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Various Artists, GREAT LOST ELEKTRA SINGLES, VOLUME 1 | Collector’s Choice

 
By BRETT MILANO  |  March 14, 2006
2.5 2.5 Stars
ECLECTIC SHOWCASE: Don't expect to see Staind on this compilation.Long before inflicting Staind on the world, Elektra was a genuinely eclectic label, home to dozens of oddball bands who shared a post-folkie, acid-Beat sensibility. This 10-song compilation barely scratches the surface of the label’s back pages in an inexcusable 32 minutes, especially since two tracks (both sides of the 1964 single by the Beefeaters, right before they became the Byrds) have been reissued many times before. But it’s a fascinating look at early folk rock in all its naive, idealistic glory. Hear Phil Ochs attempt to score a hit with a rock arrangement of his most enduring song, “I Ain’t Marching Anymore.” Hear the Beefeaters attempt to be the Beatles on “Don’t Be Long,” which they’d transform into something totally new when they redid it a year later, just by adding the McGuinn 12-string. The revelations include Judy Collins’s version of Dylan’s “I’ll Keep It with Mine” in a full electric production that taps her unused potential as a deeper-voiced singer. Collins claims in the liner notes that she never liked the song, but it may be one of the best things she ever did. And Paul Butterfield goes for soul on “Come On In,” which compares well with the Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears singles of the time. The Stalk-Forrest Group do a quirky acid-blues-pop hybrid that’s just a little too tasteful to push into heavy metal. That wouldn’t be the case in the same band’s next incarnation: Blue Öyster Cult.
Related: Various artists, Various artists: Obsession, The Wire: And All the Pieces that Matter, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Staind, The Beatles, Phil Ochs,  More more >
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