Among the cult legends that populate the margins of contemporary popular music, the story of Emitt Rhodes remains one of the most compelling. 

Compared by fans and critics favorably to the likes of Paul McCartney, Emitt Rhodes was arguably one of the most overlooked and underappreciated pop-rock singer-songwriters of the ‘60s/’70s.

Finally getting his due, Hip-O Select is proud to release The Emitt Rhodes Recordings, a newly remastered, two CD, 48 song collection features the four albums Emitt Rhodes released between 1970 and 1973 - the three ABC/Dunhill albums Emitt Rhodes, Mirror and Farewell To Paradise, and his one A&M album, American Dream, along with the non-LP single “Tame The Lion,” all showcasing Emitt’s intricate melodies, harmonies, and arrangements.

In the years since their release, these long-out-of-print recordings have taken on a mythic status among pop collectors. 

That mystique is, to some degree, a reflection of the sense of mystery that surrounds their creator. But the real source of the enduring fascination with Rhodes is the music itself!

Emitt, who went on to be an engineer and producer, still lives in Hawthorne, California, where he grew up, and is very philosophical about his bout with near-recording stardom.  As Steven J. Hyden says in the online magazine Perfect Sound, “Most cult heroes are cult heroes by design. Either his or her music is too esoteric to be accepted by the mainstream or his or her personality is too weird… Then there’s Emitt Rhodes, who’s a cult hero for no good reason whatsoever.” 

As this Hip-O Select collection proves.