It’s one of the great injustices of modern times that the 1969 Columbia Records debut album by NRBQ inexplicably remained out of print for decades. Nevermind that they were—and remain, more than 50 years since their inception, numerous lineup changes aside—a band cherished by many, a role model that broke the rules from the start and has never, not for a single moment, sold out. For whatever dumb reason, the vital document that introduced the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet (or Quintet, at the time) to humanity was hurled on the heap of history and forgotten. Until now. Finally, it’s back, and it still startles in its originality. NRBQ, the band, announced with NRBQ , the album, that they were going to do things differently. The first two tracks were covers of tunes made famous by rockabilly hero Eddie Cochran (“C’mon Everybody”) and astral traveling jazz freak Sun Ra (“Rocket #9”). Well, hello to you too! Engineered by Eddie Kramer (Hendrix, Zeppelin), the 14-track set features more covers (Bruce Channel, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee), but the originals penned by band members Terry Adams, Steve Ferguson and Joey Spampinato, such as “Kentucky Slop Song” and “Stomp,” also go a long way toward establishing the Q’s MO of tossing bits and pieces of genres into the blender, then rocking it up good until it came out NRBQ. They’d continue to refine and redefine as the years progressed and other musicians came into the fold, but everything that NRBQ is all about was already in place on this killer thriller. Jeff Tamarkin