1967-1972

Anchored by the incredibly limber and melodic bass playing and lead vocals of Preston Harrison, not to mention top-notch musical chops all around, the River Styx Blues Emporium is well worth exploring. Like a lot of bands at the time, they fused heavy blues riffs with experimentation-and sometimes downright psychedelic freak-outs. But these guys had the skills to back it up. There's a heavy, appealing Stones influence in here as well, and this 11-song set throws in some killer demos they recorded for Capitol for added measure. Includes Holding for Me; Now; LO; Understanding's Hard to Come By; Dolly Nighttime; Let Them All Excite You; Wonder Woman; Bike Writer; Holding for Me II; Innocent, and Run with You.