AMG Review of Turtle Wax: The Best of the Turtles, Vol. 2

Joseph McCombs
All Music Guide

Where the first Best of the Turtles compilation from Rhino focused on the group's many hit singles, Turtle Wax goes in the opposite direction, spotlighting the singles that just didn't click for whatever reason. In this sense it serves the same purpose as Joni Mitchell's Misses accompaniment to her Hits collection. Not surprisingly, the quality of the tracks here is inconsistent, yet reflective of the Turtles' rapid transformation from imitative folk-rockers to humorous psychedelic popsters. Standout cuts include the should've-been-a-hit "Goodbye Surprise" (which sounds strangely like Uriah Heep), the gentle "Lady-O," and the rousingly Beatlesque "Me About You." The remainder of the album bounces haphazardly from eccentric psychedelia to folk angst to bright pop -- much like the Turtles' career itself. Note: the cassette version of this release has only 14 songs to the CD's 20.