Various Artists: Nuggets: Antipodean Interpolations Of The First Psychedelic Era

- The Nuggets series began as a simple compilation, documenting psychedelic music between years 1965-68 and wound up being a cultural artefact documenting the era unlike any other - containing the likes of The Electric Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators, The Seeds and countless others. Come 2012 and Nuggets is back to celebrate its 40th anniversary by gathering an eclectic bunch of underground and up and coming Australian artists, taking on the awesome power of the original. The album kicks off with a reasonably faithful rendition of the Electric Prunes I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night by local monster Velociraptor whilst Pearls continue with Dirty Water in the usual fashion. There are moments that might make fans of the originals cringe, such as Step Panthers woeful attempt at Liar Liar, which makes you think that it is just a pure piss-take on the bands part. The Laurels stab at the god-like Roky Erickson penned classic You’re Gonna Miss Me however it just seems lacking in the originals magic and the group’s proven ability in their own work. Even the most commercially viable artist on the record, Pond's take on Hey Joe just really makes you feel like some of these tracks should have been left alone rather than the local pub covers gig thrown up on offer. Fortunately though, the album is saved by a strong few with Gooch Palms’ rendition of Michael and the Messagers Romeo and Juliet, mashing their style and really driving the track to new potential. While Straight Arrows unique take on Lies also pushes things to new ground and with the simplest yet coolest solo in town. Even King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard own Open My Eyes which deserves to be higher in the track listing. All in all, this take on Nuggets works in some parts and very much doesn't in others. It would have perhaps been nice to see a few bigger name artists get on board with this release, but still whilst not essential, it is a nice little reminder of how good the original was and if you are a fan of the bands on the release, a welcome addition to any digital library. - Brad Armstrong.