The Cryan' Shames were an unsung, late-'60s, folk-rock band out of Chicago, whose joyous harmonies and baroque pop sensibility made them sound like a cross between the Byrds and the Association. Although the Columbia best-of collection, called Sugar and Spice, is probably the place to start to get a comprehensive feel for the Shames, this short collection has a few tracks not found on that compilation, including the gorgeous "Sunshine Psalm" and "The Sailing Ship," the latt...   [ read more ]

CD $7.58

Synthesis is an apt name for an album that, like its predecessor, A Scratch in the Sky, proved the Cryan' Shames to be among the most versatile mainstream pop/rock groups of the late '60s. Versatile does not mean great, though, or especially interesting, and can also mean an absence of a solid identity. This record is more eclectic than it is exciting, though the material is well arranged and the group was composed of accomplished harmony singers in particular. On {&"Greenburg, Glickstein, Char...   [ read more ]

CD $13.28