Legacy [Capitol]

Disc 1
1	I'm Walkin' 1:59
2	You're My One and Only Love 2:06
3	A Teenager's Romance 2:20
4	Be-Bop Baby Single Version 2:04
5	Have I Told You Lately That I Love You Stereo Debut / Version 1:59
6	If You Can't Rock Me 1:53
7	Stood Up 1:53
8	Waitin' in School 2:02
9	Believe What You Say Single Version 2:06
10	My Bucket's Got a Hole in It 2:03
11	Shirley Lee 2:00
12	My Babe 2:34
13	Poor Little Fool 2:33
14	There Goes My Baby 2:14
15	Lonesome Town Stereo Debut 2:14
16	I Got a Feeling Stereo Debut 2:05
17	Cindy previously unreleased / Alternate Version / Alternate Take 2:00
18	It's Late Stereo Debut 1:59
19	One of These Mornings Stereo Debut 1:54
20	Gloomy Sunday previously unreleased 2:05
21	Brand New Girl previously unreleased 2:06
22	Never Be Anyone Else But You 2:16
23	Just a Little Too Much 2:12
24	Sweeter Than You 2:19
25	I've Been Thinkin' previously unreleased / Alternate Version / Alternate Take 1:48
26	I Wanna Be Loved 2:46
27	Mighty Good Stereo Debut 2:18
28	Hey Pretty Baby Stereo Debut / Mix 2:29
29	Lonesome Town previously unreleased / Bonus Track / Alternate Version 2:13
30	Just a Little Too Much previously unreleased / Bonus Track / Alternate Version 1:57
31	My Rifle, My Pony and Me / Dean Martin previously unreleased / Bonus Track 2:10
Disc 2
1	Young Emotions 2:35
2	Glory Train 2:42
3	I'm Not Afraid 2:38
4	You Are My Sunshine previously unreleased 2:35
5	Ain't Nothin' But Love Stereo Debut 2:23
6	Yes Sir, That's My Baby 1:56
7	You Are the Only One 2:40
8	Milk Cow Blues 2:13
9	Travelin' Man 2:22
10	Hello Mary Lou 2:18
11	Today's Teardrops 2:07
12	Everlovin' 2:07
13	A Wonder Like You 2:36
14	Sweet Little Lovable You previously unreleased 2:33
15	Young World 2:26
16	It's up to You 2:58
17	Teenage Idol 2:29
18	I Got a Woman 2:23
19	String Along 2:21
20	Gypsy Woman 2:32
21	I Rise, I Fall 2:16
22	Fools Rush In 2:33
23	For You 2:16
24	The Very Thought of You 1:56
25	There's Nothing I Can Say previously unreleased 2:05
26	I'm a Fool 1:55
27	I'm Talking About You 2:12
28	The Christmas Song previously unreleased / Bonus Track 2:23
29	Jingle Bells previously unreleased / Bonus Track 1:38
Disc 3
1	Louisiana Man 3:06
2	Night Train to Memphis 2:15
3	You Just Can't Quit 2:21
4	Alone 2:36
5	Mystery Train 2:23
6	Suzanne on a Sunday Morning 1:54
7	Promenade in Green 2:11
8	She Belongs to Me 3:02
9	Easy to Be Free 3:14
10	Come on In Live 2:42
11	Bye Bye Love Live / previously unreleased 3:13
12	Look at Mary 3:05
13	Life Single Version 3:00
14	Thank You Lord 3:59
15	Last Time Around 4:23
16	Gypsy Pilot 4:05
17	Love Minus Zero/No Limit 2:54
18	Garden Party 3:48
19	Palace Guard 5:12
20	Are You Really Real? 3:24
Disc 4
1	One Night Stand 3:16
2	Legacy 3:25
3	Truck Drivin' Man Live / previously unreleased 3:01
4	Wings 3:15
5	One X One 3:37
6	Stay Young 3:34
7	Carl of the Jungle 4:02
8	Mama, You Been on My Mind 2:50
9	Dream Lover 3:14
10	Tired of Toeing the Line previously unreleased 3:31
11	Almost Saturday Night 2:32
12	Believe What You Say Capitol Single Version 2:58
13	Back to Schooldays 2:46
14	Rave On previously unreleased 2:59
15	The Loser Babe, Is You 3:46
16	Call It What You Want 3:07
17	Doll Hospital previously unreleased 4:05
18	Give 'Em My Number 3:48
19	Do You Kow What I Mean 1:52
20	True Love Ways 1:57

Barnes & Noble

This handsomely packaged, smartly annotated four-CD, 100-track box set offers a thorough overview of Ricky (later Rick) Nelson’s prolific -- and underrated -- 30-year recording career, beginning with his ‘50s superstardom as a teen-idol pop-rockabilly crooner, through his late-‘60s comeback as a Dylan-influenced folk-rocker, to his later years as a seasoned showbiz pro who could still summon up a rocker’s passion when the inspiration hit him. In the ‘50s, Nelson’s boyish looks and Hollywood background (he got his start costarring in his parents’ long-running TV sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which is where he first sang rock ‘n’ roll) led many to dismiss him as a pop prettyboy. But, unlike the Frankies and Fabians of his era, Nelson was a credible, if reserved, rock ‘n’ roller as well as a convincing ballad singer, and his vintage hits -- “A Teenager’s Romance,” “Be Bop Baby,” “Stood Up,” “Waitin’ in School,” “Believe What You Say,” “Poor Little Fool,” “Lonesome Town,” “It’s Late,” “Hello Mary Lou,” “Fools Rush In” and the reflective “Teenage Idol,” all of them included here along with a nice assortment of previously unreleased tracks -- have a sense of integrity and emotional investment that’s still compelling. There’s also considerable pleasure to be found in material from Nelson’s country-rocking late-‘60s comeback, exemplified by his wry protest hit “Garden Party” and such evocative original compositions as “Palace Guard” and “Gypsy Pilot.” Though Nelson eventually faded from the charts and was driven to the oldies circuit that he’d sworn off on “Garden Party,” the later recordings that comprise Disc Four (including previously unheard readings of Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” and John Hiatt’s “Doll Hospital”) indicate that he never lost hiis ability to rock. Scott Schinder

All Music Guide

As a four-CD set spanning Rick Nelson's entire career, this will likely stand as the most thorough overview of the singer's music ever issued. This doesn't mean, though, that it's the best anthology of his work, unless you subscribe to the viewpoint that his post-mid-'60s records were about as good as his pre-mid-'60s ones, since a full two discs (or half) of this package is devoted to that post-mid-'60s output. Basically, it illustrates his trajectory in phases: disc one, as a good-to-great pop-rockabilly singer; disc two, as a still-good but not quite as vital teen idol in the late '50s and early '60s; disc three, as a fair but not great country-rocker; and disc four, as a has-been playing out the string with uninspired adult contemporary and revival tracks during his final years. The album is an impressive feat of cross-licensing, though, starting with three songs from his first singles (for Verve, and never easy to find on reissues), drawing a lot from his creative peak at Imperial, and then from his spottier efforts for Decca and other labels. All of his Top 40 hits are here, along with a dozen or so previously unreleased tracks, none too remarkable, as well as the 45-single versions of a few early hits. The song selection is very good, but not infallible: The absence of the moody "Mean Old World," which was about the best thing he did in the mid-'60s, is inexplicable. If you are a big fan and do like Nelson's country-rock phase, this is a reasonable investment, but if you don't, you should stick to those collections that focus on his 1957-1965 recordings. Richie Unterberger