Dave West “The Sheppard of the West and His Big Country Guitar”

(44 votes, average: 3.84 out of 5)

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Sonia y Myriam   Voces de Ensueno   Musart Records label

(35 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5)

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Baby A Go-Go (Columbia-Harmony Records)

(33 votes, average: 3.18 out of 5)

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Helen, Marie, Avnie and Lee.

(56 votes, average: 3.80 out of 5)

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Hammish Imlach sings “Ballads of Booze”

(37 votes, average: 3.73 out of 5)

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Jesus and Superman!!   Reverend Danny Nance.

(76 votes, average: 4.12 out of 5)

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“I Got It… Bad”   The Two Moods of Marie Conti   Albatross Record Company

(43 votes, average: 3.88 out of 5)

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The original Nuggets LP on Elektra (1972) “Original Artyfacts from the First Psychodelic Era 1965 – 1968”   The seminal and influential double-record compilation of American garage band rock singles produced by Elektra founder Jac Holzman and Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith’s guitarist).   I discovered this in 1978 in Boston’s Kenmore Square – fittingly at a used record shop called “Nuggets” (Nuggets was next to “The Rat,” i.e., the Rathskeller, a raw basement concert venue that featured many local punk bands.)

Nuggets spawned an entire cottage industry of small record labels dedicated to unearthing and releasing obscure but worthy garage and psychedelic rock music from the 1960s.   Contrary to popular belief, more than a third of the original Nuggets were American Top 40 hits.   Among them “Dirty Water” (Standells), “Liar, Liar” (Castaways), and at number five the highest-charting 45 of the bunch, “Psychotic Reaction” (Count Five).   Several sides never made the Top 200 including “Let’s Talk About Girls” (Chocolate Watchband), “Don’t Look Back” (Remains), and “An Invitation to Cry” (Magicians).   Nuggets influenced Patti Smith, The Ramones, The Talking Heads and R.E.M. .   Each track is also given a brief bio which was researched and penned by Kaye. His comments go beyond the facts and figures of the typical discography, relating to the music as the personal experience that it was.

(61 votes, average: 4.34 out of 5)

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Joe Newman: “Counting Five in Sweden”   With Basie-ites Frank Wess, Al Grey, Nat Pierce, Eddie Jones and Sonny Payne.   Label: Metronome 15018     12″ LP 1959   Design: Stig Söderqvost   Photo: Bengt H. Malmqvist

Joe Newman with his (then) new wife, Rigmor Newman.   This cover was pulled from distribution so as not to offend with the image of a happy and happily integrated couple.   His tune “To Rigmor,” (recorded around the same time) was dedicated to her.   In the early 90’s Rigmor married Harold Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers).

(39 votes, average: 4.49 out of 5)

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