Your Favorite Compilation Albums/CDs - Various Artists

Cafe Society
21

I am currently on my third copy of this CD, having given twice given it to someone to listen to and never got it back. Excellent album, especially Tom Waits’ creepy-as-hell version of “Heigh-Ho”.
Another one of my favorite compilations: Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson

  1. X - “Shoot Out The Lights”
  2. R.E.M. - “Wall Of Death”
  3. Bonnie Raitt - “When The Spell Is Broken”
  4. Bob Mould - “Turning Of The Tide”
  5. Syd Straw and Evan Dando - “For Shame Of Doing Wrong”
  6. Los Lobos - “Down Where The Drunkards Roll”
  7. June Tabor - “Beat The Retreat”
  8. June Tabor - “Genesis Hall”
  9. Dinosaur Jr. - “I Misunderstood”
  10. Graham Parker - “The Madness Of Love”
  11. David Byrne - “Just The Motion”
  12. Beausoleil - “Valerie”
  13. Shawn Colvin and Loudon Wainwright III - “A Heart Needs A Home”
  14. Five Blind Boys Of Alabama - “Dimming Of The Day”
  15. Maddy Prior and Martin Carthy - “Farewell Farewell”
  16. Maddy Prior and Martin Carthy - “The Great Valerio”
22

Putomayo’s Music from the Coffee Lands is fantastic.

23

One of my favorite driving CDs is the soundtrack from the decent 80s TV show about the Vietnam war - Tour Of Duty which featured terrific music of the period. Very evocative stuff. In Australia the CDs released were:

Music From Tour OF Duty 1

  1. Baby Love…Diana Ross & the Supremes
  2. Here Comes The Night…Them
  3. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place…The Animals
  4. A Whiter Shade Of Pale…Procol Harum
  5. Itchycoo Park…Small Faces
  6. All Along The Watchtower…Jimi Hendrix
  7. Hurdy Gurdy Man…Donovan
  8. Time Of The Season…Zombies
  9. And When I Die…Blood Sweat & Tears
  10. War …Edwin Starr
  11. Ball Of Confusion (Thats What The World Is Today)…Temptations
  12. What’s Going On…Marvin Gaye
  13. Time Has Come Today…Chambers Brothers
  14. I Want To Take You Higher…Sly & The Family Stone
  15. Groovin’ Is Easy…The Electric Flag
  16. Oye Como Va…Santana
  17. Ball & Chain…Janis Joplin & The Full Tilt Boogie Band
  18. Ballad Of Easy Rider…The Byrds

Music From Tour OF Duty 2

  1. Paint It Black…Chris Farlowe
  2. Tin Soldier…Small Faces
  3. Stone Free…The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  4. Sunshine On Your love…Cream
  5. Born To Be Wild…Steppenwolf
  6. Reach Out I’ll Be There…The Four Tops
  7. I Second That Emotion…Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
  8. People Get Ready…The Impressions
  9. Jennifer Juniper…Donovan
  10. Your Precious Love…Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
  11. Groovin’…The Young Rascals
  12. Eight Miles High…The Byrds
  13. Cloud Nine…The Temptations
  14. I Heard It Through The Grapevine…Gladys Night & The Pips
  15. Love Child…Diana Ross & The Supremes
  16. Piece Of My Hear…Janis Joplin with Big Brother & The Holding Co
  17. It Takes Lot To Laugh,It Takes A Train To Cry…(Al Kooper & Stephen Stills)
  18. Ring Of Fire…Eric Burdon & The Animals
  19. Spinning Wheel…Blood Sweat & Tears
  20. Bridge Over troubled Water…Aretha Franklin

Music From Tour OF Duty 3

  1. White Room…Cream
  2. Highway Chile…Jimi Hendrix
  3. Lazy Sunday…Small Faces
  4. Gloria…Them
  5. Sky Pilot…Eric Burdon
  6. Natural Born Bugie…Humble Pie
  7. White Rabbit…Grace Slick & the Great Society
  8. The Weight…The Band
  9. Go Now…The Moody Blues
  10. San Francisco(be sure to wear flowers in your hair)…Scott McKenzie
  11. Draft Morning…The Byrds
  12. Evil Ways…Santana
  13. Dance To The Music…Sly & The Family Stone
  14. Tell Her No…The Zombies
  15. Barabajagal…Donovan
  16. Killing Floor…The Electric Flag
  17. Black Night…Deep Purple
  18. Paranoid…Black Sabbath

