In 1957, put out a sampler LP of sorts on its subsidiary, with the catalog number 5001. Confusingly, in the early '60s, it reissued the LP with a different catalog number, 5001-J, and different tracks, taking off five cuts and adding six others. The 2006 CD reissue on includes all 18 songs that appeared on one or both versions of the LP, adding eight bonus tracks from the vaults that weren't on either original album, but fit in stylistically with the mid-'50s / style of the other selections. It's a kind of haphazard way to sample either the mid-'50s catalog in particular, or the time when was changing into in general. For what it is, however, it's pretty good, though its mixture of hits and well-known performers with rarities and little-known artists means it's something for pretty specialized collectors, even those for whom this stuff is a passion. There's ( , ), sax-honkin' 's ), bluesmen making a stab at ), -styled ), a blatant imitation of ), and, to tempt the completist, a couple of previously unissued alternate takes ( and take three of ). There are also a few actual hits in ' classic and (the latter covered for a bigger hit by in 1960), and 's outstanding ballad was a regional hit in 1955. Note, incidentally, that some of the song titles that look like "hits" aren't the original versions. is a -oriented 1957 remake, overdubs a '50s tenor sax onto a live late-'40s recording, and is not the original by , but a cover by -- being , later to become a top session vocalist. The CD also includes extensive reissues that clarify the original release dates of the songs, and which of the tracks originally appeared (or didn't) on what original LP version of the album. ~ Richie Unterberger