Most listeners know from -- a song so popular and so iconic that it overshadows everything else did, not just for fans but for listeners. Couple that with a reputation for being a roughneck hellion and you have somebody who is known as a persona, not as a musician. And that's a real shame, as 's proves. As the first comprehensive CD collection of 's hit-making peak years of the '70s and '80s -- his early years are documented on the stellar collection -- this collection is a revelation, offering definitive proof that he was one of the very greatest hardcore singers. He could do it all: blue-collar rage ( ), barroom weepers ( ) and barroom ravers ( ), lush (the -produced ) and gritty (a duet on ), tough-guy laments ( ) and tough-guy bravado ( ). Plus, there's a wicked, bizarre sense of humor, evidenced clearly on the neo-talking illustrating that he didn't tame his wildness even at his popular peak. Then there's that voice -- a resonant baritone with impeccable phrasing that some claim was an inspiration for ' style (and listening to this and makes those claims quite credible). It all adds up to a collection that not only captures at his peak, but also lays claim as one of the great albums of its era, if not all time. It's the kind of collection an artist the stature of deserves. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine