Buddy Holly & the Crickets
"20 Greatest Hits" (Vinyl)

A compilation album released in 1978 on vinyl is a pretty fool-proof collection of reasons why Buddy Holly was important to Rock n' Roll. Some of these are smash hits that we all know ("That'll Be the Day", "Peggy Sue") and some have slipped from public knowledge in recent decades. That doesn't make the songs any less alive and full of vitality.

P.S. The fact that this was once rowdy rock n' roll should serve as a lesson to anyone who's troubled by what "those kids" are listening to today. Mtv 'Unplugged' has more raucous tunes than Buddy Holly ever did.