The Collage

In 1967 Los Angeles, record execs were busy looking for the next The Mamas and the Papas, so when singer/songwriter team Jerry Careaga and Ron Joelson started peddling their songs, they were ultimately encouraged to explore the two-guys/two-gals lineup that became The Collage. Though the group's lone album is in a harmony-laden sunshine-pop mode similar to the aforementioned foursome, it's not as overtly commercial, which may have contributed to The Collage's rapid undoing. In his fascinating liner notes to Now Sounds' lush 2011 reissue, Careaga describes his songs as "beat poetry lyrics to show-tune-style melodies." In fact, the tunes take more melodic and even rhythmic left turns than those of Papa John Phillips, and though some of the same Wrecking Crew session cats who worked on Phillips' records contributed to The Collage cuts, there's more of an arty, psychedelic-tinged baroque-pop feel to some of the tracks than a Top 40-bound sound. While this ultimately spelled doom for the quartet, it makes their album a fascinating listen, especially in this handsomely appointed reissue package, which includes a wealth of worthy bonus tracks as well as a ripping good read via Careaga's first-hand account of The Collage's bright-but-brief moment in the L.A. sun.