

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

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Nuggets: She’s My Baby by The Mojo Men

Nuggets II: Love Hate Revenge by Episode Six

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

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Nuggets: Story of My Life by The Unrelated Segments

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Nuggets: Mr. Pharmacist by The Other Half

Nuggets II: No Good Without You Baby by The Birds

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

Nuggets: Little Girl by Syndicate of Sound

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

Nuggets II: It’s My Fault by The Rattles

Nuggets: Just Like Me by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets: You Ain’t Tuff by The Uniques

Nuggets: Spazz by The Elastik Band

Nuggets: A Public Execution by Mouse

Nuggets: Oh Yeah by The Shadows of Knight

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

Nuggets: Farmer John by The Premiers

Nuggets: Johnny Was A Good Boy by Mystery Trend

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

Nuggets II: Get Yourself Home by The Fairies

Nuggets II: No More Now by The Smoke

Nuggets: Dirty Water by The Standells

Nuggets II: No Presents For Me by The Pandamonium

Nuggets: Lies by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets: Pushin’ Too Hard by The Seeds

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

Nuggets: 7 and 7 Is by Love

Nuggets: Live by The Merry-Go-Round

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

Nuggets: Last Time Around by The Del-Vetts

Nuggets II: Dance Around the Maypole by Acid Gallery

Nuggets II: Vacuum Cleaner by Tintern Abbey

Nuggets II: Come On by The Atlantics

Nuggets: Optical Sound by The Human Expression

Nuggets: Little Bit O’Soul by The Music Explosion

Nuggets: Moulty by The Barbarians

Nuggets: I Want Candy by The Strangeloves

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

Nuggets: Who Do You Love by The Woolies

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

Nuggets: Laugh, Laugh by The Beau Brummels

Nuggets: No Friend of Mine by The Sparkles

Nuggets: Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Nuggets: Respect by The Vagrants

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

Nuggets: Too Many People by The Leaves

Nuggets: I Live in the Springtime by The Lemon Drops

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

Nuggets: Hey Joe by the Leaves

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

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

Nuggets: Louie Louie by The Kingsmen

Nuggets: Jack of Diamonds by The Daily Flash

Nuggets: Out Of Our Tree by The Wailers

Nuggets: Psychotic Reaction by Count Five

Nuggets: Love's Gone Bad by The Underdogs

Nuggets: You Must Be A Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe

Nuggets: I Wonder by The Gants

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

Nuggets: Don’t Look Back by The Remains

Nuggets: Primitive by The Groupies

Nuggets: Falling Sugar by The Palace Guard

Nuggets: Blackout of Gretely by GONN

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

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

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

Nuggets: I See the Light by The Five Americans

Nuggets: Romeo and Juliet by Michael and the Messengers

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

Nuggets: Follow Me by Lyme & Cybelle

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

Nuggets: Incense and Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock

Nuggets II: Real Crazy Apartment by Winston’s Fumbs

Nuggets: The Little Black Egg by The Nightcrawlers

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

Nuggets: One Track Mind by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets: The Trip by Kim Fowley

Nuggets II: Touch by The Outsiders

Nuggets II: I Wish I Was Five by Scrugg

Nuggets: Journey to Tyme by Kenny and the Kasuals

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

Nuggets: An Invitation to Cry by The Magicians

Nuggets II: Slaves Time by The Slaves

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

Nuggets: Hold Me Now by The Rumors

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

Nuggets II: Path Through The Forest by The Factory

Nuggets II: One Third by The Majority

Sugar and Spice by The Cryan’ Shames

Nuggets: So What! by The Lyrics

Nuggets: The Witch by The Sonics

Nuggets II: Here Come the Nice by The Small Faces

Nuggets: Bad Girl by The Zakary Thaks

Nuggets: Bad Little Woman by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Third Rail

Nuggets: Mirror Of Your Mind by We The People

Nuggets: Steppin’ Out by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets II: Sad by The (Australian) Playboys

Nuggets: Codine by The Charlatans

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

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Gestures

Nuggets: A Question of Temperature by The Balloon Farm

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

Nuggets II: Break It All by Los Shakers

Nuggets: Time Won’t Let Me by The Outsiders

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

Nuggets II: Kicks and Chicks by The Zipps

Nuggets: Nobody But Me by The Human Beinz

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

Nuggets: Liar, Liar by The Castaways

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

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

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Nuggets: Voices Green and Purple by The Bees

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Nuggets: Going All the Way by The Squires

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

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

Nuggets: Talk Talk by The Music Machine

Nuggets: Complication by The Monks

Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect

Nuggets: Knock, Knock by The Humane Society

Nuggets II: The Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane by Timon

Nuggets: Action Woman by The Litter

Nuggets: Double Yellow Line by The Music Machine

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

Nuggets II: Pictures of Matchstick Men by The Status Quo

Baby, Please Don’t Go by The Amboy Dukes

Nuggets II: My Life by Thor’s Hammer

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Nuggets: Sweet Young Thing by The Chocolate Watchband

Nuggets II: Flight from Ashiya by Kaleidoscope

Nuggets II: Rosalyn by The Pretty Things

Nuggets II: Bat Macumba by Os Mutantes

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Nuggets: Tobacco Road by Blues Magoos

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

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

Nuggets: Outside Chance by The Turtles

Nuggets: It’s Cold Outside by The Choir

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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.