Customer Reviews

Solid Zinc: The Turtles Anthology

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4 star:		(2)
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Initially, I was a bit leery at the idea of *yet another* Turtles compilation that wasn't some sort of rarities fest-o-rama. After all, the Association "Just the Right Sound" set--which came out at the same time as Solid Zinc--was clearly "needed," as the Association's catalogue is not easily availible on domestic disc. The Turtles, on the other hand, have had a surprising amount of attention lavished on their catalogue, including two entire reissue series (German Repertoire Records and American Sundazed, and Rhino reissued them on record in the early 80s), a budget-yet-expansive boxed set (Laserlight), and hosts of hits albums. Oh, and that old Rhino disc.

So again, I was a bit surprised that The Turtles were going to get the two-disc Rhino anthologizing treatment, especially as very few obvious rarities ("Marmendy Mill" and "How You Loved Me" being the obvious rarities I speak of) were going to be thrown in. Then it hit me: despite the endless reissues, the Turtles have never been the focus of anything this comprehensive. Unlike other compilations, it doesn't just present hits, or just the folk-rock phase, or just the "good-times" phase. It presents everything.

Because yes, folks, the Turtles were a *great band*. If anything, they suffered from a distinct lack of identity. They started out--at the suggestion of their management--in the direction of folk/protest rock (a genre they were too lacking in the seriousness department to succeed in), took a sharp turn into slightly sardonic pop, et cetera. Heck, even their hits resume is steeped in irony; Elenore, a joke song by Howard Kaylan's own admission, hit the top ten because either too many or too few people got the joke. That's cred, for ya.

Additionally, the Turtles were all very proficient at their instruments (so proficient, in fact, that they rarely if ever used studio musicians for basic tracks). They also housed some VERY talented songwriters; while Mark and Howard get the most credit (due to their being the most visible, with their post-Turtles careers as Flo and Eddie), Al Nichol--the Great Lots Turtle indeed--wrote some EXCELLENT tunes for the band. Their choice of covers was usually impeccable, and even their "serious" folk-rock material has a nice, sarcastic edge to it.

For collectors, while this set isn't quite as chock full of rarities as the Association set, there are a few surprises lurking. The two previously unreleased tracks are an obvious bonus, but collectors also get several mono mixes that haven't actually surfaced on disc before (several of the mono cuts on the Repertoire sets were apparently fold-downs). The excellent '45 version of Grim Reaper of Love (a fantastic song, by anyone's estimation) is also included, and we get presented with a few stealth-remixes, including a remix of "Making My Mind Up" that has the original ending intact! And the liner-notes, it goes without saying, beat the tar out of Repertoire's/Sundazed's rather limp attempts (although the Laserlight notes are still good, for what they are).

In summary of the "pro" points, then, this collection serves an important purpose, as it finally presents a fair picture of one of America's most undeservedly-overlooked bands.

Are there problems? Sure. While I realize this isn't necessarily the place to throw in tons of rarities, I'm disappointed that some more obvious versions weren't included. Instead of including the "Battle of the Bands" mix of Surfer Dan, for example, why not the rare mix from Rhino's 1968 EP? Why not the unreleased Ray Davies version of "Somewhere Friday Nite?" These are nitpicks, though, and I guess I'll just have to hope for a rarities set in the future. For those on budgets, though, the price tag might be a bit much for two new versions and a host of "stealth rarities."

I hope people find this to be an informative review!

As has been said before, the Turtles may be the most underrated band of the rock era--and I agree! I was already a fan, having purchased their 1974 two-disc vinyl "Happy Together Again" collection way back when, but this anthology was a revelation...The Turtles did it all and did it well, from folk rock ("It Ain't Me Babe," "Let Me Be") to classic '60s pop ("You Baby," "Happy Together") to rock & roll ("Outside Chance," Goodbye Surprise") to psychedelic pop ("She'd Rather Be With Me," "Sound Asleep," "She's My Girl") to dreamy vocal masterpieces ("Somewhere Friday Night," "Lady-O," "There You Sit Lonely") to hilarious send-ups ("Surfer Dan," "Sound Asleep," "Elenore") and much more...The real treat here, however, are the hidden gems which I had never heard before: "Let The Cold Winds Blow" (a real rocked-up folk-rock protest tune), "Making My Mind Up" (a great record--how could this NOT have been a hit?), "We Ain't Gonna Party No More" (you can almost feel the '60s coming to an end with this one), and so many others...There are 51 songs in this collection and every time I play it I don't want it to end. It's that good.

Another masterpiece from Rhino Records, ironically, a full-circle evolution from the first CD Rhino ever released, The Turtles "20 Greatest Hits". Most everyone is familiar with the classic Turtles Hits; now here's a chance to jump into even more spectacular hooks and harmonies; traits Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan were famous for. Great booklet, terrific production. I only subtract one star for some of the fluff included...some people will get into that material (see the Sundazed re-issues of the original lps), and some won't. All in all, this release shows that these guys could play with anyone, hook for hook (Beatles, Beach Boys). A great release documenting a truely great band.

The Turtles' music itself doesn't evoke a sense of nostalgia within me because I never stopped listening to it after the band's departure from Top 40 radio more than 30 years ago. It's as much a part of my listening habits as is the latest release by Dwight Yoakam or Santana or a newly remastered classic from Miles Davis.

