

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 38/118: I Ain’t No Miracle Worker by The Brogues
Release Year: 1965
From: Merced, California
Aphoristic Rating: 7/10
I AIN’T NO MIRACLE WORKER – The Brogues [2:45]
(Nancie Mantz/Annette Tucker)
Personnel/GARY COLE (DUNCAN): vocals, guitar * EDDIE RODRIGUES: lead guitar * RICK CAMPBELL: organ * BILL WHITTINGTON: bass * GREG ELMORE: drums
Produced by DAVE BURGESS
Recorded in Hollywood, CA
Challenge single #59316 (11/65)
The Brogues formed in 1964, although they didn’t become successful until they poached vocalist Gary Duncan from The Ratz in 1965. The members had played in R&B bands, and blended this with the British Invasion sounds from The Animals and The Pretty Things.
‘I Ain’t No Miracle Worker’ was the band’s second single. It was co-written by Annette Tucker, who also contributed to two songs on Nuggets by The Electric Prunes. ‘I Ain’t No Miracle Worker’ is a good song, although the slick, professional lyrics make it seem like an odd fit among the garage rock of Nuggets. The guitars are lively, my favourite part of the record.
The Brogues are one of the least prolific bands on Nuggets – they only released two singles before breaking up. They were unable to promote ‘I Ain’t No Miracle Worker’ – they split when Campbell and Rodriguez were drafted into the Vietnam War, and they were unable to find suitable replacements
Bassist Bill Whittington pursued a career in magic, while Gary Cole and Greg Elmore formed the far better-known Quicksilver Messenger Service.
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Nuggets II: Love Hate Revenge by Episode Six

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Nuggets: Strychnine by The Sonics

Nuggets II: Get Yourself Home by The Fairies

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

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

Nuggets: Mirror Of Your Mind by We The People

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

Sugar and Spice by The Cryan’ Shames

Nuggets II: The Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane by Timon

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

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

Nuggets: Open My Eyes by Nazz

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

Nuggets II: It’s My Fault by The Rattles

Nuggets II: Flight from Ashiya by Kaleidoscope

Nuggets: Spazz by The Elastik Band

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

Nuggets: Liar, Liar by The Castaways

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Third Rail

Nuggets: Action Woman by The Litter

Nuggets: Knock, Knock by The Humane Society

Nuggets II: Nothin’ by Ugly Ducklings

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

Nuggets II: Kicks and Chicks by The Zipps

Nuggets II: Rosalyn by The Pretty Things

Nuggets: Little Girl by Syndicate of Sound

Nuggets: 7 and 7 Is by Love

Nuggets: Who Do You Love by The Woolies

Nuggets: Louie Louie by The Kingsmen

Nuggets: Respect by The Vagrants

Nuggets: Optical Sound by The Human Expression

Nuggets: Farmer John by The Premiers

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

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

Nuggets II: Slaves Time by The Slaves

Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect

Nuggets: The Little Black Egg by The Nightcrawlers

Nuggets: Bad Little Woman by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets: Complication by The Monks

Nuggets: A Public Execution by Mouse

Nuggets: No Friend of Mine by The Sparkles

Nuggets: The Witch by The Sonics

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

Nuggets: Lies by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets: She’s My Baby by The Mojo Men

