THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
729) The Nuchez — “Open Up Your Mind Now”
Mike Dugo calls this ’66 Chicago Rembrandt Records A-side a “classic psychedelic opus with a nice organ base and free flowing fuzz”. (liner notes to Garage Beat ’66: Vol. 5: Readin’ Your Will!) Dave Furgess says it uses “every psychedelic trick in the book, a stinging fuzztone guitar, gruff UK style vocals, charging organ flashes and typical Keith Moon/Mitch Mitchell style out of control drumming.” (https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1731/). Bruce Eder calls its “main virtue . . . Erickson’s hot lead guitar, a psychedelic workout built on surf guitar riffs”. (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-nuchez-mn0000486059)
Eder further tells us that:
The Nuchez were a relatively short-lived band signed to Illinois-based Rembrandt Records label in 1966. The band was known locally for having been the opening act for Paul Revere & the Raiders and other major national acts playing Chicago, and built a great reputation in the process. Rembrandt co-founder Reggie Weiss signed them up as soon as he found out they weren’t under contract to anyone; they were only the second group on the label . . . . The band [was] led by guitarist Ricky Erickson [no relation to Roky.]. . . . “Open Up Your Mind” b/w “B.G.’s One Eye” was well reviewed in Cashbox, and it got airplay locally but never moved nationally, mostly owing to Rembrandt’s lack of distribution beyond the local level. . . . The Nuchez broke up in the spring of 1967 when Erickson exited to join the Lemon Drops [featuring Reggie’s brothers Gary and Eddie] after sitting in with the latter group on their first recording session, for “I Live in the Springtime.” [see #143]
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-nuchez-mn0000486059
It was once widely assumed that the Nuchez was a UK Band, since “Open Up Your Mind” showed up on a UK psych comp. In any event, Dave Furgess says it had “all the hallmarks of the best of UK freakbeat groups such as One In A Million, The Open Mind and Wimple Winch. In fact this 45 is as good as any of the more celebrated UK psych acts such as The Creation, Poets, Birds etc.” (https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1731/)
About Rembrandt, Forced Exposure says:
Rembrandt Records[‘] first release in March 1966 was a bluesy garage-band novelty record titled ‘Boots Are Made For Talkin’ ‘. It was a parody of Nancy Sinatra’s smash hit at the time, ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’. When the single failed to chart Rembrandt Records’ owner Reggie Weiss moved in a different direction, merging pop with psychedelic music, for the next single, ‘Open Up Your Mind’. He wrote the song based on a LSD trip and response to the single was positive. Soon other psych-pop singles were issued featuring The Circus, The Nickel Bag, and Monday’s Children. Cash Box magazine began plugging Rembrandt Records during the fall of 1966. However, Weiss was unable to secure solid distribution and could not compete with the larger Chicago based record labels such as Dunwich, USA, and Destination. By 1967, Weiss devoted all of his time promoting a high-school band called The Lemon Drops. He wrote another LSD-inspired song titled ‘I Live In The Springtime’ for the band. Unfortunately, the single was unable to chart, even regionally.
https://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/va-open-up-your-mind-cd/CIC.983CD.html
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