So this new 2-CD set from the folks at Rhino (Thank you yet again, Bill Inglot and Gary Stewart!) is a great addition to this baby boomer's music library. It more than doubles the number of tracks on Rhino's earlier Turtles compilation (thereby showcasing the band's substantial range of material and musicianship), offers a nice historical overview by Rolling Stone magazine's David Wild, and features track-by-track recollections and insights by various band members (including guitarist Al Nichol and bassist Jim Pons). And perhaps best of all (for me, anyway), the remastering has fixed the awful distortion on "You Baby," one of my all-time personal faves, that troubled both the vinyl and CD versions of that aforementioned Rhino compilation. Now I can fully enjoy Al's memorable guitar work.

The Turtles -- in whichever configuration you'd care to spotlight -- could flat out play and sing with the best rock 'n' roll bands the 1960s had to offer, whether it was in the studio or on stage. So, I guess I do feel a certain degree of nostalgia regarding the Turtles: They headlined the first rock concert I ever attended. (The Robbs and Buffalo Springfield opened for them, and all three groups sounded great.) It was the spring of 1967. I was 15 and in ninth grade, and the occasion also marked my first date. That beautiful, charming brunette and I, along with thousands of other enthusiastic fans, were treated to a great show that night. And some of those fans in particular, I sincerely hope, still have the picks, sticks and tambourines the Turtles flung into the audience as souvenirs.

If you embrace 1960s pop music, "Solid Zinc" is essential stuff.

Rhino Records comes through once again with this outstanding double-disc compilation. There was much, much more to the Turtles than their handful of Top Ten hits, as evidenced by the generous song selection here. All the great singles and B-sides are here, as are the most significant album cuts. Enjoyably enthusiastic liner notes by Rolling Stone's David Wild and sound quality that improves on all previous CD issues of this material (including several previously-unavailable mono single mixes) make for a nice little package.

This is a brilliant overview of a really great and under-appreciated 60's band. And let's be clear about one thing...they were a BAND!! Unlike many of they're contemporaries who used studio musicians when recording in the studio (sorry you fan's of THE Association!!) these guy's were great musicians as well as arrangers, writers and producers. Besides the Hits, you get a good helping of essintial tracks in this collection that are just as good as the more popular tunes. This is a far better collection the the Greatest Hits package now available. My only question to the snobs who run the R n' R Hall of Fame....why aren't these guys in the Hall?? Come on already!! They are far more deserving than some of the acts already in there.

At first I was a little overwhelmed with a 2 disk Turtles set but now I'm very glad I didn't just go for a Happy Together Best of CD. Disk one has awsome covers of "It ain't me babe" and "Eve of destruction" and a bunch of really groovy originals. Disk two has the hits "Happy Together" "she'd rather be with me" and "Elenore". Which is why I bought the CD. It also has songs that have become my new favotites: "Me about you", "Guide for the married man", "You showed me" and "Marmendy Mill (demo)" (a song I'm sure you won't find anywhere else.

The Turtles are so good, that one cd is not enough, so this collection is the best one for a great collection. At least we still can get this collection thru Amazon, even if it's a bit expensive to get.

This is a terrific compilation, possibly the best one ever, featuring all of the group's hits and so much more, including many good album tracks, and even a couple of unreleased tracks! There are only a couple of tracks that I don't really care for. Several songs are in mono, but even though I'm a "pro-stereo" guy who would have probably docked any other CD --- or just about any other CD --- a star for having several songs in mono when there are good stereo versions, I actually think some of the mono versions here are better than the stereo ones! However, there is something about this collection that is terrific, and NOT in a positive way! Have you seen the prices that it goes for these days (at Amazon, anyway)? I'm fortunate enough to have gotten this set when it first came out, but I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have it but who wants it, at least the ones who don't have a lot of money. Like I said, this may be the best Turtles collection ever. It's a shame that it's so horribly expensive, especially when there doesn't seem to be many Turtles CDs out there right now (at least not really good ones), and when a lot of the other ones that ARE out there aren't exactly cheap themselves, at least (and in many cases, especially) not new copies. There is a good hits package --- the Save The Turtles comp --- that is currently in print (as far as I know), but I don't know of ANYONE who is currently pressing the group's albums. It seems that for whatever reason(s) these just aren't good times for Turtles CDs. (Note: I have seen this set for some better prices since I wrote this review.)

This two CD collection with the Turtles is probably the best and most comprehensive release so far covering the Turtles' recorded career. At a time when several of the group's original albums can be hard to find, "Solid Zinc" is even more attractive, containg several rarities and some previously unreleased tracks.

Besides the big hits the compilers have with safe hands selected the best tracks from the group's albums along with fine B-sides.

I was particularly pleased to note that songs like "So Goes Love," "Just a Room," "Cat In The Window" and "We Is not Gonna Party No More." were included. Naturally, all the group's fine hits are to be found and also a few tracks from the group's originally unreleased final album "Shell Shock".

A 40-page booklet containing detailed biography, notes on individual numbers, quotes from team members and much more, make the release even more attractive.

Highly recommendable release