Jack Rocks

Born in Ontario and raised near Detroit, was one of the most potent first-generation rockers to come out of the Midwest. If 's style wasn't quite , it was somewhere in the ballpark, and on his best sides he conjured up the same swagger and menace that made with an electric guitar. 's hits were few and far between, but no one who has heard or is likely to forget them anytime soon. Like many early rockers, would later cut significantly more polished and sides after he stopped having hits with the harder stuff, but true to its title, concentrates on the cream of 's sides (cut between 1957 and 1964), and it's one of the best collections extant. 's rich, strong voice anchors this collection, from the slick string-laden to the breakneck shows that even on his sides he didn't loose his touch (or his vocal chops). cherry-picked these 26 selections from 's work for , , including the original recordings for all tracks, and while isn't as comprehensive as 's two-disc , one can argue that this works in this disc's favor: if you want to hear rock on out, this set delivers those goods without any filler, and it's a great tribute to a wildly underrated artist. (The booklet is excellent, too, featuring a great biographical essay from .) ~ Mark Deming