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[Music] Best compilation album?



Nitram

Well-known member
Jul 16, 2013
2,178
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Legend
Rolling Stones - Hot rocks 1964-71
The Who - Meaty Beaty big and bouncy
 

We're the Stripes

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2005
3,591
BN2
Not sure I overly agree with them in hindsight, but I grew up listening to a lot of "best of" albums as my first introduction to a number of bands, couple of favourites being:

220px-Thecuregreatesthits.JPG


220px-R.E.M._-_In_Time.jpg
 


Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
6,518
Compilation albums get bad press from album snobs, but they are brilliant for exploring genres where the single was more important.

As I mentioned on the Punk thread, Lenny Kaye's Nuggets album is a classic introduction to sixties garage, there are quite a few compilations of doowop and girl group songs that are dirt cheap and absolutely brilliant. You just have to avoid the dreaded 'Some of these songs have been re-recorded by the original artists for your listening pleasure' warning. This means that you will end up with the 1993 line up of The Drifters with peoples cousins and grandsons failing to sound like Ben E King in front of bored session players stumbling their way through 'There Goes My Baby'.

I have bought loads of good ones by old soul, jazz and blues artists: O.V. Wright, Irma Thomas, Bobbie Bland, Billy Ward & His Dominoes, Sonny Boy Williamson, Gloria Lynne, Camille Howard, Spike Jones etc. There are a few seminal artists where compilation albums are a cheap and easy way in Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry etc.

I absolutely love Country Got Soul Vols 1 & 2 and they have inspired me to buy really good compilations of Jim Ford, Wayne Carson, Bobbie Gentry and Tony Joe White.

Compiliations are great for people like me who have Spotify, but don't really think its the same as owning stuff.
 


maffew

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2003
8,858
Worcester England
Compilation albums get bad press from album snobs, but they are brilliant for exploring genres where the single was more important.

As I mentioned on the Punk thread, Lenny Kaye's Nuggets album is a classic introduction to sixties garage, there are quite a few compilations of doowop and girl group songs that are dirt cheap and absolutely brilliant. You just have to avoid the dreaded 'Some of these songs have been re-recorded by the original artists for your listening pleasure' warning. This means that you will end up with the 1993 line up of The Drifters with peoples cousins and grandsons failing to sound like Ben E King in front of bored session players stumbling their way through 'There Goes My Baby'.

I have bought loads of good ones by old soul, jazz and blues artists: O.V. Wright, Irma Thomas, Bobbie Bland, Billy Ward & His Dominoes, Sonny Boy Williamson, Gloria Lynne, Camille Howard, Spike Jones etc. There are a few seminal artists where compilation albums are a cheap and easy way in Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry etc.

I absolutely love Country Got Soul Vols 1 & 2 and they have inspired me to buy really good compilations of Jim Ford, Wayne Carson, Bobbie Gentry and Tony Joe White.

Compiliations are great for people like me who have Spotify, but don't really think its the same as owning stuff.

Agreed.

Some of my favourite 'albums' were compilations generally about music I know nothing about but know I like it if that makes sense. EG I love classical music but wouldnt have clue who is who, so bought a compilation of 5 cds from the WHSmiths bargain bin got 16 quid years ago.. Over 100 tracks, I and most of you would have known them all (from a tv ad, footy terrace song, or from school/the choir.) Beautiful it was and the only classical music I needed in my CD collection

I did the same with a "Best of Ska" compilation, same as above. Fair but if crap on there but loads of classics

And DJing the best was I found when starting to mix a new genre was with a compliation with a tune or 2 you may know on, then you have loads of filler tracks round that and can start building round that

I started with CarlCox FACT when I was getting into old technoey electro trancy stuff, then some mix CDs from REACT (but on vinyl) and a couple of drum and bass albums/LPs by Ganga Cru, DJ Marky, SS, whoever. Before you know if you've got a playable set in no time at all

Heck I've bought a few NOW compilations here and there, easy one for the kids parties
 

Klaas

I've changed this
Nov 1, 2017
2,549
Wasn't 'Hatful of Hollow' a compilation? Was always my favourite Smiths album. Didn't realise it was a compilation for years.
 


Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
6,518
I love classical music but wouldnt have clue who is who, so bought a compilation of 5 cds from the WHSmiths bargain bin got 16 quid years ago.. Over 100 tracks, I and most of you would have known them all (from a tv ad, footy terrace song, or from school/the choir.) Beautiful it was and the only classical music I needed in my CD collection

I did exactly the same, but for two quid in a charity shop earlier this year. (Why is everyone getting rid of their cds? Have they not learnt their lesson from the 90s when I bought all of the cast off vinyl that they are now forking out to replace?). I've always been a bit wary of starting to buy classical music as there is hundreds of years of it and my obsession with the popular side is already out of hand. The compilation has allowed me to get a bit of a handle on it and I can now start to look out for more of the stuff that has caught my interest; (Debussy, Stravinsky, Satie at the moment, but I know it will snowball as I listen to more).
 


We're the Stripes

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2005
3,591
BN2
Wasn't 'Hatful of Hollow' a compilation? Was always my favourite Smiths album. Didn't realise it was a compilation for years.
It's got Handsome Devil on it (John Peel session) which is almost enough by itself to make it my favourite Smiths album.
 

PFJ

Not the JPF ..splitters !
Jun 22, 2010
991
The Port of Noddy Holder
Punk and Disorderly.PNG

Oi.PNG

Judgement Night.PNG

In the days before spotify, any decent punk bands that you had not yet discovered could be found on the excellent Punk and Disorderly trio of compilations, and the four main Oi albums. I thought Strength Through Oi was particularly good.

And then a total departure with The Judgement Night Album, crossing rap and metal bands. Highlights are Slayer and Ice -T covering an Exploited medley and Biohazard and Onyx.
 


Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
6,518
And of course:

022-c86-tracks.jpg

I can't think of any other compilation album that has given a name to a musical genre. Sneered at by many, but I know that there are also many on here who know the score.
 

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