rated

If a white trash bar band met the devil in a back alley off Elvis Presley Blvd. and signed a bloody contract for rock stardom, well, they'd be stealing the Supersuckers' gig. The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World is a collection of the band's Sub-Pop recordings, from their early three-chord punk riffs, through a C&W detour, and smack bang into high-octane, demonic rawk 'n' roll. Driving guitars, thundering drums and Eddie Spaghetti's distinctive wail have shaped a sound that feels best live, but sounds damn good on the hi-fi, too. If you haven't already, you owe it to yourself to try out the 'Suckers' Satanic brand of cowpunk -- equal parts "cow" and "punk," depending on the song.

Divided into the "Greats" and the "Gravy," the album's 27 tracks offer a nice selection of the 'Suckers' most memorable songs. The Greats include rockers like "Born With A Tail" and "Hell City, Hell," which showcase the band's humorous obsession with Satan (the kitschy, goateed Satan as much as the long-haired heavy-metal beastmaster), while "Hot Rod Rally" and "Doublewide" highlight life on the wrong side of the trailer park. The Gravy serves up enough rarities to keep fans happy, including two unreleased tracks, two "Black Supersuckers" tracks (with Eric Martin on vocals), duets with Willie Nelson and country bad-boy Steve Earle, and the impossible-to-find cover of Ice Cube's "Dead Homiez."

Some greatest hits albums are all you really need to hear of a band, but this collection serves as a perfect introduction. The albums these songs are taken from are great in their own right, and lots of good stuff was left behind. And unlike an "It's All Over Now" summary, this is a portrait of a band just about to break into a new phase of its career. The Supersuckers are at the top of their muscle-car-drivin', Kentucky-bourbon-drinkin' game, and with the original lineup reunited and the band signed to a new label, it looks like the devil's just about pay off on that deal.

~ Sacha A. Howells, CheckOut.com