Music From Tour OF Duty 4

  1. This Wheels on Fire…Julie Driscoll,Brain Auger & The Family
  2. Rag Mama Rag…The Band
  3. On The Road Again…Canned Heat
  4. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?..Chicago
  5. American Women…Guess Who
  6. Race With The Devil…The Gun
  7. Down The Dustpipe…Status Quo
  8. Living In The Past…Jethro Tull
  9. Bird On The Wire…Leonard Cohen
  10. Tears Of Rage…Bob Dylan & The Band
  11. Save The Country…Laura Nyro
  12. To Love Somebody…The Bee Gees
  13. There Won’t Be Many Coming Home…Roy Orbison
  14. Melting Pot…Blue Mink
  15. Hi De Ho…Blood Sweat & Tears
  16. Chestnut Mare…The Byrds
  17. Sweet Baby James…James Taylor
  18. Listen To the Music…The Doobie Brothers

Music From Tour OF Duty 5

  1. For What Its Worth…Buffalo Springfield
  2. Get Together…The Youngbloods
  3. Well All Right…Blind Faith
  4. Ride My See Saw…Moody Blues
  5. Paper Sun…Traff ic
  6. 25 or 6 To 4…Chigago
  7. Are You Ready…Pacific Gas & Electric
  8. Fire…The Crazy World Of Arther Brown
  9. Sabre Dance…Dave Edmunds & Love Sculpture
  10. Gimme Some Lovin’…Spencer Davis Group
  11. Shapes Of Things To Come…The Yardbirds
    12.Wild Honey…The Beach Boys
  12. Chimes Of Freedom…The Byrds
  13. Coming Into Los Angeles…Arlo Guthrie
  14. Lay Down (Candles in the rain)…Melanie with the Edwin Hawkins Singer
  15. Jump into The Fire…Nilsson
  16. Um Um Um Um Um Um …Major Lance
  17. Beck’s Bolero…Jeff Beck Group
24

Red, Hot + Blue, the AIDS benefit album of Cole Porter covers, is a lovely snapshot of the end-of-the-80s zeitgeist.

Not sure if they count, but the This Mortal Coilalbums are amongst my favourite of all time.

25

One of my favorite compliations is a bootleg album called “The Great Led Zeppelin Swindle.” It consists of songs that Led Zeppelin borrowed/stole/was inspired by. Zeppelin was a terrific band and sounded great, but they really lifted a lot of material:

01 - Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You - Joan Baez
02 - You Shook Me - Muddy Waters
03 - Dazed And Confused - New Yardbirds
04 - Black Waterside - Bert Jansch
05 - I Can’t Quit You, Baby - Little Milton
06 - How Many More Years - Howlin’ Wolf
07 - The Hunter - Albert King
08 - You Need Love - Muddy Waters
09 - Killing Floor - Howlin’ Wolf
10 - The Girl I love She Got Long Curly Hair - Sleepy John Estes
11 - Bring It On Home - Sonny Boy Williamson
12 - Shake Em Down - Bukka White
13 - Taurus - Spirit
14 - In My Time Of Dying - Blind Willie Johnson
15 - She Moves Through The Fair - Hayley Westenra
16 - Nobody’s Fault But Mine - John Renbourne
17 - Travelling Riverside Blues - Robert Johnson
18 - She Moved Through The Bizarre - Davey Graham
Same thing with Sublime, they were also a great band but borrowed hugely from other artists. At least they were open about it, and I think usually gave proper credit. I’ve been listening to a large compilation of their influences called Rewind Selector. It makes me wonder how many original things Sublime created really.

I also like a goth/industrial/dance compilation called Fuck the Mainstream.

26

I have a similar CD, with many of the same tracks, issued by Mojo magazine as Roots of Led Zeppelin:

1 – Little Richard: Long Tall Sally
2 – Garnet Mimms: As Long As I Have You
3 – Robert Johnson: Travelling Riverside Blues
4 – Bukka White: Shake ‘em On Down
5 – Santo & Johnny: Summertime
6 – Bert Jansch: Blackwater Side
7 – John Renbourn: Nobody’s Fault But Mine
8 – Spirit: Fresh Garbage
9 – Muddy Waters: You Need Love
10 – Howlin’ Wolf: Killing Floor
11 – Blind Willie Johnson: In My Time Of Dying (Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed)
12 – Davey Graham: She Moved Thru The Bizarre / Blue Ragga
13 – Joan Baez: Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You
14 – John Fahey: Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Palace Of King Phillip XIV Of Spain
15 – Owen Hand: She Likes It

27

I love this album! Tom Waits is a standout, as is Los Lobos and Ringo…