This rather odd assortment of Buddy Holly sides features some that are well known ("Peggy Sue," "Words of Love") and others that are a good deal more obscure, including the very country-sounding "Blue Days, Black Nights," which Holly recorded in 1956 in the early phase of his Decca contract when all concerned were trying to figure out what to do with this guy. Decca never really did figure it out, but Holly did, and he ended up being arguably the most interesting and unique of the early stars of rock & roll. Other highlights collected here include the infectious "Heartbeat," "Love's Made a Fool of You" (which makes use of the same Bo Diddley rhythm as "Not Fade Away"), "Listen to Me," the delightful early rocker from 1956 called "Midnight Shift," and the uptown and orchestrated "Raining in My Heart." It's hard to know who might benefit most from this brief compilation (which runs only 35 minutes long, even with 16 tracks) since serious fans will already have everything here while more casual listeners will probably want more of Holly's familiar material like "That'll Be the Day," "Rave On," "It's So Easy," or "True Love Ways." Holly's brief recording career, which really only lasted a couple years, was built on quality songs, however, and any anthology of his material will be more than listenable. ~ Steve Leggett
