One man that seems to be getting ignored in the frenzy of "best of the '90s" journalism is Jon Spencer. It really surprises me that Orange didn't make it into Spin's Top 90 (let alone the Pitchfork list). Especially since it seems they just called up the Village Voice and said, "Umm, we've been doing cover stories on Britney Spears and Kid Rock for the past few months, and before that it was the Backstreet Boys... uh... let's see. Spice Girls. Dang. The last hip thing we covered was Nirvana. What was cool in the '90s?" And then the Village Voice would say, "Well, for a while there we liked the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, but they didn't turn out to be gay enough for our tastes." "Then it's settled, we'll put another PJ Harvey album on the list, and finish 'er off with Basement Jaxx."

Of course, Jon Spencer's done plenty that none of us should be proud of. Fortunately, this release of b-sides and remixes that accompany 1998's Acme is not one of those things. There are a few laugh- out- loud bits of musical comedy, like Spencer leering, "Baby, have you ever had a hot dog?" or listing his favorite condiments on the remix of "Magical Colors." Or the "Soul Trance" skit where the Blues Explosion headlines at a club that was supposed to feature Bel Biv Devoe. Not to mention a bit of Redd Fox- inspired smut on "Lap Dance."

Xtra Acme USA's finest moments, though, are the brand spankin' new ones. "Wait a Minute" kicks the album off with Spencer coming as close to his dream of being the Rolling Stones as he's ever been. He conducts the hits like James Brown on "Get Down Lover" and reaffirms his rockabilly/ punk roots on "Electricity" and "Hell."

Admittedly, this record's a little heavy on the filler, but there are moments here that leave the original Acme in the dust. Why didn't some of these songs make the cut? Instead of releasing two pretty good records, he could have made one great one. I guess that's why you don't see him next to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Tom Ze and the Manic Street Preachers at the decade's end.

-Jared Bane