Personnel: Gary Hoey (guitar); Gary Hoey; Dick Dale (guitar); Jamie Carter, Tony Franklin, Ray Riendeau (bass instrument); Brian Setzer (guitar); Frankie Banali, Gregg Bissonette, Myron Grombacher, Glen Sobel, Bobby Rock (drums). Photographer: Maggie Marsek. The casual observer might be surprised that 2004's The Best of Gary Hoey does not consist of a bunch of Christmas music culled from his Ho! Ho! Hoey albums, but as this 18-track collection proves, there's more to the high-riding guitar virtuoso than chop-laden versions of seasonal classics. There are also covers of classic oldies like "Low Rider," "Wipeout," "Linus and Lucy," Pink Floyd's "Money," "Misirlou," and "Frankenstein," along with a bunch of original material that functions as a vessel for Hoey's relentless playing. All of his albums, save the Christmas records, are well represented here, and there's a pair of previously unreleased cuts, too, including a version of "Rocky Mountain Way," which makes this a good summary of his work to date, and a good introduction to his style, which you will either find to be a good soundtrack to the summer or simply ho-ho-horrid. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

• Genre: Pop
• RSD Date: n/a
• Format: CD
• Released: 8/24/2004