floatingunder wrote: > > > @@@I'll give my impressions on a few. I've been doing the same over > the last 4-5 years..plus, my soft pop obsessions from that era. > > Love: "Love Story 1966-72" it covers most of the first 3 albums (peak > of career) minus a few including a long rambling instrumental track. > It adds a few more tracks as well. I think this is an essential 2 > disc set. The only trouble is the discs end up breaking up the > classic Love disc FOREVER CHANGES on two different discs. But if you > can live with that, it's GREAT. This is a good intro, but I think that the first album is a non stop winner and this comp omits several great songs. The second album is half great half, one long jam... Revelation, which isn't much more than a period piece. They claim that this recording hardly matches the live version. Maybe. I saw them after DaCapo and they played most all of it, including Revelation. It was good, better than the album. I pretty much think you need to have the first three albums to see how they developed. Love Story doesn't do a bad job picking up a few later tracks that otherwise might be missed. Those later albums used to be bargain bin regulars. > > > Hollies: 13th Anniversay Collection. Three CD's worth of material. It > will include the range your looking for plus maybe a few to many > later tracks. However, your right, some of the later tracks are > wonderful and necessary. Purple Rain done live, I'm not so sure. How do you comp a band like the Hollies that had so many good albums, even when they were doing a lot of covers. You know there was a time you could pick up all the albums cheap. I did and filled in loads of singles too. I might be difficult to justify buying the whole lot now at collectors or cd prices. I have the Epic box only cause I got it cheap. > > > Beach Boys: I actually would stay away from comps (my bias) and buy > the two for ones from their peak years. "Pet Sounds" to "Sunflower" > or so in my opinion. I know many would go before and after this. > Each album will have a clunker or two but it has many great songs not > on comps and retains it's charm more then comps (IMO). As discussed > before Beach Boy's largely ran out of gas in the mid 70's or so but > LOVE YOU is worth having too. Arrg... this is what gets me. Sorry but the Beach Boys hit their stride with Shut Down Vol 2 and kept making great records through Holland. And I'm a strong believer in Love You and 16 Big Ones. The idea that they didn't make a good record until Pet Sounds is misinformed. With nearly all the albums now part of two fers, you can afford the whole collection. There are too many great album tracks to compile them properly and ignoring the early records is risky. It's pretty easy to find the recent reissues used, so there is no excuse. The Box Set is awfully great too, containing loads of unreleased stuff. The Endless Harmony and Hawthorn comps add more essential unreleased stuff along with some less necessary vocal only mixes. There are some shockingly great obscure early album trax. Brian had the vision from day one, it just took them a while to get away from old style song writing. I think this is what puts off a lot of those "it all starts with Pet Sounds folks". I grew up with these and just thrilled at ever new album (exceptin' Party). > > > Byrds are tough. That's a box good set over all. I still prefer > having many of the earlier discs then that set. But, you'd do fine > with the set. However, Byrds had different periods. So SWEETHEARTS ON > THE RADIO is a very cool country rock album compared to the earlier > jangley Byrds stuff. Plus, the rereleases have bonus songs and/ or > studio banter. Yeah like the Beach Boys and others, it's impossible to get a good overview from a comp, even like that expansive box, which omits a lot of Gene Clarks stuff. Right there you've got a big problem. I can't see living with out most everything... Further Along and Byrdmanix might be the only two you could skip, but what the hell... you need 'em. The reunion album is a lost gem that still doesn't get the credit it deserves. If Gene's No Other, Terry Reid and Dennis Wilson get the Great Lost tag, so does that one. > > > Zombies: I think you need the Zombies's box ZOMBIES HEAVEN. It's my > fav box I own. You could by Oddessey and Oracle with "The Singles A > and B" and have most of what your looking for. However, the box > covers live stuff, rare stuff, interviews...it's just great fun from > an amazing band. For what it worth my Oddessey and Oracle is on Ebay > at the moment per I finally decided to dump it (given I have ZOMBIE > HEAVEN-the box set). But, I'd say go for the BOX... Yeah, what do you say about a band that only made two albums in their career yet can easily manage a four disc box, and then you still might need some of the comps due to the mono/stereo stuff. Alec has really gone out of his way to make sure you have to keep buying Zombies stuff. Bastard! Not too many weak trax in the whole lot. > > > I hope that helps a bit Jason... > > Steve and... "--- In audities@yahoogroups.com, "floatingunder" PS: maybe because I've been listening to them a lot but another wonderful group from the 60's that you could forget about (but shouldn't) is The Easybeats. They are best known for "Sorry" and "Friday on My Mind". I have a comp called "The Definitive Anthology" that is just plain GREAT. Check them out too, if you have not. The Easybeats are great 60's sounding pop with odd little turns now and again. Brilliant stuff IMO." This is another band that sort of hard to collect on this side of the world. I sort of think there was a compete box in Australia. They definitely got better when they went to England and recorded with Shel Talmy. I recently saw a live bit from Beat Club of them playing Friday On My Mind Live. Amazing. Marcus Hook Roll Band anyone? I don't own every early record, but it's not from trying. Almost any 60's band except for the Beatles are pretty hard to collect these days. Do you get everything or just the hits? The Animals catalog is totally screwed up, and whole albums have gone missing in their original form or completely. The Who have done an ok job, but in the rush to create stereo mixes a lot of songs have been altered in ways that do not help. The Stones got it a little better this time, but the decision to not do the proper first two UK albums is a huge mistake. One rare attempt at setting the record straight is with Traffic. You can get both the mono and stereo versions of both the UK and US variations of Mr Fantasy/Heaven Is In Your Mind. These are dramatically different. The UK Kinks reissues have also been a great addition, though a few songs don't appear on any... Some have complained about the sound, but I think they are fine, and I doubt we'll get another upgrade. Just read that there is a double disc of Village Green coming with a load of rarities. Might finally see those Great Lost Kinks tracks? Yeah now there are all those dodgy comps of most of these bands that muddy the waters even more. I was lucky to have a few bux and access to discount bins when this 60's stuff was all dumped and could be had for loose change. As a result I got a good listen to most of these bands in chronological order and the complete catalog. A friend of mine used to obsessively note all the non album tracks and single variations, so we knew what to look for. Filled in a lot of gaps that we might have missed. ..end of rant or rave -- Ronald Sanchez Director Of A&R Career Records www.CareerRecords.com The Donovan's Brain Web Site www.Donovans-Brain.com