

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 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 40/118: Time Won’t Let Me by The Outsiders
Release Year: 1966
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Aphoristic Rating: 9/10
TIME WON’T LET ME – The Outsiders [2:46]
(Thomas King/Chet Kelley)
Personnel/SONNY GERACI: vocals * TOM KING: guitar, sax * MERTON MADSEN: bass [+ AL AUSTIN: lead guitar * RONNIE HARKAI: drums * EVAN VanGUARD: trumpet * MIKE GERACI: sax]
Produced by TOM KING
Recorded in Cleveland, OH
Capitol single #5573 (1/66); Pop #5
The Outsiders originated from an earlier band, the Starfires. The Starfires were formed by teenage guitarist Tom King in the late 1950s. They were a successful R&B combo regionally, playing up to shows a week. The band’s style evolved in the 1960s – King relinquished his position as lead singer after a tonsillectomy, and the band changed their style to reflect Beatlemania.
‘Time Won’t Let Me’ is a sophisticated amalgam of the band’s R&B roots and the Beatles influence. There’s a horn section and organ adding colour and energy, but even without them, there’s a very impressive British Invasion-inspired guitar song. There’s also a touch of blue-eyed soul in the voice of lead singer Sonny Geraci, and a fluid guitar solo from Al Austin.
While many of the songs on Nuggets languished in obscurity, ‘Time Won’t Let Me’ made the top five on Billboard. The band, however, weren’t able to capitalise on their hit. They enjoyed a minor hits with follow-up singles – ‘Girl in Love’ and a cover of The Isley Brothers’ ‘Respectable’ – but faded into semi-obscurity.
The members of The Outsiders who achieved the most in the music business didn’t play on ‘Time Won’t Let Me’. Drummer Jimmy Fox left Starfire to go to college, before reconnecting with The Outsiders after ‘Time Won’t Let Me’. He later left to form his own band, The James Gang with Joe Walsh. Meanwhile, James William Guercio toured with a later lineup of The Outsiders – he went on to manage Chicago, whose early work offered a similar blend of R&B and British Invasion sounds.
Read More
More Nuggets
Nuggets: Tobacco Road by Blues Magoos

Nuggets II: Bad Little Woman by The Wheels

Nuggets II: Real Crazy Apartment by Winston’s Fumbs

Nuggets: You Must Be A Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe

Nuggets: You Burn Me Up and Down by We The People

Nuggets: She’s My Baby by The Mojo Men

Nuggets: Primitive by The Groupies

Nuggets: I Wonder by The Gants

Nuggets II: Sad by The (Australian) Playboys

Nuggets II: How Does It Feel to Feel by The Creation

Nuggets: (We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet by the Blues Magoos

Nuggets II: Vacuum Cleaner by Tintern Abbey

Nuggets: Respect by The Vagrants

Nuggets: The Little Black Egg by The Nightcrawlers

10 Best Songs on the Nuggets Boxset

Nuggets: Shape of Things to Come by Max Frost & The Troopers

Sugar and Spice by The Cryan’ Shames

Nuggets: Hold Me Now by The Rumors

Nuggets: I’m Five Years Ahead of My Time by The Third Bardo

Nuggets II: Here Come the Nice by The Small Faces

Nuggets: What Am I Going to Do? by The Dovers

Nuggets: Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love) by The Swingin’ Medallions

Nuggets: Dirty Water by The Standells

Nuggets: She’s About A Mover by Sir Douglas Quintet

Nuggets: Double Yellow Line by The Music Machine

Nuggets: Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out) by The Hombres

Nuggets: Steppin’ Out by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets: 7 and 7 Is by Love

Nuggets: Just Like Me by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets: Louie Louie by The Kingsmen

Nuggets: Diddy Wah Diddy by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

Nuggets: The Trip by Kim Fowley

Nuggets: Romeo and Juliet by Michael and the Messengers

Nuggets: Sit Down, I Think I Love You by The Mojo Men

Nuggets II: Nothin’ by Ugly Ducklings

Nuggets: Journey To The Center Of The Mind by The Amboy Dukes

Nuggets: Blackout of Gretely by GONN

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Gestures

Nuggets: Nobody But Me by The Human Beinz

Nuggets: Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Nuggets: An Invitation to Cry by The Magicians

