Though he never achieved the renown of first-generation rockabilly contemporaries like Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, Billy Lee Riley was one of the rawest, wildest, most intense rock-&-rollers to come out of the magic music factory that was Sun Studio in the 1950s. This 22-track anthology presents a comprehensive, well balanced view of Riley's career. Naturally, the signature songs are here, like the fiery, much-covered "Red Hot" and the extraterrestrial rave-up, "Flying Saucers Rock and Roll," but there are also less iconic (though no less intriguing) cuts like Riley's swinging, bluesy take on the Louis Jordan jump-blues hit "Open the Door Richard" and a rocking update of the spiritual standard "Down By the Riverside." All in all, it's a first-rate introduction to Riley's work.

Billy Lee Riley never made a hit before scraping the bottom of the charts in 1972, but you'd never know it from his reputation as one of the top artists of the original rockabilly era. His classics "Red Hot" and "Flying Saucers Rock and Roll" are included on this 22-track anthology of Riley's Sun recordings, which is the most affordable and readily available alternative to Bear Family's two-disc set Classic Recordings 1956-60. Collectors should note that the last four cuts on this collection are from Riley's 1969-1970 return to Sun Records. Buyers wanting Riley's '50s material would have been happier with four more early rockabilly cuts in place of these mediocre country and rock recordings from the downside of Riley's career, but others may enjoy hearing the evolution of his sound. ~ Greg Adams