Glen Rocks

One of California's original rebels, (born ) was a Missouri-born kid who moved to the West Coast with his family when he was 14. grew up on jumpin' sounds and , and learned to make with the bop after and 's early hits pointed the way. While the hillbilly side of 's musical heritage never entirely escaped him, his twang-infused sides have become prized items among fanatics, and with good reason -- he had a great voice, an attitude that suggested he was a nice guy who also knew how to have a hepcat's good time (not unlike with the wild factor upped a few points), and his guitar-pickin' pal sure knew his way around a fretboard. is a typically well-assembled collection from that pulls together most of 's best vintage sides along with some rare demos and radio sessions, including the coolly stripped-down of the proto- stylings of the high-attitude a prescient recording in and covers of (the former with a hot pedal steel solo), which prove had the stuff to stand up to the competition. While has recorded some latter-day albums after he was rediscovered by British fans, has his prime original recordings in one handy package along with a fact-filled and richly illustrated 68-page booklet (featuring a biographical essay by guitarist ), and if you want to hear the man at his best, this is definitely the place to go. ~ Mark Deming