Guitar Man
is a 22-song U.K. import that consists mainly of album tracks from the late '60s through the early '80s, as opposed to hit singles. There are a few hits in the mix, including
"Amos Moses,"
"When You're Hot, You're Hot,"
and
Jerry Reed
's 1983 cover of
Creedence Clearwater Revival
's
"Down on the Corner,"
but listeners in search of a greatest-hits package should look elsewhere. That said,
offers a more balanced view of
Reed
's music than the
Essential
disc, since there is less of a focus on his
novelty
hits and a broader sampling of the
ballads
,
instrumentals
, and otherwise serious material that made up a large portion of his catalog. For fans, the real appeal of this set is the wealth of material that is otherwise difficult -- if not impossible -- to find on CD, including versions of
"500 Miles Away From Home,"
"Sixteen Tons,"
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia,"
which
recasts as a guitar duel with the devil. ~ Greg Adams