Unicorn - Uphill All The Way (Reissue) (1971/2009)

It's easy to dismiss Unicorn's debut LP as little more than a Crosby, Stills & Nash ripoff, but listen closely -- what Uphill All the Way lacks in originality it makes up for in craftsmanship, with a beauty and grace that render arguments about innovation moot. Harmonies this natural simply can't be taught, let alone copied, and Ken Baker's original compositions -- though products of rainswept London -- effortlessly evoke the beaches and canyons of a southern California that only exists in dreams anyway. And while the counterculture ethos that inspired CSN resulted in songs that now seem quaint and even a bit silly, Uphill All the Way -- for years essentially lost to all but the most avid British folk-rock aficionados -- remains fresh and timeless by comparison. Highly recommended.