'Nice Enough to Eat' (1969) was my standout compilation album - introduction to King Crimson and Nick Drake - full of great tracks. Then 'Bumpers' double following a similar theme in 1970. Oh! what wonderful days!!!
Nuggets came out over 50 years ago and it changed everything. Compiled by Lenny Kaye. All those abandoned psychedelic garage 45s from the sixties were rediscovered by 70s garage rockers and the general public. If you wondered what all those CBGBs bands had in common, it was Nuggets. All those similar compilations that followed the first nuggets were also great. I love that stuff. Looking forward to what you are going to say about compilations.
@@TheAnadrome you too, yeah it was massive. I think the industry tried to bury those songs. Finding lost psych rock gems on UA-cam is still a joy, there are so many. Maybe check out “Optical Sound” by the Human Expression. I met Lenny Kaye and I told him how much I loved those nuggets albums.
There was a great series of Atlantic Jazz compilations issued in the late 80s - my favourite was the soul jazz compilation, which introduced me to Lou Donaldson, Les McCann and King Curtis.
Great idea for a video Andy! It sparked lots of thoughts about those compilations that I bought that opened up musical vistas for me. Of course, I was foraging a decade before you, but the same effect grabbed ahold of me. There was an excellent Chess Records comp called Pop Origins, which exposed me to the deep blues songs that were remade as rock music. Then there was a weird Christmas compilation on RCA that had things like a Japanese koto version of a Bach tune, which would later provoke an interest in international music. Later when I was getting interested in punk and new wave and as I was passing through London in 1979 (!) I picked up a movie soundtrack for a British film that I've never seen called That Summer! The music selection on it was incredible as a guide for beginning my new search. My local San Francisco Bay Area Radio station KFRC made a vinyl comp that was an amazing source of 1966 garage rock, that fed a need that eventually the Nuggets collection would define. And I could go on. Well done my good sir. And you beat me to the punch! I was just going to suggest that Best Ofs should be next. (The Edith Piaf LP that my mother had, which I now own.) Therefore then let me suggest another similar subject Festival Comps Newport, Woodstock, Monterey, Montreux, etc.
Brought back memories of my own youth in buying the Warner Bros compilation albums used to be able to get off of the inner sleeves and exposed me to a lot of music I would have never had a chance to buy individually thanks for the memory Road
There was an avant garde jazz sampler on Atlantic that was really big for me at a young age. It introduced me to the Art Ensemble, Coltrane, Mingus, Roland Kirk etc. I used to play Compared To What in a band at one point as well.
K-Tel “20 Power Hits” (1973). If you’re Canadian and grew up in the 70’s, you know what I’m talkin about. I asked my mom to buy this compilation for me cuz it had a Partridge Family hit on it, but the other 19 various artist hits were good, too - for a 9 year old kid.
Ah, K-Tel advertisements on the UHF channels! We had them in Boston in the 70’s. I haven’t thought of K-Tel in 45+ years. I mainly remember the UHF ads for questionable kitchen gadgets.
Ah yes....K-Tels - those were classics. They were part of an empire which included the Ronco and Popeil companies. Remember the cap snafflers and the Popiel Pocket Fisherman!
@@edwardyazinski3858 We Canadians always had a kinship with the Midwest northern states because they played hockey and were more likely to own K-tel records. 73-74, Bill Goldsworthy’s best year with the Minnesota North Stars!
My father was a career US Army officer and retired LTC. He flew Hueys for two years in Vietnam. In 73 he moved into recruiting for a bit, as the draft was out and the ALL VOLUNTEER ARMY began. As part of that push the Army put out compilation records that my father gave to me. These were like mimics of top forty stations. This was my first exposure to Steely Dan as Reeling in The Years was one of the songs in one of the records. This song hit my 9yr old ears heart hard.
Another great video Andy, the Big War Movie Themes was also a massive favourite of mine, so many brilliant compositions. A companion album to that one would be Geoff Love's Big Terror Move Themes. For me the two standout tracks on that one are the Eiger Sanction and Three Days of the Condor, the trumpet solo on the Eiger Sanction is just superb. Talking about tv programme theme tunes maybe you could do an exploration of the music used on programmes for schools and colleges, some of these were very prog in fact I think House of the KIng by Focus was used for one programme. My all time favourite in this genre is a track called Ruby by BART, it' sounds a bit like an Allman Brothers track. Another good one was written by Brian Bennett form the Shadows and was used for the schools tv programmed Going to Work. Some years ago compilations of these themes were put together on albums called Listen With Mother
I love your link to your personal history and the growth of your musical tastes. I was never big into compilations, no explanation as to why. I have recently picked up a couple of old samplers; A Whiter Shade of Pale, a Decca sampler which obviously has Procol Harem and also the Moody Blues, but best of all a CBS sampler called Fill Your Head With Rock which has introduced me to such bands as Pacific Gad and Electric and The Flock. You are right about film scores and TV themes, as a child in the 60's probably the first music I really loved was the Doctor Who theme, all the Barry Gray themes to Gerry Anderson shows (I do have a wonderful Barry Gray compilation) and the themes to The Avengers and The Champions. As a teen, I loved the work of John Barry, then John Williams and now, in my 60's I just adore Hans Zimmer, it is probably the orchestration and exploration of themes that is appealing to us old prog fans 👍
EMI Best-Loved Classics 2 has been one my personal treasures for 36 years. From Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba to Borodin's Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens, every performance is exquisite and the track order is perfection.
Not sure if it qualifies but I was engrossed by Siouxsie and the Banshees - Through The Looking Glass. Some real classic tunes with a wonderful Siouxsie twist.
Mine were…”Fill Your Head With Rock”, “You Can All Join In”, “Wowie Zowie..The World of Progressive Music”, “NiceEnough To Eat”….all of which we called ‘Samplers’ because they were various artists. The Complilation albums I remember were single artists and my Favourites were …”Mothermania”, “Winwood” “The Free Story” and “Living In The Past”. They were a godsend because it was the only way a with form student who depended on casual labour could afford a varied record collection. All my major album purchases were reserved for my favourite artists like The Beatles, Fleeetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. Also very useful was my tape recorder for taping borrowed Albums and John Peels Radio show. Those were the days!!!!
