Mid-60s San Francisco rock and pop from the Autumn label

This is a reissue of a 1968 Vault Records LP that anthologized mid-60s tracks from San Francisco’s Autumn Records. The Beau Brummels, the label’s biggest stars, sing four tracks, including the stellar “Don’t Talk to Strangers” and “Sad Little Girl.” Superstar-in-waiting Grace Slick sings lead on the Great Society’s pre-Jefferson Airplane version of “Somebody to Love” and provides background wails on “Free Advice.” The Mojo Men, Vejtables and Tikis offer up great pop-rock tracks, but the set’s gem is the Knight Riders garage-rock “I.” This collection doesn’t match the depth of Big Beat’s out-of-print Dance With Me: The Autumn Teen Sound, but it’s a good start for those who want a taste of San Francisco’s mid-60s teen scene. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]