The Turtles - It Ain't Me Babe (1965) [2017, 2CD Digipak Edition]

The Turtles enjoyed eighteen US hit singles between 1965 and 1970, three of which (“Happy Together”, “She’d Rather Be With Me” and “Elenore”) were also huge hits in the UK. From their original incarnation as surf band The Crossfires, all the way to their final single, the Turtles traversed several different musical paths during their career. It is precisely this power through diversity that makes the Turtles’ body of work one of the most rewarding and enjoyable of the 1960’s – they never met a genre they didn’t like. The Turtles’ debut album, It Ain’t Me Babe, was issued in October 1965 (hot on the heels of their second Top 40 single, “Let Me Be”, which followed Top 10 hit “It Ain’t Me Babe”). A solid offering from the fabled L.A. folk-rock era, this album sits comfortably alongside debut long-players by The Byrds, Love and The Leaves. With a booklet note by Andrew Sandoval, this 2 CD digipak edition (exclusive to the UK) has been newly re-mastered in both mono and stereo by Bill Inglot.