Investigation

Various artists sets keep the variety levels high and boredom at bay, while being the perfect way to discover new artists and genres. Ken Kessler spins 20 of the latest

Compilations featuring various artists come in a number of flavours, but nearly all of the serious ones are intended to provide overviews of genres or eras, while others show off a label’s catalogue. Ever since the first great various artists sets of the 1970s, especially 1972’s Nuggets chronicling US garage rock and the one-hit wonders it engendered, the levels of research have been dazzling.

An upside to these gatherings of significant tracks is that many are rarities from impossible-to-find singles or albums that would cost three figures. The best uncover cuts that might have eluded even the most thorough of completists.

Pop pickers

This selection ranges from ‘pastoral psychedelia’ to 1950s jazz, ‘Krautrock’ to 1960s West Coast troubadours and numerous genres in between: chart pop, gospel, pub rock, the mod era. And among the most intriguing are fresh examples of a compilation sub-genre that really pushes the buttons for devotees of specific artists: cover versions galore.

Thus here are performers paying their respects to a singer, group, producer or songwriter, such as the Curtis Mayfield, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan tributes, the Joe Meek sets and a Scott LaFaro homage comprised of the various groups he played bass for. Add to these anthologies covering regional genres, collections of artists for a given era, and what inspired the Fab Four. If I’ve done my duty there will be something that has you reaching for your credit card.

Rollin’ And Tumblin’
American Electric Blues, 1965-1971
Strawberry Records CR3JAMBX46 3CDs

How refreshing! An overview of the first blues revival that mixes both black and white artists and reminds the world that it wasn’t just the British who rediscovered the then sorely neglected genre. This collection – which evokes Muddy Waters’ Fathers & Sons – starts with Howlin’ Wolf, ends with Freddie King, and fits Johnny Winter, Ike & Tina Turner, B.B. King, The J. Geils Band, Canned Heat, John Hammond, The Butterfield Blues Band, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker and related acts like MC5 and Blue Cheer between. There are 63 tracks to savour across three CDs, as good an introduction to electric blues as you’ll find.

The Spirit Of Chicago
The Soul And Songs Of
Young Curtis Mayfield
VeeJay/Craft CR00820 2LPs

Truly a soul ‘renaissance man’, Curtis Mayfield was known variously as a member of the Impressions, an astounding solo artist and the composer of the Super Fly soundtrack, but above all as an incomparable songwriter. This marvellous double LP contains 27 tracks, with a strong Impressions presence: nine from that seminal vocal group and 14 from former founder member Jerry Butler (who died in early 2025). But there are also contributions from Wade Flemons, Gene Chandler and Betty Everett, attesting to Mayfield’s genius by not featuring the usual classics.

The Magic Forest
More Pastoral Psychedelia & Funky Folk 1968-1975
Strawberry Records CR3JAM33 3CDs

Thanks to this set I have learned of an unknown sub-classification within a genre I love: pastoral psychedelia. If that resonates with you (should you be either old enough or well-informed enough), you’re likely to foresee the presence of Family, Clifford T Ward, Fotheringay, Sandy Denny, and others, many with roots in British Folk. But there’s much more, this 61-track treasure chest boasting songs from the kind of super-rare vinyl that makes your bank manager groan: Forest, Zior, Comus. Although it seems like a UK celebration, a smattering of Yanks fill the gaps, and the overall vibe here will have you longing for those much sweeter times.

Jingle Jangle Morning
The 1960s US Folk-Rock Explosion
Cherry Red CR3JAMBX41 3CDs

Another celebration of US folk-rock – see the Bob Dylan tribute on p39 – this genre has benefitted from the success of the Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. If you adore a blend of country, folk, troubadour, bluegrass and then-novel psychedelia, you’ll be blown away: 74 classics and obscurities from Poco, Buffalo Springfield, The Mamas & The Papas, The Leaves, The Fugs, Tim Hardin, We Five, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Beau Brummels and, indeed, Dylan too.

Electric Junk
A Journey Through Deutsche Rock, Psych & Kosmiche 1970-78
Cherry Red CRCD4BOX193 4CDs

This set earns special mention because of the nature of the sound: 41 tracks spread over four discs, with heavy synths and noises that will help you understand why German hi-fi manufacturers love huge acrylic horns and overkill solid-state amplifiers. Tangerine Dream, Popol Vuh, Faust, Conrad Schnitzler, Nosferatu, Kraan and Edgar Froese all feature in this celebration of early electronica – it’s so riveting you’ll barely miss Kraftwerk.

