Reverend Horton Heat

Like most rockabilly cats, Reverend Horton Heat was a singles act -- they cut a couple of good full-length records, but they truly made the most sense on an individual song basis, which is why Holy Roller is such a welcome addition to their catalog. Weighing in at a generous 24 tracks, Holy Roller contains highlights from every Horton Heat album -- not just their pair of SubPop records, but their trio of platters for Interscope -- plus two unreleased cuts ("Bath-Water Blues," "Folsom Prison Blues") and "Where in the Hell Did You Go with My Toothbrush?," which was previously only available on the SubPop rarities collection, Afternoon Delight. Those three cuts were added as enticements for hardcore fans, but they'd want to pick this up anyway, since it's the best album the group has released. There's little of the filler that cluttered their regular studio albums, and it contains all of the cult favorites -- "Wiggle Stick," "Bales of Cocaine," "400 Bucks," "Marijuana," "Bad Reputation," "In Your Wildest Dreams," "Eat Steak" -- that built their career. Die-hards will still want to hear the original records, but most listeners will be satisfied by Holy Roller, which is certainly the definitive Horton Heat. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide