Personnel: Bo Diddley (vocals, guitar).

Audio Remasterer: Gavin Lurssen.

The death of Bo Diddley in 2008 provided an occasion to reassess the man's sizable contribution to rock & roll, and the nicely compiled ROAD RUNNER: THE CHESS MASTERS 1959-1960, also released in '08, facilitates the purpose. ROAD RUNNER packs 52 tracks onto two discs, adding up to a case history of Diddley's distinctive, groove-driven, blues-and-soul-fueled genius. In addition to well-known Diddley tunes featuring his classic line-up of two guitars, bass drums, and vocals (with a variety of his trademark beats), ROAD RUNNER features 23 previously unreleased tracks (including many alternate takes), making it a must for collectors and completists. But THE CHESS MASTERS also works well as an introduction, summing up the essence of Bo Diddley as one of rock's founding fathers.

Record Collector (magazine) (p.85) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "There are three versions apiece of 'Come On Baby' and 'Let Me In,' four of 'She's Alright,' but it's the unheard tracks that offer the most variations on Diddley's trademark 'chug-chug-a-chug' sound."