God bless the crate-diggers. Without turntable junkies and sampling maniacs like DJ Food, records like BFI would never be heard. James Brown owed a late-period revival to samplers who reintroduced his music to a modern audience, and, like Brown, the Dragons supply the element DJs crave most — dynamics.

BFI was recorded in 1969 and 1970, but never released. Without the aforementioned DJ Food encountering "Food For My Soul" on surf soundtrack A Sea For Yourself, it's unlikely the material would have ever seen release, as BFI's only other claim to fame is the involvement of Daryl Dragon, who later donned a cap in unhip mid-seventies chart toppers The Captain & Tennille.

Despite Food's endorsement and acquisition of the master recordings, BFI may baffle devotees of the eclectic Ninja Tune roster. Not exactly groove merchants, The Dragons explored the jazzier side of pop-rock. The philosophy at the time suggested rock was to grow even more complex after psychedelia, and the Dragons' contemporaries include The Zombies, Argent and another set of California boys, The Doors.

BFI often resembles The Doors’ maligned 1969 album, The Soft Parade (also reissued this year), on which that group deviated sharply from their signature sound. If anything, The Dragons' excursions into surf on the phased drum fest "Sunset Scenery," soul on "Your Way Too" and the (still sadly contemporary) anti-war lament "Mercy Call" are better realized than those of Morrison and company. BFI proves the crate-diggers' view that musical gems are ripe for rediscovery, not to mention the wisdom of Dennis Dragon's advice — never throw out your master tapes.