Although there have been other
Jodimars compilations, this is the one to get, as it includes all of their Capitol singles and numerous unreleased and rare bonus tracks. In addition to both sides of all the Capitol 45s, there are a few previously unreleased outtakes and the two-song 1955 demo acetate which earned them their Capitol deal. The key drawback to
the Jodimars was their lack of a strong lead singer; the vocals sound rather like early-'50s pop artists trying to awkwardly adapt to rock & roll, although the backing tracks swing along pretty well. Singles like "Well Now Dig This" and "Eat Your Heart Out Annie," however, are both similar to and (other than the vocals) stand up to the best tunes that Bill Haley & the Comets were grinding out for Decca in the mid-'50s. "Clara-Bella" is here, and it's decidedly inferior to
the Beatles' 1963 BBC cover, which was pretty radically reworked for the better with a screamingly intense
Paul McCartney vocal and raucous harmonica. The 16-page liner notes recount
the Jodimars story in great detail. At the end are five rare, passable
Bill Haley recordings (without any involvement by
the Jodimars) from 1968, as well as British Haley interviews from 1957 and 1968.