The legendary and genre-defying Dan Hicks recently left us, and this single disc serves as a “Greatest Hits” to give tribute to him. While it does include classics like “Where’s the Money?” and “How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away,” the album is a tad misleading, as the version of “ I Scare Myself” is not from the original Striking it Rich album, there is no version of “Canned Music,” “Vivando” or “ Walkin’ One and Only.” Was there a contractual problem?
Still, what you get is highly enjoyable, with a mix of Bob Wills Western Swing, on “ Strike While It’s H ot,” a Hot Club Quintet bounce no “That’s Where I’m At’ and a wonderful pair of bluesers on “Hey Bartender” and Tom Waits’ “The Piano has Been Drinkin’.” A good intro, but also check out his early material of Blue Thumb records.