Indie Top 20 - Pride Of Independents CD/2LP series

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This series of CDs was a huge influence on me as far as my musical growing up (in the U.S., even though they were UK Indie Top 20, they somehow got great distribution in the U.S. for a while), and at least between the years 1988 and 1992 always put on the most banging tracks.

This is the thread where we celebrate the existence of these compilations. (All of the good stuff on the 1988 CDR Go! wouldn't have been on it had it not been for Volume 6)

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:25 (twenty-two years ago)

for example:
A Guy Called Gerald "Voodoo Ray"
Shamen vs. Bam Bam "Transcendental"
The Colorblind James Experience "Considering a Move To Memphis"
The Snapdragons "The Things You Want"
The Wedding Present "Pourquoi Est Tu Devenue Si Raisonable?"
etc.

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh there was a good thread about one of these recently. I only ever owned a couple of them, they were alright, I expect they seemed more exciting if you were American though.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha, zing!

Anyone remember The Screaming Trees... UK? As in the synthpop group? "Tangiers". That's on it. That confused me for a while, as I was this close to getting an SST album of the American Screaming Trees because I liked "Tangiers" so much.

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry DB it wasn't meant to be a put down though it reads like one - the Melody Maker used to give away the odd tape with lots of US indie on and it all seemed much more glamorous than the Beechwood stuff, but I think the Beechwood series is very valuable, some fairly dogged and enthusiastic archaeology of an unfashionable and unsung time.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I have this one Melody Maker CD from around 1989 or so which had The Breeders, The Cranes, Kitchens, Lightning Seeds,.. mostly rare outtake tracks. It was called Gigantic 2 or something like that. It was a nearly 80 minute CD of stuff with a booklet far too thick to slide back into the case. I still treasure that CD, although it's one of those rotting PDO made discs, so I better back it up really soon.

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I wouldn't have discovered St. Etienne, the Paris Angels, The New Fast Automatic Daffodils, James Taylor Quartet, Colorblind James Experience, or Spacemen 3 without the Beechwood comps. They were all very odd and chock full of great stuff.

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Same here. The Beechwood comps and Volume CDs made it a hell of a lot easier for me to get my ears round all the bands of the time without spending shitloads of cash on singles/albums.

I only have 2 indie top 20s (never saw many of them around, not that I looked that hard) but I have loads of Volume ones. Do they still release those?

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a Beechwood vs Volume one as well! In fact I think I started it. The Dirty Vicar and I disagreed if I recall.

They stopped making Volume - never really heard about why. I think the last one was 17 or 18 or so, in 1997 or thereabouts.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:44 (twenty-two years ago)

talk about this "Best Of Indie Top 20 Volume 1" 1991 UK comp, plz

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Taking Sides: Volume vs Indie Top 20

I didn't disagree with the Dirty Vicar because he didn't post on it.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:49 (twenty-two years ago)

The IT20 compilations were just the most important records I've
encountered in my life. I own at least 15 and even though I don't like some of the bands/songs in them I absolutely love others. I discovered the collection with Volume 8, and was absolutely haunted by "Elephantine" by The Kitchens of Distinction. I had a similar experience when I first heard "Jack" by Moose (Volume 12), and other songs by Pale Saints, St. Etienne, Talulah Gosh... I could go on and on.

― daavid, Tuesday, 27 January 2004 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

eleven years pass...

oooh snap

http://www.youtube.com/user/indietop20albums/playlists?sort=dd&view=50&shelf_id=17

― maura, Tuesday, 17 March 2015 22:13 (eleven years ago)

i miss The Compilation Years

― maura, Tuesday, 17 March 2015 22:13 (eleven years ago)

I once found the compilation with Ultra Vivid Scene's Mercy Seat on it in a telephone box in Watford.

― djh, Tuesday, 17 March 2015 23:41 (eleven years ago)

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