The legendary Lenny Kaye is celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the first psychedelic era with a huge show at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro Sunday. He’ll be joined on stage by a one off all-star band featuring Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Jon Wurster (Mountain Goats, Bob Mould Band), Alejandro Escovedo, and many more.
‘Nuggets’ was originally released in 1972 and went on to become one of the most influential compilations of all time, exposing newer generations to the music that would later be referred to as “garage rock” and also spawning a countless number of other compilation series that carried on the same spirit.
Lenny Kaye recently caught up with WUNC Music’s Brian Burns to discuss the show and the legacy of Nuggets.
This is an excerpt of an edited transcript of that conversation. You can hear the full interview by clicking the LISTEN button at the top of this post.
Tell us about how this show came together
Well, it is the 50th anniversary of this very wacky compilation I put together a half a century ago. And if I would have known I'd be talking about it 50 years later, I'm sure I would have screwed it up. But I had a good time putting it together. And it seems to have found a resonance with people who love music and love rock and roll because it is the original spirit of why we pick up a guitar and yell at the top of our lungs.
Were there other compilations that inspired you when you were putting Nuggets together?
Good question. I had two main streams. One of them was those golden oldies albums that they used to have… I think they were put out by the label Mr. Maestro with motorcycle hoodlums on the cover. They usually gathered 12 hits from the Hit Parade and you could buy them for $2, so it was a good way to get a lot of music, and I just liked their style.
I also was quite an appreciator of the more academic albums put out by Yazoo Records.. I was trying to understand the music through a more scholarly way and not overload it there. It was an album that was meant to be fun to listen to, and also set the historical moment into context.
Lenny Kaye and Friends: A 50th Anniversary Celebration of Nuggets! takes place at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Sunday, November 12th.
