Any fan of NRBQ will tell you a tribute disc honoring a group well into its fourth decade as a working band is long overdue.

Happily, this disc perfectly reflects the band it honors, which is no mean feat. A truly eclectic group of artists turns in performances ranging from the sublime (Los Lobos' Philly-soul-styled take of "Never Take the Place of You") to the surreal (Yo La Tengo's cover of "Magnet") to the downright silly.

For a band that's always been closely associated with cartoonish characters, from The Simpsons to pro wrestling pioneer Capt. Lou Albano (briefly the band's unofficial manager), it's wholly appropriate for this album to have a 17-minute radio play featuring SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals.

The group lovingly parodies several Q classics and tosses in a bunch of sly in-jokes aimed at longtime fans, who will also like the fact that there are a couple of Al Anderson's songs here, too. Add liner notes from Penn Jillette, and what else could you ask for?

Bonnie Raitt's 1982 cover of "Me and the Boys" is the only track not specifically recorded for this project. Mike Mills from R.E.M. turns in a nice reading of "When Things Was Cheap," and other artists include Steve Earle, Widespread Panic and Ron Sexsmith. Everybody brings something interesting to the table, as befits a band that has - unfortunately - always been more popular with other musicians than the public at large.

If it were up to me, this would be the standard by which all tribute albums should be measured. A

- Mike Piercy