Like the other volumes in this series, this 28-track anthology has an assortment of American rock & roll, R&B, and pop (though usually rock-oriented) records that were released in the U.K. on the
London
American
label. The resulting strange hybrid is a grab-bag of big hits, small hits, and items that missed the charts entirely, running the gamut from classics to efforts that many would feel have been justly forgotten. In the classic category, we have such goodies as
Fats Domino
's
"I'm Ready,"
Bobby Darin
"Mack the Knife,"
Ray Charles
'
"I'm Moving On,"
the Coasters
"Charlie Brown,"
Bo Diddley
"Say Man,"
Chuck Berry
"Back in the USA,"
and
Johnny Cash
"Luther Played the Boogie"
(though the last song didn't make either the U.S. or U.K. charts as a single). There are also a bunch of cuts by significant artists like
Eddie Cochran
,
Ruth Brown
Dee Clark
Clyde McPhatter
Neil Sedaka
Chuck Willis
Jerry Lee Lewis
, and
LaVern Baker
that don't rank at (or sometimes near) the level of their best work. Also present are worthy instrumental hits by
Duane Eddy
Johnny & the Hurricanes
, as well as
Jerry Keller
's curious one-shot
"Here Comes Summer,"
which was a solid hit in the U.S., but a chart-topper in the U.K. Of the obscure or relatively obscure selections, only
Larry Williams
"She Said 'Yeah'"
(covered in the mid-'60s by
the Rolling Stones
) and
Della Reese
"Sermonette"
are of much interest. Some of the milder, poppier tracks by non-stars make little impression whatsoever;
Jimmy Clanton
"A Letter to an Angel"
is a blatant reworking of
Johnny Ace
"Pledging My Love,"
Wink Martindale
's maudlin
"Deck of Cards,"
though a huge hit, sits most uncomfortably in these surroundings. ~ Richie Unterberger