Robert Gordon

Robert Gordon's first-ever CD compilation seemed like a gift from heaven when it first showed up from Germany's Bear Family Records in 1989, and little has changed in the 20 years since. Those with a fondness for the original LP configurations can go to the various Rave, One Way, and Collectables reissues, which have their virtues, but the truth is that, apart from making his second Private Stock album a tribute to Elvis Presley and his last RCA long-player a more mature and countrified effort, there wasn't much of a profound "concept" behind these albums -- just jumping rockabilly interspersed with a good ballad or two. So the songs all work reshuffled this way, and with the usual Bear Family attention to quality, there's certainly no complaint about the sound. And with notes by Colin Escott, purchasers are getting more than their money's worth in the word department as well. This CD covers a lot of the highlights -- though one hesitates to label it as the "best" per se -- of Gordon's 1977-1978 Private Stock recordings, all with Link Wray, plus a big chunk of his RCA work through 1981, with Chris Spedding and Danny Gatton. Some onlookers may wonder why live versions of "Red Hot" and "Fire" are included, but one should never argue with the inclusion of a live version of anything, unless there is something grotesquely wrong with the performance or the band (as if that was gonna happen with Gordon!). Pair this up with Bear Family's Black Slacks, which showed up five years later, and you've got all you need on Gordon's early work. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide