Help Yourself - Strange Affair, The Return Of Ken Whaley & Happy Days (1998)

This reissue on the British-based BGO label contains the band's second (Strange Affair) and fourth (The Return of Ken Whaley) albums along with the bonus LP Happy Days, which was included free with the Ken Whaley album. The LPs were originally released on the United Artists/ Liberty Records label in 1972 and 1973, respectively. Help Yourself remained on the second tier of British bands and was never able to break out commercially. On this set, the band blends its hippie pastoral sounds with a West Coast-styled psychedelia that will appeal to fans of such acts as the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, or even Phish. While the band did achieve some degree of success in the early '70s and developed a large fan base, it broke up after The Return of Ken Whaley. The 15 songs on this two-CD set include some beautiful Crosby, Stills & Nash-styled harmonies together with stunning jams and melodic acoustic tunes with a rural feel. The albums have been remastered from original master tapes and the package contains an in-depth essay on the history of the band, along with photos and reproductions of the original album graphics. A companion piece to a reissue of the band's first and third albums by the same label, this is a superb package that highlights a relatively unknown British band with an American sound.