Best compilation albums ever?

Can't find a similar thread, which is baffling me slightly.

But what are the best (multiple artist) compilation albums ever? What makes them awesome?

Nuggets? Tropicalia? Now 25? Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures? Motown Chartbusters Volume 3? Artificial Intelligence?

There's a 'wost compilation ever' thread.

Gilles Peterson's Impressed series of British 60s jazz are really awesome.

I wrote an article where I chose these 10

Anthology of American Folk Music (Folkways, 1952)
Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (Elektra, 1972)
Saturday Night Fever (RSO, 1977)
Now That's What I Call Music! (1983-present)
Back to Mono (1958-1969) (ABKCO, 1991)
200% Dynamite (Soul Jazz, 1999)
Tamla Motown Gold: The Sound of Young America (Universal, 2001)
Say It Loud! A Celebration of Black Music in America (Rhino, 2001)
2 Many DJs: As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt 2 (2002)
Mary Anne Hobbs: 2Warrior Dubz (Planet Mu, 2006)

You could sub any number of Soul Jazz comps for 200% Dynamite though, and Harmless are consistently great too.

http://rymimg.com/lk/f/l/199cd7ece65f93e38a82fbbc8bdf1fc0/1591855.jpg

Strut's a great reissues/comps label too xp

Whole buncha Reggae comps to thread

Yes, I forgot to mention Strut. Those three labels have done more to expand my knowledge of music than pretty much anything else.

Yeah, I could mention a shedload of reggae - the Dynamite! series and Tighten Up! especially.

pay it all back volumes 1 - 6 : on-u sound series of exclusive mixes etc

headz - mo'wax : defined a genre.

talcum soul volumes 1 - 6 : just wall to wall brilliance for when in the need for a northern soul kick.

channel one/two/three/four : output recordings.

in flight entertainment/further in flight entertainment : brilliant lounge/easy comps put together by the kaminsky experience (part of the blow up! crew)

book a trip/my mind goes high/a whole lot of rainbows : excellent compilations of 60s psych, soft pop. go well with the nuggets classic.

Ones from my youth:

Now 17, 18 (first records I ever owned. we dug out Now 18 the other night and had a good singsong)

Rave Generation 2 (played the shit out of this when I was 14 - lots of pop/rave stuff SL2, Adamski etc)

Rap Attack! (it had Cypress Hill and stuff on it)

Now 17 and 18 are pretty faultless, bar Bombalerina.

Now 48 is fucking horrific.

Is it just age making me say that?

Would not in a million years claim that these are objectively the best ones ever, but these were some of the ones that were really crucial in introducing me to whole new worlds of stuff in my major years of music discovery (in approximately the order that I heard them):

The Wailing Ultimate (Homestead, 1987) - Big Black, Live Skull, Squirrel Bait, Dinosaur
The Blasting Concept (SST, 1983) - Husker Du, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Black Flag
A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse (Giorno Poetry Systems, 1985) - Sonic Youth, Cabaret Voltaire, Coil, Diamanda Galas, Michael Gira
Flex Your Head (Dischord, 1982) - Minor Threat, Teen Idles, Iron Cross etc
I'm In Love With These Times (Flying Nun, 1990) - The Chills, Tall Dwarfs, Snapper, Straightjacket Fits
Dead Tech: No Wave From Japan (Dossier, 1986) - Ruins, High Rise, Boredoms, KK Null
Making Losers Happy (Xpressway, 1992) - The Dead C., Alastair Galbraith, Peter Jefferies
Ambient 4: Isolationism (Virgin, 1994) - Aphex, Seefeel, Main, Thomas Köner, Paul Schütze
Drum & Bass Selection 2 (Breakdown, 1994) - DJ Hype, Ray Keith, Roni Size
Monsters, Robots & Bug Men (Virgin, 1996) - Bardo Pond, Flying Saucer Attack, Labradford, Stars of the Lid

Lots of other important ones like C86, No New York, Artificial Intelligence, Lonely Is An Eyesore etc I kind of picked up after I knew a lot of stuff on them anyway so they were never quite as important to me.

Ones I've enjoyed the most in recent years have been some of the awesome Analog Africa sets.

Greensleeves Records comps used to be great, also they did fantastic single riddim comps, not sure if those still happen or what the quality is like lately

http://www.stonesthrow.com/uploads/images/product/detail/love-s-a-real-thing.jpg

great comp, my introduction to african music. funky, groovy, soulful, i have a feeling youre probably familiar with it already.

http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/497/MI0000497830.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

These two have probably meant the most to me:

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Grand-12-Inches/release/183186

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Grand-12-Inches/release/183186

Ben Liebrand's "Grand 12-Inches" series in general is probably my favourite comp series of this millennium, even though licensing issues have precluded him from including some essential 12" mixes (like anything by Prince) on them, dude has done fans of disco and dance music a tremendous service by compiling both well known tunes, as well as acquiring the master tapes for many lesser known 12 mixes, many of which had never been released in digital format before. So do you don't have to pay high prices for some 12" disco singles anymore just to get that extended mix, they're all there.

