Sandy Nelson's Big Sixties All-Nighter!

by Sandy Nelson

Overview

Man, did Sandy Nelson record a lot of albums in the last half of the 1960s -- more than 15 between 1965 and 1969. This 24-track collection samples from most of them, the program dominated by instrumental covers of big '60s rock hits like "Good Lovin'," "Hey Joe," "Good Lovin'," "Wooly Bully," and "I Don't Need No Doctor." Thrown in are a few '60s oldies, some rocked-up non-rock tunes like "The Lion in Winter," and a few things that weren't hits for anyone. Nelson was inarguably overexposed during his time at Imperial Records, but this very selective pick of his 1965-1969 work is actually better than you'd expect, even if its appeal is primarily limited to hardcore instrumental rock fans. Nelson really does drive most of the tracks along with a supercharged snare-heavy beat, and it's not that much of a stretch to say that you can hear how he was probably an influence on Keith Moon, though Nelson didn't have anything like the context Moon did with the Who. He did, however, record with the cream of the Hollywood session players, including names like Barney Kessel, Carol Kaye, Larry Knechtel, Jim Gordon, Dr. John (then known as Mac Rebennack, who funnily enough plays on "I Don't Need No Doctor"), and Al Casey. It has a flashy mod rock production that makes some of these workouts -- like "Scratchy," "Whittier Boulevard," "Come on Let's Go," "I Don't Need No Doctor," "Good Lovin'" -- way-above-average incidental period go-go soundtrack music, though a few of the songs (particularly some of the late-'60s cuts) are routine drags. Note, too, that a young Jim Messina was the co-author of (and plays on) one of the filler instrumentals that was never a hit for anyone, "Boss Beat." ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	12/06/2005
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667015523
Rank:	99212

Tracks

1. Come on Let's Go
2. Good Lovin'
3. Treat Her Right
4. Whittier Boulevard
5. Hey Joe
6. Scratchy
7. Sock It to 'Em J B
8. Down in the Boondocks
9. Boss Beat
10. Wooly Bully
11. Chop Chop
12. Jenny Take a Ride!
13. Drums Along the Strip
14. Tossin' and Turnin'
15. El Greco
16. Slow Down
17. The Lion in Winter
18. Louie Louie
19. Reach for a Star
20. I Like It Like That
21. Groovy Grubworm
22. Going Up the Country
23. I Didn't Need No Doctor
24. Mendocino

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sandy Nelson   Primary Artist,Drums
Lew McCreary   Trombone
Jim Hobson   Keyboards
Bob Cooper   Guitar
Gary Coleman   Percussion
Bill Pitman   Guitar
Jackie Kelso   Saxophone
Barney Kessel   Guitar
Dennis Budimir   Guitar
Howard Roberts   Guitar
Julius Wechter   Percussion
Jim Horn   Saxophone
Michel Rubini   Keyboards
Mike Melvoin   Keyboards
Gerry McGee   Guitar
Victor Feldman   Percussion
Lou Morrell   Guitar
Fred Cook   Percussion
Dennis "Mars Bonfire" McCrohan   Guitar
Ron Brown   Bass
Mike Deasey   Guitar
Ken Russell   Keyboards
Bob West   Bass
Sharkey Hall   Percussion
Tony Terran   Trumpet
Bobby Bryant   Trumpet
John Audino   Trumpet
Larry Muhoberac   Keyboards
Tommy Shepard   Trombone
Larry Knechtel   Bass,Keyboards
Pat Longo   Saxophone
Carol Kaye   Bass
Donald Peake   Guitar
Lyle Ritz   Bass
John Ewing   Trombone
Mac Rebennack   Guitar
Ollie Mitchell   Trumpet
Melvin Moore   Trumpet
Red Callender   Bass
Rene Hall   Guitar
Mike Post   Guitar
Don Abney   Keyboards
Arthur Wright   Guitar
Lloyd Ulyate   Trombone
Gene Garf   Keyboards
Jewell L. Grant   Saxophone
Roy Caton   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Ritchie Valens   Composer
Roy Marquez   Composer
Rudy Clark   Composer
Billy Roberts   Composer
Chris Kenner   Composer
Scott Turner   Composer
Roy Head   Composer
Jim Messina   Composer
Marty Cooper   Composer
Nickolas Ashford   Composer
Rex Garvin   Composer
Allen Toussaint   Composer
Richard Penniman   Composer
Harlow Wilcox   Composer
Russ Wapensky   Liner Notes
Clive Poole   Liner Notes,Photo Courtesy
Barrie Smith   Package Design
Jon Broven   Supervisor
Domingo "Sam" Samudio   Composer
Peter Holman   Composer
Clayton Dunn   Composer
Dave Burke   Liner Notes,Photo Courtesy
Travis Wammack   Composer
Bob Crewe   Composer
Joe Saraceno   Composer
Joe South   Composer
Ritchie Adams   Composer
Enotris Johnson   Composer
Gene Chrisman   Composer
Gene Kurtz   Composer
Valerie Simpson   Composer
Richard Berry   Composer
Bob Warren   Composer
The Whispers   Composer
Arthur Resnick   Composer
Malou Rene   Composer