Growing up in the 70’s, I discovered a number of bands, and their back-catalogues, through compilation albums. It surprises many people when I tell them my favourite Beatles album is the Red Album, for example.
The Rolling Stones – Hot Rocks
The South African version had a different track listing to the US release. Included ‘Little Red Rooster’ and ‘Under The Boardwalk’ for example, and omitted ‘Brown Sugar’ and ‘Wild Horses’.
Track list for South African Album
- Time Is On My Side
- Heart Of Stone
- Play With Fire
- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
- As Tears Go By
- Get Off Of My Cloud
- Mothers Little Helper
- 19th Nervous Breakdown
- Paint It Black
- Under My Thumb
- Ruby Tuesday
- Let’s Spend The Night Together
- Jumpin’ Jack Flash
- Street Fighting Man
- Sympathy For The Devil
- Honky Tonk Women
- Gimme Shelter
- Tell Me
- Under The Boardwalk
- Little Red Rooster
- Midnight Rambler
- You Can’t Always Get What You Want (single version)
The Beatles – The Red And The Blue Albums
Two double albums, with every song a masterpiece. When these were re-released on CD in 1993, I bought them the day they came out. And though the whole of the Red Album could have been fitted onto a single CD, I didn’t mind paying full double album price. How many double CDs have so many classic chart-topping and million-selling songs on them? Worth every cent.
American Graffiti (soundtrack)
My introduction to rock ‘n roll history.
The Who – Pinball And Other Wizards 1965-1975 (South African only release)
Actually only goes up to 1971, despite the title, but a great collection, nonetheless. I have compiled an imaginary disc 3 to help fill in the gap.
Deep Purple – Mark I and Mark II
Brilliant collection, and this was the only place to find ‘When A Blind Man Cries’ for many years.
A CBS sampler from 1971, that was sold cheaply. Amazing collection. Still one of my favourites.
Golden Earring – Hearing Earring
This was a compilation only released in South Africa and Holland, I think, which featured the best tracks from ‘Together’ and ‘Seven Tears’.
Jimi Hendrix – Sound track recordings from the film Jimi Hendrix
A compilation of various live tracks and interviews. My main introduction to the live experience that was Jimi Hendrix
Track listing (interviews excluded)
- Rock Me Baby from Monterey Pop Festival (June 1967)
- Wild Thing from Monterey Pop Festival (June 1967)
- Machine Gun I from Isle of Wight Festival (August 31, 1970)
- Johnny B. Goode from Berkeley Community Center, Berkeley, California (May 30, 1970)
- Hey Joe from Monterey Pop Festival (June 1967)
- Purple Haze from Berkeley Community Center, Berkeley, California (May 30, 1970)
- Like a Rolling Stone from Monterey Pop Festival (June 1967)
- The Star Spangled Banner from Woodstock (August 1969)
- Machine Gun II (Band of Gypsys) from Fillmore East (January 1, 1970)
- Hear My Train A Comin’ (acoustic) from London (1967)
- Red House from Isle of Wight Festival (August 31, 1970)
- In From the Storm from Isle of Wight Festival (August 31, 1970)
Triple album collection from Glastonbury Fayre in 1971. A strange mixture of artists and genres that introduced me to bands like Gong, Pink Fairies and The Grateful Dead.
Thin Lizzy – The Continuing Saga Of The Aging Orphans
Great album, that helped me discover the early years of Thin Lizzy, though I already knew Vagabonds Of The Western World, which is still one of my all-time favourite albums.
The Moody Blues – This Is The Moody Blues
A double compilation album with all the songs crossfading into each other. Like Pink Floyd’s Echoes collection many years later.
Suck It And See
Double album sampler from Vertigo, this time. From Folk (Magna Carta) to Metal (Black Sabbath) and most places in-between. The South African pressing had a different track listing to the overseas version.
Honourary mention
Let The Good Times Roll (soundtrack)
Not really a compilation but the soundtrack to a film of a live rock and roll revival, that I saw over and over again. Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chubby Checker and others just blew me away. And the sampled soundbites from old TV shows, backstage comments and DJ introductions made it even better.
Mabu Vinyl in Cape Town is a place that reminds me of the type of record store I used to hang-out in when I was a teenager.
Hey Neil, thanks for stopping by and your cool comments. Yep, I get as much pleasure from making mixtapes as I do from listening to them!
My mixtapes are all digital now, though! You can hear them on http://mixcloud.com/briancurrin
Yeah, Island had some great sampler albums! I only discovered “El Pea” much later though!
Hello Brian, this is Neil from PMB, your list of compilation albums brought a huge smile to my face, back in the 70s when at school then moving onto Varsity when you think about it these compilation albums, esp the double LPs were a life saver, we simply couldn’t afford to buy the original albums and listening to these compilation LPs and doing a TDK C90 mix tape of all your favorite tracks from all one’s LPs was the best way to listen to music, we had as much fun making the tapes as listening to them through the years, agreed? I am still a Tapehead, still have my tapes from the 70s, 2 Nakamitchi decks and 5000 LPs, including my 1st LP I bought in 1968, a compilation of course, “Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth Vol 2” Buddha records! Oh Boy, what memories, good days indeed! Thanks for prompting the smile…cheers
The one that I remember with fondness was ‘El Pea’, a compilation of artists on the Island label from the 70’s. Started me off with Free, Fairport Convention, Traffic, ELP, and so many other great bands. So much so, that I eventually collected every release from the Island record catalogue of 1976, which I’m sure I still have somewhere.
Thanks for your comments Karen. I try and keep current, but the music of my youth just keeps on drawing me back.
Absolutely Brian! I recognised most of those album covers from my own collection of the day!! Strange thing is that the youth of today are also still listening to a lot of our old favourites…like Boston, “More than a feeling” for example. We were at Dizzy’s last Tuesday and my son and his mates sang “Hey Jude” (60’s) and “I will walk 500 miles” (80’s) – it’s remarkable. I suppose we loved Frank Sinatra along with our folks too.
Thanks for this – nice blast from the past and although we are trying not to be nostalgic and move with the times, music does serve as the most poignant of reminders of exactly what we were doing at the time, who we were with, who we loved etc. We can’t live without music that’s for sure!