Drunk, addict, jailbird: Paycheck's tortured life too often obscured his talent. George Jones' bassist/harmony singer in the early '60s, his tough baritone, at its peak, was Jones' only equal. Eighteen months after his death, this Robbie Fulks-produced salute expertly summons Paycheck's soulful heartache. Gorgeous George himself tackles "She's All I Got", Neko Case adds fiery flash to "If I'm Gonna Sink" and Dave Alvin does outlaw twang-fest "11 Months And 29 Days", alongside Marshall Crenshaw, Mavis Staples and Bobby Bare Jr.
Even before Belle & Sebastian and Franz Ferdinand cited jangling, DiY indie as a touchstone, it had influenced Kurt Cobain (who covered The Vaselines' "Molly's Lips", featured here), the Manics and Saint Etienne. Essentially, indie-pop continued where Postcard records (Orange Juice, Josef K et al) left off a few years earlier (though minus the soul influences).