I have a compilation problem, as in I love them and find too many to be essential. Some not mentioned yet that I can't live without:

Sounds of the South: A Musical Journey from the Georgia Sea Islands to the Mississippi Delta (Atlantic, 1961) - Alan Lomax field recordings from 1959
Tropicalia ou Panis et Circensis (Phillips, 1968) - the manifesto of the tropicalista movement
The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (Earthworks, 1985)
The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968 (Atlantic, 1991)
Hitsville U.S.A: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (Motown, 1992)
The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1968-1971 (Atlantic, 1993)
Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music (Mango, 1993)
Bei Uns Um die Gedaechtniskirche Rum...: Berlin Cabaret (Akademie der Künste, 1996) - 2 CDs of the original recordings from the Weimar era
Nigeria 70 (Strut, 2002) - an excellent introduction to Fela and beyond
The American Song-Poem Anthology: Do You Know The Difference Between Big Wood And Brush (Bar/None, 2003)
Goodbye Babylon (Dust-to-Digital, 2003) - Gospel history from 1902-1960
What It Is!: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves 1967-1977 (Rhino, 2006)
African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds From Benin & Togo 70s (Analog Africa, 2008)
The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia In 1970s Nigeria (Soundway, 2010)
The Fame Studios Story 1961-73 (Kent Records, 2011) - the first home of the Muscle Shoals sound
Time to Go: The Southern Psychedelic Moment: 1981-86 (Flying Nun, 2012) - an excellent introduction to the New Zealand jangle

What makes a good compilation? Just awesome curation? Is timing a big factor?

I think curation is key, but timing matters too. The Anthology of American Folk is a great collection, but it came along at a time when that world had all but disappeared. It was a signpost and gateway. The Indestructible Beat of Soweto is marvelous, but coming on the heals of Graceland it received more (and more needed) attention than it would have otherwise.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lFdswzCiBG0/Sl1FIPM2XVI/AAAAAAAAB48/gDv8SVK9u6Y/s1600-h/EGOTRIP.jpeg

Ego Trip's The Big Payback

As a huge fan of well-curated compilations (which I sometimes worry about disappearing in this modern era), I always look for genre/scene-based collections, though label comps are also quite valuable. For me, it's definitely the curation that's key, the idea that someone who really knows and loves this stuff has put great thought into how to best represent the cream of the crop and broad variety at the same time. Sometimes these serve as the end-all-be-all for what they represent, sometimes it's just a launching point. Therefore:

50s rockabilly:
Loud, Fast & Out Of Control box
Rockin' Bones box

60s garage/psych:
Nuggets box
Nuggets II box

70s krautrock:
Deutsch Elektronic Musik vol. I & II on Soul Jazz

70s punk & new wave:
Rhino's DIY series (9 volumes) covers the NY, LA, London and Boston scenes.
You could also go for the "No Thanks" box or "1-2-3-4 Punk & New Wave" box, I prefer the variety of the latter.

80s postpunk:
This is tough for me as it's my favorite musical period and genre, so I've got tons of favorites.
At the top level, the "Left Of The Dial" box is solid.
Cherry Red's 8CD "I'll Give You My Heart" box is crazy good and varied or you could just pick up "Pillows And Prayers" or "Ambition"
LTM has a cool series called "Auteur Labels" (8 volumes or so)
From Brussels With Love
The Fruit Of The Original Sin
Athens, GA
The Great Fire Of London
Some Bizarre Album
Short Circuit: Live At The Electric Circus
Urgh! A Music War
NME C81
NME C86
Lonely Is An Eyesore (4AD)
Fast Product
Avon Calling
Wanna Buy A Bridge
Rough Trade has some cool comps (25th Anniversary, Post Punk 01)

New Zealand indie:
Tuatara
Tally Ho - Flying Nun's Greatest Bits
Flying Nun 25th Anniversary box
Pile=Up Xpressway
AK79
Shrew'd

Australian underground rock:
Do The Pop!
Can't Stop It vol. I & II
Tales From The Australian Underground vol. I & II
Born Out Of Time

80s Hardcore:
Faster & Louder vol. 1 & 2

Alt country:
Down To The Promised Land
For A Decade Of Sin

That Flying Nun comp of NZ 60s stuff is great. Wild Things?

and No. 8 Wire

the "songs the cramps taught us" comps are great fun. a big fan of the rough trade rock n' roll comp too.

The SF and LA Nuggets comps are among my favorites.

for me a good comp is one that directs me into a whole new world to discover ..

makes me investigate further artists i have limited knowledge of.

hence my list includes ones which have totally directed my listening patterns for years

(especially nuggets, pay it all back, tighten up, talcum soul)

for me a good comp is one that directs me into a whole new world to discover ..

makes me investigate further artists i have limited knowledge of.

hence my list includes ones which have totally directed my listening patterns for years

(especially nuggets, pay it all back, tighten up, talcum soul)

lots i agree with here, but honestly that 1981 box done by an ilxor is high on my list

Wanna Buy A Bridge OTM

other ones that blew my mind:

Devastate To Liberate (1st place I heard Nurse With Wound, Legendary Pink Dots, Current 93, P16.D4, Hafler Trio, etc etc etc)
Dry Lungs (Neo Zelanda, HNAS, Jarboe, Esplendor Geometrico)
Ohrenschrauben * Ohrensausen LPs on DOM (more industrial goodness)
Rising From The Red Sands cassette series (now being reissued on LP)
Killed By Death #1
Bloodstains Across California

girl group box and Smithsonian Anthology are also great, obv.

What makes a good compilation?
agree w/ all of the above criteria, but it should also be listenable (as in, well-sequenced, not overly repetitive, etc). There are some comps I hear that are filled with good material, but have something missing in that regard.
and yeah, that 1981 comp is maybe the best comp I own.

I have had the hardest time finding the right girl groups box. Sleeve, what is the exact name of it? thanks!

mike mcgonigal gospel comps on tompkins square should be mentioned, those really have blown my mind.

true dat

that new age compilation "I am the center" light in the attic just released is incredible

ooh yeah, i need to get that.

Iago the girl group box I refer to was pictured upthread, it is called "One Kiss Can Lead To Another" and was released by Rhino (and is great)

Numero Group to thread, too.
My favorite is Personal Space.

