Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years from 1965-1968, and was a major influence on punk rock. Rhino Records reissued an expanded version of the set in 1998, with 118 tracks in total. I’m profiling and rating each of these 118 tracks, working backwards.
Track 118: Blue’s Theme by Davie Allan & the Arrows
Release Date: 1966
From: San Fernando Valley, California
Rating: 7/10
BLUES’ THEME (From the Motion Picture The Wild Angels) – The Arrows [2:12]
Featuring Davie Allan
(Mike Curb/Davie Allan)
Personnel/DAVIE ALLAN: lead guitar * RALPH “RUSS” VIOT: guitar * JARED HENDLER: keyboards * DREW BENNETT: bass * LARRY BROWN: drums
Produced by MIKE CURB
Recorded in Studio City, CA
Tower single #295 (12/66); Pop #37
Davie Allan started out playing surf guitar. When asked to soundtrack the Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra motorbike movie The Wild Angels, he employed the recently developed fuzz guitar sound (as recently used on The Rolling Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’). ‘Blue’s Theme’ uses a blues progression and fuzz guitar, but Allan’s playing style is very much surf guitar to these ears. It was one of the first songs that a young Eddie Van Halen learned how to play.
Allan’s been able to maintain a career in music – he’s released 22 studio albums, including eight in the 21st century, with titles like Cycle-delic Sounds and King of the Fuzz Guitar. ‘Blue’s Theme’ remains his key track though.
What would you rate ‘Blue’s Theme’?
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Aphoristic Album Reviews is almost entirely written by one person. It features album reviews and blog posts across a growing spectrum of popular music.
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Graham Fyfe has been writing this website since his late teens. Now in his forties, he's been obsessively listening to albums for years. He works as a web editor and plays the piano.
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I love garage rock so I like this. I wish they would have made the motorcycle engine revving a little shorter but I love the guitar through the song…it’s a nice hook. It really stays with you and the tone is just right. Not too raw for this. Thumbs Up.
Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra? Fonda fits well…not sure about Nancy but that is another discussion.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nancy Sinatra in a movie. I’ve seen Easy Rider, so Peter Fonda makes sense. Have you heard Nuggets?
I have heard of it… never had the cd’s. I kept running across it when I was posting a lot of garage rock from youtube. Most of the songs I posted were from that set. I would like to get that set and Poptopia…
I saw a physical copy once and was tempted, but it was super expensive. Of course it’s easy to just listen online now.
I love Nuggets so much. The 4-CD version is a little bit too long cuz it runs out of good ones toward the end, but still. What are your favorite ones? My favorites are Human Beinz, Outsiders, Count Five, Amboy Dukes, Standells, Casaways, and a million more actually. Strawberry Alarm Clock of course.
The whole purpose of doing this is so that I listen to it all properly! Will report back on my favourites in a few years…..
Oh. I didn’t know you hadn’t heard it yet.
I’ve heard most of it, but haven’t sat down to listen to it properly. It’s a lot to take in at once.
Perhaps a bit monotonous, though the sound is pretty cool.
I’m not sure if all his albums are like that – might get a little repetitive, but it’s cool as a 2 and a half minute blast.
Our friend Bruce brought this one to my attention. Some curiosities.
It’s my way of listening to the whole thing. The second one I covered was much stronger I reckon.
Surf guitar takes to the highway! Love this, and what a great way to end a 4 CD roadtrip!
8/10
It’s basically a surf guitarist let free with a cool new sound, right?
Like this groove a lot. Little Steven uses this song as his out at end of his underground garage show where he plays lots of Nuggets plus a lot of other garage both new and old.
I think it would have dragged if it was any longer but it works at that length.
Testing!