Nuggets: Primitive by The Groupies

Nuggets: Little Bit O’Soul by The Music Explosion

Nuggets: You Ain’t Tuff by The Uniques

Nuggets: Outside Chance by The Turtles

Nuggets: Don’t Look Back by The Remains

Nuggets: An Invitation to Cry by The Magicians

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Gestures

Nuggets: Time Won’t Let Me by The Outsiders

Nuggets: Romeo and Juliet by Michael and the Messengers

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

Nuggets: So What! by The Lyrics

Nuggets II: No Presents For Me by The Pandamonium

Nuggets: Out Of Our Tree by The Wailers

Nuggets: I Live in the Springtime by The Lemon Drops

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

Nuggets: Fight Fire by The Golliwogs

Nuggets: Dirty Water by The Standells

Nuggets: I Want Candy by The Strangeloves

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

Nuggets II: Dance Around the Maypole by Acid Gallery

Nuggets: Journey to Tyme by Kenny and the Kasuals

Nuggets II: No Good Without You Baby by The Birds

Nuggets: Nobody But Me by The Human Beinz

Nuggets II: The Train to Disaster by The Voice

Nuggets II: Pictures of Matchstick Men by The Status Quo

Nuggets: Psycho by The Sonics

Nuggets: Codine by The Charlatans

Nuggets: Sweet Young Thing by The Chocolate Watchband

Nuggets: Falling Sugar by The Palace Guard

Nuggets: Why Do I Cry by The Remains

Nuggets: Blackout of Gretely by GONN

Nuggets II: Vacuum Cleaner by Tintern Abbey

Nuggets: It’s Cold Outside by The Choir

Nuggets: Pushin’ Too Hard by The Seeds

Nuggets: The Trip by Kim Fowley

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

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

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

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

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

Nuggets: Story of My Life by The Unrelated Segments

Nuggets: Steppin’ Out by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets: Oh Yeah by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets: Psychotic Reaction by Count Five

Nuggets: Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Nuggets: Jack of Diamonds by The Daily Flash

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

Nuggets: A Question of Temperature by The Balloon Farm

Nuggets: Voices Green and Purple by The Bees

Nuggets II: Sad by The (Australian) Playboys

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

Nuggets II: Break It All by Los Shakers

Nuggets: I See the Light by The Five Americans

Baby, Please Don’t Go by The Amboy Dukes

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

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

Nuggets: Bad Girl by The Zakary Thaks

Nuggets: Moulty by The Barbarians

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

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

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

Nuggets: I Need You by The Rationals

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

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

Nuggets: Talk Talk by The Music Machine

Nuggets: Hey Joe by the Leaves

Nuggets II: Path Through The Forest by The Factory

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

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

Nuggets: Live by The Merry-Go-Round

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

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

Nuggets: Love's Gone Bad by The Underdogs

Nuggets: Double Yellow Line by The Music Machine

Nuggets: Tobacco Road by Blues Magoos

Nuggets: Mr. Pharmacist by The Other Half

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

Nuggets: Incense and Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock

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

Nuggets II: No More Now by The Smoke

Nuggets: I Wonder by The Gants

Nuggets: You Must Be A Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe

Nuggets: Night Time by The Strangeloves

Nuggets: Laugh, Laugh by The Beau Brummels

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

Nuggets II: I Wish I Was Five by Scrugg

Nuggets II: Come On by The Atlantics

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

Nuggets: Going All the Way by The Squires

Nuggets: My World Fell Down by Sagittarius

Nuggets: One Track Mind by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets II: Here Come the Nice by The Small Faces

Nuggets: Mindrocker by Fenwyck

Nuggets II: Real Crazy Apartment by Winston’s Fumbs

Nuggets II: My Life by Thor’s Hammer

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They sound really good musically and the vocalist they got was really good. They were better than your average garage band…much better. With a little smoother mix it might have had commercial appeal.
The one thing you don’t hear often “Bassist Bill Whittington pursued a career in magic”…
Apparently Bill Whittington owned a magic shop, which sold stuff via mail order.
It sounds like a very early Nugget to me because of the R&B.
This is like a 8/10 I. I really like the way the guitars sound and the singing ain’t too bad. And I love this video cuz I love to see 60s dancing done by professional dancers and it’s all choreographed and everything like on old TV shows. I like to watch YouTube videos of old music shows like Hullabaloo and Shindig and American Bandstand when they always had professional dancers behind the musical guest. When it’s just one person dancing 60s it ain’t all that cool, but when it’s like a whole shitload of professional dancers it’s awesome. And this was a really good one, and the girls even had their go-go boots and everything. It’s f****** great.
Yeah, I liked the video. I assumed someone just synced it up with the song later?
I don’t think they bothered to sync it at all. It really didn’t match up with the music and they even had it in slow motion sometimes. But it was cool anyway. I’d like to see it without the reverse negative or whatever they call it.
Max just flagged your post to me, and I’m glad he did. Somehow I had overlooked it in my frantic attempt to catch up on reading posts that we published over the past few days! 🙂
I really like how this sounds. I agree with you the guitars are pretty cool. As you know, I’m also a sucker for a good organ sound.
It’s kind of hard to believe a band with such a decent already burned out after two singles!
I think the abrupt end was mostly due to the Vietnam draft. But a couple went on to form Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Thanks, interesting. The only Quicksilver Messenger Service song I just realized I know is “Fresh Air”, which I think is a cool tune!
Yessir. Fresh Air is one of the most spectacular hits ever. I think it is breathtaking.