

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 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 66/118: She’s About A Mover by Sir Douglas Quintet
From: San Antonio, Texas
Aphoristic Rating: 7/10
SHE’S ABOUT A MOVER – Sir Douglas Quintet [2:20]
(Doug Sahm)
Personnel/DOUG SAHM: vocals, guitar * AUGIE MEYERS: organ * JACK BARBER: bass * JOHN PEREZ: drums * FRANK MORIN: maracas, vocals
Produced by HUEY MEAUX
Recorded in Houston, TX
Tribe single #45-8308 (3/65); Pop #13
During the British Invasion, Houston producer Huey P Meaux took a stack of Beatles records into a hotel room, along with some wine, and studied them while getting drunk. He concluded that the Beatles’ rhythms often resembled Cajun dance songs, and wanted to find a local band to blend the two styles.
He met Doug Sahm, who’d grown up immersed in country – as a child he performed onstage with Hank Williams and turned down a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Meaux shared his vision with Sahm, and Sahm quickly formed a five-piece band, featuring an organ player and a saxophonist. The band were given the very English name, Sir Douglas Quintet.
‘She’s About A Mover’ was the band’s second single. While they’re known for their Tex-Mex sound, ‘Mover’ strongly echoes the British Invasion bands. With its prominent Vox Continental organ, a gruff-voiced vocalist, and the opening line “Well, she was a-walkin’ down the street, lookin’ fine as she could be”, ‘She’s About A Mover’ recalls Manfred Mann, as well as The Animals. It was a #13 Billlboard hit in March 1965. Ringo Starr covered it in 1983.
‘She’s About A Mover’ featured on the band’s first album, the misleadingly named The Best of Sir Douglas Quintet. They soldiered on for another thirteen studio records. Their other famous song is 1968’s ‘Mendocino’, which cracked the Billboard top 30, sold 3 million copies in Europe, and featured in the film version of High Fidelity. Sahm also enjoyed success as a solo artist and with Texas Tornadoes, before passing from a heart attack in 1999. His son Shandon Sahm has drummed with The Meat Puppets.
Read More
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Nuggets: Talk Talk by The Music Machine

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Nuggets: I Live in the Springtime by The Lemon Drops

Nuggets: The Little Black Egg by The Nightcrawlers

Nuggets II: Come On by The Atlantics

Nuggets: Jack of Diamonds by The Daily Flash

Nuggets: Who Do You Love by The Woolies

Nuggets: A Question of Temperature by The Balloon Farm

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

Nuggets II: Pictures of Matchstick Men by The Status Quo

Nuggets: Bad Girl by The Zakary Thaks

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

Nuggets: Story of My Life by The Unrelated Segments

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Nuggets: Why Do I Cry by The Remains

Nuggets: Too Many People by The Leaves

Nuggets: Time Won’t Let Me by The Outsiders

Nuggets II: Bad Little Woman by The Wheels

Nuggets II: No Presents For Me by The Pandamonium

Nuggets: Spazz by The Elastik Band

Nuggets: Out Of Our Tree by The Wailers

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

Nuggets: Just Like Me by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets II: Flight from Ashiya by Kaleidoscope

Nuggets: I Want Candy by The Strangeloves

Nuggets: Last Time Around by The Del-Vetts

Nuggets: Double Yellow Line by The Music Machine

Nuggets: Optical Sound by The Human Expression

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

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Nuggets II: Bat Macumba by Os Mutantes

Nuggets II: I Wish I Was Five by Scrugg

Nuggets II: Kicks and Chicks by The Zipps

Nuggets: She’s My Baby by The Mojo Men

Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect

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

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

Nuggets: My World Fell Down by Sagittarius

Nuggets: Hold Me Now by The Rumors

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Gestures

Nuggets: Psychotic Reaction by Count Five

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

Nuggets II: It’s My Fault by The Rattles

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

Nuggets II: Vacuum Cleaner by Tintern Abbey

Nuggets II: Nothin’ by Ugly Ducklings

Nuggets II: My Life by Thor’s Hammer

Nuggets: Live by The Merry-Go-Round

Nuggets: The Witch by The Sonics

Nuggets II: Real Crazy Apartment by Winston’s Fumbs

Nuggets: Fight Fire by The Golliwogs

Nuggets: Love's Gone Bad by The Underdogs

Sugar and Spice by The Cryan’ Shames

Nuggets: Mindrocker by Fenwyck

Nuggets: Johnny Was A Good Boy by Mystery Trend

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

Nuggets: Knock, Knock by The Humane Society

Nuggets: Journey to Tyme by Kenny and the Kasuals

Nuggets: I See the Light by The Five Americans

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

Nuggets: Louie Louie by The Kingsmen

Nuggets: Pushin’ Too Hard by The Seeds

Nuggets: Liar, Liar by The Castaways

Nuggets II: No Good Without You Baby by The Birds

Nuggets: The Trip by Kim Fowley

Baby, Please Don’t Go by The Amboy Dukes

Nuggets: Bad Little Woman by The Shadows of Knight

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

Nuggets II: Break It All by Los Shakers

Nuggets II: Get Yourself Home by The Fairies

Nuggets: A Public Execution by Mouse

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

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

Nuggets II: No More Now by The Smoke

Nuggets: Romeo and Juliet by Michael and the Messengers

Nuggets: Why Pick On Me by The Standells

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

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

Nuggets: Outside Chance by The Turtles

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

Nuggets II: One Third by The Majority

Nuggets: Hey Joe by the Leaves

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

Nuggets: Lies by The Knickerbockers

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

Nuggets II: Touch by The Outsiders

Nuggets: Steppin’ Out by Paul Revere & the Raiders

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

Nuggets: Farmer John by The Premiers

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

Nuggets: Oh Yeah by The Shadows of Knight

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

Nuggets: Sweet Young Thing by The Chocolate Watchband

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

Nuggets: You Must Be A Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe

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Nuggets: An Invitation to Cry by The Magicians