Get Ready...
Mod, Brit Soul, R&B & Freakbeat Nuggets
Strawberry Records CR3JAMBX42 3CDs

A rather broad categorisation covers this fascinating set, but then ‘freakbeat’ lacks clearly defined borders and juxtaposing Alex Harvey with Laurel Aitken means an overview of 1960s music styles in the UK. The 86 tracks cover such a broad spectrum – there are oddities from Jack Bruce, the Pretty Things, The Moody Blues, Wynder K. Frog and Small Faces – that it’s like hitting the ‘Random’ button on a streaming service.

I Wanna Be A Teen Again
North American Power Pop Of The ’80s
Cherry Red CRCD3BOX196 3CDs

Countering the pretentious, po-faced British music scene of the 1980s, the US delivered the sort of power pop which made the British Invasion of 20 years earlier so engaging. Here are 75 tracks clearly inspired by The Who, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and, yes, The Beatles, songs so infectious they almost made up for Duran Duran: Shoes, the Flamin’ Groovies, Marshall Crenshaw, Katrina And The Waves, Ramones, Dwight Twilley and more!

Joe Meek
A Curious Mind
Cherry Red Records TCT3BX153 CDs

There’ll never be a definitive Joe Meek collection as he was so prolific and curation of the legendary ‘Tea Chest Tapes’ is ongoing. This 82-track set is for the curious who already have the hit singles, as it focuses instead on Meek’s studio experimentation, hence the various subtitles (‘Outer Space’, ‘Horror!’, ‘The Wild West!’). Fifty seven tracks are previously unreleased, but the real surprise is the newly discovered stereo version of 'I Hear A New World'.

Motor City Is Burning
A Michigan Anthology 1965-1972
Grapefruit CRSEG3BOX156 3CDs

In the 1960s, Detroit and its environs – then a hub of car manufacturing – delivered both the magic of Motown and some of the hardest rock ever heard. The bands remain influential, Alice Cooper (by way of Phoenix, Arizona) still active, so while sounds were gentler on the coasts, Detroit was digging MC5, Tommy James & The Shondells, Grand Funk Railroad, Diana Ross, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, and arguably the best of them all, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels.

Shining On
Pink Floyd Tribute Collection
Lemon Recordings CDLEM3BOX261 3CDs

Floyd fans will have a blast with this tribute to their heroes. Each of the CDs represents a specific album, so you have Meddle Reimagined, Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon and Still Wish You Were Here, and the players are A-listers. Among those reconstructing each title are Rick Wakeman, Ian Paice, Todd Rundgren, Bootsy Collins, Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Joe Satriani, Rat Scabies (The Damned), Robby Krieger (The Doors) and actor Malcolm McDowell. Whew!

Feelin’ Alright?
Mod Rock, Funky Prog & Heavy Jazz 1967-1972
Strawberry Records CR3JAMBX44 3CDs

This three-disc set from Strawberry Records is a testament to the sheer variety of music created in the UK following the first wave of the British Invasion of 1964. Links to the initial invaders are here in The Kinks’ instrumental version of ‘Lola’, plus solo-period Jeff Beck, while the Second Wave occupies the rest of the 74-track study: Jethro Tull, Status Quo, Mott The Hoople, Free, the Faces and the Small Faces all feature.

Alchemy Of Scott Lafaro
Young Meteor Of The Bass
él Records ACME3CD374 3CDs

LaFaro’s legend as a jazz bassist was forged in part like that of James Dean: he died in a car crash in 1961, aged only 25. But in six years, he played with the Pat Moran Trio, The Victor Feldman Trio, Monk, Dolphy and more. These 39 tracks include numbers with Ornette Coleman’s Double Quartet, four from This Is Pat Moran (1957), most of The Arrival Of Victor Feldman (1958), the first Bill Evans Trio LP, and more. One can hardly imagine how he’d have evolved had he lived.

Middle Earth
The Soundtrack Of London’s Legendary Psychedelic Club 1967-1969
Strawberry Records CR3JAMBX39 3CD

Sometimes a venue warrants a compilation of its own – the Cavern, both Fillmores, the Marquee, etc. While this 64-track collection doesn’t feature live performances from the short-lived Middle Earth, it is so rich with rarities culled from singles that it’s still worth owning. The choices show how eclectic was the scene at the time, though the overall vibe was clearly peak psychedelia. Middle Earth attracted both British and American A-list names, so tracks from Traffic, Free, Soft Machine and The Who feature alongside those from Captain Beefheart, the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, The Fugs and others.

