Round The Edges (Definitive Edition)(Abbey Road Master)

Dark's sole album consists of six long, rather meandering tracks, the songs largely vehicles for some involved, fuzzy hard rock guitar soloing. In the softer parts and the vocal sections, there are faint echoes of the folky psychedelic late-'60s rock of acts like Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. You can hear that in the first part of "Live for Today," in particular, with its bittersweet melody and harmonies. But, despite this rarity's high rep in some circles, the songs aren't too substantial, and the guitar work not so intricate or imaginative that it demands a listen on the merits of the riffs alone. The record has been reissued a few times since the early '90s, sometimes in editions almost as limited as the original run. Akarma's LP reissue is the most desirable configuration, not only because of its relative accessibility in terms of managing to acquire a copy, but also because it replicates the gatefold sleeve and lyric pamphlet of the original release. ~ Richie Unterberger