We like collections, don't we? More bang for the buck, and all that... Well, here's a quick, non-comprehensive, super-opinionated look at some of the most notable pop comps out there... Enjoy!
Various Artists "BUBBLEGUM CLASSICS v.1-3" (Varese Sarabande, 1995)
Mmmmmmm. Bubblegum music. That ludicrously pre-fab, late-60s/early '70s faux genre of catchy fluff tunes performed by studio bands with goofy names -- the Archies, The Ohio Express, The Shondells... These three CDs are a real class act, with a generous helping of irresistable old hits ("Dizzy", "Sugar, Sugar", and "I Think We're Alone Now"...) as well as tons of less-well known, silly little gems. This collection is clearly a labor of love, and highly recommended -- you simply can't find a better summary of the style.
Various Artists "THE BEAT SCENE" (Deram, 1998)
Super-fun British "beat" singles from the Decca label during the era of Beatlemania... A lot of these tracks were earlier anthologized on the See For Miles label, but I guess PolyGram wised up and reassumed ownership of the material. The would-be toppermost of the poppermost are present in this generous, 25-track collection, including bands such as Unit 4+2, Sandra Barry & The Boys, The Hi Numbers and The Beat Boys (whose "Third Time Lucky" has long been a favorite!) Fun, perky teenybopper pop from an era when the market was still new and the formulae were still being worked out. Highly recommended!
Various Artists "DOO WOP BOX v.1" (Rhino)
Various Artists "DOO WOP BOX v.2" (Rhino)
Various Artists "DOO WOP BOX v.3" (Rhino)
These three box sets (3-CDs each) are about as super-sweet as you can get in the vocal groups tradition... Tons of hits ("Duke of Earl", "The Glory of Love," etc.) as well as an exhaustively full catalog of songs that doowop collectors treat as the Holy Grail. And, yes, this is a collection intended to make a certain variety of collector nerd sweat profusely -- the best thing is that we mere mortals can enjoy it, too -- a lot. Well programmed, and great sounding, these discs are highly recommended.
Various Artists "KILLED BY DEATH" (Various volumes) (1995 to ?)
A friend of mine actually figured out who put out the first couple of volumes in this bizarre "series" of obscuro-punk bootleg comps... and started a pen-palship with 'em!! But things started to get out of control after, oh... Volume Five or so... Of course, the typical later-volume drop in quality started to settle in, but then an even weirder thing happened: other people started hijacking the series. What the hell -- it's a bootleg series, right? So who's to say who gets to "own" the name? So Volumes like 8-1/2, 47, 2000 and .05 started showing up in the bins... many with material of rather dubious merit (besides their sheer obscurity). Apparently some even started showing up that weren't even reissues! Yeah, it's funny, but it also meant that people stopped buying the records, since it was getting so easy to get burnt by mediocre-to-lame releases. The early volumes (1-6) kick ass, though.
Various Artists "POWER PEARLS v.1-7" (1998/2000)
Like all these mysteriously-issued, boot-y compilation series, this has its iffy selections, as well as its doozies. Some of the later volumes get a little too punk-heavy for the "power pop" label, but whatever. Most of these tracks are so rare you're more likely to own Egyptian Wing of the British Museum before you get ahold of any of these original 7"-ers. The first two LPs are awesome. Cool stuff. Friendly liner notes. Vinyl only.
Various Artists "TEENAGE SHUTDOWN" (Various volumes) (1998/2000)
It's pretty hard to come up with new, fresh material in the NUGGETS/PEBBLES/BOULDERS/FREAKBEAT snotty '60s garage pop department, but this series sure does a dandy job. Great stuff -- a lot of striking material... and fun!!
Related Slipcue Pages
If you dig reissued rocknroll, here are some other pages that might be of interest:
Indiepop Indiedex
Slipcue Main Page
