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The Turtles once staged a fictional Battle of the Bands on a remarkable 1968 LP, but were a real such battle to occur, the group founded by Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman, Al Nichol, Jim Tucker, Chuck Portz and Don Murray would surely come out on top.  For more than 50 years, The Turtles have provided an unparalleled pop soundtrack via such infectious hits as “Happy Together,” “You Baby,” “She’d Rather Be with Me,” “Let Me Be,” “It Ain’t Me Babe” and “Elenore.”  But those classics are only part of The Turtles’ story.  Happily, that whole story is about to be told anew on two new releases from The Turtles’ label FloEdCo and Manifesto Records (the label behind the recent, wonderful collections dedicated to the albums of Lee Michaels).

August 19 will see the release of the 6-CD box set The Complete Original Albums Collection and the 2-CD anthology All the Singles, representing both sides of The Turtles: the effervescent pop hitmakers and the envelope-pushing counterculture album auteurs.  These sets promise to encompass the entirety of The Turtles’ recording career from 1965 to 1970 on White Whale Records with producers including Bones Howe, Joe Wissert, Chip Douglas and The Kinks’ Ray Davies.

The Complete Original Albums Collection presents all six albums released by The Turtles between 1965 and 1970, expanded with rare bonus material. Each of the group’s first three albums — It Ain’t Me Babe, You Baby and Happy Together — is presented in its original mono and stereo mixes, while each of the remaining three — The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, Turtle Soup and Wooden Head –boast rare bonus tracks, including some previously unreleased material.

The two-CD 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 additionally features several tracks that were prepared for singles release but not issued at the time.

Both of these long-overdue sets have been sourced from the original master tapes by renowned engineer Bill Inglot, and both contain detailed liner notes by noted writer and archivist Andrew Sandoval.  Inglot and Sandoval were previously among the producers of The Turtles’ comprehensive 2002 Rhino anthology Solid Zinc.  In the press release for the upcoming releases, Mark Volman notes with accuracy that The Turtles were “making records that made it to the radio, but were still challenging and adventurous records. Experimental, but at the same time full of commerciality. The Turtles were really walking on a fine edge. We were only two years out of high school and we were making some pretty challenging music.”

Following the group’s disbanding, Kaylan and Volman have hardly slowed down.  As Flo and Eddie, they brought their trademark harmonies to Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention (even featuring “Happy Together” as part of The Mothers’ risqué onstage antics), recorded acclaimed solo albums, served as popular DJs and lent their voices to hit records by everyone from T. Rex to Bruce Springsteen.  Today, they continue to champion artists’ rights, and their onstage performances deliver comedy, music and irreverence.   (Check out The Turtles’ current touring schedule as part of the – what else? – Happy Together tour!  They’re joined on this year’s tour by such other luminaries as Mark Lindsay, Three Dog Night’s Chuck Negron, The Cowsills, The Spencer Davis Group and Gary Puckett and The Union Gap!)

These two sets are due from FloEdCo/Manifesto Records on August 19.  You’ll find track listings and pre-order links below!

The Turtles, The Complete Original Album Collection (Manifesto/FloEdCo, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Including:

The Turtles, It Ain’t Me Babe (White Whale WW 11/WWS 11, 1965 – reissued Manifesto/FloEdCo, 2016)

1. Wanderin’ Kind
2. It Was a Very Good Year
3. Your Maw Said You Cried
4. Eve of Destruction
5. Glitter and Gold
6. Let Me Be
7. Let the Cold Winds Blow
8. It Ain’t Me Babe
9. A Walk in the Sun
10. Last Laugh
11. Love Minus Zero
12. Like a Rolling Stone
13. Wanderin’ Kind
14. It Was a Very Good Year
15. Your Maw Said You Cried
16. Eve of Destruction
17. Glitter and Gold
18. Let Me Be
19. Let the Cold Winds Blow
20. It Ain’t Me Babe
21. A Walk in the Sun
22. Last Laugh
23. Love Minus Zero
24. Like a Rolling Stone

Tracks 1-12 in mono, Tracks 13-24 in stereo

The Turtles, You Baby (White Whale WW 112/WWS7 112, 1966 – reissued Manifesto/FloEdCo, 2016)

1. Flyin’ High
2. I Know That You’ll Be There
3. House of Pain
4. Just a Room
5. I Need Someone
6. Let Me Be
7. Down in Suburbia
8. Give Love a Try
9. You Baby
10. Pall Bearing, Ball Bearing World
11. All My Problems
12. Almost There
13. Flyin’ High
14. I Know That You’ll Be There
15. House of Pain
16. Just a Room
17. I Need Someone
18. Let Me Be
19. Down in Suburbia
20. Give Love a Try
21. You Baby
22. Pall Bearing, Ball Bearing World
23. All My Problems
24. Almost There

Tracks 1-12 in mono, Tracks 13-24 in stereo

The Turtles, Happy Together (White Whale WW 114/WWS 7114, 1967 – reissued Manifesto/FloEdCo, 2016)