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

Nuggets: 7 and 7 Is by Love

Nuggets: Tobacco Road by Blues Magoos

Nuggets: Incense and Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock

Nuggets: Nobody But Me by The Human Beinz

Nuggets II: Rosalyn by The Pretty Things

Nuggets: Going All the Way by The Squires

Nuggets: Blackout of Gretely by GONN

Nuggets: It’s Cold Outside by The Choir

Nuggets: Strychnine by The Sonics

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

Nuggets: Mirror Of Your Mind by We The People

Nuggets: You Ain’t Tuff by The Uniques

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

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

Nuggets: No Friend of Mine by The Sparkles

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

Nuggets: Open My Eyes by Nazz

Nuggets II: Here Come the Nice by The Small Faces

Nuggets: Voices Green and Purple by The Bees

Nuggets: Falling Sugar by The Palace Guard

Nuggets: Codine by The Charlatans

Nuggets: Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Nuggets: Moulty by The Barbarians

Nuggets: Follow Me by Lyme & Cybelle

Nuggets: Dirty Water by The Standells

Nuggets: I Wonder by The Gants

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

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

Nuggets: Laugh, Laugh by The Beau Brummels

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Nuggets II: Slaves Time by The Slaves

Nuggets: Complication by The Monks

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

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I always liked this song. But what an odd video, with the band performing amidst a cheesy castle setting and that mannequin-like woman dressed in armor and standing completely motionless, save her blinking eyes.
Yup, I guess it’s some kind of joke about how she’s not a mover?
Great garage band. I love the Continental organ sound…it fits well in Tex-Mex music. I’ve talked to a Texas blogger who played in a band at that time with some of the Nugget bands including these guys.
I don’t really get much Tex Mex off this song – it sounds almost entirely British Invasion to me. But then again, I don’t really know much about Tex Mex from that era. Hope you’re enjoying your sabbatical.
Thanks Graham… yes I got a lot of projects done plus I’ve had time to write some posts about basically Nugget 2 bands… a few of them and some unknown power pop bands…. I do miss the interaction though. I’m looking forward to getting back.
Cool, I’m looking forward to getting to Nuggets 2 on this site, but it’s going to take a couple more years. There’s a bit of NZ stuff on there too.
I haven’t followed it methodically by any means…I just picked a few songs I didn’t pick before…like from The Stems and others. I love the collection though.
I’m also checking out the “shoegaze’ genre.
‘Only Shallow’ by My Bloody Valentine is one of my favourite songs. It sounds so unique.
I did run across that one and I liked it. There are so many of those bands that are really good. The Rain Parade I like also.
I’m doing a post on a band you recommended a while back called The Pinkees… I think one of your readers suggested them… good power pop.
I don’t actually know a ton of shoegaze. I have a Ride album.
I’ve been listening to a lot of NZ indie stuff lately – The Bats and David Kilgour.
I’ve heard some of the Bats before and I like them… Did many of the Australian rock/pop bands bleed over to NZ? Bands like Radio Birdman or The Stems? I don’t think I know David Kilgour…I’ll check him out.
Shoegaze… what I’ve heard so far I like…it’s close to a more modern psychedelic pop/rock.
I don’t really know The Stems, but generally the big Australian bands did well in NZ too – like Midnight Oil and Jimmy Barnes. Hoodoo Gurus are one Australian band I like that have a bit of power pop in their DNA.
David Kilgour is from The Clean.
Cool song. The groove reminds me of The Beatles’ “She’s a Woman.” It never occurred to me the Fab Four’s rhythms often resembled Cajun dance songs – maybe I need to get drunk! 🙂
Coming back to “She’s About a Mover,” like Max (hey there!), I dig that Vox Continental organ.
I didn’t hear much Tex Mex in that song, although maybe it’s just me missing it.
The Vox Continental works here. For some reason it drives me crazy on Elvis Costello’s This Year’s Model though.
Great tune. Sahm is throughout my record pile.
Both “Mover” and “Mendocino” got their share of airplay here in the States. Pretty good songs. And somebody would have to actually map out for me how any Beatles song has any relationship to Cajun songs.
Did you get the Tex Mex influences in ‘She’s About A Mover’? I didn’t hear much, but it’s possibly my ignorance as I don’t know much from the genre beyond Los Lobos.
I had never heard the term Tex Mex when it was released. Once I knew more about it – and I’m hardly the expert – I still didn’t think that. It’s kinda hard to pin down what genre it is or what I hear in it. Just sounded like any other AM radio hit to me.
I played the song for a musical (and age) peer. He remembered it but didn’t hear any Tex Mex influence.
This is another 10/10 for me. Although I never knew what the title meant. What could it mean to be about a mover?
Have you heard the Big Star song ‘She’s A Mover’? I assume the two are connected somehow?
She’s a mover I could understand, but She’s ABOUT a mover I don’t get.
Yeah, I don’t know if it’s just something random that sounds good or a colloquial expression that’s not used anymore.
That’s probably what it is. Like an old expression that they used to say in Texas or down south somewhere. They got a lot of them down there that you don’t hear anywhere else. Or at least I never heard them before till I got there. Except maybe in movies and stuff.
Like she’s just about a mover?
I also thought that maybe it means “just about a mover” but that would also be a weird thing to say