A really pivotal album for the young Bob Seger – still very much in the Detroit territory of his early years, but already learning how to focus all his inspirations in a really great way! If you know the very young Bob, you'll know that he began as a soul-inspired rocker – but here, with an early incarnation of the Bob Seger System, he's really starting to hit his stride – sharing lead guitar with Tom Neme, for a fuzzier version of the group than before – and really opening up those vocal chops that would soon make him a legend – but without any of the hoke of his mainstream hits of later years. A very worthy nugget from the late 60s Detroit scene – with titles that include "Jumpin Humpin Hip Hypocrite", "Loneliness Is A Feeling", "Cat", "Death Row", "Paint Them A Picture Jane", "Hoan", and "Innervenus Eyes". CD

The last album that Bob Seger recorded with his early System group, and a set that's still got more of the hard rock and psych elements that Bob was using during his initial late 60s rise to fame! There's a rawness here at times that will surprise folks who only know Seger's late 70s mainstream classics – yet Bob's already got that nicely soul-drenched approach to vocals too, which makes for a nice change from the usual underground group of the time. Dan Watson provides great piano and organ, Pep Perrine handles some mighty heavy drums, and titles include "Big River", "Mongrel", "Lucifer", "Teachin Blues", "Song To Rufus", "Leanin On My Dreams", "Highway Child", and a heady take on "River Deep Mountain High", with some mighty nice guitar! CD

A really sweet electronic album from Dan Lacksman – one that's a lot more instrumental than his debut album, but which still sounds different than some of the moog records that came before! Dan's really opening up his analog skills here – and he uses the world of electronics in ways that are sometimes dreamy and easy, sometimes more straightforwardly tuneful – almost Hot Butter territory, but more complex and with all the sorts of cool, unusual touches that make his work in the studio such a standout – and such a nice step forward from the work of Perry & Kingsley, or Walter Carlos. Titles include "Electronic Fair", "Plic Ploc", "Top Tang", "It's Raining Today", "Top Jerk", and "Dedicated To Gerard". CD

Maybe not the first album of electronics to come out of the European scene – but a set that definitely marked that standout moment when moogy pop found a great way forward! Dan Lacksman had plenty of studio experience before cutting this gem of a record – and he brings that all to bear strongly here, working through both rock and easy modes – and using guitars and more conventional instrumentation alongside all the weird analog instrumental sounds, to give the tunes a catchy, playful sort of vibe – a bit like the territory that Perry & Kingsley explored, but more song-based overall. Titles include the slow funk classic "Sky Lab" – plus "Funky Kouly", "Spider", "In The Woods", "Hey Hey", and "Stay With Me" – plus the clunky cover of "Tchip Tchip" that starts off the record (you might skip that and begin on track 2!) CD

A really surprising moment in the career of Bob Seger – a set that has him stepping away from the fuller rock backings of the Bob Seger System, and moving into a mode that's more singer/songwriter, and which has very light instrumentation that really seems to suit Seger's vocals! There's a surprisingly powerful, heartfelt vibe going on here – at a level that, if he were picked up by Columbia and given the same treatment as their big singer/songwriter superstars of the 70s, might have seen Bob create some very different music overall. Most of the time, there's just some piano or acoustic guitar next to the vocals – and Seger's style of singing sounds much more powerful as a result – very different than on his arena rock classics. A stunner, honestly – with titles that include "Maybe Today", "Song For Him", "Something Like", "Railroad Days", and "You Know Who You Are". CD

That slightly creepy photo on the cover makes the kids look a bit more like cult members than the kind of sunny, happy flower children you might normally expect – and that's actually part of the quality of the package, too – as the set really gets at all the wonderful tensions taking place in American music in 1967 – a time of great freedom and optimism, but one with an undercurrent of darkness as well! The set really dives deeply into the crucial year of 1967, and goes way past the oldies and radio hits that most people associate with the musical moment – to bring together all sorts of cool cuts that often were only trading hands with the deeper chapters of the underground, mixed with a few other tracks from artists who got more play at the time, but were also changing the system from within! As with other Grapefruit collections, the notes and presentation are as great as the song choices – and the set features 85 titles in all, with work from The Balloon Farm, Gates Of Eden, Zodiac, Vanilla Fudge, Red Crayola, Lemon Drops, Cyrkle, Peppermint Trolley Company, Tim Rose, Spike Drivers, Blues Magoos, Sound Barrier, Grateful Dead, Thursdays Children, The ID, Zakary Thaks, Velvet Underground, Clear Light, Critters, Sagittarius, Jim & Jean, Sonny, Blue Things, Morning Dew, and many others! CD