1. Makin’ My Mind Up
2. Guide for the Married Man
3. Think I’ll Run Away
4. The Walking Song
5. Me About You
6. Happy Together
7. She’d Rather Be with Me
8. Too Young to Be One
9. Person Without a Care
10. Like the Seasons
11. Rugs of Wood and Flowers
12. Makin’ My Mind Up
13. Guide for the Married Man
14. Think I’ll Run Away
15. The Walking Song
16. Me About You
17. Happy Together
18. She’d Rather Be with Me
19. Too Young to Be One
20. Person Without a Care
21. Like the Seasons
22. Rugs of Wood and Flowers

Tracks 1-11 in mono, Tracks 12-22 in stereo

The Turtles, Present the Battle of the Bands (Tracks 1-12 from White Whale WWS 7118, 1968)

1. The Opening: The Battle of the Bands
2. The Last Thing I Remember
3. Elenore
4. Too Much Heartsick Feeling
5. Oh Daddy!
6. Buzzsaw
7. Surfer Dan
8. I’m Chief Kamanawanalea (We’re the Royal Macadamia Nuts)
9. You Showed Me
10. Food
11. Chicken Little Was Right
12. The Closing: Earth Anthem (All)
13. She’s My Girl
14. Chicken Little Was Right (Single Version)
15. Sound Asleep
16. Umbassa and the Dragon
17. The Story of Rock and Roll
18. Can’t You Hear the Cows
19. The Last Thing I Remember (The First Thing I Knew) (Alternative Version)
20. The Owl
21. To See the Sun
22. Earth Anthem (Alternative Version)
23. Battle of the Bands – Radio Spot

The Turtles, Turtle Soup (Tracks 1-12 from White Whale WWS 7124, 19669)

1. Come Over
2. House on the Hill
3. She Always Leaves Me Laughing
4. How You Love Me
5. Torn Between Temptations
6. Love in the City
7. Bachelor Mother
8. John and Julie
9. Hot Little Hands
10. Somewhere Friday Night
11. Dance This Dance with Me
12. You Don’t Have to Walk in the Rain
13. Goodbye Surprise
14. Like It or Not
15. There You Sit Lonely
16. Can I Go On
17. You Want to Be a Woman
18. If We Only Had the Time
19. Dance This Dance (Demo)
20. Come Over (Demo)
21. How You Love Me (Demo)
22. Strange Girl (Demo)
23. Marmendy Mill (Demo)
24. Turtle Soup – Radio Spot

The Turtles, Wooden Head (Tracks 1-11 from White Whale WW 7133, 1970)

1. I Can’t Stop
2. She’ll Come Back
3. Get Away
4. Wrong from the Start
5. I Get Out of Breath
6. We’ll Meet Again
7. On a Summer’s Day
8. Come Back
9. Say Girl
10. Tie Me Down
11. Wanderin’ Kind
12. You Baby (1967 Stereo Mix)
13. So Goes Love
14. Makin’ My Mind Up (1966 Stereo Version)
15. Is It Any Wonder?
16. Let Me Be (1967 Stereo Mix)
17. Grim Reaper of Love
18. It Ain’t Me Babe (1967 Stereo Mix)
19. Can I Get to Know You Better
20. Outside Chance
21. If You Know What I Mean
22. Cat in the Window
23. We’ll Meet Again (Alternate Take)
24. The Turtles’ Golden Hits – Radio Spot

The Turtles, All the Singles (Manifesto/FloEdCo, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. It Ain’t Me Babe
2. Almost There
3. Let Me Be
4. Your Maw Said You Cried
5. You Baby
6. Wanderin’ Kind
7. Grim Reaper of Love
8. Come Back
9. So Goes Love
10. On a Summer’s Day
11. We’ll Meet Again
12. Outside Chance
13. Makin’ My Mind Up
14. Can I Get to Know You Better
15. Like the Seasons
16. Happy Together
17. She’d Rather Be with Me
18. The Walking Song
19. Guide for the Married Man
20. Think I’ll Run Away
21. You Know What I Mean
22. Rugs of Woods and Flowers
23. She’s My Girl
24. Chicken Little Was Right

CD 2

1. Sound Asleep
2. Umbassa the Dragon
3. The Story of Rock and Roll
4. Can’t You Hear the Cows
5. Elenore
6. Surfer Dan
7. Christmas is My Time of Year
8. You Showed Me
9. Buzz Saw
10. House on the Hill
11. Come Over
12. How You Loved Me
13. You Don’t Have to Walk in the Rain
14. Love in the City
15. Bachelor Mother
16. Lady-O
17. Somewhere Friday Night
18. Teardrops
19. Gas Money
20. Who Would Ever Think That I Would Marry Margaret?
21. We Ain’t Gonna Party No More
22. Is It Any Wonder
23. Eve of Destruction
24. Me About You