Children of Nuggets

Description by OLDIES.com:

When Patti Smith group guitarist and music maven Lenny Kaye oversaw the now classic Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968 for Elektra, it was under label president Jac Holzman's directive to "compile together the good tracks from all those albums that only have one good track." Two legendary LP's worth of garage-skewed classic pop song genius later, the '72 set saluted the quintessential Nuggets notion that every band has ashot at a three-minute gem. Children of Nuggets renews the tradition with a cornucopia of grassroots rock, retro revelations, lush power pop, and sublime grooves and lyrical flow from the next generation of like-minded bands, circa '76-'95. Good to the last drop, it's four CDs of absolutely esential, DIY-infused songs, each and every one a rare sonic gem.

Product Description:

Recording information: 1976 - 1996.

As the title suggests, this follow-up to the NUGGETS box traces the lineage of the first set's garage, pop, and psychedelic styles past the 1960s and into subsequent decades, focusing, in particular, on the '80s. With the birth of dream pop, garage revival, college rock, power pop, and the paisley underground, among other trends, the 1980s paid homage to the sounds of the '60s with a variety of approaches and aesthetics. Those familiar with NUGGETS will be able to parallel nearly all the stylistic turns on CHILDREN OF NUGGETS to the original.

But that is not to say that the music here is derivative. On the contrary, even the neo-psychedelia (like Dukes of Stratosphear's "Vanishing Girl," which opens the set) sounds fresh and delicious. Bands well known to aficionados of the decade (the Smithereens, the La's, the Soft Boys, the Church, the Flamin' Groovies) are set alongside obscure gems by lesser known progeny (Lime Spiders, Green Telescope), but nearly everything on this pop music treasure trove sparkles. And, since their reputation often precedes them, any expectations that Rhino Records did a superb job selecting, compiling, annotating, and packaging some of the best underground pop of the age are in all ways confirmed.