The title of this compilation is at least partially misleading. To virtually everyone's mind, anything labeled as containing "the very best of " would have to include their early-'60s number one hit and their 1961 Top 20 single This CD doesn't have those recordings, and nor for that matter does it have their 1967 Top 40 hit It focuses almost solely on tracks from 1964-1967, when most of their efforts came out on their own label. doesn't make the cut as it came out on , and while there are actually versions of and added as bonus tracks, these are taken from a 1993 album rather than the original recordings. All of those qualifications out of the way, this is a fair overview of their 1964-1967 releases, though it's pretty erratic. The one substantial hit to come from that stint, is superb clean-cut harmony , but little else hear comes close. Some of the tracks are mediocre late-period , and others are innocuous, unmemorable tunes more in line with the updated production values of the mid-'60s. Yet others are downright embarrassing, like the 1967 quasi- single with trendy backwards effects, heavy echo, and lyrics musing on, yes, why a green plant grows. Not much less embarrassing is the -style with its horribly dated timeline of the great moments a girl can look forward to in life, which of course are all related to romance, marriage, and settling down. In better news, this has the original version of the - composition which covered for a huge hit in Britain (though did it better). For that matter, it has a couple of other close harmony songs covered for smaller 1965 U.K. hits, those being (also penned by ) and (co-written by a young ). Four 1960s commercials featuring ' vocals are also included, capping this intermittently pleasing retrospective of the mid-'60s work by this versatile but inconsistent group. Incidentally, this has a track the group issued under the pseudonym of , as well as one by , who were recording with . ~ Richie Unterberger