I've slowly been making my way through the recent Rhino Records box set "Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the Second Psychedelic Era, 1976-1996." The follow-up to a 1972 collection which collected the best underground music from the late sixties, "Children" collects 100 garage/ psychedelic/ experimental songs, the majority of which have fallen on deaf ears. While a few big names pop up (Teenage Fanclub, the Smithereens, "There She Goes" by the La's), the majority are classics thankfully rescued from obscurity. Instead of being sequenced chronologically, the songs spanning this four disc set are thoughtfully ordered so as to complement one another. Beautifully packaged, the detailed liner notes include a song-by-song analysis with detailed information about each of the bands.Some of the undiscovered gems that have become my current favorites include:
•"Pink Frost" (The Chills): Pretty and atmospheric, Kieron Tyler notes The Chill's influence on Stereolab in the liner notes. The group formed in New Zealand in 1980, going through a number of lineup changes, with Martin Phillips remaining the principal singer and songwriter. "Pink Frost" was released in 1984, as the band began building a European following, thanks in part to legendary UK DJ John Peel. The band went their separate ways in the early nineties, with Phillips playing in numerous bands before gathering a new Chills lineup, and releasing the "Stand By" EP in 2004.
•"Vanishing Girl" (The Dukes of the Stratosphere): Going for a little bit more of a mid-sixties sound, the members of XTC recorded under the name Dukes of the Stratosphere for the 1984 album "Psonic Psunspot." "Children of Nuggets" also includes the band's first single "25 O'Clock."
•"Kingsley J." (Vibrasonic): Formed in 1991 as a collaboration between Simon Jones and Victor Filch, Vibrasonic mixed influences on their two records including the Everly Brothers, Echo & the Bunnymen and Dick Dale opening shows for the latter. The two parted ways in 1996.
::2 Related Links::
1•Pitchfork's Review of "Children of Nuggets"
2•Interview with Vibrasonic
4 comments:
I really like "trains" by the nashville ramblers.
That sounds like a good collection, especially from what you detailed so far. The La's are back together, and most stuff Peely used to play was pretty good, except for The Fall IMO.
I loved Teenage fanclub and "Grand Prix" is still a great album.
Ben
That's awesome that the La's are back together.
Teenage Fanclub were amazing - I love groups that sound like the Byrds, but put their own spin on it.
Will ?
Thanks for putting on your Links, I'll do likewise.
The Byrds, yeah I have most of their albums and the couple that always stand out for me are "Sweetheart Of the Rodeo" and "Younger Yhan Yesterday".
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