Still happy together after all these years, 60’s pop legends The Turtles have come out of their shells to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The Turtles’ label FloEdCo and Manifesto Records is commemorating the anniversary with the release of a pair of definitive CD packages on August 19 that encompass, for the first time, the entirety of the Turtles’ recorded output from 1965 to 1970.
The Complete Original Albums Collection is a six-CD box set of the six albums they had previously released along with a wealth of rare bonus material. Each of the band’s first three albums, It Ain’t Me Babe, You Baby and Happy Together, is presented in its original mono and stereo mixes. Each of the remaining three, The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, Turtle Soup and Wooden Head provide a generous assortment of rare bonus tracks, including some previously unreleased material.
A separate two-CD set, All the Singles, collects the A and B sides of every original 1965-1970 Turtles 45, with the tracks presented in the same mono or stereo mixes that were heard on the original singles. All the Singles also features several tracks that were prepared for singles release but not issued at the time.
Originally released on the small White Whale label, the Turtles’ albums have remained out of print for many years, leaving fans with various greatest-hits collections that only scratched the surface of the band’s extensive catalog. Both sets have been meticulously researched and prepared from the original master tapes by renowned engineer Bill Inglot, and both contain detailed liner notes by archivist Andrew Sandoval.
During their original 1965-1970 run, the Turtles led a musical double life, scoring a lengthy run of hits with eight singles that reached the Top 20 of the pop charts including their lone #1, “Happy Together,” plus “Elenore,” “You Baby” and “She’d Rather Be With Me,” while making albums that were among the era’s most distinctive, inventive and slightly riotous.
With co-frontmen Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman providing heavenly harmonies, infectious sonic craft and effervescent humor, the Turtles held a large presence on Top 40 radio for much of the ’60s, while earning their counterculture credentials with adventurous LPs such as the Ray Davies-produced Turtle Soup and the wildly eclectic The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, on which they impersonated a different fictional act on each track.
After the Turtles disbanded at the end of the decade, Kaylan and Volman maintained their partnership, serving a five-album stint as members of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention before releasing several albums as Flo and Eddie. They also had an extended run as FM rock DJs, provided voices for animated films and became in-demand studio singers.
Today, the pair carries the Turtles’ legacy with their annual, very successful Happy Together tour, which features fellow ’60s hitmakers Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere & The Raiders), Gary Puckett and The Cowsills, among others. This year’s tour launched on June 3 and will continue through September 3.
Happy Together 2016 Tour Dates (Tickets here):
August 10 – Indianapolis, IN – Indiana State Fairgrounds
August 11 – Hamburg, NY – Erie County Fair Grandstand
August 12 – Morristown, NJ – Mayo Performing Arts Center
August 13 – Asbury Park, NJ – Paramount Theatre
August 15 – Pomona, NY – Provident Bank Park
August 16 – Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
August 17 – Kettering, OH – Fraze Pavilion For The Perf. Arts
August 18 – Berrien Springs, MI – Berrien County Fairgrounds
August 19 – Aurora, IL – Paramount Theatre
August 20 – Manistee, MI – Little River Casino Resort
August 21 – Fort Wayne, IN – Foellinger Outdoor Theatre
August 23 – Louisville, KY – Kentucky State Fairgrounds
August 24 – Northfield, OH – Hard Rock Live At Hard Rock Casino
August 25 – Sylvania, OH – Centennial Terrace
August 27 – Moorhead, MN – Bluestem Center For The Arts
August 28 – Mitchell, SD – Corn Palace
August 29 – Saint Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fair Grandstand
September 1 – Bloomington, IL – Bloomington Center of the Perf. Arts
September 02 – Clear Lake, IA – Surf Ballroom & Museum
September 03 – Ralston, NE – Ralston Arena
1 Comment
The Turtles did some great songs which we do not get to hear while they are in concert. I love the later songs by them , somewhere Friday Night and Lady-O . Plus so many other great singles in the early years such as Happy Together/Elenore/She Rather be with Me/ and so many others!!!