The second volume of '60s from this Los Angeles label offers two dozen sides, most of them from mid-'60s singles, though there are a few later tracks and previously unissued cuts and mixes. It might have been based in L.A., but for much of the time, sure seemed to be trying to create a vibraphone-heavy facsimile of the sound. They were hardly alone in that category, of course, but it does make much of this material derivative, if competent. The company's biggest hit, the 1966 Top Twenty smash by (oddly not placed on volume one), leads off and sets the mood for most of what follows: upbeat -ish with a pounding, dancefloor-ready rhythm, though usually not executed as memorably as itself. There are a few performers here who had experienced some success before landing on ( , , and singer ), but none of these tracks would rate among their best recordings. To be uncharitable, the similarities to some of 's greats are often unavoidable, whether it's ' to ; : , and so on. Perhaps unsurprisingly, takes a page out of 's on considering that played a role in 's own career. To be more charitable, the formulas being emulated are good enough that this kind of near-imitation is at least more pleasant than annoying. ~ Richie Unterberger