one track mind - the garage sound of the knickerbockers

When Lenny Kaye’s original, life-affirming Nuggets anthology of mid-’60s US garage bands appeared out of nowhere in 1972, it sent a worldwide army of enthusiasts scurrying off to track down the complete recorded works of the featured groups. It took a while for them to discover that many acts had summoned up whatever artless teenage genius they possessed solely for the duration of one unfeasibly perfect three-chord, two-minute blast.

The Knickerbockers, however, were the exception that proved the rule. Represented on Nuggets by their uncanny Beatles soundalike single ‘Lies’, the group had actually cut a whole stack of bona fide garage pop gems – including follow-up singles ‘One Track Mind’ and the controversial, psychedelically-oriented ‘High On Love’ - during a relatively lengthy career that also saw them dabble with varying degrees of success in big production MOR pop, Four Seasons-style harmony outings and Righteous Brothers-influenced blue-eyed soul.

One Track Mind: The Garage Pop Sound of the Knickerbockers does exactly what it says on the tin, eschewing the group’s more anodyne work to concentrate on showcasing the Knickerbockers doing what they did best: hook-laden, garage-oriented teen pop that was heavily influenced by the British Invasion. Here, then, is the definitive, all-killer-no-filler compilation of thirty original Knickerbockers artyfacts from the first psychedelic era…

Track Listing:

1. ONE TRACK MIND
2. RUMORS, GOSSIP, WORDS UNTRUE
3. WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU
4. SHE SAID GOODBYE
5. I LOVE
6. LIES
7. CAN’T YOU SEE I’M TRYING
8. SWEET GREEN FIELDS
9. GUARANTEED SATISFACTION
10. LOVE IS A BIRD
11. HIGH ON LOVE
12. STICK WITH ME
13. I CAN DO IT BETTER
14. JUST ONE GIRL
15. I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT
16. CHUCK BERRY MEDLEY
17. ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT
18. COME ON AND LET ME
19. SHE’S NOT THERE
20. THEY RAN FOR THEIR LIVES
21. WE GOT A GOOD THING GOIN’
22. MONEY (THAT’S WHAT I WANT)
23. PLEASE DON’T FIGHT IT
24. THE COMING GENERATION
25. LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN
26. YOU REALLY GOT ME
27. GIVE A LITTLE BIT
28. PLEASE DON’T LOVE HIM
29. YOU’RE BAD
30. MY FEET ARE OFF THE GROUND