is one of the great overlooked bands of the '60s. As in the case of other groups like or , their chart success seemingly blinded people as to just how good they were. Like a more , their strength was their amazingly constructed harmonies. They also boasted impressive songwriting from sources as diverse as , and , wonderfully brassy lead vocals by and charming blend of hippie sensibilities and old time show biz attitudes. This collection boils their short career (three albums in three years between 1966 and 1969) down to ten tracks and includes all their best songs, like It delivers quite a knockout punch, but the short format of the series doesn't allow for much exploration of the different aspects of the group. For a more expanded view of 's talents, you might pick up their 1999 collection as it has five more tracks, including their wild cover of and a moving rendition of It also has all the tracks this disc does and is roughly the same price, leading one to wonder why the label felt the need to release this collection at all. ~ Tim Sendra