I'm proposing: "Doing it for the Kids", the Creation comp that had tonnes of cool late '80s indie bands for the price of a single. Still very pleasant in retrospect.
#8 of Volume, the CD compilation that fits up your arse. This is from when Volume had both bleepy and guitary music nuzzling up to each other on the one disc. What as great about this one in particular was the way the tracks all blended into each other to form a coherent whole.
The Rough Trade Boxed Set - OK, at four discs you're kind of stretching the concept of the compilation album, but we make exceptions for things this good. Lots of varied musics, mmmm mmmm.
I'm sure there are more.
― TheDirtyVicar, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― JM, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Otherwise What's Up Matador was pretty good too.
― Mr Noodles, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Casablanca: Cool cool cool European foppop from Divine Comedy, Momus, Jack, Formula One, Future Bible Heroes, Stereototal, Le Mans, Dob and and and just loads. This is probably one of my favourite albums ever.
Special Skool, The Best Of Invicta Hi-Fi: Cool cool cool European swishpop from Baxendale, Ladytron, DHK, Vada, Hayley's Cake, Chevette doing Old Pulp Song "We Can Dance Again", Collette doing sweet J-pop version of You're In A Bad Way. This is probably one of my favourite albums ever.
Any El Records compilations are always well worth getting. Same goes for the Songs For The Jet Set series and the Algebra Spaghetti/Simultaneous Ice Cream compilations.
― jamesmichaelward, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Mark, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― dave q, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
The Harder They Come--still the best reggae comp ever (single- disc division) The Indestructible Beat of Soweto Land of 1000 Dances (Ace)--killer collection of early '60s dance records Roots of Jazz Funk vols 1 & 2 (MVP)--Coltrane, Hancock, Blakey, etc. Township Jazz 'n' Jive (Music Club) Greatest Rap Hits Vol. 2 (Sugarhill 1981)--"That's the Joint," "Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," more more more Kurtis Blow Presents the History of Rap Vol. 1 (Rhino)--killer collection of breakbeat classics, e.g. "Apache," "Hum Along and Dance," "Theme from S.W.A.T." Risque Rhythm: Nasty '50s R&B (Rhino) both vols. of Soundbombing Best of Techno Vol. 3 (Profile 1993) Amp 1 & 2 (Astralwerks) Wanna Buy a Bridge? (Rough Trade 1980) more to come....
― M. Matos, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
but, just one question for the vicar: do dj mix cd's count?
― jess, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― The Dirty Vicar, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Jordan, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― turner, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Kodanshi, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Rob M, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Everyone bangs on about c86 (or they did) but what about the "Indie City" double tape that came out in 87/88 -- I still dig that out now and then. (it's the one with 2000AD style artwork featuring Noddy on a skateboard)
Meanwhile nearer the present, the Rough Trade anniversary thing that came out was excellent value with plenty of quality stuff on it.
― Alan Trewartha, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Brock Kappers, Thursday, 4 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― gareth, Thursday, 4 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― DV, Thursday, 4 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I know there are prob a zillion threads about this, but I wasn't sure which to choose.
The Quietus has posted a fascinating list from across lots of styles, times, places. Not as much in the spirit of figuring out the best one, but in the interest of discovering new ones, I thought I'd share and revive this thread.
http://thequietus.com/articles/24193-top-40-best-compilation-albums-of-all-time
― Federico Boswarlos, Wednesday, 14 March 2018 14:06 (six years ago) link
Good list, that.
Bumping this thread rather than starting a new one, here are some of my own faves . . .
Kenny Dope Presents Brazilika – this is a really good 70-minute set of Brazilian tunes from the 1970s and 1980s, compiled by one half of Masters At Work
Samba Soul 70 – more of the same, but even more funky
Tom Middleton's Sound Of The Cosmos – this came out in 2003 and is a three-CD set, one disc is breakbeat house, one is deep house and one is ambient. There's not a single duff track on there
Atlantic Jazz Flutes – Ian Penman of all people alerted me to this one on Twitter, 12 tracks by six artists (two each), the names include Rahsaan Kirk, Yusef Lateef, Herbie Mann and Hubert Laws
Italian Dream House: Welcome To Paradise – this was released in 2017, a clutch of obscure but brilliant Italo house tracks from the late 1980s and early 1990s
Drum & Bass Selection 4 – there were five of these compilations in total and this one was the best, 25 years on it still absolutely slaps from start to finish
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Tuesday, 2 June 2020 20:59 (three years ago) link