Don't Forget Me

A generous collection of instrumentals, previously unreleased tracks, demo recordings, alternate versions, live performances, and a radio promo spot, this set from Rockstar Records isn't a good introduction to Eddie Cochran (it doesn't, for instance, have a version of his biggest and most enduring song, "Summertime Blues"), but it is a nice second purchase, filling in some of the background on Cochran's tragically short career. A fine singer and songwriter, Cochran was also a dynamite guitar player, and instrumental tracks like "String Fever" and "Guitar Blues" gave him a chance to really cut loose, while the lovely, acoustic instrumental "Rain" shows Cochran could do delicate and gentle every bit as much as he could blast loose on the electric. The live cuts, versions of "Sittin' in the Balcony" and "Twenty Flight Rock," have a somewhat muted sound, but demonstrate what an exciting live performer Cochran could be, while the single version of "Nervous Breakdown" included here, a song built on the same kinetic template (and chords) as "Summertime Blues," hints at what the music world lost when Cochran died in a car crash in the U.K. in 1960. He was only 21. ~ Steve Leggett