There's Gonna Be a Storm

This 26-cut compilation rounds up virtually everything ever recorded by the Left Banke, the awesomely talented pop band best known for the classically-influenced 1966 hits "Walk Away Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina." Songwriter/pianist/guiding light Michael Brown composed some of the loveliest melodies of the era, which were typically fleshed out with complex contrapuntal harmonies and string arrangements; "Barterers and Their Wives" sounds almost medieval, while the soaring "Desiree" is positively majestic in its epic sweep. Brown left before the recording of the band's second album, which means that the quality level dips slightly near the end of the disc. Despite this, any '60s pop collection is woefully incomplete without it. --Dan Epstein