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This is definitely not a Turtles album, and all the better for it. Flo & Eddie still show the same great harmonies and flawless pop touch, but the songs are enhanced by lyrics that are simultaneously funny, touching and sardonic.

The sensibility was a little too sophisticated for the mass audience at the time, and may still be. Folks looking for reprises of "Happy Together" -- which itself was a hoot on the vacuousness of '60's pop -- will find themselves scratching their heads, wondering how these guys can sing so sweetly and show so little respect.

After closing up the California pop band, the duo formed a partnership with Frank Zappa and cranked out a succession of insightful, melodic and sometimes charmingly tasteless satires on the California pop scene. There are a few straight songs here: "Afterglow" is great power pop with monumental ringing guitars and soaring harmonies, and "Just Another Town" is an exquisite acoustic take on the depressing sameness of the road (David Crosby at his peak couldn't have done it better or more beautifully).

But most of the songs here are decidedly tongue-in-cheek, the exquisite but sardonic "Keep it Warm" leading the pack. "Keep it Warm" is a classic -- a simple, beautiful melody that packs a punch lyrically, speaking to the dilemna of being pushed by record execs to take the edge off their words and write pleasing platitudes for the masses. A nice twist at the end, too, takes the song beyond mere cynisism.

Great music, with intelligence and a killer sense of humor.

If you are a fan, you will find several of their best songs missing - "Days" and "Sway when you walk", for example. But to the novice, this about as good an introduction to Mark and Howard as you could come up with. Thankfully, they included "Marmendy Hill" - which is probably the most representative song of the entire collection.

It is odd that the "Illegal, Immoral and Fattening" album is the one you get on CD - it's probably the worst of their catalog. The second album has always been my favorite - I LOVE the "splat" at the end of "Carlos and the Bull". II&F wastes half the album with comedy music - not near as much fun as their shtick with the Mothers live at the Fillmore.

I love these guys, and the album is definately worth a listen

great vocals selections from Flo and Eddie, who, along with being the voices of The Turtles, have also sang backup with Frank Zappa, T Rex (yup, that's them in the background on Bang A Gong), and Bruce Sprinsgsteen (Hungry Heart), among others. As the other reviewers have stated, some of their best solo songs are not on this CD (I especially miss hearing "Kama Sutra Time", but what they hey.....).

this is a continuation of the Turtles sound with less concern of being top forty. Quite varied and introspective as well as those lush harmonies. one missing gem is "Strange Girl". All in all great listening.