Hits and Rarities

Definitely the longest Billy Stewart collection (occasionally) available, Hits and Rarities comes from the same Belgian label responsible for nearly a dozen volumes in the solid Soul Patrol nuggets series. Even with 26 tracks, though, the set was forced to trade in a few of his more widely known songs ("Strange Feeling," "Reap What You Sow," "Love Me") for some seriously deep-cover obscurities like "Temptation" (the Tin Pan Alley standard), "I'm No Romeo," "A Fat Boy Can Cry," "Fat Boy's Boogaloo," and a groovy popcorn instrumental called "Scramble." Also included are the long version of "Summertime" and a great mono version (with organ) of "Fat Boy." It's very tough to find (as are all the label's quasi-bootleg releases), but well-worth picking up by fans who can't get enough from one of the '60s' most distinctive soul singers. ~ John Bush