Speed Limit 140+ BPM vols 1-3
Def Jam 10 Year Anniversary
Rave On!
Kaos Theory 2
Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box

A History of our World, Part 1
Cold Krush Cuts
XL Recordings: The Third Chapter
shit, what is the name of the 3 disc Tresor comp I just bought

xp Personal Space is fantastic!

Shaolin Soul
Ocean of Sound
Disco not Disco
Rough Trade Post Punk vol. 1
Jbo Junior Boys Own a Perspective 1988-1998
New York Noise vols 1 & 2

There are so many of these, and such a great way to discover new music!

life is a problem and the numero group local customs stuff is great too

and yeah that rhino girl groups comp is essential

Haven't seen Sub Pop 200 here, but it shouldn't be forgotten.

in that same realm, teriyaki asthma

I love the tompkins square box 'work hard play hard pray hard' which also has a really incredible story behind it (cache of old timey 78s discovered just hours before they were going to the dump)

Toop is a great compiler. Ocean of Sound comps brilliant (tho' they almost define a certain kind of 90s Wire-reading taste - they make me feel nostalgic now) - & ilx turned me on to sugar & poison:
David Toop - Sugar and Poison Soul Ballads CD

really like The Trip by Bob Stanley (& other of his/St Etienne's other comps):
if there's a better compiler than Bob Stanley out there, I'd sure like to know...

Iago the girl group box I refer to was pictured upthread, it is called "One Kiss Can Lead To Another" and was released by Rhino (and is great)

― sleeve, Monday, November 11, 2013 11:38 AM (34 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Thanks, sleeve

80s indiepop comps:
CD86
Rough Trade: Indiepop
Scared To Get Happy box

Random comps that I dig:
Stay Awake (Disney tribute)
Rogue's Gallery vol. 1 & 2 (sea shanties!)
Whore - A Tribute To Wire (one of the few artist tributes worth a damn)
No Alternative

Forgot to mention this one, it was a very formative experience to me when I bought it in 1994:

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Trance-Europe-Express-3/master/17380

It introduced me to several artists that I still love and listen to today: Air Liquide, Mouse on Mars, Biosphere, Alter Ego, Banco de Gaia... Hard to imagine all these artists, as well as µ-ziq, Richard D. James, William Orbit, Juan Atkins, Ultramarine, The Grid etc, appearing on the same compilation today, let alone one a trance comp, but things were different back then.

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Rip-It-Up-20-Indie-Hits/release/3900852

I had this on cassette when I was about 12 and played it back to back repeatedly on a walkman, everything on it probably v over familiar to all posting here, but this was the first time I had heard most of these groups.

This canon-abiding funk comp put out by the Experience Music Project in Seattle is absolutely flawless: http://www.allmusic.com/album/funk-blast!-mw0001289766

the second disc, especially.

https://soundcloud.com/orangewarrior/torque

no love for the Trojan box sets?

:(

I have the first one, I think - The Trojan Story, triple LP ska comp. Love it.

I like the Oldies But Goodies series. Have the first three of them anyway. One "dreamy" side, one "rock" or "jump" side.

back to mono (phil spector)
wanna buy a bridge?
girls in the garage
disco not disco

noisy 80s & 90s rawk comps i once upon a dug:

Harmony of the Spheres - glorious long-form drone comp from Drunken Fish, w Bardo Pond, Charalambides, Flying Saucer Attack, etc. (wish I still owned a copy)
God's Favorite Dog - Touch & Go label sampler w Big Black, Butthole Surfers, Scratch Acid, etc.
Sub Pop 100 & 200 - the former led me to so much great stuff: Shonen Knife, Wipers, Skinny Puppy, Savage Republic, etc.
Dope Guns 'n' Fucking in the Streets Vol. 1-4 - Amphentamine Reptile comp, an LP collecting four EP-length 7" comps, go fuck yourself a pig
Deep Six - C/Z's ground zero NW heavy rock comp, w Melvins, Green River, Soundgarden, Skin Yard, etc.
Mondo Stereo - uneven, but worth it for Green, Halo of Flies, Mudhoney, Lazy Cowgirls, a few others
A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse & ...
...Smack my Crack - two WONDERFUL art & sound comps from Giorno Poetry Systems, w Diamanda Galas, M. Gira, Tom Waits, Wm. Burroughs, Coil, Husker Du, etc.
The Wailing Ultimate - Homestead label sampler, w Live Skull, Naked Raygun, Dinosaur, Salem 66, etc.
Speed Trials - '84 live show document from Homestead, introduced me to The Fall, Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys and Swans, among others
Lipstick Traces - Greil Marcus' survey of punk in relation to the avant garde, w Raincoats, Orioles, Slits, Guy Gebord, Raoul Haussmann, Gang of Four, Marie Osmond, etc.
From Twisted Minds Come (Twisted Products) - fun but inessential 3rd tier barf rock comp w Surgery, Action Swingers, Unholy Swill, ST37, etc.
Endangered Species - fancy Glitterhouse Records 7" box comp w great tracks from Cows, Bastards, Monster Magnet, Unsane, etc.
The Devil's Jukebox - another box of 7" singles, this one from Blast First, w UT, Rapeman, Sun Ra, Band of Susans, Glenn Branca, etc.
Angel Dust - Savage Pencil's Blast First comp of songs from biker flicks, heavy on Davie Allan & the Arrows, but beloved for Paul Wibier's "Satan (Theme)"
Chrome, Smoke and Fire - Robt. William's matching 2LP comp of obscure hot rod tunes, w tons of crazy stuff, highlighted by the Four Jokers' "Transfusion")
Hard to Beat & ...
...Hard to Believe - Australian comps of Stooges & Kiss covers, w Raw Power, Hard-Ons, feedtime, Celibate Rifles, King Snake Roost, etc.
The Estrus Lunch Box, ...
...The Estrus Halfrack & ...
...The Estrus Gearbox - three box 7" sets from Estrus Records, w Cheater Slicks, Mono Men, Nomads, Fastbacks, Prisonshake, Girl Trouble, The Brood, etc.
Eight songs for Greg Sage & the Wipers - yet ANOTHER singles box, this one w Wipers covers from Nirvana, Poison Idea, Hole, etc.

