ALBUM REVIEW : **** LES PAUL “The Legend and the Legacy” <i> Capitol</i>

“Wow! So that’s what you’ve been doing out in the garage! But what the hell is it?!?”

This, according to the liner notes of Les Paul’s new four-CD retrospective box, was the reaction of singer Mary Ford upon first hearing his 1947 recording of “Lover,” which inaugurated Paul’s Capitol career. Her reaction is understandable.

Forty-four years later, even after Paul’s solid-body guitar inventions became standard equipment and his playing style was acknowledged as an influence by nearly every rock guitar god imaginable, the tune still sounds downright weird --instantly accessible but also spooky, hyper, sped-up sounding.

Paul is best known to a younger generation as a pioneer of electric guitar technology and design, but this collection reinforces what a phenomenal, one-of-a-kind record maker he was, whether recording gentle pop standards with Ford (who became his wife, as well as his radio and TV co-star) or hillbilly-jazz instrumentals.

Though none of Paul’s essential Capitol sides from 1948-1958 have been available on CD, this box reprises 75 recordings, plus some vintage radio spots, and one disc jam-packed entirely with 34 previously unreleased tracks--a little more Les Paul than almost anyone needs. But after the drought, who’s complaining?