AMG Review of Love Story 1966-1972

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

Double-CD box contains most of their classic first three albums (including the entirety of Forever Changes), all three non-LP tracks from their 1966-1968 prime, and highlights of the post-Bryan MacLean albums from the late '60s and early '70s. Great booklet of liner notes and photos, but considering that all of those first three albums remain easy to find, and that the post-Forever Changes material is much inferior to the early recordings, it's not quite an essential purchase, although it might make a nicely packaged supplement. The absence of "Revelation" from Da Capo is no big deal, but a few tracks from the debut are missing, including one of the better ones, "Mushroom Clouds."