'71-'75

What a bargain! There's a lot of great music here. In fact, on 2 discs we get every one of Delirium's three studio albums, with no deletions! As a bonus, we also get 11 singles they released from 1971 through 1975. That's a lot of music for a low price, and much of that music is excellent, perhaps even essential.

Regarding the three studio albums, I am in the minority in favoring III and Lo Scemo over Dolce Acqua, though I enjoy all three. But you can look at the separate reviews of those albums. Regarding this collection, the booklet is pretty much useless. I also have the Italian mini-LP version of III, and that booklet is better. However, the sound isn't different to my ears, and the booklet is a small price to pay in my opinon for all the great music you get in this collection.

The singles are less to my taste--very pop, though tastefully done for the most part. An exception is King's Road (Strumentale), which is outstanding.

Overall, this collection is THE way to meet the band, and also THE way to complete the Delirium catalogue. I would consider their second and third albums as at least four stars by themselves, so for me the collection merits four stars.

Edit: Since the BTF reissue of the first three albums as Italian mini lps, these are the preferred way to experience the band. The singles really don't make the collection necessary if you have the individual albums. However, if you're on a tight budget, this is definitely something to consider.