Although this compilation is billed to , and does include his hit he in fact is the artist on just seven of the 30 tracks. This CD is not so much an anthology as an overview of his work as a writer, assembling compositions or co-compositions, mostly though not exclusively from 1961-1966, as recorded by numerous acts, including , himself, and a host of no-names. Other than ' and the pair of hits licensed for inclusion (one of which, is presented in an alternate take), this is pretty samey-sounding and mediocre, though not terrible, period early-1960s New York pop/rock. milked the riffs that anchored the hits to death, and they never sounded nearly as good in those variations. Be mindful, too, that a couple of songs that were hits are not presented in the versions that were the hits: is sung here by , not , while is done by (though collectors might find that an incentive as this version is actually the original one). Any standouts worth noting? Not really, though 's small innocuous girl group-style hit is here; the mid-1960s singles by and show him trying to tailor his writing to the hot-rod sound; and the original fuzzy late-1950s demo of sung by himself, is a historically valuable find. That could not be said of the really bizarre 1977 version of by , an unfunny comic parody by a singer using a deep-spoken foreign accent. ~ Richie Unterberger