Marshall Crenshaw"s meld of rock & roll archaeology and empathetic songwriting remains striking lo these many moons since his debut. The 9 Volt Years, which collects demos and the odd radio performance, is a reminder of just how startling Crenshaw"s forward-thinking retro style was in the early "80s. Fans will be familiar with some of these titles--"Someday Someway," "You"re My Favorite Waste of Time," "Something"s Gonna Happen," "Rockin" Around in NYC," heard here in versions similar to but different from the previously released takes, along with substantial retoolings of a couple of others--while more will quickly become new favorites. A pretty good "I"m Sorry" (Bo Diddley"s, not Brenda Lee"s) and a terrific reading of Sam Cooke"s "That"s It, I Quit, I"m Movin" On" are the obligatory covers. For even casual Crenshaw watchers, a must. --Rickey Wright