Jack Rocks

Born in Ontario and raised near Detroit, Jack Scott was one of the most potent first-generation rockers to come out of the Midwest. If Scott's style wasn't quite rockabilly, it was somewhere in the ballpark, and on his best sides he conjured up the same swagger and menace that Link Wray made with an electric guitar. Scott's hits were few and far between, but no one who has heard "Leroy," "The Way I Walk" or "What Am I Living For" is likely to forget them anytime soon. Like many early rockers, Scott would later cut significantly more polished country and pop sides after he stopped having hits with the harder stuff, but true to its title, Jack Rocks concentrates on the cream of Scott's rock & roll sides (cut between 1957 and 1964), and it's one of the best Jack Scott collections extant. Scott's rich, strong voice anchors this collection, from the slick string-laden "Patsy" to the breakneck "Cruel World," and "The Road Keeps Winding" shows that even on his country sides he didn't loose his touch (or his vocal chops). Bear Family cherry-picked these 26 selections from Scott's work for Carlton, ABC, Capitol, Top Rank and Groove, including the original recordings for all tracks, and while Jack Rocks isn't as comprehensive as Castle's two-disc Baby She's Gone, one can argue that this works in this disc's favor: if you want to hear Jack Scott rock on out, this set delivers those goods without any filler, and it's a great tribute to a wildly underrated artist. (The booklet is excellent, too, featuring a great biographical essay from Deke Dickerson.) ~ Mark Deming