Sam Cooke The Best of Sam Cooke (Vinyl LP) * * *

Although there are more ambitious collections that better display Sam Cooke's remarkable range and diversity, 1962's The Best Of Sam Cooke is still the best starting place for the music legend who Atlantic Records vice president Jerry Wexler proclaimed "was the best singer who ever lived, no contest." These are his biggest commercial hits from 1957 to 1962 and if you can own only one Sam Cooke album you can't go wrong here. The hit machine composed half of the tracks here himself including "Chain Gang," "Twisting the Night Away," "Bring It on Home to Me," "Having a Party" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" while his top notch interpretation skills are on full display on fellow classics like "Cupid," "You Send Me," "Summertime" and "Wonderful World."