Absolute Hits (Remastered)

Billy Squier is one of the most underrated rockers of any era. The video for “Rock Me Tonite” with its pink satin sheets and over-exaggerated body movements turned Squier’s career into a punch line, but it never should have derailed the popularity of a man so possessed of great talent. The only complaint with this collection would be that it leaves too much out. Squier’s first three albums — The Tale of the Tape, Don’t Say No and Emotions In Motion — are all near-perfect. The first album is skipped over here for the radio-smash brilliance of “In the Dark,” “The Stroke” and “My Kinda Lover” before working towards “Everybody Wants You” and “Rock Me Tonite.” These songs are among the best of their era. Even later solo work from completely ignored albums feature solid tunes with “Don’t Say You Love Me” and “She Goes Down” that suffer only from their rock clichés. A cowbell, really? This collection knows what fans want and features two live cuts of beloved Squier tunes “Everybody Wants You” and “The Stroke.”