The album takes tracks from Earle???s first four albums (Guitar Town, Exit 0, Copperhead Road & The Hard Way) together with five live tracks from his live album Shut up and die like an Aviator. Personally I prefer later Earle (Jerusalem and El Corazon are probably my two favourite albums) but this is fantastic introduction to early Steve Earle. In some ways it is more country than some of his later work (although it is before his experiments with bluegrass) but it already shows strong rock influences and showcases his talent for storytelling though song.

If you are interested in finding out more about Steve Earle then I recommend his biography Hardcore Troubadour written by Lauren St John. Note that Earle has led a turbulent life and his life story is often tragic ??? it is an interesting book but it is not always an easy read.

The CD kicks off with four tracks from Steve's debut, "Guitar Town", setting the blueprint for that which follows - part rock, part country, taking the best elements of both and welding them together in a unique way. The next four tracks are taken from "Exit 0", another fine album, with "Sweet Little 66" displaying Steve's Springsteen influence and "The Rain Came Down" showcasing his story-telling abilities superbly.

The title track of Steve's third album, "Copperhead Road", is still probably his best known song, but also included here from the album is "Johnny Come Lately" - a collaboration with The Pogues, which works a lot better than you might think!

"The Hard Way" was an altogether darker affair and the tracks from it here ("Justice In Ontario" and the outstanding "The Other Kind") are no exception. Personally this is one of my favourite Steve Earle albums.

The collection finishes with a mixture of live tracks, some taken from the live album "Shut Up And Die Like An Aviator" and some being otherwise unavailable B sides, including covers of Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" and "State Trooper". Almost worth buying for these alone!

All in all, this CD is definitely a cut above the standard record company cash in on the back catalogue kind of affair. It is, obviously, limited to the first part of Steve's career which means you miss out on the wealth of excellent material he has recorded in more recent years, but I am sure that once you have listened to this CD you'll be wanting to check that out for yourself...