‘URGH! A Music War’ was an early favorite all live comp I’ve always loved with an absolutely insane lineup or artists and bands of late 70’s and early 80’s recorded at various shows in the UK and the US…also many of the Warner/Reprise ‘Loss Leaders’ comps are pretty eclectic and great
'Big Terror Movie Themes' by Geoff Love and his orchestra is one of my favourite ever albums ! I bought it in 1977 when I was 12 years old and I still listen to it regularly.
Well well, what a coincidence! Only yesterday I spun two compilations I literally hadn't heard in maybe 50 years. The World Of Blues Power (Decca, 1969) with 5 John Mayall's Bluesbreakers tracks featuring Clapton, Peter Green and Paul Butterfield, 2 Ten Years After tracks, 2 Savoy Brown tracks and 2 Champion Jack Dupree ft Mickey Guitar Baker tracks, plus an Eddie Boyd track. The other album was The Rock Machine Turns You On (CBS, 1968) with 15 artists contributing a single track, notably Dylan, Spirit, The Zombies, Moby Grape, and The Byrds. As a 14-year-old schoolkid with meagre funds at the time of their release, compilations like these were a must-buy.
Geoff Love and his orchestra....same here, Andy. I discovered those mfp albums and I used to put them on when I was playing with my superhero action figures but more often than not I stopped played and just sat and listened. There was one called 'Famous Horror Movie Themes' which had some tracks with sound effects -bells, rain, thunder, screams, footsteps, laughter...I loved it and it taught me a lot about mood and atmosphere as a pure audio thing. Great times! 🙂
Zapped: I mail ordered a copy for $1.00 from an ad on the sleeve of a Mothers of Invention album. It was my introduction to Alice Cooper, Tim Buckley, Lord Buckley and others. It was not my first time hearing Captain Beefheart, my sister had Strictly Personal. However, Zapped was my introduction to Trout Mask Replica, and after hearing The Blimp and The Old Fart At Play on Zapped, Trout Mask Replica was not such a shock to me, It was even somewhat palatable and I quickly grew to like it. Songbook: Warner/Reprise Records 1969 sampler and The Big Ball: 1970, Warner Bro Records 1970 sampler also introduced me to many new artists. Both double albums, $2.00 each.
Very fun. In Canada, we would have a ton of different compilation albums from yours. Some I still have, including one with old 40s war songs. And your Lancaster bomber story brought that back. My grandfather flew one in the war, so that was a really nice memory of him, his career and his songs. Thanks!
The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack is otherworldly. A 5cd compilation of their October 74 Winterland Ballroom. Run. Seriously, just drop a tab and let this one transport you to space! I suppose Miles Davis' Birth of The Cool would be worth a mention (although I personally prefer Big Fun). The Yardbirds "Having a Rave Up With The Yardbirds" is also a really good one too. Also quite a big fan of Relics by Pink Floyd.
The New Age of Atlantic (1972) Given to me by my dad when I got my first record player (age 7/8?). Clearly an impressionable age as it hugely informs my taste in music to this day: - Led Zeppelin - Hey Hey What Can I Do - Loudon Wainwright III - Motel Blues - Gordon Haskell - Sitting By the Fire - Dr John - Where Ya At Mule - Buffalo Springfield - Bluebird - Delaney & Bonnie - Only You Know And I Know - Cactus - Long Tall Sally - Jonathan Edwards - Everybody Knows Her - The J Geils Band - I Don't Need You No More - John Prine - Sam Stone - Yes - America
I've still got my 2 Geoff Love albums given to me by my dad. 2 sci-fi themed albums- Close Encounters and Star Wars. I used to listen to them all the time as a child. I still love them.
I’m totally getting the vibe of this vid. To go back even further to explore musical aspects that may well have influenced young British musicians particularly, before they became musicians, go and listen to the music to Gerry Anderson produced TV shows. Incredible, usually by Barry Gray.
Mfp , yes they were all over the place . Music for Pleasure . I had a few of these and 1 made my list of ten. 1. Original soundtracks - on mfp label and compilation of Ennio Morricone tracks 2. Hot nuts - compilation of bluesy/jazzy numbers dating to the 30's -40's with pretty hot lyrics 3. The bossa nova experience - compilation of early bossa nova ( green vinyl ltd 500 pieces ) 4. Blue Note sidetracks : Mad about blue - a double album with mostly vocal jazz numbers where Blue Note asked Alex Callier of Hooverphonic to make his own mixes of favorite jazz songs .... 5. Nuggets - original artyfacts from first psychedelic era 1965-1968 - double album 6. The absolute sound from label Hearts of Space - compilation new age album 7. Woody Allen's movie music - compilation of mainy jazz numbers used in his movies 8. Jambu e os miticos sons da amazonia - double album from Analog Africa 9. Any of the Buddha Bar compilation albums 10. Pure Brazil a 4cd compilation set
I had some 8 track compilations, one of my favorites had Jefferson Airplane, The Guess Who, Deep Purple and other groups.. I played that tape until my 8 track player died.. lol.
The cheap Trojan compliation albums of the 70s did a lot to establishing Jamaican music in the UK. As a midlander Andy I am sure you know the impact on the 2 Tone bands.
I saw 633 Squadron on a double bill with HELP!, back there in 1965. I too loved The Duchess of Duke Street. As much as l love the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the live clips that I’ve seen have been somewhat disappointing, John-wise. HOWEVER, in the Mar Y Sol footage, he is beautifully possessed! Ecstatically writhing as he blazes away with Billy. Truly embodying the music. Here’s to your algorithm!
My two key compilations were Age of Atlantic and Island Records Bumpers. Buried away on Bumpers was Nick Drake. Sadly that washed over me at the time because I was solid hard rock in the late 60’s early 70’s. Today I can fully appreciate Nick Drake
The essential album we all had in the Early 70s was Fill Your Head With Rock. I still have mine and it's jam packed with wild and wacky Heavy Rock. I also still have those essentials Disco Inferno and a load of K-Tel 70s Pop compilations, all of them great. As an aside, my band Mothers Ruin was on an Ebony Records compilation - The Metal Collection Volume 1 in the mid-80s
I played to death a four tape compilation called 'Protect the Innocent'. Came out in 89 and covered classic rock and more modern metal. First time I had ever heard Dream Theater. Some good stuff on there even today.
