Although he had made some good, and interesting, doo-wop records around his native Pittsburgh, this 21-track collection is where the career of begins in earnest. Still working out of Pittsburgh with his collaborator/mentor , the majority of these sides have a homegrown, small-label session feel to them, even if they were almost all simultaneously issued for national consumption on the imprint. 's otherworldly falsetto wails on the two big hits here ( and ), which need no introduction, but his trademarked sound is equally at home and just as fine on B-sides and album filler like The previously unreleased version of the rocker yields a quirky take to the standard, but everything on here is vintage and prime , a true song stylist who just happened to also write a solid third of the material compiled here. An important, but often neglected, chapter in rock & roll's history that deserves a wider hearing. ~ Cub Koda