Orange is a fun disc - as if the Beastie Boys or that kind of hip-hop attitude was merged with trashy glam-rock like the New York Dolls or The Cramps and then put forth as a band. Spencer constantly yells out his lines like a demented carnival barker while his backing band pounds out lots of rough blues-inspired vamps.

I'm not convinced this is a such an outlier as it relates to 1960's San Francisco bands, but the main thing is they really create a great live feel on this record. The opener "White Bird" is the group's best-known track but there's something in everything to ponder here, good or bad. But usually good! The orchestral bombast of "Bombay Calling" was the inspiration to Deep Purple's "Child in Time". Elsewhere, "Time Is" brings down the curtain in a frantic mood. But for me, all paths lead to "Wasted Union Blues", one of the weirdest, out-of-control, rollercoaster epic rockers a so-called "wimp" band has ever put to tape. This isn't sterling all the way through, and I've never heard a single note of this band past this record, but believe you me, their debut was one fascinating effort.

On the one hand, it is undeniable that this disc is an improvement over Pirate Prude, both technically and artistically. The addition of Ash Bowie as a full-time member of the group played a big role, allowing Timony more focus in her approach. On the other hand, it is also undeniable that what is presented here is a glossier, more professional version of the jumbled, grumbly mess that was the debut EP. If you were a big fan of that product, then you will like what you hear on this album. I find the second half of the disc to be more interesting, thanks to “Superball”, which to me was Helium’s best single, bar none, along with a couple of ballad-style tracks which are decent (“Honeycomb”, “Oh the Wind and the Rain”). Whatever the case, this CD is Helium’s “alt-rock” disc (in a rough sense), because soon after this, the group would start moving away from their indie rock roots, into even weirder realms.

"XXX" and the album in general practically vomits disaffected bile through your speakers. Plus, it's hard to call near half of these tracks' actual songs, while bandleader Mary Timony appears to be on a demented mission to deconstruct her guitar and make her vocals as flat as possible. The overall tone is downright nasty, but at least it's distinguishable.

Quite the rarity among classic rock acts, Grand Funk released not one, but two live albums during their prime run, and the second is quite different from the first. Not only have they expanded to include Frost and their very own crop of female background singers (dubbed "The Funkettes"), but it's clear from the choice of material and presentation that their days as heavy rock power-trio arena bulldozers were long gone. Surprisingly, many a review I have read praise the album as essential, but I go a bit in the other direction, because for me, this is GFR gone Vegas variety show. A similar transformation took place with Humble Pie's live performances post-Peter Frampton. So, much like the studio efforts from the same general period, the results make for entertaining listening, but the old grit and soul is just not there. Some minor surprises - Brewer's vocals are even stronger in a live setting, the version of "Gimme Shelter" is better than expected, "Shinin' On" is so good you wish they had doubled or tripled it, and on the average, the performances are reasonably done. Still, I can't help but view this as a minor sidelight in the GFR pop era, before the whole thing truly started running out of steam.