Nuggets: Respect by The Vagrants

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 5/118
From: Long Island, New York
Aphoristic Rating: 7/10

RESPECT – The Vagrants [2:12]
(Otis Redding)
Personnel/PETER SABATINO: vocals * LESLIE WEINSTEIN (WEST): guitar * JERRY STORCH: organ * LARRY WEINSTEIN (WEST): bass, vocals * ROGER MONSOUR: drums
Produced by DAVE BRIGATI & LARRY VERNIERI for BRIGARO MUSIC LTD.
Recorded in New York, NY
Atco single #45-6473 (3/67)

Of the dozens of bands on Nuggets, only a small handful became famous musicians. Todd Rundgren, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Raspberries, and Ted Nugent had early recordings featured on Nuggets. Mountain’s Leslie West is another, with his work with The Vagrants included.

The Vagrants were a New York-based blue-eyed soul band, similar to The Rascals. They never released an album but put out a string of singles in the mid-1960s. They were well connected, appearing on stage with The Doors, The Who, and a young Billy Joel (a member of another Long Island band, The Hassles). A cover of Otis Redding’s ‘Respect’ is featured on Nuggets.

It’s a nice version of the song, with a husky vocal and a busy arrangement. But it’s not surprising that it wasn’t a hit – especially given that it came out around the same time as Aretha Franklin’s dynamic cover.

The Vagrants - Respect

In 1969 Leslie West formed Mountain with Felix Pappalardi. Mountain are best known for the classic rock staple ‘Mississippi Queen’.

Read More

8 Comments

  1. While I feel it’s pretty much mission impossible to beat Otis Redding or Aretha Franklin, I really like where The Vagrants took “Respect,” turning it from a soul song to a neat garage rocker. I also don’t get tired of that typical ’60s organ sound, which I assume is a Vox Continental.

        • We should do an organ identification class sometime – I guess Hammond, Vox, Farfisa are some of the main ones. I like Rick Wakeman’s story about playing the organ on Yes’s ‘Awaken’ in a church, and recording it down Switzerland’s pristine telephone service.

  2. I won’t compare it to other versions…it stands on it’s own. Really damn good version and they have the same spirit of those other versions. I love that Hammond Organ as well…I don’t know much about Leslie West…just his Mountain music plus some of his live music.

    • Leslie West still feels like one of the ten biggest breakout stars from the Nuggets set – I only know a couple of Mountain songs though.

      • I don’t know a lot by them but I’ve liked what I’ve heard…I like West but he had a huge ego at one time…he was going to join Lynyrd Skynyrd when Ed King quit but he demanded they be called “Lynyrd Skynyrd featuring Leslie West”….they passed wisely.

Leave a Reply

Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:

More review pages

Rosalía Album Reviews

Rosalía Vila Tobella was raised in a small town in...

Wet Leg Album Reviews

Isle of Wight’s Wet Leg were breakout stars in 2021...

John Martyn Album Reviews

John Martyn was born Iain David McGeachy, the son of...

The Beths Album Reviews

The Beths met at jazz school in Auckland, New Zealand...

Genesis Album Reviews

In the mid-1980s, Genesis and its spin-off projects – Phil...
Genesis Selling England by the Pound

The Byrds Album Reviews

The Byrds started as a folk band, but their cover...
The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers

I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:

More blog posts

Creedence Clearwater Revival Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best

Creedence Clearwater Revival released their first album in 1968. They...

10 Best Paul Kelly Songs: Part 1, 1985-1992

Singer-songwriter Paul Kelly is barely known outside of Australia, but...

10 Best LCD Soundsystem Songs

New Jersey’s James Murphy obviously has a terrific record collection...

Five Best Songs by The Front Lawn

The Flight of the Conchords weren’t New Zealand’s first musical/theatrical...

Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs Albums Ranked

Natalie Merchant recently released her sixth solo album, Keep Your...

Taylor Swift’s Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best

Taylor Swift is a megastar, and her celebrity profile sometimes...

Subscribe

Subscribe to receive new posts from Aphoristic Album Reviews.