^ represent my interests during the period pretty damn well, arguably better than any sampling of albums could

Iago the girl group box I refer to was pictured upthread, it is called "One Kiss Can Lead To Another" and was released by Rhino (and is great)

a great companion to this is the eight-volume dream babes series, which documents the same era from a british point of view.

DJP OTM, I also recommend the Reinforced comps f/ drum 'n bass (they're all p. great but definitely check the three 2nd Wave comps).

has anyone mentioned Soundway's Colombia! comp with '60-'76 Discos Fuentes hits? it is unstoppable and will expand your horizons if you don't know much about Colombian music (which a lot of people don't ime). and this only covers a little bit of ground, but it's fertile. my drum teacher had never heard it and went bananas when i made him listen to it.

shout factory's The Only Doo-Wop Collection You'll Ever Need is dope

Macro Dub Infection vol. 1 is a personal favorite.

in the same vein as LL's recommendation, the A Orillas Del Magdalena LP is a killer comp of Colombian cumbia

oh also ARKOLOGY

I know there are more comps I dearly love but I am at work right now and cannot browse my stacks.

Both Macro Dub Infection comps are great, as are all three volumes of Certified Dope on WordSound from back in the '90s. I'm also a big fan of Kompakt's Total series and can't believe they haven't been mentioned here yet.

First ones that come to mind, all very important to me:

Cambodian Cassette Archives
African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds From Benin & Togo
David Mancuso Presents The Loft Vols 1 and 2
What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves
Doob Doob O Rama Vols 1 and 2
A Tom Moulton Mix
Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa
Can You Dig It? The Music And Politics Of Black Action Films 1968-75
Yikhes: Early Klezmer Recordings 1911 - 1939
Rai Rebels
Philadelphia Roots/The Sound of Philadelphia
The New York Sound: From The East Coast To The Future
New York Latin Hustle!
Disco Italia: Essential Italo Disco Classics 1977-1985
Studio One Soul/Studio One Roots
Tokyo Invasion! Vol 1: Cosmic Kurushi Monsters
Mantronix: That's My Beat

Some Bizzare's If You Can't Please Yourself, You Can't Please Your Soul got a lot of play in my goff youth.

the mantronix comp is great.

don't know if it exactly counts as a 'comp' but i played the heck out of the gregg street 6 o'clock mix.

the 1 2 3 4 Punk & New Wave 1976-1979 comp is pretty solid too, even if with lots of obvious stuff in the mix.

Hey Drag City was a really good label comp too, right up there with Simple Machines' Working Holiday.

i also ride for Joe Meek: The Alchemist of Pop - Home Made Hits and Rarities 1958-1966

has anyone mentioned Soundway's Colombia! comp with '60-'76 Discos Fuentes hits? it is unstoppable and will expand your horizons if you don't know much about Colombian music (which a lot of people don't ime). and this only covers a little bit of ground, but it's fertile. my drum teacher had never heard it and went bananas when i made him listen to it.

― sweat pea (La Lechera), Monday, November 11, 2013 9:22 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is an insanely great document which I can't imagine not enjoying as long as I remain alive

stuff not mentioned yet:

Let Them Eat Jellybeans http://www.discogs.com/Various-Let-Them-Eat-Jellybeans/release/371462 (found this when I was 17, prolly my go-to answer if someone were to ask me "the most important album of my life" or somesuch)
Street Sounds Electro 1 http://www.discogs.com/Various-Street-Sounds-Electro-1/master/452621
The Roots Of Dubstep http://www.discogs.com/Various-Ammunition-And-Blackdown-Present-The-Roots-Of-Dubstep/release/776211
White Cock 1-4 http://www.discogs.com/Various-White-Cock-1-4-Compilation/release/834311 (because I know there's no danger of anyone else repping a breakcore compilation)
Sprigs of Time: 78s From The EMI Archive http://www.discogs.com/Various-Sprigs-Of-Time-78s-From-The-EMI-Archive/master/183412

Seems like there should be a difference between those comps that documented a scene, theme, or label at the time, and those that look back and curate.

I'd value the former more highly, though obviously the latter are essential, too.

At The Solicitor's Request
Bouquet of Steel
Earcom 1
Human Music
Is the War Over?
Life is Boring
Master Tape vol. 1
No New York
Not So Humdrum
Red Snerts
Unzipping the Abstract
Vancouver Complication
Avon Calling
First After Epiphany
The Thing from the Crypt
Tooth and Nail
This is Boston, Not LA

this thread rules

xp documenting is curating

/ pronouncement. i know what u mean.

Too Pure's "Pop (Do We Not Like That?)" is another label comp contender.

can't think of any "classic" compilations for latin freestyle -- lotsa great but semi-interchangable mixes.

yeah I like Freestyle Greatest Beats vols 1 - 10 but something more...concise would be nice too

The two-record Everly Brothers Greatest Hits that came out on Barnaby in the '70s is perfect. I see a lot of box sets listed here...Also from the '70s, the two-record Phil Spector's Greatest Hits has every important hit. Even more concise, the first Sam Cooke's Greatest Hits (yellow cover). These were all staples before box sets started appearing.

Super Discount from 1996 with all those lovely french house tracks by Air, Etienne de crecy et al. still one of my fav albums

ghana soundz
chess blues
dusty fingers
ultimate breaks & beats
mixed up in the hague
history of the house sound of chicago
a reference of female-fronted punk rock 1977-89
simple machines

Tommy Gun Perfect Beats. Mentioned?