Absolutely wonderful 👍... I bought the War Movies Themes for my oldest brothers 16th birthday. He was going to ditch his entire collection which also included our late fathers baroque and classical records. Can you believe that ???? Happily sanity prevailed and I've got the opportunity of airing these gems
Big War Movie Themes was/is awesome. The cover art was fantastic. My 12 year old self made it a mission to watch every movie. Ditto another with (horror?) themes, The Exorcist, Rollerball, Jaws etc. However, you cannot talk about classic compilation albums without mentioning possibly the greatest of all time - The Best of the Wombles (20 Wombling Greats)
Nickm (below) beat me to it. Surely you've got 'Nice enough to Eat' Andy? Free, Mott the H, Jethro T, Traffic, Fairport Convention, KC, etc. Well worth showing as a theme.
Some of my favorite compilations collect groovy psycho beat sleazy listening soundtracks from the 60s and 70s that were released in the 90s and 00s. Also, the sound library compilations from the same eras are fantastic and often psychedelic or experimental . You may not recognize the artist names but the music is amazing. The 90s was the best time for compilations of all kinds of cool music from the 60s and 70s-from lounge, library and soundtracks to Afro beat, Tropicalia and experimental electronic.
I remember my mum buying some of those compliations of middle of the road hits sung by unkown butlins holiday camp level singers. Dreadful stuff but money was tight in those days and they were dirt cheap, which is why she bought them i guess. Btw. Andy would have loved my mums impressions of Kate Bush singing Wuthering Heights. 😀❤️
My very first cassette tape was a compilation album called Heavy Rock (1981): Status Quo- What You're Proposing Black Sabbath- Heaven And Hell Rush- Circumstances Def Leppard- Rocks Off Thin Lizzy- Got To Give It Up (Live) Thin Lizzy- Chinatown (Live) Def Leppard- Satellite Black Sabbath- Die Young Rush- Spirit Of Radio Status Quo- Whatever You Want P.S: Andy, have you ever done a video about the greatest covers (as in music, not album sleeves)? My vote would go to John Coltrane`s cover of My Favourite Things.
Great Selection Andy! I have a ton of TV theme albums some of them feature some of the great British arrangers and session players of the 60's and 70's as do a lot of those exploitation themed albums. For me it was label samplers like Bumpers the Island sampler, the one with Arnie on and the Vertigo ones. Pre internet it was the only way to discover some of these bands. When I got into Jazz I was at a car boot and a guy sold me a double Riverside comp, a groove merchant comp on cassette and 2 albums by The Peddlers and I will be eternally grateful to that man. Passport you should listen to 'Infinity Machine' its ridiculously cheesy disco jazz rock fusion but the playing on it is bonkers it makes you laugh how good they are!
The four greatest compilation albums of all time are all by K-Tel and are as follows :- 44 Superstars … 1976 Disco Rocket …1976 Hit Action …1977 Disco Fever … 1977 The criteria I have applied is that those are the ones I bought, for reasons that I can confirm, and had the effect they had on both my musical and wider social life ….forever after. No further questions Your Honour.
@@davidwylde8426 i'll go for hit machine instead of hit action, it had some crap on it aswell, but its very important as it was the album that opened the door so to speak, disco stars was good aswell i also had summer crusin and soul motion, andrea true connection was on that, not something that would be appreciated by the poster of this video !!!
I lived in Mexico City in the 1980's and I remember compilations such as "Monsters of Rock" (Deep Purple, UFO, Nazareth, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, etc), "Dinosaurs of Rock", "Rock Heroes" and other goofy titles, lol
That BBC TV Themes album was one of mine too, as was the BBC Space Themes LP and multiple BBC sound effects records (special mention to Comedy, Scifi and Doctor Who, RIP). Geoff Love hit me bad with his Disco Close Encounters album, which still gets a regular listen, and led me down the bunny passage to many of his other, less disco but equally great LPs. Space Invaders had a big influence on many of my friends, though not me as I didn't have it! I was exposed to it, of course. Oh, and then there was that cassette given away with some magazine or other in 83 with a few Espionage tracks on it. Nobody seems to remember Espionage...
Looking forward to the "Best of" video. My oldest brother and I are musicians of the family (I'm the oldest of 5). There are about 15 or so Best of/Greatest Hits albums that were very formative for my brother and I.
The Cult-Pure Cult. That record just change the course of my musical life. I knew The Cult prior to buying it, but it really clicked when I heard those songs in that sequence. From there on I was on a "The Cult" quest...still am, what an amazing band.
Andy, please consider discussing the movies with the best collection of songs used to set the tone. I'm thinking movies like Pretty in Pink, the Big Chill, Gross Pointe Blank and most recently Kodachrome. I get great enjoyment from movies were song selection and placement is unique and clever. I'm sure you can mention a few movies without even thinking about it. Also, I'm not thinking about movies like the Blues Brothers, Commitments or Saturday Night Fever, these songs are part of story. Thanks.
In regards to your second choice ("Top BBC TV Themes"), I have a wonderful double-CD compilation put out by The National Trust in 2005. The first CD has 29 tracks of "Well-Known Theme Tunes from Popular Television"; the second CD features 24 "Familiar Theme Tunes from Favourite Radio Shows". Heavily nostalgic stuff for me, who lived my teenage years in the UK in the 1960s. Apart from a small collection of records that my father and my older sister had, I got all my music-listening from BBC radio and television. And it all kicked off in 1963!
When i was about 14 (1992) I bought on cassette tape. The Chaka Demus and pliers album. I practically memorised all the lyrics. I relistened to it today and realised how well put together it is.
I've never bought a compilation album, but my parents did have Singalongamax Volume 2, by Max Bygraves. I'm a little surprised one of his albums didn't make your list.
The Lancaster bomber! Oh sweet memories! That's the one with the separate gun turret in the front, innit? I've glued it together too, half a century ago. ❤
32 Gems from 32 Jazz AND 32 More Gems from 32 Jazz cover various Jazz performances from 1960s to 1990s. Previously released on Muse and Fantasy labels.Great performers, performances and styles. Not to be missed.
Had an album in the early 70’s “The Guitars That Destroyed the World” with Johnny Winter Santana Mahavishnu Spirit and Blue Oyster Cult etc. Loved it. The Sound of Jazz with Basie Jimmy Giufree Ted Allen and Billie Holiday great as well. Enjoyed that Andy!
