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You don't have to know the history of the Continental Drifters to appreciate this new retrospective, but it helps. The band, formed from late night shows and later-night jams in the early '90s at Raji's, a famously scruffy, pre-gentrification-era bar on Hollywood Boulevard, included a veritable who's-who of influential pop, folk and Americana. More of an evolving clique of like-minded musicians and friends than an actual set quartet or combo, the collective included Gary Eaton, Carlo Nuccio, as well as The Dream Syndicate's Mark Walton and Peter Holsapple of The dB's (and later R.E.M. and Hootie and the Blowfish). Soon, Vicki Peterson of The Bangles and Susan Cowsill joined and the band began a sporadic recording career. Disc one is culled from three different 1992 sessions and disc two is dedicated to the Drifters' penchant for covers, and includes the entirety of their rare 2001 Fairport Convention ep. Dedicated followers of the individual musicians will probably be most interested targets for the album, since it nicely fills in the gaps of many of the artists' considerable catalogs, during an otherwise "lost" period, between moments from their otherwise well-documented careers. But any fan of great harmonies and '60s-fueled folk-rock should check it out as well, as it combines the playful interplay of the Mamas and Papas style and anticipates the sepia-toned Americana craze of the early to mid-2000's. Highlights include Peterson's opening number "Who We Are, Where We Live," Cowsill's "The Rain Song," and Holsapple's "Invisible Boyfriend." - Lee Valentine Smith
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