I forgot my two favorite swing jazz box sets:

Swing That Music (The Smithsonian label)
The Swing Era (Charly)

Both offer a very broad assessment of the era and have minimal overlap. Super fun!

Tokyo Flashback Vol. 1 (PSF Records)
Metal For Muthas Vol. 1
No Age (instrumental music on SST from 1987)

were all gateway albums for me at certain times, although the SST one hasn't dated too well I guess.

Definitely can't go wrong with what Rhino was putting out when they were at their peak:

Doo Wop Box
Disco Years Vol. 1 - 7 (first 2 especially)
Nuggets Box Set (first one)

pop ambient 2002 (kompakt)
Definition of hardcore (reinforced)
Pioneers of the hypnotic groove (warp)
Cash money records platinum hits (cash money)

applied rhythm technology (applied rhythm technology)
http://www.discogs.com/Various-ART4/release/9610

Hey Drag City was a really good label comp too, right up there with Simple Machines' Working Holiday.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/5310/variousartistsethnobeat.jpg

Wanna Buy a Bridge

Artificial Intelligence

Disco Not Disco

Tommy Boys Perfect Beats (esp vol 2)

Those are the ones that changed my life. I can think of so many others. I love a good comp.

Even boots like Instant Pop Classics and Exploiting the Plastic Inevitable.

Reptilian Records' Sonic Assault, their Fall 2001 sampler, was never destined for immortality, but it has become one of my favorite comps. The lineup includes: Ironboss, Mastodon, Cutthroats 9, Thrall, The Dwarves, The Nits, Swampass, Cherry Thirteen, The Exploder, & The Heroine Sheiks.

http://www.atomicplatters.com/images/box_set_cvr_230.gif

so much of what i listen to now could be called a compilation album so instead of giving a long list, here's one of my faves from this year:

http://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/harafin-so-bollywood-inspired-film-music-from-hausa-nigeria

"A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector"

"Music & Rhythm" - The first WOMAD release, a 1982 2-LP world music comp which I bought for the ringers (unreleased Peter Gabriel, Jon Hassell and Pete Townshend tracks) and got introduced to Burundi drummers, Mighty Sparrow, Holger Czukay, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and much more.

The 5-volume Ace Records "Early Girls" comps are good follow-ups if you've got the Rhino "One Kiss Can Lead to Another" set and want to go deeper.

"Grindcrusher"

More Rhino:
"Beg, Scream & Shout!: The Big Ol' Box of '60s Soul"
The 9-volume "British Invasion" comps

Soundtracks of original music:
"Absolute Beginners"
"Grace of My Heart"
"Until the End of the World"

Shangaan Electro, ...
...Subterranean Modern and ...
...Music from Saharan Cellphones - like Michael Train, I'm often especially intrigued by comps that document current/emerging scenes

that said:

Last Kind Words (1926-1953), ...
...Lipa Kodi Ya City Council, ...
...I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore, ...
...Life is a Problem, ...
...Mata la Pena and ...
...Mortika - Recordings from a Greek Underworld - I owe Mississippi Records a debt that purchase prices can't even begin to cover
In Yo Face! The Roots of Funk Vol. 1/2 - Everything I do Gohn be Funky (from Now On)
American Primitive, Vol. 1: Raw Pre-War Gospel (1926-36) - revelatory in every sense of the word
Goodbye, Babylon - as above, and then some
The Secret Museum of Mankind (series) - a thousand new (old) reasons to love the human race
Black Mirror: Reflections in Global Musics - and a few more
Sprigs of Time - 78s from the EMI Archive, ...
...Marvellous Boy - Calypso from West Africa, ...
...Open Strings: Early Virtuoso Recordings From The Middle East, And New Responses, ...
...London is the Place for Me (series) and
...Living Is Hard: West African Music in Britain, 1927-1929 Honest Jon's, solid competition for Mississippi and Dust to Digital
Guitar Paradise of East Africa - an all-time favorite
The Upsetter Box Set - introduced Lee Perry to me, still astounding

I guess it's a fake compilation, but Songs For The Jet Set Volume 1 completely changed the course of my listening habits more than any other comp I know of.

excellent Asphodel ambient comps:

The Throne of Drones
Swarm of Drones
A Storm of Drones

^ oh tee em. spent hell of time w swarm way back whenever.

Endlessnessism - doesn't quite deliver on the promise of its concept, still a fascinating listen

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515jCezEmqL._SY300_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41X96WQ568L._SX300_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HfdpcmB0L._SY300_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZSHNyNPnL._SY300_.jpg

lol jk. enjoying my little joke here.

not that there weren't some perfectly great tunes spread across these.

Two with real personal significance:

Towering Dub Inferno (The ROIR Tapes), Rykodisc, 1990
Killing Capitalism With Kindness, Turbulence, 1991

Lyrics by Ernest Noyes Brookings - nice intro to Greenberger's Duplex Planet, Kramer's Shimmy Disc and Mr. Greenberger himself

No New York - how to do the twust
New Orleans Funk: The Original Sound of Funk 1960-75 - Huey "Piano" Smith, Lee Dorsey, Prof. Longhair, Eddie Bo, Bo Dollis, The Meters, Ernie K. Doe, I mean !!!

Sublime Frequencies as a whole

Killing Capitalism With Kindness was great, I had the CD.

my introduction to NZ was Making Losers Happy, and if it ONLY had Catapult/The Fate of the Human Carbine, it would make this list.

When I was in college, it was the discovery of a whole section of comps that totally changed things for me, though. Fruit of the Original Sin. The Industrial Records Story. Pillows and Prayers. ReR Sampler.