Perhaps you should throw in a few of those Top of The Pops or Hot Hits albums to go with your favourite TV tunes and big film songs. My dad liked James Last and Mantovani which sounds like your thing👍
Mfp and RCA Camden were go to albums in Woolworths! As a kid I was an Elvis fan so it was away of hearing a broad range of older and newer tracks. Those Mfp albums were often re-recorded versions - on one level, pretty cheesy. On another, it gave many musicians a living!
Loved BBC Space Themes as a kid. Also, The Big The Bad and The Lonely western cover tracks. As an adult, Magnum Opus is a great disco anthology, with the full 15 minute version of I Feel Love.
The first rock LP I bought aged 10 was Explosive Hits '71 (Australia). Still got it. The Stones, Purple, T Rex, John Congo's and Aussie greats like Russell Morris. The first proper albums I bought were John Lennon, Elton John, Alice Cooper, Birds of Fire and McLaughlin/ Santana. I have that war movie theme album - Where Eagles Dare with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Good movie.
The only record I owned was the soundtrack to The Jungle Book and Wanderin' Star by Lee Marvin. Then my cousin's skinhead boyfriend gave me Reggae Chartbusters in 1971. Return Of Django. Longshot Kick The Bucket, Skinhead Moonstomp and the massive Liquidator. I bought a CD copy a few years ago and have the cover of the vinyl album framed on the wall of my music room. I have a copy of that 99p Bluenote compilation, too.
As soon as I saw the title I was hoping Axe Attack (Vol 1) would appear. I too went out and bought an album by the majority of the featured artists. I never got into the Scorpions either, but Make It Real is sublime - for some reason no Scorps "best of" (available in the UK) includes that song😕
@@snowfiresunwind The Rock Machine I Love You was released a few months after The Rock Machine Turns You On. I Love You was the first one I listened to. They were both equally good.
Some of my best compilations (all on vinyl albums): 1) "The Good Old Way"--a collection of songs and tunes from leading figures in the British folk music scene, put out by Topic Records in 1980; 2) "The Greater Antilles Sampler" from 1976. Antilles was a division of Island Records. This album is mostly folk and folk-rock, but also has tracks from Osamu Kitajima, Fripp & Eno, Winwood/Kabaka/Amao, and John Cage; 3) "Feed the Folk" from 1985--a Polygram collection put out to raise money for third-world charities. Again, it's mostly British folk, and folk-rock music--features McGarrigle Sisters, Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy, Fairport Convention, and others; 4) "Best of Britain" is a 1974 Canadian K-Tel collection, with British Invasion top-ten hits; 5) Atlantic Records "History of R&B Vocal Groups"--a 1983 collection that freatures The Chords, The Drifters, The Sensations, The Coasters, and others; and 6) the Motown album "Girl Groups: The Story of a Sound"--this 1983 compilation is based on Alan Betrock's book of the same name. It features The Shangra-Las, The Supremes, The Shirelles, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, The Dixie Cups, and others.
i have loads of blue note comps and acid jazz records comps,mostly cd ,but a few vinyls too.ive got the 1.99.wyndham hill had some good comps,oregon,michael hedges etc various the frontline, virgin records roots reggae compilation,top notch
The CBS sampler The Rock Machine Turns You On was an important sampler album for the UK audience as it was showcasing (mostly) American Underground music of the period 1967/68 - no doubt before your time Andy!
OMG!....I remember that my parents owned this and I played it a few times, not quiet understanding the music (I was into Quo, Slade and The Sweet at the time....the early 70s). I wish I still owned it!
'Nice Enough to Eat' (1969) was my standout compilation album - introduction to King Crimson and Nick Drake - full of great tracks.
Then 'Bumpers' double following a similar theme in 1970.
Oh! what wonderful days!!!
Nuggets came out over 50 years ago and it changed everything. Compiled by Lenny Kaye. All those abandoned psychedelic garage 45s from the sixties were rediscovered by 70s garage rockers and the general public. If you wondered what all those CBGBs bands had in common, it was Nuggets. All those similar compilations that followed the first nuggets were also great. I love that stuff. Looking forward to what you are going to say about compilations.
Those were great. There was so much to listen to. I never get tired of them.
Nuggets indeed. Massive effect on me.
@@donaldkennedy9573 I’m still finding lost 45s on UA-cam and some of them are very good. Try “Lose Your Mind” by the Third Bardo
@@TheAnadrome you too, yeah it was massive. I think the industry tried to bury those songs. Finding lost psych rock gems on UA-cam is still a joy, there are so many. Maybe check out “Optical Sound” by the Human Expression. I met Lenny Kaye and I told him how much I loved those nuggets albums.
Lenny described the music as punk rock.. Psychotic Reaction definitely fuzz punk
There was a great series of Atlantic Jazz compilations issued in the late 80s - my favourite was the soul jazz compilation, which introduced me to Lou Donaldson, Les McCann and King Curtis.
Great idea for a video Andy! It sparked lots of thoughts about those compilations that I bought that opened up musical vistas for me. Of course, I was foraging a decade before you, but the same effect grabbed ahold of me. There was an excellent Chess Records comp called Pop Origins, which exposed me to the deep blues songs that were remade as rock music. Then there was a weird Christmas compilation on RCA that had things like a Japanese koto version of a Bach tune, which would later provoke an interest in international music. Later when I was getting interested in punk and new wave and as I was passing through London in 1979 (!) I picked up a movie soundtrack for a British film that I've never seen called That Summer! The music selection on it was incredible as a guide for beginning my new search. My local San Francisco Bay Area Radio station KFRC made a vinyl comp that was an amazing source of 1966 garage rock, that fed a need that eventually the Nuggets collection would define. And I could go on.
Well done my good sir. And you beat me to the punch! I was just going to suggest that Best Ofs should be next. (The Edith Piaf LP that my mother had, which I now own.) Therefore then let me suggest another similar subject Festival Comps Newport, Woodstock, Monterey, Montreux, etc.
The Smithsonian’s comps of Jazz, Blues and Country are exquisitely programmed.
You're getting good at this UA-cam thingy kid! Keep it up. You're my only must watch Channel!
Wow, thanks
Squeeze Singles and The Best of Al Green are must-haves.
