THE NAZZ
Open Our Eyes - The Anthology (Castle)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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The Nazz were a strange band. Probably best known for launching Todd Rundgren's later '70s solo career, as both a musician and a producer, they certainly didn't fit in with the musical climate of the times. Even though they were American, they sounded more British, and specifically Mod-British influenced by the Who, and almost proto-powerpop in a lot of ways. The Nazz also seemed to have two distinct styles: distortion, fuzz and feedback laden rockers and laid-back, almost Left Banke-ish type orchestrated ballads. Case in point their two biggest hits, the fuzzed-out classic "Open Your Eyes" and the dirge-like "Hello, It's Me," two songs which couldn't have come from more opposite ends of the pop spectrum!

They put out three LPs between 1968-70, and this double set collects together all of those plus the rare cover of "Train Kept A Rollin'," from a rare flipside, and previously unavailable on CD. Personally, I tend to go for the heavier material myself, although admittedly there is a sparkling quality to the slower, more orchestrated tunes. The stuff from Nazz III is actually the heaviest, with songs like "Magic Me," "Resolution" and their oddball cover of "Kicks" featuring soaring harmonies and blistering lead guitar work. Songs like "Lemming Song" and "Meridian Leeward" show their more British psychedelic side.

The sound on this remastered collection is incredibly rich, and only true stereo mixes were used, which shows off the band's inventive uses of phasing, panning and the like for a great stereo effect, especially on songs like the wigged-out "Christopher Columbus." Really, though, this stuff is all pretty amazing, and a swank package with excellent detailed liners tell the whole story. The music simply speaks for itself. If you are so taken with this stuff that you want more, you might want to check out two CDs of unreleased material on the Distortions label, 13th & Pine and From Philadelphia. The latter set also features an amazing five-song bonus CD of Rundgren's pre-Nazz band Woody's Truck Stop, recorded as a demo in 1966.

© 2003 - Alan Wright