You're a Very Lovely Woman (LP)

Among folk-rock devotees and power-pop cultists, Emitt Rhodes is a legendary figure with a powerful mystique. The prodigiously talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist first came to prominence as the teenaged leader of The Merry-Go-Round, a unique L.A. baroque folk-rock quartet whose lone 1967 album is now regarded as being in the same class as the debut discs of such ’60s contemporaries as the Byrds, Love, the Left Banke and the Buffalo Springfield. The Merry-Go-Round-which also included guitarist Gary Kato, ex-Leaves bassist Bill Rinehart and former Grass Roots drummer Joel Larson-scored an early hit with the infectiously jangly “Live.” The song (which would be covered in the ’80s by the Bangles) became a major regional hit in the Los Angeles area. “Live”’s equally distinctive B-side, “Time Will Show the Wiser,” was covered the following year by Fairport Convention. The band’s second single, the bittersweet, orchestrated “You’re a Very Lovely Woman,” was an equally impressive achievement. Those three songs are all featured on You’re a Very Lovely Woman, which offers a consistently intoxicating mix of Beatlesque vocal harmonies, ringing folk-rock guitars, sparkling songcraft and playful baroque and psychedelic touches. Although The Merry-Go-Round would disband two years after releasing their only LP, the album has gained steadily in notoriety and prestige over the years. Original copies of the album have become rare collector’s items, regularly changing hands for exorbitant prices among fans. Now, You’re a Very Lovely Woman is once again available on vinyl to thrill longtime admirers and new fans alike. Mastered from the original analog tapes and pressed on high-quality high-definition vinyl, the album includes complete, meticulously reproduced original cover art.