As widely revered an American songwriter as Bobby Charles was, it’s curious that none of his early material has ever been reissued domestically on compact disc. In fact, if memory serves me right, this material was only reissued once on vinyl in the US when All Platinum controlled the Chess catalog briefly in the early 1980s.

If you’re a regular OffBeat reader, you should be familiar with the recently deceased Charles’ history. This German release contains his first efforts as a recording artist, tracks recorded in the 1950s that became the foundation of South Louisiana rock ’n’ roll and swamp pop. The title track of course is the centerpiece here, a song that speaks for itself. The track is as chaotic as anything Cosimo Matassa supervised (except maybe Guitar Slim’s sessions), and I have a sneaky feeling the tape for “Later Alligator” was sped up slightly when Chess mastered it. Whatever the case, the song became Charles’ signature.

Chess and Charles tried to catch lightning in a bottle more than once, following “…Alligator” with a couple of forced sides, “Watch It Sprocket” and “Take It Easy Greasy.” However, the good far outweighs the bad here. The swamp pop tracks “On Bended Knees,” (the sax break on this is to die for) “I’m a Fool to Care,” “Ain’t Got No Home” and “Your Picture” are unsurpassed. This guy could write a song that could rip your heart out. There’s also some splendid mid-tempo numbers here, such as “One Eyed Jack,” “I’ll Turn Square for You” and “Laura Lee.”

Predictably fine accompaniment from Cosimo studio players and Charles proved a Cajun kid from Abbeville could out sing all of the Rickies, Jimmies and Pauls of the era. Great packaging as always from Bear Family. Worth tracking down for sure.