seems to be album that fans and casual listeners know best, even though it was the one of their three records that was most disconnected from any active incarnation of the group. Slapped together in late 1967, in the wake of the virtual collapse of their lineup and rushed out in February of 1968, its original first side contained not a single note played or sung by itself. Instead, engineer assembled a group of studio musicians, playing a pair of languid instrumentals -- and -- in which the sitar flourishes and flute arabesques hung like jeweled ornaments, sandwiched around a new recording by singer (who'd already supplied some vocals without the group's knowledge or approval on their first album) of the latter a song originally written and recorded by the Florida-based - band . The second side was comprised of a hodgepodge of superb finished sides -- most notably mixing bravado and angst, which have long been the album's selling points -- and outtakes such as with 's vocals replacing 's, and one remixed and partly redubbed version of As with the group's first album, however, is sort of "guilty with an explanation" -- yes, it's a mess in terms of continuity, with two different singers and three different vocal/instrumental combinations present, but the three full tracks are killer recordings that can hold their heads up with the best records of 1967; what's more, even the -sung/studio band played is worthwhile, or not, as a piece of shimmering with a great beat and arrangement; and even as pieces of background music, were good enough that one of them ended up on 's collection. And that's not bad for a 28-minute album with only eight cuts on it, pieced together with only the barest (if any) participation by the band. ~ Bruce Eder