PRODUCT INFORMATION PAGE Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond View and buy for $58.49 on Amazon.com

Here are some customer reviews of Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond : This set of 4 cd's with over 100 psych, mod, freakbeat songs from the late 60's British and World scene is well worth the money. I was only familiar with of a few of these bands before buying it, Small Faces, Move, Idle Race, Creation, Pretty Things, Tintern Abbey, Blossom Toes, and heard of a few others, so when i saw it i knew it had to be filled with other great 60s psych. And, believe it or not, it was. Psych bands from not only the UK, but also Holland, Japan, Latin America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden even Iceland are all here; and nearly all of the selections are top-notch. These songs are extremely rare and hard to find at a decent price. If you have any interest in psychedelic rock what-so-ever, do yourself a favor and get this, you'll be glad you did... The first box set is THE one to own, but this second Nugget aint too shiny. It takes bands that from an American point of view are small and not too well known, but to a Uk buyer you are going to know a fair few of the bands on here. those bands are also a bit off putting..... The move (nothing against roy wood, but they definately arent small timers in the 70's), the status quo (early stuff but still?? francis rossi et al arent that out of touch with the charts either). the box set is in this case 50% 50%, some good tunes by smaller bands of the time, but to me looking at the tracklisting you scan over the bands and if some dodgy band crops up you start thinking that the rest are going to be like that. i suppose the first Nuggets box set could be similar for a US to Uk buyer, as in uk havent heard of most of them but the Us buyer might of, BUT heres the difference.... the first box set is consistantly good, and although Captain Beefheart and Love appear on the set they arent turn offs, where as...... well ive already said it. i didnt mean to complain too much about this but just be weary as it is from a Us perspective which is not the same as a Uk buyer. If all else fails search out the Pebbles volumes which takes the better cuts from the album. Another splendid anthology, perhaps more interesting than Nuggets I because less familiar. The bulk of the songs lean toward the rave-up R&B of the Pretty Things rather than the dandified psychedelia of Tomorrow (whose terrific "My White Bicycle" is included here), but the selection is wide and the liner notes informative. If your heart is still in the 1960s, if the British Invasion took you by storm, you must get this. Listening to this cd was fascinatng in the same way that listening to a demo tape of a great song makes you appreciate how much better the final version is("Louie, Louie" being the exception). In other words, I think a previous viewer had it right when he said that back in the good old days (unlike now), the best stuff one heard was on the radio. I think this cd proves it. Although it was an interesting listen, I hardly think it was worth anybody's while to travel to the ends of the earth for the purpose of discovering some bad records by some migthy terrible bands(I assume The Mops must have been somebody's idea of a sick joke...)So, I found myself wading through a whole lot of mushy vegetables - overated bands like The Creation and The Pretty Things - in search of a few pieces of meat. Here, in my opinion, are the gems: 1. "Pictures of Matchstick Men" by Status Quo (Reaffirms my belief that this may have been the greatest psychadelic song of all.) 2. "Words Enough to Tell You" by The Mascots (If you like the early Beatles sound, it doesn't get any better than this.) 3. "I Can Only Give you Everything" (A killer track from the incomparable Them. Every bit as good as "Gloria".) 4. "I'll Keep Holding On" by The Action (This one is nothing short of a masterpiece. Produced by none other than George Martin himself.) There you have it. Four great songs... Picking up where the first Nuggets box set left off, "Nuggets II" focuses on the rest of the world outside the continental U.S., including four discs of 60's Mod, Psychedelic, British R&B, and Freakbeat from all over the planet, even Iceland, Uruguay, Canada, and Japan. A handful of the bands contained within this compilation will be familiar to the casual garage fanatic (The Move, Status Quo, The Troggs, The Small Faces, The Pretty Things), but Rhino somehow managed to unearth gems from such seemingly obscure groups like The La De Das, Cuby & The Blizzards, Thor's Hammer, and Tintern Abbey. Like the sticker on my copy says, it "contains virtually no hits!", so be prepared for some surprises. Another beautifully packaged set from Rhino, including a reverentially compiled 100-page booklet loaded with photos, memorabilia, and information. I can't wait for Nuggets III!

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