The Hamburg Repertoire
Original Classic Recordings Of Songs Performed By The Beatles
él Records ACME2CD376 2CDs

To learn what inspired the pre-fame Beatles and fellow British Invasion bands, here are 68 tracks by the original artists, many covered by the Fab Four when paying their dues in the nightclubs of Hamburg; ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Some Other Guy’, and a few dozen others are present on the surviving Star-Club releases. This is one of the best of these compilations, informing us of what fuelled a flood of talent.

I Shall Be Released
Covers Of Bob Dylan 1963-1970
Strawberry Records CR3JAMBX48 3CDs

According to an Internet search, more than 600 artists have covered over 1500 Bob Dylan songs. That same search also shows up a couple of dozen themed albums consisting entirely of Dylan covers, but this just may be the most all-embracing yet. Its 63 tracks deal with a multitude of artists and genres, ranging from the welcome-but-obvious (The Byrds, Johnny Cash, The Hollies) to the obscure (The Vacels, Hard Meat), while the choices of which cover versions to use are not the usual suspects. Dip into this for folk, rock, bluegrass and more, and to appreciate the breadth of Dylan’s output – this set only deals with ’63-’70!

Praise Be!
Boarding The Gospel Train
In Thrall Of The Lord
Righteous PSALM23-122 CD

Even sinners can enjoy gospel – if not, there’d be no Jerry Lee Lewis. This set mixes secular with sacred: country, blues and soul stars join straight-ahead gospel singers to deliver 23 tracks defined as ‘In Thrall Of The Lord’. Thus you get the Swan Silvertones’ ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ and the Staple Singers’ ‘I Had A Dream’ in the same collection as Johnny Cash with ‘God Must Have My Fortune Laid Away’. Soul-stirring stuff.

Too Far Out
Joe Meek’s Tea Chest Tapes
Cherry Red TCT3BX14 3CDs

If you can handle more Joe Meek, this 88-track companion to A Curious Mind overlaps only slightly. It concentrates on completed tracks of a more musically conventional nature, along with plenty of unreleased material. Collectors will cherish Meek’s last Top 30 hit, ‘Please Stay’ by The Cryin’ Shames, Screaming Lord Sutch’s banned-by-the-Beeb horror rocker ‘Jack The Ripper’, and rediscovered tracks from mod groups the Birds Of Prey and The Riot Squad.

Time! Gentlemen!
Pub Rock Rhythms ’N’ Grooves
Strawberry Records CR3JAMBX37 3CDs

This incredible set delivers four hours of pub rock bliss from 1974-1982, showing both the range of the genre’s artists and begging the question: how did so many raw punk acts overwhelm the indie labels to pub rock’s detriment? The survivors included Dr Feelgood, Dave Edmunds, Elvis Costello and Squeeze, but also the sorely overlooked Roogalator and Brinsley Schwarz, who penned the oft-covered ‘(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, And Understanding’.

All Things Bright...
The UK Pop Explosion 1967-1969
Grapefruit Records CRSEG3BOX138 3CDs

If one is producing a compilation from a specific era, it’s essential that hits are augmented by less familiar material. Among these 82 tracks are both smashes (The Tremeloes’ ‘Even The Bad Times Are Good’, The Hollies’ ‘Carrie Anne’) and obscurities (Yellow Pages’ ‘Ding Dong Bell’). Accurately subtitled ‘The UK Pop Explosion 1967-1969’, it’s a perfect aide-mémoire of those years on this side of the Pond, with The Move, The Herd, Lulu and more all appearing.

David Hepworth
More Deep 70s
Edsel EDSL0161X 4CDs

Although Hepworth’s premise – that the 1970s are more important musically than the 1960s – is surely flawed, this 73-track second volume lauding the decade makes for fine listening. Spread across four CDs, each curated for a theme (‘Americana’, ‘Skinny Tie Music’, etc), are cuts from the Ramones, Laura Nyro, Mink DeVille, XTC, Thin Lizzy, Nilsson and more. Ignore the fact that many came to prominence in the 1960s and there’s plenty of fun to be had.