Icon (CD)

Ricky Nelson was one of rock & roll's first teen idols, and arguably the first who rose to stardom through television. As a co-star on the family sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (where he appeared alongside his real-life parents), Nelson began appearing regularly with his rock & roll combo in 1957, and the show helped promote Nelson's string of hit records (while radio play of the records helped attract attention to the TV show). Though Nelson was a handsome young man with charm and charisma, he was also one of the better rock artists of the era, with a strong voice that sounded rich and sincere when he sang of the torment of teenage love, and he had an outstanding backing band, including the gifted session guitarist James Burton. While Nelson's string of hits would dry up in the mid-'60s, in the late '60s he became an early advocate of country-rock, and made a comeback in 1972 with the hit single "Garden Party." Icon is an 11-song collection of Nelson's biggest hits, featuring most of his best-known tunes of the '50s and early '60s (including "Hello Mary Lou," "Poor Little Fool," "Travelin' Man," and "Lonesome Town") and closing with "Garden Party." Given its length, this is far from a complete overview of Nelson's career (those looking for a more extensive single-disc collection should seek out Capitol's 2005 Greatest Hits, which features 25 tracks), but the sound quality on this set is quite good, and with its budget price, this is a good value that delivers some great sounds from an artist who certainly deserves to be remembered. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi