Anthology 1965 - 1975
The Grass Roots shared similarities with fellow West Coast studio concoctions theMonkeesandThree Dog Night--including a run of pop-savvy chart hits. Initially the studio conceit of writing/producing teamP.F. Sloanand Steve Barri,  a duo who'd also scored hits by cloning everything from surf (theFantastic Baggys) to folk-rock (Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction"), the Roots' evolution had strange origins, encompassing two hired, then renamed, bands. But it was the second (the former 13th Floor) that prospered, mirroring their mentors' rapidly diverging tastes, from Sloan's folkie-lite ("Where Were You When I Needed You," the reworked Italian pop hit "Let's Live for Today") to Barri's hook-heavy, Motown-inspired pop ("Midnight Confessions," "Sooner or Later," "Temptation Eyes"). This double-disc overview includes all their major hits and a well-chosen sampling of album cuts, most fueled by the familiar polished urgency of vocalist Rob Grill. Ironically, while Barri's career would gravitate toward bubblegum (including more hit-mongering withTommy RoeandBo Donaldson & the Heywoods), the Grass Roots' own hits would go on to influence a generation of new wavers taken by their well-honed craftsmanship and economy of purpose.--Jerry McCulley