How do you make a meaningful retrospective of an on one side influential band, and on the other a band that, undeservedly, have never risen to the top? You see, some influential sites have called NRBQ “America’s (or even World’s) greatest bar band”, but New Rock and Blues Quartet, what the acronym stands for are exactly that - always new (even fifty years on) and covering everything that can fall under the category of rock and blues, and quite everything in between and out of that scope.
What they always did, even if it was covering something that was considered “far out” like Sun Ra’s “Rocket No. 9 (from their first ever album, included here), or just a straight out Eddie Cochran rocker “C’Mon Everybody” (also included), they did it in an always easy-going, effortless manner that is on one hand so easy on the ears and on the other showcasing their constant musical virtuosity. Otherwise, how would you have such longstanding and fervent fans among the musicians like Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and countless others?
This five CD/album set works like a zig-zag through the band's history. It starts with the freshest part of the story when the lineup started to vary more, making the pianist/composer Terry Adams (who himself has an outstanding jazz recording history), the only constant in the band. Then the set goes back to the very beginning, slowly progressing onwards.
Whether you are a novice or a die-hard fan, this retrospective plays like a charm. If you are new to the band and don’t know where to start this is a perfect starting point since it includes all the hallmarks of the band, like”Get Rhythm”, “Me And The Boys” and “Whacky Tobacco”, to name just (really) a few.
The fans will also be far from disappointed because the set includes a plethora of unissued or live tracks (and those can really tell you how good NRBQ are live), but also some that even they might have forgotten how good they are.
There is one problem, though. The set is so good that it might turn you into an NRBQ completist, and after 50 years on the scene, that can turn out to be a bit expensive.
