The New Colony Six started out as one of the better garage bands to come out of the Midwest in the mid-'60s, playing tough British Invasion-style rock & roll (their "At the River's Edge" made it onto the Nuggets box set), and they later evolved into a surprisingly sophisticated and skillful pop group that scored nationwide hits with the singles "Love You So Much" and "Things I'd Like to Say." However, this collection of odds and ends doesn't quite play to either side of the band's personality; in fact, most of the 24 songs aren't actually by the New Colony Six, with 11 tunes by
the Raymond John Michael Band (which featured three
NC6 alumni, singer
Ray Graffia, drummer
Chick James, and keyboard man
Craig Kemp) and one each by
Junior and
Graffia, both latter-day
Ray Graffia projects. The compilers also present a number of tracks in multiple versions, which gets a bit tiring; "The Power of Love," "Accept My Ring," and "Rap-A-Tap" by the New Colony Six all appear twice, while there are two different takes of "Hitch-Hiker" by
the Raymond John Michael Band, and their cover of
Terry Reid's "Rich Kid Blues" shows up no less than three times. Given the plentiful supply of alternate takes and recordings by post-
New Colony Six acts,
Sides is clearly for hardcore
NC6 fans only, but that's not to say they won't enjoy this collection; there's a charging live recording of the
New Colony Six rarity "The Time Is Right," "Come and Give Your Love to Me" is a fine high-attitude rocker, most of the
Raymond John Michael Band material sounds like a solid if slightly over-polished variation on the latter-day
NC6, "Bobby and Georgia" and "Gwendolyn" are witty novelty numbers, and
Graffia's "Sides" is an admirably ballsy hard rock number. In short, if you're looking for the New Colony Six's greatest hits, steer clear of
Sides, but if you're a committed fan looking for some choice rarities, you'll find them on this collection.