Brought back memories of my own youth in buying the Warner Bros compilation albums used to be able to get off of the inner sleeves and exposed me to a lot of music I would have never had a chance to buy individually thanks for the memory Road
There's a Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders page on wiki...I used to read thru those inner sleeves while the album played.
Never bought any of the samplers.
Mojo magazine used to put out great compilations with their magazine. One of my favorites was 1960s British Rock.
Double album Bumpers in 1970. An introduction to great Island bands - Traffic, Free, Spooky Tooth, Fairport Convention etc.
@@davestevenson2181 Huge influence on me that album still have it!
Yes indeed. One of the first albums I bought with my pocket money.
There was an avant garde jazz sampler on Atlantic that was really big for me at a young age. It introduced me to the Art Ensemble, Coltrane, Mingus, Roland Kirk etc. I used to play Compared To What in a band at one point as well.
K-Tel “20 Power Hits” (1973). If you’re Canadian and grew up in the 70’s, you know what I’m talkin about. I asked my mom to buy this compilation for me cuz it had a Partridge Family hit on it, but the other 19 various artist hits were good, too - for a 9 year old kid.
K-Tel. Classic TV commercials.
Ah, K-Tel advertisements on the UHF channels! We had them in Boston in the 70’s. I haven’t thought of K-Tel in 45+ years.
I mainly remember the UHF ads for questionable kitchen gadgets.
Ah yes....K-Tels - those were classics. They were part of an empire which included the Ronco and Popeil companies. Remember the cap snafflers and the Popiel Pocket Fisherman!
Lived in Moorhead MN in 73-75, had KTel Music Power 22 and wore that baby out! Oh yeah Smoking In The Boys Room!
@@edwardyazinski3858
We Canadians always had a kinship with the Midwest northern states because they played hockey and were more likely to own K-tel records. 73-74, Bill Goldsworthy’s best year with the Minnesota North Stars!
My father was a career US Army officer and retired LTC. He flew Hueys for two years in Vietnam. In 73 he moved into recruiting for a bit, as the draft was out and the ALL VOLUNTEER ARMY began. As part of that push the Army put out compilation records that my father gave to me. These were like mimics of top forty stations. This was my first exposure to Steely Dan as Reeling in The Years was one of the songs in one of the records. This song hit my 9yr old ears heart hard.
Geoff Love albums - brilliant!!
Another great video Andy, the Big War Movie Themes was also a massive favourite of mine, so many brilliant compositions. A companion album to that one would be Geoff Love's Big Terror Move Themes. For me the two standout tracks on that one are the Eiger Sanction and Three Days of the Condor, the trumpet solo on the Eiger Sanction is just superb. Talking about tv programme theme tunes maybe you could do an exploration of the music used on programmes for schools and colleges, some of these were very prog in fact I think House of the KIng by Focus was used for one programme. My all time favourite in this genre is a track called Ruby by BART, it' sounds a bit like an Allman Brothers track. Another good one was written by Brian Bennett form the Shadows and was used for the schools tv programmed Going to Work. Some years ago compilations of these themes were put together on albums called Listen With Mother
Yes, 'The Eiger Sanction' is particularly good; I love the whole album !
I love your link to your personal history and the growth of your musical tastes.
I was never big into compilations, no explanation as to why. I have recently picked up a couple of old samplers; A Whiter Shade of Pale, a Decca sampler which obviously has Procol Harem and also the Moody Blues, but best of all a CBS sampler called Fill Your Head With Rock which has introduced me to such bands as Pacific Gad and Electric and The Flock.
You are right about film scores and TV themes, as a child in the 60's probably the first music I really loved was the Doctor Who theme, all the Barry Gray themes to Gerry Anderson shows (I do have a wonderful Barry Gray compilation) and the themes to The Avengers and The Champions.
As a teen, I loved the work of John Barry, then John Williams and now, in my 60's I just adore Hans Zimmer, it is probably the orchestration and exploration of themes that is appealing to us old prog fans 👍
EMI Best-Loved Classics 2 has been one my personal treasures for 36 years. From Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba to Borodin's Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens, every performance is exquisite and the track order is perfection.
Not sure if it qualifies but I was engrossed by Siouxsie and the Banshees - Through The Looking Glass. Some real classic tunes with a wonderful Siouxsie twist.
Mine were…”Fill Your Head With Rock”, “You Can All Join In”, “Wowie Zowie..The World of Progressive Music”, “NiceEnough To Eat”….all of which we called ‘Samplers’ because they were various artists. The Complilation albums I remember were single artists and my Favourites were …”Mothermania”, “Winwood” “The Free Story” and “Living In The Past”. They were a godsend because it was the only way a with form student who depended on casual labour could afford a varied record collection. All my major album purchases were reserved for my favourite artists like The Beatles, Fleeetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. Also very useful was my tape recorder for taping borrowed Albums and John Peels Radio show. Those were the days!!!!
Add to that premium list, Gutbucket & Son of Gutbucket.
‘URGH! A Music War’ was an early favorite all live comp I’ve always loved with an absolutely insane lineup or artists and bands of late 70’s and early 80’s recorded at various shows in the UK and the US…also many of the Warner/Reprise ‘Loss Leaders’ comps are pretty eclectic and great
'Big Terror Movie Themes' by Geoff Love and his orchestra is one of my favourite ever albums ! I bought it in 1977 when I was 12 years old and I still listen to it regularly.
We called it "mix-bands". A casette recorder in front of the radio. Bringing those tapes to "a gathering" was a huge success.
Well well, what a coincidence! Only yesterday I spun two compilations I literally hadn't heard in maybe 50 years. The World Of Blues Power (Decca, 1969) with 5 John Mayall's Bluesbreakers tracks featuring Clapton, Peter Green and Paul Butterfield, 2 Ten Years After tracks, 2 Savoy Brown tracks and 2 Champion Jack Dupree ft Mickey Guitar Baker tracks, plus an Eddie Boyd track. The other album was The Rock Machine Turns You On (CBS, 1968) with 15 artists contributing a single track, notably Dylan, Spirit, The Zombies, Moby Grape, and The Byrds. As a 14-year-old schoolkid with meagre funds at the time of their release, compilations like these were a must-buy.
Age of Atlantic and Bumpers which included Bronco track Love which I love to this day (Friday)
Tony Williams Lifetime compilation album (1975) and "triple echo" by the Soft Machine (1977).