Nuggets: Fight Fire by The Golliwogs

Nuggets: Journey to Tyme by Kenny and the Kasuals

Nuggets II: But You’ll Never Do It, Babe by The Boots

Nuggets: Out Of Our Tree by The Wailers

Nuggets: (Would I Still Be) Her Big Man by The Brigands

Nuggets II: One Third by The Majority

Nuggets: Going All the Way by The Squires

Nuggets II: The Train to Disaster by The Voice

Nuggets: You’re Gonna Miss Me by The 13th Floor Elevators

Nuggets II: Slaves Time by The Slaves

Nuggets: I Live in the Springtime by The Lemon Drops

Nuggets: Put the Clock Back on the Wall by The E-Types

Nuggets: Spazz by The Elastik Band

Nuggets: Live by The Merry-Go-Round

Nuggets: Laugh, Laugh by The Beau Brummels

Nuggets: Love's Gone Bad by The Underdogs

Nuggets: I’m Gonna Make You Mine by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets: Night Time by The Strangeloves

Nuggets: At the River’s Edge by New Colony Six

Nuggets II: When The Alarm Clock Rings by the Blossom Toes

Nuggets: Sweet Young Thing by The Chocolate Watchband

Nuggets II: Pictures of Matchstick Men by The Status Quo

Nuggets II: No Presents For Me by The Pandamonium

Nuggets: Falling Sugar by The Palace Guard

Nuggets: Codine by The Charlatans

Nuggets: Time Won’t Let Me by The Outsiders

Nuggets: Psycho by The Sonics

Nuggets: Outside Chance by The Turtles

Nuggets: Moulty by The Barbarians

Nuggets: Little Bit O’Soul by The Music Explosion

Nuggets: Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love In) by The Chocolate Watchband

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Third Rail

Nuggets: Don’t Look Back by The Remains

Nuggets II: I Wish I Was Five by Scrugg

Nuggets: Voices Green and Purple by The Bees

Nuggets II: No More Now by The Smoke

Nuggets: Maid of Sugar – Maid of Spice by Mouse and the Traps

Nuggets: Complication by The Monks

Nuggets: Last Time Around by The Del-Vetts

Nuggets: A Question of Temperature by The Balloon Farm

Nuggets: Action Woman by The Litter

Nuggets II: I’m Your Witchdoctor by Chants R&B

Nuggets: A Public Execution by Mouse

Nuggets II: I’m Just A Mops by The Mops

Nuggets II: The Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane by Timon

Nuggets: Why Do I Cry by The Remains

Nuggets: It’s Cold Outside by The Choir

Nuggets: Farmer John by The Premiers

Nuggets II: You Can Be My Baby by The Red Squares

Nuggets: Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White by The Standells

Nuggets: Mindrocker by Fenwyck

Nuggets: I Think I’m Down by the Harbinger Complex

Nuggets: Can’t Seem To Make You Mine by The Seeds

Nuggets: I Want Candy by The Strangeloves

Nuggets: Jack of Diamonds by The Daily Flash

Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect

Nuggets: Why Pick On Me by The Standells

Nuggets: Mirror Of Your Mind by We The People

Nuggets: Stop! Get A Ticket by Clefs of Lavender Hill

Nuggets: Beg, Borrow, And Steal by The Rare Breed

Nuggets: Strychnine by The Sonics

Nuggets: Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl by The Barbarians

Nuggets: I Need You by The Rationals

Nuggets: You Ain’t Tuff by The Uniques

Nuggets: Talk Talk by The Music Machine

Nuggets: Bad Little Woman by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets II: Get Yourself Home by The Fairies

Nuggets: Liar, Liar by The Castaways

Nuggets: Johnny Was A Good Boy by Mystery Trend

Nuggets: Hey Joe by the Leaves

Nuggets: Psychotic Reaction by Count Five

Nuggets: Open My Eyes by Nazz

Nuggets: Too Many People by The Leaves

Nuggets II: It’s My Fault by The Rattles

Nuggets: It’s A-Happening by The Magic Mushrooms

Nuggets: My World Fell Down by Sagittarius

Nuggets: Blue's Theme by Davie Allan & the Arrows

Nuggets II: Bat Macumba by Os Mutantes

Nuggets: I Ain’t No Miracle Worker by The Brogues

Nuggets: So What! by The Lyrics

Nuggets: Get Me to the World on Time by The Electric Prunes

Nuggets: No Friend of Mine by The Sparkles

Nuggets: I See the Light by The Five Americans

Nuggets: Let’s Talk About Girls by The Chocolate Watchband

Nuggets: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) by The Electric Prunes

