B.B.B.'s - The Best of the B.B.B.'s - 1998

This is an oddly fascinating record, as it covers the nearly two-decade career of a band all but unheard of outside of a 25-mile radius of Rochester, NY. As such, Best of the B.B.B.'s, Volume 1 shows why it is that some local bands stay local. This is not to imply that this band, a power pop group led by singer-guitarist Luther Holtzman, who's the only constant member on these tracks, is without merit or talent, merely that there's a notable lack of world-beating ambition on display here. These 25 tracks, recorded between 1982 and 1997, include such parochial standbys as a Christmas single (actually two of the best tracks here), a radio jingle for a local business, and a snippet of live tape recorded at a dance marathon at the University of Rochester. Holtzman's other songs are genial guitar pop along the lines of the Raspberries, Shoes, or other Beatles-fixated power poppers of the '70s, and they too have the relaxed "this is just a hobby" vibe of a guy making records intended to please no one but himself. In an age where most albums are micro-managed and focus-grouped down to the tiniest detail for maximum commercial impact, this genuine indifference is quirkily satisfying. -AMG

B.B.B.'s - The Best of the B.B.B.'s - 1998/rs
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B.B.B.'s - The Best of the B.B.B.'s - 1998/sb