The Turtles Unveil 7-Inch Box Set Full of Career-Spanning Hits
Hailing from Los Angeles, Calif., the Turtles were one of the biggest pop rock acts of the '60s. Celebrating their career during that unforgettable -- or maybe, hard to remember -- decade, the rockers have unleashed a huge box-set full of 7-inch singles of their biggest hits. For fans of rock, fans of vinyl, or just fans of music in general, 'The Turtles 45 RPM Vinyl Singles Collection' is a must-have for any collection.
This is the first time ever that all of the Turtles' hits have been compiled into one collection like this; spinning at 45 RPM, the songs are newly-remastered and were personally compiled by the band -- the box set is a limited edition, and as they assure us, the tracks will never be released in this configuration again.
The eight 7-inch records are packed with hit after hit after hit (and songs that should have been hits), like 'Happy Together' b/w 'Grim Reaper of Love' or 'You Showed Me' b/w 'Sound Asleep.' The highlight of the set, not surprisingly, comes in the form of the Turtles' amazing cover of Bob Dylan's 'It Ain't Me Babe' b/w 'You Don't Have to Walk In the Rain.'
'It Ain't Me Babe' was a Top 10 single and helped propel the band into the spotlight in '65. That stardom and fame helped land their only No. 1 hit with 1967's 'Happy Together.' That particular song knocked out the Beatles' 'Penny Lane' and sat on top of the charts for three weeks in the U.S.
The art of listening to vinyl is unique to each and every listener, but what each experience has in common is the intentional ritual of focusing on nothing but the music. With a box of 7-inch singles, you don't just drop the needle and walk away; you sit, you consume the music, you flip the disc, and you soak it all in. There's no better way to hear the Turtles than with this collection.
For the uninitiated, the Turtles were led by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, who would later find new fame under the moniker Flo and Eddie. To this day, Flo and Eddie -- who shared the stage with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention -- find themselves on the road, recently wrapping up their annual 'Happy Together Tour,' the 2014 edition of which found them touring with Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and more.
After spinning the 16 singles, it's obvious that the Turtles' influence continues to shine in the 21st century; more than four decades old, their music is just as powerful today as it was when it was first released.
You can get details on 'The Turtles 45 RPM Vinyl Singles Collection' via the band's official website here.