Unlike the dozens (literally) of rip-off compilations of very early material that was never meant for release, this set, , is a very solid representation of the musician's early years as a solo artist. It is culled from his and sides off his first seven records, issued between 1968-1974: , , and . It includes many obvious choices: "I Walk On Gilded Splinters," "Right Place, Wrong Time," "Mama Roux," "Such a Night," and "What Goes Around Comes Around," but also his sometimes radical (for the time, anyway) reinterpretations of NOLA anthems, from 's "Tipitina" and 's "Iko Iko" to 's "Junko Partner" and ' "Big Chief." About the only thing that's really missing here is "Angola Anthem," from , though its exclusion appears to be because of the tune's extreme length. For a budget label, has excellent sound quality (compare to the double-disc), making this a very solid introduction to 's official early catalog. ~ Thom Jurek