I guess the idea is to pull in a broader range of music...not jut go about the usual suspects...Led Zep, Yes,....
OMFC...I actually had the 'War Themes' LP as a youngster.
Thanx for reminding me of my current age.
Geoff Love and his orchestra....same here, Andy. I discovered those mfp albums and I used to put them on when I was playing with my superhero action figures but more often than not I stopped played and just sat and listened. There was one called 'Famous Horror Movie Themes' which had some tracks with sound effects -bells, rain, thunder, screams, footsteps, laughter...I loved it and it taught me a lot about mood and atmosphere as a pure audio thing. Great times! 🙂
'Big Terror Movie Themes' by Geoff Love and his Orchestra ... I love it !
Bang on a Drum.........songs from Play School. Great record.
Zapped: I mail ordered a copy for $1.00 from an ad on the sleeve of a Mothers of Invention album. It was my introduction to Alice Cooper, Tim Buckley, Lord Buckley and others. It was not my first time hearing Captain Beefheart, my sister had Strictly Personal. However, Zapped was my introduction to Trout Mask Replica, and after hearing The Blimp and The Old Fart At Play on Zapped, Trout Mask Replica was not such a shock to me, It was even somewhat palatable and I quickly grew to like it. Songbook: Warner/Reprise Records 1969 sampler and The Big Ball: 1970, Warner Bro Records 1970 sampler also introduced me to many new artists. Both double albums, $2.00 each.
Very fun. In Canada, we would have a ton of different compilation albums from yours. Some I still have, including one with old 40s war songs.
And your Lancaster bomber story brought that back. My grandfather flew one in the war, so that was a really nice memory of him, his career and his songs. Thanks!
I just knew it was going to be the Geoff Love album before you even held it up! There was something utterly magical about it.
The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack is otherworldly. A 5cd compilation of their October 74 Winterland Ballroom. Run. Seriously, just drop a tab and let this one transport you to space!
I suppose Miles Davis' Birth of The Cool would be worth a mention (although I personally prefer Big Fun).
The Yardbirds "Having a Rave Up With The Yardbirds" is also a really good one too.
Also quite a big fan of Relics by Pink Floyd.
Wow! That sounds super boring! The Dead at their best!
Oh, wow, a list!!
The New Age of Atlantic (1972)
Given to me by my dad when I got my first record player (age 7/8?). Clearly an impressionable age as it hugely informs my taste in music to this day:
- Led Zeppelin - Hey Hey What Can I Do
- Loudon Wainwright III - Motel Blues
- Gordon Haskell - Sitting By the Fire
- Dr John - Where Ya At Mule
- Buffalo Springfield - Bluebird
- Delaney & Bonnie - Only You Know And I Know
- Cactus - Long Tall Sally
- Jonathan Edwards - Everybody Knows Her
- The J Geils Band - I Don't Need You No More
- John Prine - Sam Stone
- Yes - America
I've still got my 2 Geoff Love albums given to me by my dad. 2 sci-fi themed albums- Close Encounters and Star Wars. I used to listen to them all the time as a child. I still love them.
So one thing about early blues artists is that really any “albums” were just compilations of singles. My first couple Muddy Waters records were such.
I’m totally getting the vibe of this vid. To go back even further to explore musical aspects that may well have influenced young British musicians particularly, before they became musicians, go and listen to the music to Gerry Anderson produced TV shows. Incredible, usually by Barry Gray.
Mfp , yes they were all over the place . Music for Pleasure . I had a few of these and 1 made my list of ten.
1. Original soundtracks - on mfp label and compilation of Ennio Morricone tracks
2. Hot nuts - compilation of bluesy/jazzy numbers dating to the 30's -40's with pretty hot lyrics
3. The bossa nova experience - compilation of early bossa nova ( green vinyl ltd 500 pieces )
4. Blue Note sidetracks : Mad about blue - a double album with mostly vocal jazz numbers where Blue Note asked Alex Callier of Hooverphonic to make his own mixes of favorite jazz songs ....
5. Nuggets - original artyfacts from first psychedelic era 1965-1968 - double album
6. The absolute sound from label Hearts of Space - compilation new age album
7. Woody Allen's movie music - compilation of mainy jazz numbers used in his movies
8. Jambu e os miticos sons da amazonia - double album from Analog Africa
9. Any of the Buddha Bar compilation albums
10. Pure Brazil a 4cd compilation set
I had some 8 track compilations, one of my favorites had Jefferson Airplane, The Guess Who, Deep Purple and other groups.. I played that tape until my 8 track player died.. lol.
Living in the Past better be on here!
The cheap Trojan compliation albums of the 70s did a lot to establishing Jamaican music in the UK. As a midlander Andy I am sure you know the impact on the 2 Tone bands.
This is what spotify is now for. Thanks for all those wonderful ideas for artists to get to know.
I saw 633 Squadron on a double bill with HELP!, back there in 1965.
I too loved The Duchess of Duke Street.
As much as l love the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the live clips that I’ve seen have been somewhat disappointing, John-wise. HOWEVER, in the Mar Y Sol footage, he is beautifully possessed! Ecstatically writhing as he blazes away with Billy. Truly embodying the music.
Here’s to your algorithm!
My two key compilations were Age of Atlantic and Island Records Bumpers. Buried away on Bumpers was Nick Drake. Sadly that washed over me at the time because I was solid hard rock in the late 60’s early 70’s. Today I can fully appreciate Nick Drake
Bumpers was my introduction to Nick Drake, that track was worn out in a few weeks
The essential album we all had in the Early 70s was Fill Your Head With Rock. I still have mine and it's jam packed with wild and wacky Heavy Rock. I also still have those essentials Disco Inferno and a load of K-Tel 70s Pop compilations, all of them great.
As an aside, my band Mothers Ruin was on an Ebony Records compilation - The Metal Collection Volume 1 in the mid-80s
Did it have a little mirror stuck on the front cover?
@@innertube47 - I wish, that sounds quite classy, this had some awful graveyard thing.
I played to death a four tape compilation called 'Protect the Innocent'. Came out in 89 and covered classic rock and more modern metal. First time I had ever heard Dream Theater. Some good stuff on there even today.
