Digital Roundup: 5/13/2015

New this week in the Rhino Room at iTunes:

The Beau Brummels, The Best of the Beau Brummels, 1964-1968 (Golden Archive Series): There have been more than a few Beau Brummels best-of collections released over the years, but if you’re looking for a single-disc compilation that does the best possible job of diluting their career into a succinct 18-song set, then this is the only way to go. For those of you who’ve never really listened to the Beau Brummels, we’ll just say this: if you aren’t charmed by the opening track, “Laugh Laugh,” a.k.a. the band’s biggest hit, then you may want to check your pulse, but if you are charmed, then you’ve got 17 more pieces of pure pop ahead of you, so stay tuned and enjoy.

Various Artists, A Whole Lot of Rainbows: Soft Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults: If you’ve noticed that some of our past Rhino Handmade releases are slowly but surely making their way into our digital catalog, well, here’s another one to add to the pile, and it’s a great one, particularly if you enjoy the softer side of our classic Nuggets collections. You might not recognize the titles of all of the songs, but you’ll definitely recognize some of the names, including the Everly Brothers, the Association, the Tokens, the Vogues, Harpers Bizarre, Jan & Dean, and the Monkees. There’s a lot of great, rarely replayed material here, so kick back, relax, and bask in the softness of it all.

Various Artists, Hallucinations: Psychedelic Pop from the WEA Vault: Second verse, same as the first, except this time the pop is more psychedelic in nature…or didn’t the title of this former Rhino Handmade compilation tip you off? Once again, you’ll find a number of obscurities sitting side by side with songs by notable names, including the Association, the Electric Prunes, the Monkees, the Tokens, Kim Fowley, and Noel Harrison. Expand your mind, man!