Released in the spring of 1967, was almost a musical throwback, steeped in , which was fairly passe at the time, rather than , but that's what makes it so appealing to listeners today. Listeners in 1967 were probably disappointed that there was nothing on the album as dramatic or memorable as the title track, but everything else is solid with a pretty hard edge, which allows it to stand quite well alongside rival releases by , , et al. Most of the music here is derived from the / songwriting and production team, spiced with four surprisingly strong originals -- mostly drawn from the original demo tape that they submitted as -- by the band members themselves. The - numbers are smooth, hook-laden some of it with a band edge, and with elements of mild ( ) occasionally manifesting themselves. and 's production gave the music a polish that made it thoroughly commercial without entirely losing sight of the band's fervor; , only a few months out of playing bowling alleys, rose to the occasion in the singing and the basic playing, but they were also in the hands of two producers who knew how to add such embellishments as an unobtrusive harpsichord or flute over a band workout like and who also took full advantage of stereo separation. The latter made this album a real treat for the fans, who bought it and got to hear the playing by (who contributed some guitar), , and , and the singing by all of them (especially on ) in vivid detail. Also surprising are the group originals, such as 's 's rocking each of which is a match musically for most of the numbers. Admittedly, the lyrics on 's songs are somewhat more sophisticated than those on most of the group originals, but the simpler words on the latter firm up this album's credentials. The CD reissue has decent sound and is worth tracking down as one of the last examples of 1960s commercial . ~ Bruce Eder