There"s a perfectly valid reason to own this album. Unfortunately, it has little to do with the music contained on the disc. Perhaps the most notorious, terminated drummer in rock & roll history, Pete Best was, of course, the original skinman in the Beatles. This 16-song collection is culled from mid-"60s sessions by Best"s post-Fab ensemble, an otherwise unremarkable unit that could only coast on the fame of its unfortunate namesake for so long. While a few tracks are appealing--the robust opener "All Aboard," the Jagger/Richards-penned "Off the Hook"--most are hampered by shoddy production and haphazard performances. "If You Can"t Get Her" is second rate Herman"s Hermits; the Hermits were, in turn, second rate Beatles. That said, the Pete Best Combo has earned a humble niche in Brit Invasion history. Mersey Beat aficionados, take note. Casual fans, however, won"t have a hard time finding something much better than Best. --Steven Stolder