Best Ever Albums

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

RoundTheBend — Sun, 7 Feb 2016 01:01:28 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/07/2016 06:01

noWaxJim wrote:

Hmm. . not sure that's entirely accurate. Sure there's a vinyl rip of one or two kicking about if you Google hard enough.

I've got something to say re. the OP but I've just woken up and can't be arsed right now. I'll pop back later. Ta-ta.

Thanks! I'll have to see if any of these are worth listening to. Not expecting wikipedia to be 100%, but this was all I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crew-Cuts#Discography

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Jimmy Dread — Sat, 6 Feb 2016 02:05:45 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 02/06/2016 07:05

sethmadsen wrote:

So the other part of this problem is I want to put best of compilations for say the crew cuts on my 50s chart because they (according to wikipedia) didn't really have an album, and try finding one... But I do feel like their style was really important to 50s doo-wop. Can't do that on this site... it's a best of from the 90s or something lame.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

JOSweetHeart — Fri, 5 Feb 2016 19:20:01 GMT

Author: JOSweetHeart

Posted: 02/06/2016 00:20

A few compilation albums of my newest favorite singer, late beautiful precious Billy Joe Royal that is, have been released which I really appreciated because on them is a good deal of material that had not been made available earlier.

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God bless you and his family always!!!

Holly

P.S. If only I had found him sooner. 😢 😢 😢

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Romanelli — Thu, 4 Feb 2016 22:00:02 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 02/05/2016 03:00

Applerill wrote:

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Father Time's Greatest Hits by Father Time

You should listen to this album. Twice. In the dark. Your hair will be gray when you turn the light on.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

dihansse — Thu, 4 Feb 2016 00:48:15 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 02/04/2016 05:48

Pisces Iscariot is indeed a great b sides compilation and also the Pixies B sides one.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

RoundTheBend — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 21:02:20 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/04/2016 02:02

So the other part of this problem is I want to put best of compilations for say the crew cuts on my 50s chart because they (according to wikipedia) didn't really have an album, and try finding one... But I do feel like their style was really important to 50s doo-wop. Can't do that on this site... it's a best of from the 90s or something lame.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

RoundTheBend — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 21:00:07 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/04/2016 02:00

dihansse wrote:

Of course regular albums are to be preferred and that's why my regular top lists per year, decade etc usually don't contain compilations but I do have a custom,list with best best ofs. This list mainly consists artists from whom I don't know the regular albums or which are mainly singles bands; in the past I bought my CDs so I owned some compilations but now that I have Apple Music, I'm gradually substituting them with the regular albums so this list should get smaller.

But there are some examples in which the compilations do give an extra value:
- Compilations with special mixes: Here the quintessential example is Substance by New Order: the individual albums of New Order are not that good, but Substance with the long remixes is just fantastic
- some compilations chosen by the artist himself with additional comments and with a good mix of the artists' musical Career sometimes do give a surplus value: the best example here is Between Thoughts and Expressions by Lou Reed
- sometimes a compilation of two or three albums of a certainly era of an artist can be very good with typical example The Asylum Years by Tom Waits
- and finally sometimes a compilation of outtakes or b-sides can be very good like Besides from Sugar.

Agreed. It reminds me of this best of, which has a second cd of B-sides I enjoyed listening to. A great B sides... no that would be the other album below, but decent, sure.

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The Best Of 1990-2000 by U2

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Pisces Iscariot by The Smashing Pumpkins

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

RoundTheBend — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 20:56:23 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/04/2016 01:56

blacksaintsinnerLAD wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

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Here's another record I own that I like way more than any "real" album I've heard.

I was actually gonna use Billie as an example (but with Lady Day instead). Billie's studio albums were all recorded later in her career, when her voice had declined from her early recordings and she mostly stuck to strings, so to get a taste of her (imo superior) jazzier recordings you kinda need comps.

Agreed.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Applerill — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 16:50:33 GMT

Author: Applerill

Posted: 02/03/2016 21:50

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Father Time's Greatest Hits by Father Time

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

alelsupreme — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 16:02:57 GMT

Author: alelsupreme

Posted: 02/03/2016 21:02

sethmadsen wrote:

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Here's another record I own that I like way more than any "real" album I've heard.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

dihansse — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 15:57:32 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 02/03/2016 20:57

Of course regular albums are to be preferred and that's why my regular top lists per year, decade etc usually don't contain compilations but I do have a custom,list with best best ofs. This list mainly consists artists from whom I don't know the regular albums or which are mainly singles bands; in the past I bought my CDs so I owned some compilations but now that I have Apple Music, I'm gradually substituting them with the regular albums so this list should get smaller.

