There's Gonna Be a Storm: The Complete Recordings 1966-69
Artist: The Left Banke

Though it's missing a few rarities -- namely the Steve Martin single for Buddha that reunited him with Michael Brown -- this is the most definitive Left Banke compilation. It features the entirety of their two late-'60s albums, as well as a couple of singles that didn't make it onto LPs at the time (though they later appeared on Rhino's History)... Read More

Four Seasons in One Day
Artist: Crowded House
Weather with You
Artist: Crowded House

In the U.S., Capitol released a radio edit of "Weather With You" as a CD single, backed by the Town and Country Club live versions of "Walking on the Spot, " "Don't Dream It's Over, " "Better Be Home Soon, " and "World Where You Live" (the sticker on the front mistakenly lists "Fall at Your Feet" as being included). Though the single became a... Read More

Brother
Artist: Cry of Love
Community Score: 7.00

Cry of Love's debut was a near-perfect fusion of classic British hard-rock influences (read Free) and Southern rock sensibility, bringing a refreshing honesty to the dreary radio landscape of the early '90s. Vocalist Kelly Holland's gritty delivery (at times reminiscent of Billy Squier) is a perfect foil for the Hendrix flourishes of guitarist... Read More

Sons of Mercury (1968-1975)
Artist: Quicksilver Messenger Service

When this two-CD set first appeared in the early '90s, it was among the only Quicksilver Messenger Service titles in the digital domain. It remained the closest thing to a definitive anthology of this seminal psychedelic Bay Area band. Sons of Mercury -- a clever pun on the band's mythically derived name -- begins with QMS's earliest released... Read More

Time Circle (1968-1972)
Artist: Spirit

From the opening riff of "Fresh Garbage," with its jazzy electric piano and fuzzy rock guitar, Spirit set out to carve a unique, eclectic niche in the music world of the late '60s. Though the band achieved only limited commercial success, the music they produced from 1968-1972 still sounds fresh decades later. Time Circle collects the bulk of... Read More

Archeology (1967-1977)
Artist: The Troggs

A double-CD, 52-track box set that proves there was a lot more to The Troggs than "Wild Thing" and "Love Is All Around." This archetypally primitive British Invasion quartet scored many hits in the U.K. that barely dented the charts in the U.S., like "With A Girl Like You," "Night Of The Long Grass," and the notoriously racy "I Can't Control... Read More

Sugar & Spice (A Collection)
Artist: The Cryan' Shames

The Cryan' Shames have never gotten the attention they deserve. A sharp garage, folk-rock band out of Chicago, they released three joyous albums (Sugar and Spice, A Scratch in the Sky, and Synthesis) during their peak years of 1966-1969, before disbanding as the 1970s began. Obviously fans of the Beatles and the Byrds, but with a sunshine pop... Read More

Tomorrow
Artist: Tomorrow
Community Score: 10.00

Tomorrow's sole album was a solid effort, with quite a few first-rate tracks. "My White Bicycle" was one of the first songs to prominently feature backward guitar phasing, "Real Life Permanent Dream" has engaging English harmonies and sitar riffs, "Revolution" is an infectious hippie anthem, and "Now Your Time Has Come" features intricate... Read More

Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Artist: Spin Doctors
Community Score: 6.88

After nearly a year of solid touring, the Spin Doctors scored a huge, unexpected success with the incessantly catchy "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong." The rest of Pocket Full of Kryptonite will please fans of that song; the album is full of the loose, leisurely three-chord pop/rock jams the Spin Doctors specialize in. It may be unfair to compare... Read More

The Best of Peter & Gordon - RHINO
Artist: Peter & Gordon

Though it's been outclassed by 2001's The Ultimate Peter & Gordon, Rhino's The Best of Peter & Gordon from a decade earlier is still one of the best collections of the British Invasion group's work. Along with their Lennon/McCartney-penned hits "A World Without Love," "Nobody I Know," and "I Don't Want to See You Again," it also features their... Read More

Legendary Masters Series
Artist: Gary Lewis & the Playboys

One of the most engaging pop acts of the mid-'60s, The Playboys benefited from strong songwriting (Al Kooper cowrote "This Diamond Ring") and studio personnel (courtesy of Leon Russell). It's still light, catchy pop with the enjoyable, unaffected vocals of Gary Lewis on top, and still fun. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

Live at the Town and Country Club, London 11/09/91
Artist: Crowded House