Buddy Holly - The Buddy Holly Collection (1993)

Given the reluctance of MCA to release a CD version of the complete Buddy Holly recordings (due to either legal issues or a skepticism of its commercial worth), the double-disc 1993 set The Buddy Holly Collection stands as the most comprehensive and greatest CD-era retrospective of the legendary rock & roller. Though it contains all the big hits, this is not the place to turn if you're only looking for "That'll Be the Day," "Not Fade Away," "Everyday," "Oh Boy!," "Peggy Sue," "Maybe Baby," "Rave On," "Well All Right," and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" they're all here, but they don't start unrolling until track 15 on the first disc. No, this collection is for listeners who know the hits but need more; namely, they need proof that Holly was one of the greatest, most inventive artists in the first wave of rock & roll, which this collection certainly illustrates, through its selection of lesser-known sides that showcase both his wild-man rockabilly ways and his sensitive songwriting. If the set takes a little while to get going it kicks off with the dynamite "Down the Line," but then the collection, and Holly, take a little while to find a groove there are also no bum tracks here, and taken as a whole, Buddy's gifts as a songwriter and a rocker are staggering. Until the complete box is finally issued on CD, this will have to stand as the most comprehensive Holly collection on CD, and as such, it's absolutely necessary for anybody who loves American music of the 20th century.

Tracklist:

CD1

01. Down the Line
02. Soft Place in My Heart
03. Holly Hop
04. Blue Days (aka Blue Days, Black Nights)
05. Love Me
06. Midnight Shift
07. Baby, Won't You Come Out Tonight
08. Changing All Those Changes
09. I'm Gonna Set My Foot Down
10. Rock Around With Ollie Vee
11. Girl on My Mind
12. Ting-A-Ling
13. Modern Don Juan
14. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
15. That'll Be the Day
16. I'm Lookin' for Someone to Love
17. Words of Love
18. Not Fade Away
19. Everyday
20. Tell Me How
21. Ready Teddy
22. Listen to Me
23. Oh Boy
24. It's Too Late
25. Peggy Sue

CD2

01. I'm Gonna Love You Too
02. Look at Me
03. Little Baby
04. You've Got Love
05. Maybe Baby
06. Rock Me My Baby
07. (You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care
08. Rave On
09. Fool's Paradise
10. Take Your Time
11. Well… All Right
12. Think It Over
13. Early in the Morning
14. Heartbeat
15. It's So Easy
16. Wishing
17. Love's Made a Fool of You
18. Reminiscing
19. True Love Ways
20. It Doesn't Matter Anymore
21. Raining in My Heart
22. Peggy Sue Got Married
23. Crying, Waiting, Hoping
24. Learning the Game
25. What to Do