The Brian Setzer Collection '81-'88

Album Review

It makes sense that Capitol released The Brian Setzer Collection 1981-1988 in late 1999, since Setzer was riding an unexpected comeback powered by his cover of Louis Prima's "Jump Jive and Wail." Cynics may suggest that the label was simply trying to cash in on his success, but there was a need for a compilation covering these unknown years. Unfortunately, this 18-track disc is imperfect. Since there were no hits from The Knife Feels Like Justice and Live Nude Guitars, the compilation need to be baited with familiar tunes, hence the presence of good single edits of "(She's) Sexy and 17" and "Rock This Town." That wouldn't be a problem if this combined highlights of the Stray Cats and solo years, which would be a really good disc. Instead, this is a hodgepodge, containing highlights, rarities, outtakes, and live tracks, all assembled with no consideration for chronology or listenability. That's too bad, because there's good stuff here, in the album tracks and outtakes (including a version of "Summertime Blues," plus unreleased cuts like "Echo Park" and "Waiting for Desiree"). It can't even be seen as an overview of his forgotten years, since it has a bit too much Stray Cats material and unreleased recordings to be representative. Of course, those rarities will be of considerable interest to hardcore fans, and there's enough to make it worth their while. But anyone hoping that The Brian Setzer Collection: 81-88 will be a one-stop summary of Setzer's pre-orchestra solo recordings will likely not be satisfied.