Excellent live work by The Association – quite different than their earlier pop hits, but still with the same great harmony feel! The style here is in the rougher, more guitar-based mode of albums like Birthday and Stop Your Motor – and the band really sounds great in this live setting, which helps us to understand just how much of their magical sound came from the group itself, and not just Warner Brothers studio tricks. The set's got 22 tracks in all – 2LPs worth of music – and titles include "Dream Girl", "Goodbye Columbus", "I'll Be Your Man", "Never My Love", "Seven Man Band", "Cherish", "Requiem For The Masses", "Are You Ready", "Just About The Same", and "Along Comes Mary". CD

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A really important album on the west coast country rock scene – recorded with help from the great Buddy Emmons on steel guitar! (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

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Includes the tracks "Cross My Heart", "Flower Lady", "I've Had Her", "Miranda", "The Party", and "The Crucifixion". (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

Southern rock meets southern soul – all in this groundbreaking set from the team of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett! The quality quotient here is quite high – light years beyond so many later folks who tried for this territory, but then slicked it up for radio airplay – and in another world, both singers might have been just cutting gritty 45s for a colorblind local audience – had Elektra Records not given them such a great shot with this classic! The already great Bramlett core sound gets strong support here from studio stalwarts like Bobby Whitlock, Bobby Keys, and Jim Price – and Leon Russell and Rita Coolidge also lend their talents to the proceedings too – on titles that include "Get Ourselves Together", "Ghetto", "Love Me A Little Bit Longer", "Soldiers Of The Cross", "Dirty Old Man", and a great take on "Do Right Woman". CD

The British Invasion, served up by 60s LA – as the hits of Lennon & McCartney are recast as groovy instrumentals through the studio talents of Jack Nitzsche! The cover promises "The Greatest Hits Of All Times – Arranged For The Greatest Dancing Of All Time" – and while we can't promise that these tunes are dancefloor material for everyone, they still come out sounding pretty darn great – more in a rocking American way, with lots of double-timed rhythms, honking sax bits, and strutting guitars that are a good deal fiercer than the jangle pop of the originals. Titles include "Chains", "She Loves You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "From Me To You", "Please Please Me", "All My Loving", and "It Won't Be Long" – plus the Nitzsche originals "Ringo" and "Beatle-Mania". (Now Sound, Rock) CD

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A crucial album in the sound of late 60s Warner – recorded by west coasters The Beau Brummels in the heart of Tennessee, at the legendary studios of country producer Owen Bradley! This meeting of west and country is fantastic – a really incredible extension of earlier folksy rock styles forged by Dylan, Fred Neil, Tim Buckley, and others – handled with incredible care, and a style that's equally honest and ironic – but coming together with a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of – one of those rare few albums that somehow draws from a wealth of inspiration, but manages to make something completely standout in the process – almost a Feelies/Good Earth for its own generation! Tremendous stuff – and titles include "Jessica", "Bless You California", "I'm A Sleeper", "Little Bird", "Turn Around", and "An Added Attraction". CD

A tremendous album from The Beau Brummels – one of the lesser-remembered groups from the late 60s Warner hipster heyday! At some level, the group's a folk-rock outfit – with the left-of-center feel of some of Fred Neil's best work for Capitol, and a similar blend of east coast honesty and west coast mind expansion. The format here is remarkably simple, but handled with some nice touches by producer Lenny Waronker, who really brings a lot more out of the band than on their earlier indie recordings. Titles include "Are You Happy", "The Wolf Of Velvet Fortune", "The Keeper Of Time", "Only Dreaming Now", "Magic Hollow", "Painter Of Women", and "Triangle". CD

One of the best records ever from Beaver and Krause – largely because there's not so much noodling! This one features the pair on moog and organ, with help from Dave Grusin on piano, Milt Holland on percussion, Howard Roberts on guitar, and Bud Shank on reeds. The sound isn't jazz at all – but more a mix of spacey grooves and bubbling bits, with much more of a song-like structure than on other records. There's a few nice cuts here that almost hit a groove, and even when they don't, they still have a nice stripped down moogy sound that's very pleasing. Titles include "Spaced", "Salute To The Vanishing Bald Eagle", "People's Park", "Walking Green Algae Blues", and "Another Part Of Time". CD

An early moment of genius from The Electric Prunes – and exactly the kind of record that shows why they were a cut above their contemporaries, and why Warner really backed them strongly right from the start! There's a depth here that rivals some of the group's Sunset Strip contemporaries – and although David Axelrod's not working with them on the record, there's still lots of dark corners and sharp edges – really thoughtful sounds that are spun out wonderfully on fuzzy guitars and organ, with some nicely subtle drums in the rear. Tracks include "I Has Too Much To Dream (Last Night)", "Try Me On For Size", "Get Me To the World On Time", "About A Quarter To Nine", and "Luvin". CD

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A late 60s Elektra set – with songs and lead vocals by Bob Segarini – and titles that include "Windy Day", "You Got A Lot Of Style", "Sing A Song", "New York City", "Love Love Love", "Love For A Long Time", and "Rock & Roll Circus". CD

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