Nuggets II: Dance Around the Maypole by Acid Gallery

Nuggets II: Flight from Ashiya by Kaleidoscope

Nuggets II: Break It All by Los Shakers

Nuggets: Optical Sound by The Human Expression

Nuggets II: No Good Without You Baby by The Birds

Nuggets II: Kicks and Chicks by The Zipps

Nuggets II: The Madman Running Through The Fields by Dantalian’s Chariot

Nuggets: One Track Mind by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets: No Time Like The Right Time by The Blues Project

Nuggets II: My Life by Thor’s Hammer

Nuggets II: Rosalyn by The Pretty Things

Baby, Please Don’t Go by The Amboy Dukes

Nuggets II: Why Don’t You Smile Now by Downliners Sect

Nuggets: Pushin’ Too Hard by The Seeds

Nuggets: Follow Me by Lyme & Cybelle

Nuggets II: Come On by The Atlantics

Nuggets: Who Do You Love by The Woolies

Nuggets: Oh Yeah by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets: Bad Girl by The Zakary Thaks

Nuggets: Mr. Pharmacist by The Other Half

Nuggets: Story of My Life by The Unrelated Segments

Nuggets: Open Up Your Door by Richard & the Young Lions

Nuggets: Incense and Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock

Nuggets: The Witch by The Sonics

Nuggets: Lies by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets: Knock, Knock by The Humane Society

Nuggets II: Touch by The Outsiders

Nuggets: Little Girl by Syndicate of Sound

17 Comments
Leave a ReplyCancel 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
Sting Album Reviews
1980s
Straitjacket Fits Album Reviews
1980s,1990s,New Zealand
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
More blog posts
Blues for George Michael by The Boo Radleys: Great B-Sides
1990s,Great B-Sides
The Go-Betweens: Albums Ranked from Worst To Best
1980s,Album Rankings
Mystery Train by Elvis Presley: Great B-Sides
1950s,Great B-Sides
Burna Boy: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
2010s,2020s,Album Rankings
10 Best Jellyfish Songs
1990s,The Ten Best Songs By...
10 Best Jimi Hendrix Songs
1960s,The Ten Best Songs By...
Subscribe
Subscribe to receive new posts from Aphoristic Album Reviews.












A great song for sure!
I’d never actually heard it before – doesn’t make the oldies station here.
Nice that you’re hearing it with new ears. It got a lot of radio play here back in the day.
TOP FIVE
I did toy with a ten.
Thebass player has a hell of a quiff. Excellent song and always a favorite of mine when I listened to it on our oldies channel here back when I was a teen. One of the best songs on Nuggets to me.
Cleveland has given us some good bands…James Gang, Raspberries, and I think Nine Inch Nails…. that makes sense with The James Gang.
I’d never heard it before Nuggets, as I just to Christian, it’s almost too good for pop radio.
This song is how all pop radio was in 1966. That’s what made the 60s so great!! In fact, 65 and 66 were the greatest years for singles ever!!!
I agree… it stands out…it’s polished and a little edgy at the same time.
See? The only other years that come close are 64 and 65. Or anything between 64 and 69 really.
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/bobbyb5/greatest-singles-1966/
That is a good list. I’d probably have Eight Miles High nearer the top. That comma in ‘Paint It, Black’ drives me crazy.
I read that the comma was just a printing error by somebody. Just a typo. But they didn’t notice it until it was too late so they just left it like that.
I didn’t know that the one guy had anything to do with The James Gang, whom I love. Or that they had anything to do with that Guercio guy who was in Chicago, whom I also love. But I knew he had something to do with The Buckinghams, who now that I think about it are kind of similar to The Outsiders with their horn arrangements and stuff.
Two Walsh-related posts in a week. I don’t really know the Buckinghams.
Awesome-sounding tune. I love the groove and the organ. And the horns are cool as well!
I’d never heard it before Nuggets, it’d almost too good and too sophisticated to be a hit.
This is one I’m familiar with and like a lot. Just an FYI I had to come to your blog again to make a comment instead through the feed/reader.