The Box Tops- "The Letter" (1967) "Live" on Upbeat

Alex Chilton and the boys looking a little bored to be lip-syncing on another low-rent variety show, but it's a great clip nonetheless (though it gets a little glitchy toward the end).

Freakbeat and Beyond- Rubble Volume 3: Nightmares in Wonderland & Related Albums

Rubble is a 20-volume collection of compilation albums originally compiled by Phil Smee for Bam Caruso Records throughout the eighties and early nineties. As its name suggests, it is best thought of as the British version of Nuggets, and similar to that legendary U.S. garage-rock comp, Rubble does an unparallelled job of digging beneath the surface of its subject, in this case, mid-to-late sixties British psychedelia, and uncovering a plethora of forgotten gems in the process. While often associated with "freakbeat," in actuality, Rubble also covers a good amount of beat, mod-pop, garage-rock, psych-rock and early prog-rock. It is an absolutely essential resource for discovering amazing late-sixties Brit-pop obscurities, that, for various reasons, never attained canonization but deserve, nonetheless, to be heard. I will be posting all 20 volumes as separate installments, coupled with a few full albums from artists featured on each compilation or artists that were overlooked by the Rubble compilers, so if you already have the volume featured in a given post, read on because there is much more to be found after the jump!

Tyrannosaurus Rex- "Sara Crazy Child" (1967) Live at King Street Covent Garden

Here's some amazing early live footage of Tyrannosaurus Rex, Marc Bolan's acid-folk duo with Steve Peregrin Took, which would eventually metamorphose into T. Rex (minus Took) and play a major role in ushering in the U.K. glam scene of the early seventies. Oh yes, and decades later, a young man calling himself Devendra would learn "Salamanda Palaganda" by heart. The story of Tyrannosaurus Rex coming soon...

Freakbeat and Beyond- Rubble Volume 2: Pop-Sike Pipe-Dreams & Related Albums

Rubble is a 20-volume collection of compilation albums originally compiled by Phil Smee for Bam Caruso Records throughout the eighties and early nineties. As its name suggests, it is best thought of as the British version of Nuggets, and similar to that legendary U.S. garage-rock comp, Rubble does an unparallelled job of digging beneath the surface of its subject, in this case, mid-to-late sixties British psychedelia, and uncovering a plethora of forgotten gems in the process. While often associated with "freakbeat," in actuality, Rubble also covers a good amount of beat, mod-pop, garage-rock, psych-rock and early prog-rock. It is an absolutely essential resource for discovering amazing late-sixties Brit-pop obscurities, that, for various reasons, never attained canonization but deserve, nonetheless, to be heard. I will be posting all 20 volumes as separate installments, coupled with a few full albums from artists featured on each compilation or artists that were overlooked by the Rubble compilers, so if you already have the volume featured in a given post, read on because there is much more to be found after the jump!

The Pretty Things- "Rainin' in My Heart" (1966) Live TV Appearance

Blues enthusiasts much like the early Rolling Stones (in fact, guitarist Dick Taylor had played bass in an early version of that iconic band), The Pretty Things tended to be more dark, scruffy and dangerous than their peers and in doing so, were arguably one of the more original bands of the "British Invasion." Judging from lead-singer Phil May's appearance and stage persona in this clip, I think Jim Morrison might have caught "The Pretties" on TV once or twice.

Freakbeat and Beyond- Rubble, Volume 1: The Psychedelic Snarl & Related Albums

Rubble is a 20-volume collection of compilation albums originally compiled by Phil Smee for Bam Caruso Records throughout the eighties and early nineties. As its name suggests, it is best thought of as the British version of Nuggets, and similar to that legendary U.S. garage-rock comp, Rubble does an unparallelled job of digging beneath the surface of its subject, in this case, mid-to-late sixties British psychedelia, and uncovering a plethora of forgotten gems in the process. While often associated with "freakbeat," in actuality, Rubble also covers a good amount of beat, mod-pop, garage-rock, psych-rock and early prog-rock. It is an absolutely essential resource for discovering amazing late-sixties Brit-pop obscurities, that, for various reasons, never attained canonization but deserve, nonetheless, to be heard. I will be posting all 20 volumes as separate installments, coupled with a few full albums from artists featured on each compilation or artists that were overlooked by the Rubble compilers, so if you already have the volume featured in a given post, read on because there is much more to be found after the jump!

Dean & Britta- "I'll Keep It with Mine (Scott Hardkiss Remix)" from 13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests (Nico)

Good news! The V.U. Series I had started on the old blog is going to see a resurrection very soon. For now, enjoy your Nico!