The history of the Nutmegs, formed in 1955 in Connecticut, was all too brief-aside from the typical struggles for recognition and fame that are familiar to any group, first tenor and songwriter Leroy Griffin's life was cut tragically short in a mysterious accident. They realized a modicum of early notoriety, but as subsequent releases failed to sell, the group broke up and then reformed, calling themselves 'The Rajahs.' Subsequently they recorded a number of tracks, many of which are collected here (several are previously unreleased, and three feature an unknown female vocalist). The group heralded the convergence of rhythm and blues vocal harmony with the advent of rock and roll. 'Help Me' implores and entreats-notice how the back-up vocals create tension, which sets up the chord change to follow. 'Shifting Sand' has a vigorous repeating figure throughout the verse, changing to block chords for the next section; it's great observing how the group's arrangements, though simple, are consistently creative; it's all the more impressive, given that they wrote their own songs (reproductions of some of Leroy's charts are included in the liner notes).