Chuck Berry may have written the lyrical book of rock & roll, but Berry was nearly 30 when he scored his first hit. Eddie Cochran was the teenage embodiment of '50s rock--a guitar-playing James Dean/Elvis Presley-like rockabilly star who wrote his own teen-themed songs, many later covered by the likes of the Who and the Sex Pistols. This Razor & Tie anthology stands with the Legendary Masters album as the best U.S. compilation, repeating 15 tracks from the earlier collection and including such obscurities as the Cochran Brothers' "Tired and Sleepy." Unfortunately, there's no "Three Stars," but this is still a mighty fine sampler of prime output by a visionary artist who died three years into his recording career. --Bill Holdship
