American Graffiti
For those of us who grew up in the '70s, this drive-in compilation of  '50s and '60s rock and doo-wop, complete with Wolfman Jack introductions, was  our introduction to this music.  There are 41 jukebox hits here, and every one  of them is a classic of its time (although two tracks--"At the Hop"  and "She's so Fine" are covers by the revival band Flash Cadillac &  the Continental Kids). In his 1973 movie, director George Lucas used the music  (and the presence of mysterious deejay Wolfman) as the AM-radio soundtrack to  one night in suburban California, 1962.  The idea was to capture and sustain an  end-of-summer, end-of-innocence mood that's in the air throughout the picture-- not as a shortcut to establishing a period (as in Robert Zemeckis'Forrest  Gump). There's an awful lot of spontaneous energy in these tunes--from Chuck  Berry and Buddy Holly, to the Platters and the Clovers and the Del-Vikings, to  the Crests and the Beach Boys--and also just a hint of melancholy that goes down  very nicely with a burger, shake, and fries.--Jim Emerson