You never forget your first love, and if you"re a musician, you hope the public never forgets your first recordings. It"s been years since Harvey Mandel"s initial titles as a frontmam--1968"s Christo Redentor and "69"s Righteous and Games Guitars Play--were available, though they"re treasured by guitar devotees. Now, they"re back, thanks to this revelatory two-disc. The trio of titles, which originally came out on the Philips label, are ambitious, mostly instrumental projects that match the future Canned Heat member and Rolling Stone session man with strings, brass, and an eclectic assortment of songs and sidemen. --Steven Stolder