And my favorite series, Cherry Red's Seeds, the post-punk/new wave Nuggets.

Yeah, the importance of those Nuggets comps can't be overstated. Blew my mind & opened the doors to years of subsequent exploration/wallowing. Same goes for the Back from the Grave series.

I am the Billy Childish - One arseist, a couple decades and tonnes of bands: of significant service to humanity.

DJP OTM, I also recommend the Reinforced comps f/ drum 'n bass (they're all p. great but definitely check the three 2nd Wave comps).

― Hellhouse

Enforcers (Above The Law) is huge. Not forgetting the brill Kemistry & Storm mix on Disc 2.

Lots of my favourites already mentioned, would add:

Routes From the Jungle (Virgin)
Sarah 100: There and Back Again Lane
Metalheadz Presents Platinum Breakz
Trojan Rocksteady Box Set
The Disco Box (Rhino)
Studio One Rockers (Soul Jazz)
20 Years of Dischord
Total 3 + 4 (Kompakt)
Miami Sound (Soul Jazz)
Run the Road (679)
Yellow Pills: Prefill (Numero Group)
5 Years of Hyperdub

Where Will You Be Christmas Day?
A John Waters Christmas
In The Christmas Groove
A Glasgow Wassail
Trojan Christmas Box Set
Badd Santa
Christmas Rap
Merry Christmas (Etiquette Records comp)

Mojo seems to have done some very good cover mounted ones.
I just dubbed their I Can See For Miles compi to my hard drive after finding it sitting in a pile in my bedroom. Came outin '09 and is a great garage psych introduction.
Their Heavy Mod was good too as was the one of early 70s heavy stuff. Can think of a few others in punk, reggae, soul, funk., psych areas that are pretty decent for something that came free with a magazine. I think I've been ignoring too many of them and they've sat unwrapped on shelves for ages.

Yes, the Mojo "Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers" is my favorite UK psych set.

Mojo "Heavy Nuggets" is a great comp of kickass late 60s proto-metal

Think that may be the one i was thinking was early 70s.

Saturday Night Fish Fry is another great New Orleans funk/soul comp

Is It Dead? on Sub Pop was a great guide to the new strains of metal-slash-hardcore coming up at the turn of the century; the Botch songs led me to discovering Hydra Head, etc.

More good reggae: the UA Anthology of Reggae Collectors Series artists comps. Pick these up whenever I see them. Love the artwork too.

http://www.discogs.com/label/Anthology+Of+Reggae+Collectors+Series

re Killing Capitalism and Making Losers Happy, I def have 4track tapes filled to the brim with me ripping off the sounds of these. No one is allowed to hear that stuff.

Saturday Night Fish Fry is another great New Orleans funk/soul comp

― Number None, Tuesday, 12 November 2013 14:11

YES YES YES

Golden Afrique Vols 1 & 2
True People: The Detroit Techno Album
Brazil Classics 1 (Compiled by David Byrne)
Santic & Friends (Pressure Sounds)

Let Them Eat Jellybeans ... (found this when I was 17, prolly my go-to answer if someone were to ask me "the most important album of my life" or somesuch)

― too much Michu, not enough meta (DJ Mencap), Monday, November 11, 2013 3:02 PM (Yesterday)

Mencap OTM. About the best early American hardcore comp imaginable, made a huge impression on me at the time. Classic shit from Flipper, Bad Brains, The Feederz, DOA, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys & many more.

Flex Your Head and P.E.A.C.E./War also deserve mention, too, but weren't as personally important to me.

Anyone said Kompakt Total 3 yet?

also too

jazz satellites vol 1

Superb Thread Nick

Sound Of Wonder (Finders Keepers)
An anthology of noise & electronic music #1-7 (Sub Rosa)
Nigeria Rock Special (Soundway)
Funky 16 corners (Stones Throw)
California (RRR)

Mondostereo 1988 was a big one for me. My first intro to Mudhoney, Jad Fair/ Daniel Johnston, Beat Happening, Lazy Cowgirls, Halo of Flies etc.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Punk-O-Rama_3.jpg

http://www.allenlowe.com//alpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/devilintune-comp.jpg
these are pretty amazing

http://www.popsike.eu/pix/20101123/250731286093.jpg
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/TEXAS-FAREWELL-TEXAS-FIDDLERS-1922-1930-COUNTRY-517-LP-RED-HEADED-FIDDLERS-VG-/00/s/Njk5WDc1NQ%3D%3D/z/aoIAAOxyDLZR9tN8/%24T2eC16F%2C%21y8E9s2fjE%29IBR9tN8bLow%7E%7E60_35.JPG
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514hZOAFsuL.jpg

so so def bass all-stars vol 2 is seriously one of my favorite albums

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/uponsun/NWAposseLARGE4.jpg

Ace cover.

Some amazing stuff coming out on here. Can't believe we've not done this before.

http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mfaFq9JB7XSe1z2NSawiUIw.jpg

All sadly out of print.
http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/480/MI0002480287.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71%2Baj82EZ4L._SY300_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413T2YZDM1L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Posted earlier, hadn't read closely enough--multi-artist, okay. For doo-wop, these two:

http://www.shugarecords.com/images/products/thumb/1b4ce305-51bd-432f-9538-e57b314dbf17-0.jpg

http://rymimg.com/lk/f/l/99d8fd34921246ff662ced63b0487c75/2474115.jpg

You get Alan Freed, too, introducing the songs (but not talking over them, happily). I believe these were done towards the end of his career, when the IRS was hounding him. So he sounds a little defeated, and that fits the music.

how was A Splash of Colour? I haven't heard it in 20+ years and I thought other versions of some of the material on it were superior but it seems to have been more popular than I was thinking it was from what other people have said recently.

