This is another of those "you can't lose" releases. If you don't know who John Carter is, he was one of the most prolific composers/producers/performers in the British pop scene, from the early sixties until the 1980s. And he was so prolific because he was so GOOD. Well, to be entirely accurate, he was GREAT. So many famous artists recorded his songs, and Carter himself released many under a zillion names that hid the fact that he was the musical force behind them all.He is probably the closest approximation to a Brian Wilson on that side of the pond, both for his unlimited melodic gifts, beautiful singing, and incredible arrangements and productions. If you're into British or American pop of the sixties or seventies, you have no doubt heard dozens of groups perform his material, but I would venture a guess that most of the songs on this album will be new to you. And not because they didn't deserve to be hits, because many of them were in England, but even the ones that weren't easily could and should have been.If you've never heard of The Flowerpot Men, The Ivy League, Stamford Bridge, or any of Carter's other endless incarnations, trust me -- if you love well-written melodic pop, you simply CAN'T lose with this release.If all he had done was to write, produce, and help perform The First Class' "Beach Baby," he would already be assured to spot on the All-Time Pop Masters list, because if you don't just listen to that song as a fun escapist tune, but really pay attention to its incredible structure and arrangement, you will realize that it is one of the MASTERFUL pop songs in history. It's right up there with "Good Vibrations" and few other songs. You can listen to it a thousand times and find new things to appreciate about it nearly every time.And the thing is, "Beach Baby" was just a drop in the bucket for Carter. And the generous helping of 25 tracks on this CD will make that very apparent after only the first three or four songs. But I have a feeling you'll hit the "repeat" button right after you first hear a number of these tunes, including the gorgeous "All Of My Life" by London Boys. And his "T.Rex" take (with kazoos) called "Take Off" is a fun hoot from beginning to end.So buy this, savor the man's talent, and then go out and try to find the incredible 2-CD set "Measure For Measure: The John Carter Anthology 1961 - 1977," the Stamford Bridge CD, the Japanese "The Essential Works In The Studios 1963 - 1982)," "First Class/SST," the Japanese "The Essential Collection of The First Class 1972 - 1985," The 2-CD Ivy League set "Major League," "As You Like It, Vol. 1" with 26 fabulous demos, The Flowerpot Men's brilliant unreleased two-fer "Peace Album/Past Imperfect," The Flowerpot Men's "Let's Go To San Francisco," and any other CDs and records you discover that have to do with the incredible music of John Carter.