SRC - SRC / Milestones / Traveler's Tale (Remastered) (1968-70/2012)

This double-disc collection gathers all three proper albums from late-'60s Detroit guitar-psych rock powerhouse SRC. The band's short-lived lifespan only produced 1968's SRC, 1969's Milestones, and 1970's Traveler's Tale, all remastered and presented here with extensive liner notes and photos. Though SRC went through seemingly ceaseless personnel changes, their overall sound stayed remarkably consistent from the start of their recording career until its end, highlighting interplay between fuzzy virtuosic guitar lines and church-like organ for a sound more detailed and refined than that of their peers in the scuzzy punk-predicting late-'60s Detroit rock scene. Their albums grew increasingly self-contained, with the band choosing to utilize a slowly growing home studio of its own rather than work in an established recording studio. As they worked in their own space more and more, their sounds got more progressive, even dipping into some ill-conceived rock interpretations of classical works by Grieg on Milestones. The band's sound is strongest on the intensely overdriven cosmic psych of their first album, a record of darkly energetic and fully conceived tunes. Subsequent albums lose their luster bit by bit, leaning more toward the increasingly ham-fisted hard rock of their times, but not completely lacking bright moments. This collection includes only a single bonus track, the Traveler's Tale-era outtake "My Fortune's Coming True." SRC made some truly classic, often overlooked sounds during their brief existence, and it's great to have most of them gathered here in remastered sound. For those familiar with the band, this collection will be a treat, though those just testing the waters might want to start with the first album, lest they be overwhelmed by the collection's 27 tracks.