JOHN ENTWISTLE -- Thunderfingers: The Best of John Entwistle (Rhino)

He's known by many names: The Ox, The Quiet One, Big John Entwinkle, and Thunderfingers, just to name a few. All nicknames aside, John Entwistle is best known as the bassist for The Who. Until recently, none of his solo albums have been available on compact disc in the US. A few months ago, Rhino acquired the rights to Entwistle's solo catalog & announced plans to reissue all the albums on CD, starting with the new compilation, Thunderfingers. The booklet includes some cool photos, and Entwistle's liner notes are insightful.

While his albums have been less than spectacular overall, there have always been a few select tracks that were better than the rest. Most of those songs appear on the new compilation. There are two cuts from his highly underrated 1981 album, Too Late the Hero--the title track and "Fallen Angel." Surprisingly, the solo version of "My Wife" didn't make the cut. Another puzzling tidbit here, aside from "Fallen Angel," there really aren't any songs here that give you any indication of Entwistle's amazing prowess on the bass guitar.

Thunderfingers is probably not something you're going to listen to repeatedly, unless you're a major Entwistle fan. It gives you a good overview of his solo work, but it doesn't hold up well for casual fans.