Slice Girls

Soft rock duo Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille definitely didn't fit everybody's notions of cool. "Muskrat Love" is a quintessential slice of novelty cheese that could only have scored during the '70s. But it's unfair to judge them by something they didn't write and isn't representative of their career. (However, Dragon's bare-chested poses on the original gatefold sleeve definitely fell into the "what were they thinking?" file.) Otherwise, there aren't any blemishes on this roundup of their first three A&M albums – a commercial coup accorded to few acts so early in their careers. The buoyant "Love Will Keep Us Together" is the natural opener – and set the template for a style centered around Dragon's lush, baroque keyboards and Tennille's breathy, intimate vocals.

Artist, producer, writer, arranger, musician, and all-around first-class baloney-thrower Kim Fowley was the man on the scene in Hollywood, CA, during the mid- to late '60s. This collection compiles 20 tracks from Fowley's solo recordings, circa 1966-1969. The collection kicks off with the garage punker "Underground Lady" from 1966, which, Fowley is happy to point out, was released before the Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction" and the Music Machine's "Talk Talk." "The Trip" is a fascinating bit of drug-laced ephemera ("Summer's here kiddies/It's time to take a trip," Fowley leers in the intro) and one of the CD's highlights. "Fluffy Turkeys" was the A-side of one of Fowley's singles for the Original Sound label and surely must have creeped out label honcho Art Laboe, who bailed on releasing a planned full-length album after hearing this slice of madness…

The Mamas & the Papas' second album was made while the group was still riding high from the chart success of their first album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, and the two singles, "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'," that made them icons of the young pop generation. At the same time, their personal lives were so messy that Michelle Phillips got bounced out of their ranks for a few months. Only the good vibes made it on the record, though, as the same creative team sought to recapture the beautiful harmonies and jangling, sometimes moody folk-rock that made their debut sound so good.