Seize the Beat (Dance Ze Dance)
First Stax box (I assume the other 2 rule too, but I have gotten TONS of enjoyment from this)
The Cosimo Matassa Story (Proper Box)

Perhaps one of the most 'important" compilation albums to my personal growth would the the Pump Up the Volume OST.
There were more songs in the movie that I loved than were on the cassette, but it still meant a lot to me.
Talk Hard!

next on my list :

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1460251_10152007563774802_888730662_n.jpg

http://rootsofreggae.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/jimmy-cliff_the-harder-they-come.jpg
Still great, after all these years.

there have been so many great comps in my life, but this one comes to mind first:

Jazz Fusion vol 1
http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/139/MI0000139080.jpg%3Fpartner%3Dallrovi.com

oh hell yeah (xp)

OK I got a chance to refresh my memory...

Bruitiste 2LP on RRR - beautiful industrial statement
Burning Ambitions - staggering early punk overview
DANCE CRAZE, holy hell how has this not been mentioned, live 2nd-wave ska, so great
tons of Mississippi and Sublime Frequencies stuff
the Smithsonian box set I really like is "Singers and Soloists of the Swing Bands", 6 LPs of classics. their "Collection of Classic Jazz" is a great introduction as well.

Burning Ambitions - staggering early punk overview

otm, was trying to remember the title yesterday

I always wondered about the song "Cherry Red Compilation" by the Rock*a*Teens, if they were referring to Burning Ambitions or Pillows and Prayers.

The CD/VHS "Tyranny of the Beat" from The Grey Area of Mute (Mute's industrial/post-punk reissue stuff) was a big thing for me. Again, not something where I'd say all the tracks are killer, but watershed for me.

for that matter, mutant pop! another favorite:

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-1126855-1194197787.jpeg

umm...

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj242/donaldparsley/mutantpopcover_zpsc56b3eba.jpg

yeah, like that

the harder they come is one of the best albums ever. it's, like, i can't even think of it as a compilation i can't understand any of those songs existing in isolation from each other

Worked on an expanded version of Mutant Pop as a CD reissue for some time, Virgin had put out a CD in the 90s called Rigour, Discipline and Disgust that never came out in america.

Please post the tracklisting, Dan! I loved your expanded "Wanna Buy A Bridge" which I compiled earlier this year.

I've got that "Rigour, Discipline" CD, it was tough to find!

yeah, dan, i'd also be interested. rigour, discipline & disgust looks pretty great (if a bit less "fast").

Fast Product OTM

Glad to know my Wanna Buy a Bridge expanded edition has had a life outside of my scrapped plans!

Initially we were planning on just putting out Rigour, Discipline and Disgust as it was, but in the US on CD.

But we were having a hassle licensing the Human League Dignity of Labour EP, which was owned by EMI by that point. I pushed to leave it off by Bob Last really wanted it included. But I played with a bunch of different ideas. 1 was to take off the Fire Engines (which was technically Pop Aural and we had just reissued) and replace it with the Dead Kennedys, which came out on Fast in the UK. Other versions swapped out the better known stuff for lesser known Pop Aural releases for a RDD part two, featuring Flowers two singles (amazing), Boots for Dancing, Drinking Electricity, Restricted Code, Marching Girls, Jo Callis and Fire Engines.

Or an LP version that would match RDD but remove Dignity of Labour and Fire Engines and tack on the Flowers song from Criminal Waste.

There was discussion of Earcom material as well, but those deals were even messier based on how they had been licensed in the first place. That would still be cool. An Earcom box-set.

"Music & Rhythm" - The first WOMAD release, a 1982 2-LP world music comp which I bought for the ringers (unreleased Peter Gabriel, Jon Hassell and Pete Townshend tracks) and got introduced to Burundi drummers, Mighty Sparrow, Holger Czukay, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and much more.

x2

^Always wanted to hear that

I have been totally digging the Warner/Reprise Songbooks compilations lately-one of the better time capsules of an era that is largely a blind spot for me.
http://www.dustbury.com/music/wblist.html

I know Cherry Red likes to compile and recompile the same material, but this look pretty damn expansive and I'm surprised by the breadth of their licensing efforts on this one:

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/revolt-into-style-1979-3cd-box-set/

1979: Revolt Into Style

DISC ONE:
1 Bill Nelson’s Red Noise – Revolt Into Style
2 Eddie And The Hot Rods – Media Messiahs
3 Andy Arthurs – I Feel Flat
4 Magazine – Rhythm Of Cruelty (single version)
5 The Cannibals – You Can’t
6 John Cooper Clarke – ¡Gimmix! Play Loud
7 Dead Fingers Talk – The Boyfriend
8 The Only Ones – You Got To Pay
9 Glaxo Babies – Who Killed Bruce Lee?
10 Sham 69 – Questions And Answers (single version)
11 Fingerprintz – Night Nurse
12 Siouxsie And The Banshees – The Staircase (Mystery)
13 The Squares – Stop Being A Boy
14 The Fall – Rebellious Jukebox
15 Alternative TV – Graves Of Deluxe Green
16 Patrik Fitzgerald – All Sewn Up
17 Tubeway Army – Me, I Disconnect From You
18 The Outsiders – White Debt
19 The Members – Soho-A-Go-Go
20 Three Party Split – Dubious Parentage
21 X-Ray Spex – Highly Inflammable
22 Jonnie And The Lubes – I Got Rabies
23 Toyah – Victims Of The Riddle (Part 1)
24 Ian Dury And The Blockheads – Sink My Boats

