

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 57/118: (We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet by the Blues Magoos
From: The Bronx, New York
Aphoristic Rating: 8/10
(WE AIN’T GOT) NOTHIN’ YET – Blues Magoos [2:10]
(Ronald Gilbert/Ralph Scala/Michael Esposito/Emil Thielhelm)
Personnel/RALPH SCALA: vocals, organ * MIKE ESPOSITO: lead guitar * EMIL “PEPPY” THIELHELM: guitar, vocals * RONNIE GILBERT: bass, vocals * GEOFF DAKING: drums
Produced by BOB WYLD & ART POLHEMUS for LONGHAIR PRODUCTIONS
Recorded in New York, NY
Mercury single #72622 (10/66); Pop #5
The Blues Magoos were formed in 1964, originally known as The Trenchcoats. Playing in clubs around Greenwich Village, they changed their name to the Bloos Magoos, before settling on the final spelling. They marketed themselves as a psychedelic band – their debut is titled Psychedelic Lollipop. But there’s plenty of garage band in their DNA as well.
The Blues Magoos’ best-known song is their third single, ‘We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet’, their first release for Mercury Records. It reached #5 on the Billboard Charts.
The song’s bass and organ parts closely resemble Joe Osborn’s bassline for Ricky Nelson’s 1962 version of ‘Summertime’; a George Gershwin cover. The same riff later powered Deep Purple’s 1970 single ‘Black Night’ – the group were told they needed a single for their debut album In Rock, and quickly wrote a song around the borrowed bassline. The Deep Purple single reached #2 on the UK charts – a little unfair when Nelson’s ‘Summertime’ only just scraped into the Billboard top #100.
Despite the riff recycling, there’s plenty to enjoy with harmonies and swirling organ.
The Blues Magoos stuck around long enough to record six albums, including a 2014 reunion album, Psychedelic Resurrection. Emil “Peppy” Thielhelm (aka “Peppy” Castro) was the band’s only constant member. He later joined the cast of Hair and scored a top 40 hit in 1981 with ‘Breaking Away’, with his new band Balance.
A 1967 cover was released by UK band The Spectres – they’d shortly rebrand themselves as Status Quo.
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More Nuggets
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Nuggets: Double Yellow Line by The Music Machine

Nuggets: Steppin’ Out by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Nuggets: Codine by The Charlatans

Nuggets: Strychnine by The Sonics

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

Nuggets II: No Presents For Me by The Pandamonium

Nuggets: Talk Talk by The Music Machine

Nuggets: Farmer John by The Premiers

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

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Nuggets: Night Time by The Strangeloves

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

Nuggets: Optical Sound by The Human Expression

Nuggets: Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

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

Nuggets: Tobacco Road by Blues Magoos

Nuggets II: The Train to Disaster by The Voice

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

Nuggets: Psycho by The Sonics

Nuggets: Little Bit O’Soul by The Music Explosion

Nuggets: Jack of Diamonds by The Daily Flash

Nuggets: Open My Eyes by Nazz

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

Nuggets II: Kicks and Chicks by The Zipps

Nuggets: It’s Cold Outside by The Choir

Nuggets: Oh Yeah by The Shadows of Knight

Nuggets: Mirror Of Your Mind by We The People

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

Nuggets: Don’t Look Back by The Remains

Nuggets II: Bat Macumba by Os Mutantes

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

Nuggets: 7 and 7 Is by Love

Nuggets II: No Good Without You Baby by The Birds

Sugar and Spice by The Cryan’ Shames

Nuggets: Johnny Was A Good Boy by Mystery Trend

Nuggets: Fight Fire by The Golliwogs

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

Nuggets: You Must Be A Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe

Nuggets: Mindrocker by Fenwyck

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

Nuggets: Moulty by The Barbarians

Nuggets: The Trip by Kim Fowley

Nuggets: I Want Candy by The Strangeloves

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

Nuggets: I Live in the Springtime by The Lemon Drops

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

Nuggets: You Ain’t Tuff by The Uniques

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

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

Nuggets: Too Many People by The Leaves

Nuggets: Follow Me by Lyme & Cybelle

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

Nuggets: Psychotic Reaction by Count Five

Nuggets: Run, Run, Run by The Third Rail

Nuggets: Blackout of Gretely by GONN

Nuggets: So What! by The Lyrics

Nuggets: Voices Green and Purple by The Bees

Nuggets: Why Do I Cry by The Remains

Nuggets II: My Life by Thor’s Hammer

Nuggets II: Flight from Ashiya by Kaleidoscope

Nuggets: Last Time Around by The Del-Vetts

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

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

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

10 Best Songs on the Nuggets Boxset

Nuggets: I See the Light by The Five Americans

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

Nuggets: Primitive by The Groupies

Nuggets: Out Of Our Tree by The Wailers

Nuggets II: Get Yourself Home by The Fairies

Nuggets: Action Woman by The Litter

Nuggets: Liar, Liar by The Castaways

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

Nuggets II: Break It All by Los Shakers

Nuggets II: The Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane by Timon

Nuggets II: No More Now by The Smoke

Nuggets: Falling Sugar by The Palace Guard

Nuggets II: Dance Around the Maypole by Acid Gallery

Nuggets: An Invitation to Cry by The Magicians

Nuggets II: I Wish I Was Five by Scrugg

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

Nuggets: Lies by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets: My World Fell Down by Sagittarius

