With 42 tracks spanning his truly legendary 1968 debut "Paralyzed" to the first decade of the 21st century, this has nearly two hours of madness by
the Legendary Stardust Cowboy. A little goes a long way with someone who doesn't vary much from the approach he took in the "Paralyzed" days, setting near-demented if basically harmless whooping and largely nonsensical ramblings to suitably shambolic music. It's not for everyone -- after all, this kind of outsider music by definition lacks broad-based appeal. But if you do like his peculiar brand of wailing, this is certainly a hefty if chronologically uneven survey, with just six of the tracks predating the mid-'80s. Crucially, however, those half-dozen tracks comprise all six songs issued on his 1968 singles for Mercury, including not only "Paralyzed" but also the bizarre "Kiss and Run," which sets his near-tuneless warble to a late-'60s easy listening pop arrangement. Almost sounding as if
the Ledge is doing karaoke to a
Glen Campbell record, it might make even non-fans smile despite themselves. It's an anomaly in a set that usually backs his eccentric vocals with a trashy mix of Tex-Mex, rockabilly, surf, and hillbilly music while the singer goofily muses on everything from credit cards and global warming to why he hates CDs, throwing in a cover of "Riders on the Storm" for good measure. It might be the kind of weirdness better appreciated live, but it's also more listenable than some might expect, as he's not as over the top crazy or in-your-face scary as some other outsiders, leavening the unhinged rants with some rather good-natured humor. The liner notes aren't too well organized, but then, a sober career retrospective probably wouldn't suit him. The Sarah, Raquel, and
David of the title, incidentally, are the Duchess of York, Raquel Welch, and
David Bowie, all admirers of the singer (as proven by the brief fan notes from the first pair on the back cover, alongside a snapshot of
the Ledge with
Bowie). ~ Richie Unterberger