- Audio CD (26 Feb 2008)
- Number of Discs: 2
- Format: Box set
- Label: Sanctuary
- ASIN: B00006JIZE
- Other Editions: Vinyl
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 136,668 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Loosen Up | |||
| 2. Open My Eyes | |||
| 3. Hello It's Me | |||
| 4. Crowded | |||
| 5. If That's The Way You Feel | |||
| 6. See What You Can Be | |||
| 7. When I Get My Plane | |||
| 8. Lemming Song | |||
| 9. Wildwood Blues | |||
| 10. Back Of Your Mind | |||
See all 19 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Forget All About It | |||
| 2. Meridian Leeward | |||
| 3. Hang On Paul | |||
| 4. Rain Rider | |||
| 5. Not Wrong Long | |||
| 6. Letters Don't Count | |||
| 7. Only One Winner | |||
| 8. Gonna Cry Today | |||
| 9. A Beautiful Song | |||
| 10. Some People | |||
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See all 16 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Review
Fans of pop prodigy and all round whiz kid Todd Rundgren will already be aware of The Nazz's place in their hero's history. Formed in 1967 in Philadelphia, they were not originally Todd's band but quickly fell under the vision of the intense young anglophile. At a time when the happening synapse-melting sounds emanating from the West Coast, such as the Grateful Dead or Jefferson Airplane, were seeing bands across the US throw away the three-minute template, the Nazz were going against the grain.
With Rundgren taking the songwriting and production reins, the four-piece managed three albums in a short two years. In fact all the material was recorded in their first year and by the time of their second album (Nazz Nazz) Todd, and bassist Carsen Van Osten had actually left. Their first opus (Nazz) was a template of concise songcraft heavily influenced by Todd's heroes; the Who, the Small Faces and the Kinks, yet Rundgren's desire to make the follow-up a double album (with the working title of Fungo Bat) ran foul of both bandmates and record company executives. With Rundgren pursuing his muse alone, frustrated by short-sightedness and musical shortcomings, a third album (with hastily re-recorded vocals) compiled from unfinished work was the last the world would ever see of The Nazz.
All three albums have been compiled here (along with rarities etc.) to give a complete picture of the sublime pop dynamics of this underrated outfit, and as a testament to the vision of Rundgren. Sixties hipsters will already know their punchy original single ''Open My Eyes'' (immortalised by Lenny Kaye on his seminal Nuggets compilation, and also a b-side to Todd's later-reworked ''Hello Its Me''), yet there's a wealth of other gems to choose from. The sound not only draws on the aforementioned British invasion vibe but also dares to combine it with Beach Boys' harmonies, Philly soul funkiness (check the Archie Bell and the Drells spoof opener ''Loosen Up'') and Laura Nyro's winsomeness.
In the end, Todd's burgeoning sophistication was always going to be far more than this garage band could handle. Let's not forget that in a matter of a year or two he was producing his own double albums - and playing everything on them as well! Yet, this is no mere footnote to greater things to come. Rundgren and Van Osten, along with Robert 'Stewkey' Antoni and Thom Mooney were a bona fide pop phenomenon and, as a band, deserve to be remembered as more than just Todd's springboard to fame. If psych-pop with a twist is your bag, baby, this compilation is definitely where it's at... --Chris Jones
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
So much promise. 1960s'Psychedelic' and 'Garage' at it's best.,
By
This review is from: Open Our Eyes (Audio CD)
When Nazz were on top form their hallmarks were a tight, clean, fresh sound backed with worthy harmonies and intelligent lyrics; their best work either zipped along like a blast of fresh air through an open window or flowed smoothly in thoughtful close harmony ballads. There was a bit of a down side, in that they were something of an anglophile band and at times tried to emulate rock sounds produced The Who, Small Faces or Kinks and this output tended to be pretty mundane really.So this compilation of all of their work is something of a mixture. Their ballad and harmony work such as `Hello Its Me' (their one big hit single), `Crowded' & `If That's The Way You Feel' are timeless and show a promise that would flower in band composer Todd Rungren's solo career. The best of the faster paced work is displayed in such tracks as `Open My Eyes', `When I get My Plane' and `Forget All About It Now' when they seemed to remember they were an American psychedelic garage band and fully embraced that mixture, against those `standard' rock tracks such as `Kiddie Boy' and `Under The Ice' which are pedestrian, even if there is a lot of 'sound' in them. When I play the album I generally play selected tracks from the two CDs and yet I do not regret buying the set because the best of their work was so very good; dare I say it, but with the right breaks and guidance they could have rivalled The Beach Boys of 'Pet Sounds' to 'Surf's Up' vintage. The package itself is also very good value for money with a mini-biography of Nazz built into the notes and against each track which album it figured on, so you could create the three albums for yourself. I would recommend this to anyone because of the magic that Nazz created in their short productive life.
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