Given that the Turtles rode to fame discovering gems by such then-little known songwriters as P.F. Sloan, Warren Zevon, and Alan Gordon & Gary Bonner, it’s appropriate that their final efforts included this beautifully rendered enigma from Judee Sill. Either unaware of or blissfully dismissing the lyric’s religious overtones, lead vocalist Howard Kaylan fashions the song into a straightforward love ballad that’s soothing, melodic and haunting. Recorded during the brief, group-owned, Blimp records period when the Turtles attempted to emulate the Beatles founding of Apple, Lady-O is yet further evidence that there were far deeper artistic aspirations within the group than their most popular hit singles would indicate. It’s reasonable to speculate that had the group not been so overwhelmingly encumbered by lawsuits and road-weariness, they might have transitioned into one of album rock’s staples. Peaking at #78 on the pop charts, Lady-O was effectively the group’s last significant release, though their former label White Whale would continue to mine the vaults until it too collapsed.
(Richard Gilliam, allmusic.com, about the Turtles' version)