The weakest studio album from their first era is only a real disappointment in relation to the extraordinarily high quality of the group's earlier efforts. The songs are somewhat uneven and draw from three years of inspiration. is an adaptation of a group composition that was featured in the early set of the original lineup from 1969, while goes back to the pre- trio of , & for its source ( ). There are also a few surprises, such as the -like harmonies on the raunchy and the extraordinary interweaving of electric guitar and Mellotron by on , which is one of the highlights of the early- to mid-period group's output. Some of the music overstays its welcome -- several of the six tracks are extended too far, out of the need to fill up an LP -- but the virtuosity of the band picks up most of the slack on the composition side: ' saxes and 's drums keep things much more than interesting in tandem with 's guitar and Mellotron, and guest vocalist ' keening accompaniment carries parts of that might otherwise have dragged. ~ Bruce Eder