Hombre, you have a very nice collection and great tastes in music. I enjoyed about every album you've recommended to me. I own a lot of albums from your list, and another lot has been on my wishlist. Could you give me your opinion on these?
Thanks 5th Beatle, I'll give you my opinion on those records.
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
There was a great TV show called 'Freaks and Geeks', where the album was mentioned in one of its episodes and represented some sort of a life-changing moment in the protagonist's life. That got me really interested.
I'm not a big fan of the Grateful Dead but that album (released in 1970) is highly recommendable. It's basically a Folk/Country Rock record but it will give you more than what you'd expect of those genres. Some of my favourite songs are "Box Of Rain", "Sugar Magnolia", "Candyman", "Ripple" and "Truckin'". Their previous album,
Workingman's Dead, released earlier the same year, is not as impressive but it's also good and has the same acoustic spirit.
Love - Four Sail
I enjoy their first 3 albums a lot, but never went any furtherer.
That album was released in 1969 when all the original members of Love, except for the great Arthur Lee, had left the band; so the album was recorded by the new lineup. The result was quite different than the Folk/Psychedelic sound of their previous (and most famous) three albums, since it's mostly an Acid Rock record which seems to be inspired by bands like Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. I've listened to other material that came later (like
False Start), but I don't think it's as good; my advice to Love fans is to get
Four Sail after having listened to their three classic albums.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - So Far
'Woodstock' got me interested in this band.
So Far is actually a compilation album with songs included on their first two albums:
Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969) and
Deja Vu (1970). I've listened to those records but I think that the best material is included in this compilation which besides contains two sides from a non-album single that are among my very favourite songs of the band ("Ohio" and "Find The Cost Of Freedom"). I guess that you know that "Woodstock" is a song written by Joni Mitchell; she actually made the nice drawing of the album cover.
The Mamas & The Papas - 16 Of Their Greatest Hits
Saw them at the 'Monterey Pop Festival '67' and they were great. Is the greatest hits better than their proper albums?
I like the Mamas & the Papas but I never felt pushed to look for their original albums; so I cannot tell you about them. But their songs and especially their vocals are very pleasant, so I recommend you at least to get a greatest hits collection as I did.