This 2-disc set nicely stitches together the more accessible version of Sly from the late 60's with the complicated misfit who struggled with stardom in the early 70's. Nowhere is this more evident than midway through the second disc, where you encounter "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa", Stone's painfully biting and forlorn mockery of his 1970 hit "Thank You Fallettin Be Mice Elf Agin", complete with backing vocals and moans straight from a haunted house. Arguably the most compelling artist who emerged from the late 60's - simply because there was so much momentum behind him - Essential accurately documents the rapid rise and fall of the group, and Sly.

One thing is for certain - unlike the first few albums, there is not much lovin' in this spoonful of a record. Rather, it's a melancholy affair which goes some way to keep up with the spirit of the times, but also has enough sense to know the attempt is futile. The end result is an album which is the most sophisticated of the four studio efforts thus far, but one that is very uneven - ranging from full-on psych-pop pieces like "Old Folks", "Close Your Eyes", the instrumental "Forever", and "Oh Pretty, What a Pity", all the way down to minimalistic statements like "Younger Generation" and "Priscilla Millionaira" (sung by Steve Boone). The album lives up to the title because this is one of those where it takes a few listens to get down the actual flow of the album in your head. The moderate hit from it was "Six O'Clock", which was definitely psychedelic in nature - Sebastian sings the hook in a strange, deadpan manner - and the rest of the band gets in songwriting credits this time around, contributing to the democratic feel. I call this one an underrated gem in the Spoonful catalog.

This little-known group achieved minor footnote status thanks to the involvement of former Free bassist Andy Fraser, but in reality the talent he collected - session guitarist Chris Spedding, drummer Marty Simon, and gruff vocalist Steve "Snips" Parsons - were the engines behind Sharks, as Fraser left shortly after the debut album was released. Apparently, Island Records marketed them as a supergroup of sorts, having them compete with the likes of Led Zeppelin - but the material is far too intimate to be in Zeppelin's cavernous ballpark. Which is fine, because the entire album has a sense of beauty and dignity pulled from the depths of rickety ugliness, peaking with "Steal Away", a most endearing ballad. They go mostly the folk and roots-rock route, but are not afraid to rock out when needed, although the heaviness is lacking - which is a good thing, too. This is one of the few documents which lives up to its' "lost gem" status.

One could probably draw a scraggly, developmental line between ramshackle rock bands like The Rolling Stones to the New York Dolls and Aerosmith, then on the way to 80's acts like The Replacements and Guns 'n' Roses you will stop at The Only Ones. Collected from the remnants of assorted U.K. rock acts and centered around the fatalistic life of Peter Perrett, they cut three albums in the late 70's which were critical successes, and then disappeared for a long time thanks to ongoing drug problems. The debut establishes a slashing, dangerous sound in a vacuum between faster punk rock and slower arena/hard rock, made distinctive by Perrett's downer personality, John Perry's searing guitar work, and a great rhythm section (Alan Mair and Mike Kellie) that is expert at mimicking a sloppy, amateurish rhythm section. One minor drawback is the sound tends to overwhelm Perrett at times and throws off the tenous balance between the two. All three albums were remastered in 2009 and the updated version includes three bonus tracks, one of them is "Lovers of Today" which really highlights the instrumental side of the group, and was an important early song.

The Sex Pistols performance clips are by far the best thing about this film. The actual plot leaves a lot to be desired, although sections of it - mainly the animated parts - provide some amusement.