Nuggets: The Little Black Egg by The Nightcrawlers

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

Nuggets: Bad Girl by The Zakary Thaks

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

Nuggets: Incense and Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock

Nuggets: Just Like Me by Paul Revere & the Raiders

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

Nuggets: I Need You by The Rationals

Nuggets: She’s My Baby by The Mojo Men

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

Nuggets: A Public Execution by Mouse

Nuggets: Time Won’t Let Me by The Outsiders

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

Nuggets: Nobody But Me by The Human Beinz

Nuggets: Live by The Merry-Go-Round

Nuggets: Hold Me Now by The Rumors

Nuggets: Love's Gone Bad by The Underdogs

Nuggets: Going All the Way by The Squires

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

Nuggets: No Friend of Mine by The Sparkles

Nuggets II: Come On by The Atlantics

Baby, Please Don’t Go by The Amboy Dukes

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

Nuggets II: Love Hate Revenge by Episode Six

Nuggets II: Bad Little Woman by The Wheels

Nuggets II: Here Come the Nice by The Small Faces

Nuggets II: It’s My Fault by The Rattles

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

Nuggets: Louie Louie by The Kingsmen

Nuggets: Dirty Water by The Standells

Nuggets: Who Do You Love by The Woolies

Nuggets: Little Girl by Syndicate of Sound

Nuggets: Complication by The Monks

Nuggets II: Slaves Time by The Slaves

Nuggets: Pushin’ Too Hard by The Seeds

Nuggets: Hey Joe by the Leaves

Nuggets II: Pictures of Matchstick Men by The Status Quo

Nuggets: Laugh, Laugh by The Beau Brummels

Nuggets II: Rosalyn by The Pretty Things

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

Nuggets: Outside Chance by The Turtles

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

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

Nuggets II: Vacuum Cleaner by Tintern Abbey

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

Nuggets: One Track Mind by The Knickerbockers

Nuggets: Bad Little Woman by The Shadows of Knight

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

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

Nuggets II: One Third by The Majority

Nuggets: Spazz by The Elastik Band

Nuggets: The Witch by The Sonics

Nuggets: Romeo and Juliet by Michael and the Messengers

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

Nuggets: Why Pick On Me by The Standells

Nuggets: Respect by The Vagrants

Nuggets II: Sad by The (Australian) Playboys

Nuggets: Story of My Life by The Unrelated Segments

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

Nuggets II: Real Crazy Apartment by Winston’s Fumbs

Nuggets: Sweet Young Thing by The Chocolate Watchband

Nuggets: Journey to Tyme by Kenny and the Kasuals

Nuggets: A Question of Temperature by The Balloon Farm

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

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

Nuggets II: Nothin’ by Ugly Ducklings

Nuggets: I Wonder by The Gants

Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect

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****10/10****
Sorry…
Oh well. Maybe next week. I bet you’ll give that one 10/10!!!
I do like The Sonics.
And the next week after that too!!!!!
Normally I just do one per fortnight, so the suspense will be longer.
Actually Syndicate of Sound is next, which is what I thought. That’s a definite 10 out of 10, Sonics is kind of borderline for me.
Oops, almost skipped that one.
Don’t even have to listen to it. Pretty popular tune back in the day. Must have heard it a thousand times. Pretty good tune.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard it outside of Nuggets. It would certainly be better if classic hits radio had way bigger playlists and played stuff like this.
Oh, wow. No, sizeable hit over here. Very few of my generation wouldn’t recognize it.
That video is great. I wonder if it was from American Bandstand. I didn’t know Ricky Nelson did a version of Summertime. I actually like Ricky Nelson. And his hit Garden Party is one of my top 100 singles of the ’70s, I think.
I don’t know much about Ricky Nelson, but his version of Summertime was good.
I listened to Summertime and it was cool. Not only the bass line is the same as Blues Magoos but the guitar lines too, kinda sorta. It’s not the best Summertime I ever heard though. It ain’t Janis Joplin, I’ll tell you that.
I remember this. Thanks for bringing it back. Snappy tune with a lot going for it.
I didn’t know it at all before Nuggets.
I loved this song back in the day, as I’m so old I remember hearing it on the radio. Still holds up.
As I said in other comments, I’ve never heard it on the radio.
I love this song…I remember it on the Easy Rider soundtrack. Great raw garage rock…I’m a sucker for that organ.
I didn’t realise it was on Easy Rider. The organ’s pretty cool.