Maybe the best boxed set ever released???

It was hard to imagine myself shelling out the $60 dollars on a set of 4 cd's 109 songs, of which I had heard maybe only 2-3 of before. But after about 9 months of wanting to take the risk and buy the boxed set I did just that. Now a month and a half have passed, and I'm extremely happy that I've made that choice.

I have always been a major fan of the UKs 60s acts: The Beatles, Kinks, Stones, Who, Yardbirds, and the Syd Barret-Pink Floyd, and thus when I heard about this compilation of songs by lesser bands of that region/era, I was intrigued.

Its almost useless to raddle off a list of groups that are on this compilation, because apart from maybe two or three of the groups (Them, The Small Faces, and The Pretty Things) its doubtful that many have even heard of them. But jsut because these bands only had maybe 2-3 "hits" didn't mean that they weren't making incredible/experimental/extremely-influential music. They sure were, and after maybe 3-4 listens of each disc, I'm sure anyone with a passing interest in 60s rock and British Invasion Rock would agree.

There are a countless number of classics on this set, but if I had to pick of few of my current highlights, they'd be Disc One "Making Time" by Creation--a nice piece of sludging mod rock; "My Father's Name was Dad"--by Fire--a nice, inventive Who/Beatles pyschedelic masterpiece and my favorite track on the first disc. The pyschedellic classic, "My White Bicycle" by Tomorrow--one of those great forgotten UFO-club bands, with a song that puts them in the same league of the Barrett led Floyd. I also enjoy the Ray Davies penned, "All Night Stand", which adds a nice little bonus. And finally, the pyschedellic chorus of We All Together's "Its a Sin To Go Away".

Disc Two's highlights are a little more obtuse than those on the first disc, but yet the classics here are probably this compilations finest. "Save My Soul" by Wimple Winch, is a classic almost funky piece of mod/punk, the rave-up at the end of the song is phenomenal. My other favorite here (currently) is Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything" is not only a memorable track, but modern day listeners might recall its beat, which Beck borrowed for "Devil's Haircut".

The Third Disc, is perhaps the finest one. It starts out with a thumping bit of R&B with Cuby and the Blizzards "Love Your Body and Not Your Soul". The vocal here has all the attitude of punk, 10 years prior to the fact. It also is a refreshing change for the set in that it sounds more like a pre stooges act, rather than a Whoish cover band. Although the other great track here, is the Who cover "Circles" which far outshines the Who's version. The guitar solo on this is incredible, and would give Pete Townshend a run for his money. The funny thing is that this cover sounds more like the classic Who of the Sell Out/Quick One era, than the Who did on their own version. The vocals are almost an exact copy of Roger Daltrey's, and the guitar solo is possibly one of the strongest around. Had the Who recorded this version, their is no doubt in my mind that "Circles" would have made every one of the countless Who compilations out today.

The third disc highlights continue with "Crawdaddy Simone", which blends a thumping beat with complete amateurish noise effects. It's the DIY atmosphere that really makes this song memorable. The Guess Who also come in with a surprising (to me being that I only know them from a few of their hits) raver on "It's My Pride", another classic lost 60s track, and much better than "American Woman" for my money. Finally, my current Favorite of the Set is "Pictures of Matchstick Men". This song has everything good pyschedelic music has, it features complex rythyms, weird instrumentation, a cool riff. Phenomenal! A true gem, almost alone makes the 60 dollars seem worth it.

The fourth disc, is also strong. Opens with a punky Rolling Stones esque classic by The Pretty Things "Rosalyn". More pyschedelic splendeur with "The Madmen Running Through The Fields", almost makes me wish that Rhino put a few more of these pyschedelic nuggets on here, instead of focusing so heavily on the thundering Who/Stones like rock that is featured on probably 60% of this compilation. "Here Comes The Nice"--by the Small Faces is another classic, although I already knew the song pretty well prior.

Disc Four though features some VERY OBSCURE and interesting music to say the least. "I'm Just A Mops" by the Mops is probably the most interesting one of these to me, since it was recorded by a Japanese band, that couldn't sound more British if they tried. Heck I would never have known they were Japanese if I hadn't read that in the liner notes. But definately the strangest track here, and still the most curiously weird track is "Bat Macumba" by the Brazilian Act Os Mujantes. The song starts off like a rather mundane pedestrian South American styled tune, before these crazy guitar effects take over. Its an experience all of its own, I'm still unsure if I even like the song, but its definately interesting and worth hearing.

Overall, if you've managed to read this far about a set of music that you probably never heard, this set is amazing. In fact I've had it for almost 2 months now, and I am having trouble even listening to anything else. The set features so many songs that with every new listen, I find a new classic song and I like the set even more. Plus, the booklet is well detailed, giving a brief summary of the bands, and the chosen songs history. The booklet too is very entertaining and informative.

Overall, anyone with any passing interest in the 60s music, or music by the Kinks, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, THe Who, Pink Floyd, Them, The Yardbirds, ETC, WILL DEFINATELY ENJOY THIS SET. This set is endlessly entertaining and I bet that 5-10 years down the line it will rank up there as one of the true classic releases in rock and roll history.

Don't delay, if you're interested at all I would suggest you buy this today. It'll take a few listens--I'm still uncovering songs on a daily basis, but once it clicks, you won't regret this one. I guarantee it.