This is a compilation of the best songs contained on the Les Paul box set, THE LEGEND AND THE LEGACY.

Les Paul & Mary Ford: Mary Ford (vocals); Les Paul (guitar).

Liner Note Author: Les Paul.

Die-hard Les Paul fans will need to own THE LEGEND AND THE LEGACY, a four-disc archival set of Paul's work with Capitol, but those not willing to make that leap might consider BEST OF THE CAPITOL MASTERS: 90TH BIRTHDAY EDITION. A distillation of that same set, BEST OF is a concise and economical alternative to THE LEGEND. By the time Paul was recording for Capitol, he was already branching out into radical experimentation with recording and engineering techniques, and many of those experiments are featured here.

One of the first to use multi-track technology, Paul would layer tracks of his own guitar work to create an expansive, chamber-pop sound. Moreover, Paul manipulated tape speeds to augment the sound of his playing, and would often mix different speeds together to create a freaky choral effect. BEST OF THE CAPITOL MASTERS also represents the fruitful partnership Paul developed with singer Mary Ford (also his wife), who sings on many of these tracks. Mary's nimble vocals give the tunes (especially the jazz standards) an accessible charm that offsets Paul's experimentation, making this fine single-disc overview a fun listen (in addition to its value as a historical document).

A good single-disc distillation of the highlights of Les Paul's epic four-disc box set, The Legend and the Legacy, The Best of the Capitol Masters is all most casual fans will need to own. [Best of the Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition, which includes "Dialog/In the Mood," "Brazil" and "Excerpt from the Les Paul Show: "The Case of the Missing Les ...," as well as the original twenty tracks is also available. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A good single-disc distillation of the highlights of Les Paul's epic four-disc box set, The Legend and the Legacy, The Best of the Capitol Masters is all most casual fans will need to own. [Best of the Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition, which includes "Dialog/In the Mood," "Brazil" and "Excerpt from the Les Paul Show: "The Case of the Missing Les ...," as well as the original twenty tracks is also available. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine