“Nuggets’ is a term coined in the early ‘70s as a reference to the incredible number of garage rock and psychedelic singles that were released in the mid-60s.

The term was popularized when a writer and record store employee named Lenny Kaye (who would soon become the guitarist for the Patti Smith Group) compiled a few ‘nuggets’ for a two-record compilation set that would eventually become a classic collection. It was Kaye who referred to the style as ‘punk rock’, an endearing term for suburban kids who were inspired by the guitar-based music of the British Invasion, and so decided to learn an instrument and take a shot at writing their own songs.

The results were usually raw, raucous, and emotionally honest, which is why Kaye’s collection remained relevant for decades. Over time, additional series utilizing the “Nuggets” categorization were released, including a number of box sets. The net result was a slew of obscure recordings that shared a style that was exclusive to that specific time. For this series, we plan to play through a significant number of these ‘Nuggets”. I usually prefer to arrange each of the “How Music Changed” series in chronological order, but since these tracks all fall within the same approximate timeframe, I figured it may be fun to present our series of ‘Nuggets” in alphabetical order, so for the record, here are tracks for Part One:

Acid Head – The Velvet Illusion

Action Woman – The Litter

Action, Action, Action – Keith Allison

Ain’t Gonna Lie – Keith

All Night Long – The Palace Guard

All Night Stand – The Thoughts

Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl? – The Barbarians

Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In) – The Chocolate Watchband

The Astro Zombies – Ted V. Mikels

At the River’s Edge – New Colony Six

Atom Age Vampire – Anton Giulio Majano

Baby Let’s Wait – The Royal Guardsmen

Baby My Heart – The Bobby Fuller Four

Baby Please Don’t Go – The Amboy Dukes

Baby Please Don’t Go – The Ballroom