Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the two-album set Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from 1965 to 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 6/118
From: Tyler, Texas
Aphoristic Rating: 9/10
A PUBLIC EXECUTION – Mouse [2:32]
(Knox Henderson/Ronnie Weiss)
Personnel/RONNIE “MOUSE” WEISS: vocals, guitar * With THE TRAPS – HARRY “BUGS” HENDERSON: lead guitar * ROBIN HOOD BRIANS: piano * JERRY HOWELL: organ * DAVE STANLEY: bass * KEN “NARDO” MURRAY: drums
Produced by ROBIN HOOD BRIANS
Recorded in Tyler, TX
Mouse and the Traps came from Tyler, Texas. It’s known as the rose capital of the US, and as the first US city with an adopt-a-highway programme.
Mouse and the Traps surely hold the record for the longest gap between a debut single and a debut album. ‘A Public Execution’ was released in 1966 (although it was credited solely to their frontman). Their debut album, Walking in Dylan’s Shoes, was released in December 2020.
The Dylan link makes sense. ‘A Public Execution’ sounds uncannily similar to Highway 61-era Dylan. The nasal vocal, framed by swirling organ, comes straight from the mid-1960s Dylan playbook, although it’s a strong enough song to stand proudly on its own feet.
The band released enough singles to fill a compilation but never released an album in the 1960s. It’s a shame because they’re one of the stronger Nuggets bands to my ears.
The members mostly continued in music, in country and rockabilly bands. The original band reunited in 1986 during the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration – they performed at Flag Pole Hill in Dallas in front of an estimated audience of 7,000.
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Man, that’s a great-sounding garage rocker! Based on that song, I have to agree with you it looks like a pity Mouse and the Traps didn’t release any albums in the ’60s.
I like hearing that mid-1960s Dylan sound from someone else – makes it weird that not much music really sounds like that.
That was a nice little song.
Yeah, one of the better Nuggets IMO.
This is one band I’ve never read about. Usually I at least recognize the name…but this is really cool. It does remind me of that Dylan sound…a wash of sound that doesn’t breathe.
I read this Saturday Night and checked them out. I listened to Walking in Dylan’s Shoes album…it’s not bad covers at all…I liked some other stuff by them as well.
I might post something by them as well…a song called You’re Gonna Miss Me.
I like their style.
Yeah, I guess never making a studio album makes them a bit less prestigious? Although making it onto the original 1972 Nuggets is a pretty good badge of honour. There wasn’t much about them online.
Yea the post will be small…I love bands like this with a mysterious past and maybe just bad timing.