series had a broader scope than the original LPs, and only 16 of the 27 tracks on the original Nuggets 2-LP set were included in the 12 volume series.
Many tracks from the 12-volume series were later included in the 1998 Nuggets 4-CD box set. Of the 116 tracks in the CD box set, 72 are found in the 12-volume LP series.
Tracks included on the original 1972 compilation are noted in the columns labelled Nuggets 2LP.
Tracks included on the later 1998 4-CD box set are noted in the columns labelled Nuggets Box.
Tracks included in specialized Nuggets compilations are noted in the Other column.
Beginning in 1986, Rhino curated another configuration of Nuggets volumes, this time on CD. These volumes drew from the original Nuggets 2-LP set, and the later 12-volume LP series, but also included tracks completely new to the Nuggets series. As well, a handful of tracks were from non-American acts, specifically tracks by The Troggs (England) and The Easybeats (Australia).
The 3CD collection consists of 54 tracks. This iteration of Nuggets has an extremely different track listing when compared to the original LPs:
Only 11 of the 27 tracks on the original Nuggets 2LP set are featured across these three CDs.
Only 37 of the 168 tracks from the 12-LP series are featured across these 3 CDs.
As well, numerous tracks from these three CDs were later incorporated into the later Nuggets 4CD box set -- although many, many tracks were not ported over into the CD box set. Of the 116 tracks on the 1998 4CD box set, 32 are featured in this 3CD series.
Tracks included on the original 1972 compilation are noted in the columns labelled Nuggets 2LP.
Tracks included on the later 1998 4-CD box set are noted in the columns labelled Nuggets Box.
Tracks included in specialized Nuggets compilations are noted in the Other column.
The first box set compiled the original 2-LP sequence of Nuggets tracks, and 91 other tracks -- some of which had been included on the 1980s 12-volume LP collection, many of which had not. All the tracks included in the box set were by American artists, recording in the mid to late 1960s.
This follow-up box compiled similar tracks that were from various non-American artists, also working in the late 1960s. Virtually all of these tracks were not previously issued as part of any Nuggets compilation.
This third box consisted of music in similar styles to the original Nuggets tracks (garage rock, jangle pop, folk rock, etc.), but that were recorded mainly in the 1980s and early 1990s.
This fifth box compiled tracks from performers working in and around the Los Angeles area in the late 1960s. Both this box and the San Francisco box consisted almost entirely of material that was not compiled on previous Nuggets volumes.
Other single-disc compilations
Two single disc compilations of softer Nuggets material were issued in 2004. These compilations tended toward orchestrated, mildly psychedelic music, and did not feature a typical Nuggets rock or garage rock sound:
The above two CDs were reissued the following year with unchanged track listings, but with new titles and artwork:
My Mind Goes High: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults (2005)
A Whole Lot of Rainbows: Soft Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults (2005)
The most recent Nuggets compilation featured tracks from performers working in Australia and New Zealand in the late 1960s, and very definitely focused on garage rock and similarly harder material:
Down Under Nuggets: Original Australian Artyfacts, 1965–1967 (2012)
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