Although several overviews of the Excello label exist (including Rhino's two-volume set), this single-disc thumbnail collection may be the most digestible and therefore the best of the bunch. With a generous 30 tracks on a single disc to recommend it for openers, this collection tries to hit virtually all popular strains that the label dabbled in, from big city blues to doo wop to rockabilly to rhythm & blues to its best-known swamp blues offerings. With hits aboard like
Slim Harpo's "Raining in My Heart" and "Baby, Scratch My Back," the
Gladiolas' original version of "Little Darlin'," Lillian Offitt's "Miss You So," the
Marigolds' "Rollin' Stone," and Guitar Gable's "Congo Mombo," this collection delves far further into collectors' favorites, including "Hey! Baby" by rockabilly cat
Al Ferrier, "Wild Cherry" by Leroy Washington, "Now That She's Gone" by the King Crooners, and the original version of "This Should Go on Forever" by Guitar Gable. The blues quotient inherent in the label's output is also well represented with the inclusion of "Rooster Blues" by
Lightnin' Slim, "Baby Let's Play House" by Arthur Gunter, "My Next Door Neighbor" by
Jerry McCain, "My Home Is a Prison" by
Lonesome Sundown, and "I Hear You Knockin'" by
Lazy Lester. All in all, a collection that's hard to beat, especially if your budget doesn't extend to multi-disc retrospectives. ~ Cub Koda