The Real Kids

Whether or not you already have the seminal 1977 self-titled Real Kids album, you need Better Be Good in your collection. Most of these songs are alternate versions, outtakes and latter-day lineup recordings. Frontman John Felice's power pop sounds sloppier than Cheap Trick or Big Star, but his heart is so immersed in 1950s rock 'n' roll as well as the yearning to write a heartfelt hook, that you can't help but gush over songs like "All Kindsa Girls" and the brooding, moody catharsis of "Just Like Darts."