Sagittarius' second album, The Blue Marble, originally released in 1969 as a follow up to Present Tense was supposed to be a cornerstone in the development of the thoroughly modern Together Records, but sadly it was one of the few to even obtain a limited release. Back in the 1960s, Herb Alpert and Joe Meek weren't the only ones creating lovely orchestrated, lush, bachelor pad versions on the current music of the day. Oh no. Legendary Byrds producer Gary Usher also was responsible for some very sanguine, swinging, spookily psychedelic albums of his own including his studio based project as Sagittarius. Highlights from The Blue Marble include innovative use of "new" toys like the Moog, and a sumptuous take on the Beach Boy's heightened "In My Room" featuring vocal and arrangement from Curt Boettcher, plus some sweetened female vocals on songs like "Will You Ever See Me" to match even Dusty Springfield's torpor. This Poptones reissue comes with a bonus five tracks, including the imaginary road movie soundtrack "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City"--and an alternate take on "In My Room". It's well worth hearing twice. --Everett True