"It's probably a little old man really." Classic Andy
Absolutely wonderful 👍... I bought the War Movies Themes for my oldest brothers 16th birthday. He was going to ditch his entire collection which also included our late fathers baroque and classical records. Can you believe that ???? Happily sanity prevailed and I've got the opportunity of airing these gems
BIG war Movie Themes. Yup I had that too, loved it. Also had the Star wars album. I now live in Tottenham, as it turns out, so did Geoff Love!!!
Big War Movie Themes was/is awesome. The cover art was fantastic. My 12 year old self made it a mission to watch every movie. Ditto another with (horror?) themes, The Exorcist, Rollerball, Jaws etc. However, you cannot talk about classic compilation albums without mentioning possibly the greatest of all time - The Best of the Wombles (20 Wombling Greats)
Nickm (below) beat me to it. Surely you've got 'Nice enough to Eat' Andy?
Free, Mott the H, Jethro T, Traffic, Fairport Convention, KC, etc. Well worth showing as a theme.
A music sampler from CBS called The Music People had a track from The Mahavishnu Orchestra
It changed my life
Over here in Canada Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush albums are, or at least were, widely available. They never charted outside of Canada.
Some of my favorite compilations collect groovy psycho beat sleazy listening soundtracks from the 60s and 70s that were released in the 90s and 00s. Also, the sound library compilations from the same eras are fantastic and often psychedelic or experimental . You may not recognize the artist names but the music is amazing. The 90s was the best time for compilations of all kinds of cool music from the 60s and 70s-from lounge, library and soundtracks to Afro beat, Tropicalia and experimental electronic.
What a awesome video have a wonderful weekend Andy ❤😊
Same to you
All i can handle this morning is a bit of music waffle, so i thankyou for this Andy Edwards. Quality waffle i might add.
Here's a comment just to help those little old ladies find this video. Enjoyed that. Thanks Andy :)
I remember my mum buying some of those compliations of middle of the road hits sung by unkown butlins holiday camp level singers. Dreadful stuff but money was tight in those days and they were dirt cheap, which is why she bought them i guess.
Btw. Andy would have loved my mums impressions of Kate Bush singing Wuthering Heights. 😀❤️
Long ago and faraway I owned Atlantic Jazz Express, Various Compilation, 1974 Vinyl Album. I wish I had kept it.
Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music is essential for any serious music lover..
My very first cassette tape was a compilation album called Heavy Rock (1981):
Status Quo- What You're Proposing
Black Sabbath- Heaven And Hell
Rush- Circumstances
Def Leppard- Rocks Off
Thin Lizzy- Got To Give It Up (Live)
Thin Lizzy- Chinatown (Live)
Def Leppard- Satellite
Black Sabbath- Die Young
Rush- Spirit Of Radio
Status Quo- Whatever You Want
P.S: Andy, have you ever done a video about the greatest covers (as in music, not album sleeves)? My vote would go to John Coltrane`s cover of My Favourite Things.
Love Area Code 615. looked them up on Spotify. love the Whistle Test theme and great other tunes.
The best of Return To Forever. War Greatest hits.
When i was young we bought samplers because they were cheap - of course. You cannot beat You Can All Join In, Nice Enough To Eat and Bumpers.
Nice Enough To Eat was a beauty, I nearly wore the grooves out on my copy
Great Selection Andy! I have a ton of TV theme albums some of them feature some of the great British arrangers and session players of the 60's and 70's as do a lot of those exploitation themed albums. For me it was label samplers like Bumpers the Island sampler, the one with Arnie on and the Vertigo ones. Pre internet it was the only way to discover some of these bands. When I got into Jazz I was at a car boot and a guy sold me a double Riverside comp, a groove merchant comp on cassette and 2 albums by The Peddlers and I will be eternally grateful to that man. Passport you should listen to 'Infinity Machine' its ridiculously cheesy disco jazz rock fusion but the playing on it is bonkers it makes you laugh how good they are!
The four greatest compilation albums of all time are all by K-Tel and are as follows :-
44 Superstars … 1976
Disco Rocket …1976
Hit Action …1977
Disco Fever … 1977
The criteria I have applied is that those are the ones I bought, for reasons that I can confirm, and had the effect they had on both my musical and wider social life ….forever after.
No further questions Your Honour.
Ace Selection!
@@blackmoofou6385 thank you.
I assume your criteria is at the very least, very similar.
@@davidwylde8426 i'll go for hit machine instead of hit action, it had some crap on it aswell, but its very important as it was the album that opened the door so to speak, disco stars was good aswell i also had summer crusin and soul motion, andrea true connection was on that, not something that would be appreciated by the poster of this video !!!
@@davidwylde8426 Pretty much, albums on Ronco too. Black Joy was a favourite.
I lived in Mexico City in the 1980's and I remember compilations such as "Monsters of Rock" (Deep Purple, UFO, Nazareth, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, etc), "Dinosaurs of Rock", "Rock Heroes" and other goofy titles, lol
Pity they aren't published cause my very own compilations are definitely the best!
of course they are...
That BBC TV Themes album was one of mine too, as was the BBC Space Themes LP and multiple BBC sound effects records (special mention to Comedy, Scifi and Doctor Who, RIP). Geoff Love hit me bad with his Disco Close Encounters album, which still gets a regular listen, and led me down the bunny passage to many of his other, less disco but equally great LPs. Space Invaders had a big influence on many of my friends, though not me as I didn't have it! I was exposed to it, of course. Oh, and then there was that cassette given away with some magazine or other in 83 with a few Espionage tracks on it. Nobody seems to remember Espionage...
Have you considered making a video of your top 10 favourite film soundtrack albums?
I actually did the list, then forgot I had. Thanks for the reminder
Looking forward to the "Best of" video. My oldest brother and I are musicians of the family (I'm the oldest of 5). There are about 15 or so Best of/Greatest Hits albums that were very formative for my brother and I.
I had a Star Wars and related mfp album by Geoff Love. Great stuff.
The Cult-Pure Cult. That record just change the course of my musical life. I knew The Cult prior to buying it, but it really clicked when I heard those songs in that sequence. From there on I was on a "The Cult" quest...still am, what an amazing band.
Andy, please consider discussing the movies with the best collection of songs used to set the tone. I'm thinking movies like Pretty in Pink, the Big Chill, Gross Pointe Blank and most recently Kodachrome. I get great enjoyment from movies were song selection and placement is unique and clever. I'm sure you can mention a few movies without even thinking about it. Also, I'm not thinking about movies like the Blues Brothers, Commitments or Saturday Night Fever, these songs are part of story. Thanks.
