THE BAD GUYS - COMPLETE COLLECTION

Classical M could have made a great album if given the chance. As it is, the songs contained on this disc make for a stunning collection, with the band's psychedelic flourishes, outrageous melodies, and fantastic attention to production detail evident throughout. This profoundly original music was made in three short years (1967-1970): twenty-four delirious and provocative songs that establish Classical M as perhaps the best, and certainly the most intriguing French band of all time. Their offbeat sense of rhythm and harmony, the complex intertwining of voices, and perhaps more than anything, their unusual practice of trying to play all sorts of instruments¯be they electronic or traditional¯these elements make the music of this odd French trio unique and very special.