Paul and
Ford were coming to the end of both their personal and professional partnership when these sides were recorded for Columbia between 1958 and 1961. Their reign on the charts was finishing, too; only a couple of these ("Put a Ring on My Finger" and "Jura") made the lower reaches of the Top 40. Their Columbia output hasn't played too well with critics, and while you should certainly head for the Capitol material first, this disc is hardly disgraceful.
Paul's guitar chops and double-tracking wizardry are still much in evidence, all imbued with that hollow reverb that sounds like no one else. Some of this has a pop-rockabilly feel, as if the team was trying to be a bit trendy, out of commercial desperation; nonetheless, those tunes, as well as
Les' instrumental showcases, have worn better than the pop ballads that fill out the rest of the compilation. Includes one previously unissued cut, "I Am My Love's." ~ Richie Unterberger