The folks at Rhino would appear dead set on anthologizing every facet of 1960's rock. The original Nuggets box encapsulated '60s garage rock, "Nuggets 2" had British rock and the rest of the world and "Children of Nuggets" was actually new wave bands influenced by bands of the original Nuggets sound. This latest collection represents the Frisco scene. Not so much a particular style of music but the whole spectrum of bands in the area at the time in the form of their better known singles.

It seems 40 years ago the pop culture mecca was San Francisco - with it's teeter totter streets of quaint Victorian houses and old west motifs. Frisco was the epicenter of the Summer of Love and the streets were literally flooded with hippies and the theatres and concert halls were booked with local and newly relocated bands each playing their own novel brand of psychedelia, blues, soul and jug music. Most self proclaimed San Francisco bands actually hailed from nearby cities and towns. The Airplane were based in Sausalito, The Dead in Palo Alto and Sly Stone in Oakland, etc.

This box set is ambitious in presenting the broad spectrum of music that had taken root in Goldtown. We have the obvious heavy hitters such as Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Santana and the Steve Miller Band. Represented here are both their signature hits as well as lesser known nuggets. Also featured are the more moderate successes like the Charlatans, Moby Grape, The Beau Brummels and Quicksilver Messenger Service. The strengths of these bands is evident in the singles representing them. Quicksilver's "Codine" still holds up and Moby Grapes "Omaha" carries a frenetic energy. The Greatful Deads "Dark Star" is heavily atmospheric in it's single version and Sly and the Family Stone's "Underdog" is an upbeat soul thumper with a borrowed riff from "Frere Jaques." Obviously many of the more noteworthy acts here are best represented in Album format or better yet live performance. Still this is a superior sampler because, unlike the original Nuggets compilation which redeemed otherwise forgettable bands with a few memorable singles, this collection serves as a sound jumping off point for the discovery of far less disposable bands that merit further exploration.

Despite this sets limitations you get some truly arcane discoveries in the form of songs like "Anphetamine Gazelle" by Mad River, an Ohio bunch that moved out west. There is also "Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman" a mind tripping song by Seatrain, a group of expatriate Canadians. Just as good are some mid '60s tunes by Frumious Bandersnatch and Great Society. Bands that had members who would eventually move on to Moby Grape and Jefferson Airplane. The book that accompanies this set should help guide you through the era, acquaint you with this most famous of all Zeitgeists, as well as offer a sense of the community that was so pervasive during those magical times.