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Rediscovered gem

Johnny Velvet | San Francisco | 05/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first spotted this as an LP back when it was released some thirty eight years ago. A friend had a copy and the cover intrigued me so I checked it out. It proved to be more than intriguing so I hunted down a copy of my own. It has always been a favorite of mine. Yes side 2 (the last cut on the CD) is taken up by the indulgent "What Love (Suite)", however side one is a treasure from the opening ethereal to anthemic "What Is Love" to the brilliant psychedelic/pop of "She (Will-O-the-Wind)" and "Lydia Purple", filled with an abundance of tasty hooks and folk-rock harmonies that remind one of the equally esoteric finer moments of Giles, Giles & Fripp. These two songs alone are worth the price of this CD. Why they didn't cross over and become hits in America is beyond me, but so goes the music industry. And then there's Howard Vicker's crooning on "One Act Play", which is powerful and yearning, so much so as to make Scott Walker envious. There's even the sci-fi rock ballad "Howard Christman's Older", which joins the ranks of great, little known gems along side Clearlight's "Mr. Blue", the latter certainly not to be confused with the Fleetwoods classic of the same name. I have played this LP to a number of friends over the years, people with varied and eclectic tastes, and all of them have marveled at this record. You will too. Don't let the previous negative review dissuade you from checking this CD out. There is a lot to like, especially the imaginative use of time signatures. What is odd to me is that it's being released on CD at all. Who, aside from a select few have ever heard of this band? They used to be a very, very, very small cult favorite, which makes this release puzzling, but welcome."

A Dark Moody Blues

Ken | USA | 03/11/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I remember this album as being one of my favorites when I was in my teens. It has a strange, almost magical quality to it and was quite extraordinary at least from my perspective. Four of the songs on the album, 'Lydia Purple', 'What is love', 'Howard Christman's Older' (a great song!) and 'One Act Play' really showed me how talented these musicians were. From the more bubble gumish Lydia Purple (my favorite which had excellent vocal harmony) to the very disturbing and spiritually haunting 'What Love'(Suite), which had great emotional depth, the Collectors showed me what an extraordinary band they were. The band had a remarkable emotional range and sensitivity in this album and the music in it reminded me of a darker Moody Blues, another band that I liked alot while growing up as a teenager."

Start of the symphonic rocks in the 60's

R. Tillaart | Netherlands | 02/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
The Collectors is an album on which the musicians are experimenting towards what would become symphonic rock in the 70-ties. I bought the album only for the solo on sax in the last track "What Love Suite". This solo was used as a tune on the Dutch Radio Station Veronica in the 60-70's. For me that solo is worth buying the album.



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