It’s never too late to get into Mingus. Get ‘Ah Um’ and ‘The Black Saint and Sinner Lady’
In regards to your second choice ("Top BBC TV Themes"), I have a wonderful double-CD compilation put out by The National Trust in 2005. The first CD has 29 tracks of "Well-Known Theme Tunes from Popular Television"; the second CD features 24 "Familiar Theme Tunes from Favourite Radio Shows". Heavily nostalgic stuff for me, who lived my teenage years in the UK in the 1960s. Apart from a small collection of records that my father and my older sister had, I got all my music-listening from BBC radio and television. And it all kicked off in 1963!
When i was about 14 (1992) I bought on cassette tape. The Chaka Demus and pliers album. I practically memorised all the lyrics. I relistened to it today and realised how well put together it is.
I've never bought a compilation album, but my parents did have Singalongamax Volume 2, by Max Bygraves. I'm a little surprised one of his albums didn't make your list.
😂
The Island sampler Bumpers was an absolute belter. A real classic.
The Lancaster bomber! Oh sweet memories! That's the one with the separate gun turret in the front, innit? I've glued it together too, half a century ago. ❤
Don't forget the rear gunner turret and I think there was one on the top of the fuselage in the middle. Long live Airfix. 😄
I still have my copy of Big War Movie Themes
32 Gems from 32 Jazz AND 32 More Gems from 32 Jazz cover various Jazz performances from 1960s to 1990s. Previously released on Muse and Fantasy labels.Great performers, performances and styles. Not to be missed.
Those compilations are stellar for Jazz.
Had an album in the early 70’s “The Guitars That Destroyed the World” with Johnny Winter Santana Mahavishnu Spirit and Blue Oyster Cult etc. Loved it. The Sound of Jazz with Basie Jimmy Giufree Ted Allen and Billie Holiday great as well. Enjoyed that Andy!
Perhaps you should throw in a few of those Top of The Pops or Hot Hits albums to go with your favourite TV tunes and big film songs.
My dad liked James Last and Mantovani which sounds like your thing👍
You have to check out James Last version of Hawkwind Silver Machine......banging version.
Mfp and RCA Camden were go to albums in Woolworths! As a kid I was an Elvis fan so it was away of hearing a broad range of older and newer tracks.
Those Mfp albums were often re-recorded versions - on one level, pretty cheesy. On another, it gave many musicians a living!
Loved BBC Space Themes as a kid. Also, The Big The Bad and The Lonely western cover tracks. As an adult, Magnum Opus is a great disco anthology, with the full 15 minute version of I Feel Love.
I always liked Fill Your Head With Rock
Scrapin the barrel here mate
And on Saturday you do your humor stuff
Just picked up an Eddie Harris LP today....really interesting stuff and you never hear about it....always worth digging into the proto-movements.
Virgin records "V" compilation, loads of obscure groups from the Virgin early 70's stable.
The first rock LP I bought aged 10 was Explosive Hits '71 (Australia). Still got it. The Stones, Purple, T Rex, John Congo's and Aussie greats like Russell Morris. The first proper albums I bought were John Lennon, Elton John, Alice Cooper, Birds of Fire and McLaughlin/ Santana. I have that war movie theme album - Where Eagles Dare with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Good movie.
The only record I owned was the soundtrack to The Jungle Book and Wanderin' Star by Lee Marvin. Then my cousin's skinhead boyfriend gave me Reggae Chartbusters in 1971. Return Of Django. Longshot Kick The Bucket, Skinhead Moonstomp and the massive Liquidator. I bought a CD copy a few years ago and have the cover of the vinyl album framed on the wall of my music room.
I have a copy of that 99p Bluenote compilation, too.
As soon as I saw the title I was hoping Axe Attack (Vol 1) would appear. I too went out and bought an album by the majority of the featured artists. I never got into the Scorpions either, but Make It Real is sublime - for some reason no Scorps "best of" (available in the UK) includes that song😕
I'm surprised that you didn't mention Metal for Muthas....I had vols. 1 and 2 back in the day.
CBS 'Rock Machine I Love You'. 1968 introduction to American 'psychedelia'.
Is that The Rock Machine Turns You On that you are referring to?
@@snowfiresunwind The Rock Machine I Love You was released a few months after The Rock Machine Turns You On. I Love You was the first one I listened to. They were both equally good.
Big War Movie Themes ! Great album ! I wish it were available on CD ! 633 Squadron, Where Eagles Dare, Dambusters....
Some of my best compilations (all on vinyl albums): 1) "The Good Old Way"--a collection of songs and tunes from leading figures in the British folk music scene, put out by Topic Records in 1980; 2) "The Greater Antilles Sampler" from 1976. Antilles was a division of Island Records. This album is mostly folk and folk-rock, but also has tracks from Osamu Kitajima, Fripp & Eno, Winwood/Kabaka/Amao, and John Cage; 3) "Feed the Folk" from 1985--a Polygram collection put out to raise money for third-world charities. Again, it's mostly British folk, and folk-rock music--features McGarrigle Sisters, Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy, Fairport Convention, and others; 4) "Best of Britain" is a 1974 Canadian K-Tel collection, with British Invasion top-ten hits; 5) Atlantic Records "History of R&B Vocal Groups"--a 1983 collection that freatures The Chords, The Drifters, The Sensations, The Coasters, and others; and 6) the Motown album "Girl Groups: The Story of a Sound"--this 1983 compilation is based on Alan Betrock's book of the same name. It features The Shangra-Las, The Supremes, The Shirelles, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, The Dixie Cups, and others.
i have loads of blue note comps and acid jazz records comps,mostly cd ,but a few vinyls too.ive got the 1.99.wyndham hill had some good comps,oregon,michael hedges etc various the frontline, virgin records roots reggae compilation,top notch
The CBS sampler The Rock Machine Turns You On was an important sampler album for the UK audience as it was showcasing (mostly) American Underground music of the period 1967/68 - no doubt before your time Andy!
OMG!....I remember that my parents owned this and I played it a few times, not quiet understanding the music (I was into Quo, Slade and The Sweet at the time....the early 70s). I wish I still owned it!