But there are some examples in which the compilations do give an extra value:
- Compilations with special mixes: Here the quintessential example is Substance by New Order: the individual albums of New Order are not that good, but Substance with the long remixes is just fantastic
- some compilations chosen by the artist himself with additional comments and with a good mix of the artists' musical Career sometimes do give a surplus value: the best example here is Between Thoughts and Expressions by Lou Reed
- sometimes a compilation of two or three albums of a certainly era of an artist can be very good with typical example The Asylum Years by Tom Waits
- and finally sometimes a compilation of outtakes or b-sides can be very good like Besides from Sugar.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 18:34:51 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 01/30/2016 23:34

^ I've not heard that particular Billie collection but it definitely sounds worth checking out

Revolution909 wrote:

dividesbyzero wrote:

Revolution909 wrote:

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Frankie Knuckles: House Masters by Various Artists

Fuuuuck I totally forgot this came out. Listening immediately. Rumor has it it might rival the Greatest Hits from Trax comp

Upon listening to this and watching an excellent interview with the late Frankie Knuckles (linked below), I feel this is the new yardstick to which I compare any of the other house albums I listen to. It's that good. I would highly recommend it.

Link

This was about as good as I expected it to be, and being a Frankie Knuckles hopeless fanboy that means it was AMAZING and in all honestly might even be a more cohesive comp that the legendary Trax Records hits album. Man's a true legend in every sense of the word. RIP

Btw have you heard the DJ set he did Live @ Ministry of Sound 1991? It's not technically an album or a comp or anything as far as I know but it's honestly some of my favorite recorded music in existence

Link

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

RoundTheBend — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 15:57:09 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 01/30/2016 20:57

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Here's another record I own that I like way more than any "real" album I've heard.

I think someone went through the effort to find the best recordings (not the most "polished" ones either) that captures Billie's voice and sass.

I'm redoing my 50's decade chart and now that I've listened to these records, I'd totally rather listen to the best of... not that the records below aren't any good, it's just not as enjoyable of an experience. And I think it better fits her... I don't think she's an album writer, but all about the songs.

Lady Sings the Blues
Lady In Satin
All Or Nothing At All
Stay With Me
Songs For Distingué Lovers
Billie Holiday Sings

Call me shallow, but that's my opinion. What's funny is the Essence of Billie Holiday doesn't have as many smooth recordings, and while some of the tracks are on the recordings above, I feel these more crass poor recordings capture her sass better.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Revolution909 — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 10:38:30 GMT

Author: Revolution909

Posted: 01/30/2016 15:38

dividesbyzero wrote:

Revolution909 wrote:

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Frankie Knuckles: House Masters by Various Artists

Fuuuuck I totally forgot this came out. Listening immediately. Rumor has it it might rival the Greatest Hits from Trax comp

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 03:34:49 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 01/30/2016 08:34

Revolution909 wrote:

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Frankie Knuckles: House Masters by Various Artists

Fuuuuck I totally forgot this came out. Listening immediately. Rumor has it it might rival the Greatest Hits from Trax comp

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Grzywa — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 03:19:05 GMT

Author: Grzywa

Posted: 01/30/2016 08:19

Patman360 wrote:

I used to have both Closer and Unknown Pleasures on my overall chart, and placed highly at that, but ever since I've conformed to the one album per artist rule I've had Substance on there, in my top 15 no less.

Substance is #16 on my overall chart 😄

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Revolution909 — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 03:05:26 GMT

Author: Revolution909

Posted: 01/30/2016 08:05

In my opinion, compilations definitely have their place, especially when they focus on a genre rather than an artist or if the artist in question doesn't release studio albums.

Favourites of mine now for a while is the following:

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I Am The Center: Private Issue New Age In America, 1950-1990 by Various Artists

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Textstar by Farben

Also, I have recently gotten into the following:

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French Disco Boogie Sounds (1975-1984) by Various Artists

People's Potential Family Album by Various Artists

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Frankie Knuckles: House Masters by Various Artists

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

xhitmanx — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 22:01:30 GMT

Author: xhitmanx

Posted: 01/30/2016 03:01

I usually wouldn't count compilations, but there are some cases where I can make an exception (comps with alternate versions of songs, b-sides, rarities, etc). I would include the Misfits' 2 collection comps (I prefer the alternate versions of the songs on the Collections over the Walk Among Us versions) and the Buzzcocks' Singles Going Steady as some of those exceptions.

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Patman360 — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 21:32:30 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 01/30/2016 02:32

Grzywa wrote:

The best. Since none of the tracks had been released on a studio album before (if we count out the alternative version of She's Lost Control), and yet it covers their entire career span, it works just as well as their regular albums plus it's got the progressing variety (from punk to synth).

I think it works even better than their regular albums the more I listen, I used to have both Closer and Unknown Pleasures on my overall chart, and placed highly at that, but ever since I've conformed to the one album per artist rule I've had Substance on there, in my top 15 no less. That and their Peel Sessions release are every bit as good as their studio albums and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.

As for compilations well worth a listen that probably don't have significant fanbases (or at least any that I'm aware of) include:

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GruffWuff by Various Artists

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The Politics Of Time by Minutemen

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The Ultimate Collection (1948-1990) by John Lee Hooker

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Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards by Tom Waits

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The Complete Blind Willie Johnson by Blind Willie Johnson

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Anthology Of American Folk Music by Various Artists

Re: Compilation vs Studio Album

Romanelli — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 07:24:25 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 01/29/2016 12:24

I find this thread to be most refreshing and a pleasant surprise. It wasn't forever ago that we had a thread where someone was requesting that compilations not be allowed on BEA at all.