DISC TWO:
1 Squeeze – Up The Junction
2 The Clash – Groovy Times
3 The Records – Girls That Don’t Exist
4 The Skids – Masquerade
5 Clive Langer And The Boxes – The Whole World
6 Echo And The Bunnymen – Read It In Books
7 The Faders – Library Book
8 Gang Of Four – At Home He’s A Tourist
9 Joy Division – Disorder
10 The Numbers – Alternative Suicide
11 The Jags – Back Of My Hand
12 The Teardrop Explodes – Bouncing Babies (Zoo version)
13 The Cravats – Burning Bridges
14 Adam And The Ants – Whip In My Valise
15 Fashion – Citinite
16 The Undertones – Here Comes The Summer
17 Cult Figures – Zip Nolan (extended mix)
18 Pretenders – Kid
19 The Quads – There Must Be Thousands
20 The Jam – When You’re Young
21 The Cheetahs – Radio-Active
22 The Ruts – Something That I Said
23 The Teenbeats – I Can’t Control Myself
24 The Stranglers – Don’t Bring Harry
25 The Barracudas – I Want My Woody Back

DISC THREE:
1 XTC – Making Plans For Nigel
2 The Revillos – Where’s The Boy For Me?
3 The Monochrome Set – The Monochrome Set (single version)
4 Passage – Taking My Time
5 Swell Maps – Real Shocks
6 The Zipps – Friends
7 Disco Zombies – Disco Zombies
8 The Pack – Number 12
9 The Human League – Empire State Human
10 The Wall – Kiss The Mirror
11 The Mekons – Work All Week
12 999 – Found Out Too Late
13 The Outcasts – Self Conscious Over You
14 Public Image Ltd – Memories (single version)
15 The Monks – Johnny B Rotten
16 The Freshies – Children Of The World
17 The Vapors – Prisoners
18 Madness – Bed And Breakfast Man
19 Secret Affair – Glory Boys
20 Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Dance Stance (demo)
21 The Regents – 7 Teen
22 The Lurkers – New Guitar In Town
23 The Boys – Kamikaze
24 The Carpettes – Easy Way Out
25 Scritti Politti – Messthetics
26 Spizzenergi – Where’s Captain Kirk?
27 Notsensibles – I’m In Love With Margaret Thatcher

Anything that brings a little attention to Bill Nelson’s Red Noise is worthwhile.

Lars Ulrich gets a ton of abuse but he helped curate the perfect NWOBHM compilation as far as I am concerned.

http://img.discogs.com/2gbNtens7BpyQ4cSsb7ZhObPO10=/fit-in/600x466/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2497654-1628399392-2533.jpeg.jpg

Disc One

"It's Electric" - Diamond Head
"Eye of the Storm" - Sweet Savage
"Motorcycle Man" - Saxon
"Cheetah" - White Spirit
"Don't Need Your Money" - Raven
"White Lightning" - Paralex
"Getcha Rocks Off" - Def Leppard
"Set the Stage Alight" - Weapon
"Vice Versa" - Samson
"Fight with the Devil" - Hollow Ground
"Demolition Boys" - Girlschool
"Leaving Nadir" - Witchfynde

Disc Two

"Sanctuary" - Iron Maiden
"Back Street Woman" - Jaguar
"Killers" - Tygers of Pan Tang
"I'm No Fool" - Gaskin
"Sledgehammer" - Sledgehammer
"Angel Dust" - Venom
"Extermination Day" - Angel Witch
"One of These Days" - Trespass
"Death or Glory" - Holocaust
"If I Were King" - Vardis
"Blitzkrieg" - Blitzkrieg
"Helpless" - Diamond Head
"Ambitions" - Dragster
"Treason" - A II Z
"Witchfinder General" - Witchfinder General
"Red Lights" - Black Axe
"S.S. Giro" - Fist
"Captured City" - Praying Mantis

I’ve lost track of cherry red compilations but will give that one extra points for the incredible and under appreciated Clive Langer track.

Without getting too hung up on the 'best ever' clause, the 'Sound of Siam' one on Soundway is really excellent.

KTEL Rock 80 is the first comp I ever owned:
Gary Numan– Cars
The Pretenders– Brass In Pocket
Sniff 'N' The Tears– Driver's Seat
Nick Lowe– Cruel To Be Kind
Joe Jackson– Is She Really Going Out With Him?
Pat Benatar– Heartbreaker
Blondie– Call Me
Ramones– Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?
The Knack - My Sharona
Cheap Trick– I Want You To Want Me
Ian Gomm– Hold On
Blondie– One Way Or Another
M - Pop Muzik

'Sweet as Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa' - THIS COMP OMG!

Lars NWOBHM comp is pretty solid but clearly Spider slipped his mind for inclusion.

Various – Pomegranates - Persian Pop, Funk, Folk And Psych Of The 60s And 70s

the compilation to out compile everything else. proper dance music, all banger no filler.

when the first tune on it is this you know you'll be grooving like you've injected 3 bottles of 70% raki and eaten 5 grams of hash. take off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2UxJ9LtsTs

oh good call yeah that comp is sick

I’ve got a candidate, lemme see if I can find a streaming link.

You’d have to buy a copy but this is one of my all time favorites

https://www.discogs.com/release/43746-Various-Chronologi-12k-Year-1-Year-4

Classic Funk Mastercuts Volume 1... was a great gateway record for me back when I first heard it.

Creative Source – Who Is He And What Is He To You
Fatback Band – Wicki-Wacky
The JB's – Gimme Some More
The O'Jays – For The Love Of Money
Ohio Players – Fire
Curtis Mayfield – Pusherman
Fred Wesley & The JB's – Blow Your Head
Mandrill – Fencewalk
Average White Band – Pick Up The Pieces
The Blackbyrds – Rock Creek Park
Kool & The Gang – N.T. Pts 1 & 2
James Brown - Stone To The Bone