TS: Killed by Death vs. Nuggets vs. Back From The Grave vs. Rubble vs. Chocolate Soup For Diabetics vs. Bloodstains vs. Pebbles vs. Teenage Shutdown vs. Stompin'

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KBD, bros.

― the unbearable lightness of peeing (orion), Monday, 17 April 2006 18:52 (twenty years ago)

oh, and vs. Girls In The Garage, too.

― the unbearable lightness of peeing (orion), Monday, 17 April 2006 18:55 (twenty years ago)

Can't we just take all of them?

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Monday, 17 April 2006 18:58 (twenty years ago)

Teenage Treats

― Max Hechter (Max), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:04 (twenty years ago)

Seeds

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:07 (twenty years ago)

Hyped2Death

― mcd (mcd), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:08 (twenty years ago)

las vegas grind.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

A lot of great volumes of the original Pebbles LP series: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and then some of the European ones. I only have the first four Back from the Graves, but I'll bet that rivals Pebbles for quantity of greatness (and is maybe more consistent, too).

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:11 (twenty years ago)

I have a couple of Prae-Kraut Pandemonium's as well.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:21 (twenty years ago)

Has to be Pebbles, for sentimental reasons: big part of the soundtrack of the 80's for me. (As an absolute escape from all of the other 80s stuff which gets so much love here.) Couple of collectors would acquire the albums, loan them to friends, then tapes would get passed on, bands would get covers together and so on.

There's a scene in a punk club in one of the really early Almodovar movies where Pebbles 7 plays through two or three tracks in sequence as background ambience. Captured that moment - Seems like the same thing was happening in Spain at around the same time.

― Soukesian, Monday, 17 April 2006 20:48 (twenty years ago)

I'll second the Las Vegas Grind series, and throw in Jungle Exotica as well. Girls in the Garage are great, too, but you'd do well to grab the Ultra Chicks collections, which were put out in Quebec. Fantastic for the most part. How about those International Vicious Society anthologies? Three volumes of international weirdness from the 60s. And the Big Itch comps? Admittedly a bit spotty but there's some great stuff contained therein.

― Guymauve (Guymauve), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 00:26 (twenty years ago)

Someone called?

― definitely diabetic (Dave M), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:06 (twenty years ago)

Highs In the Mid-60s!

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:14 (twenty years ago)

Really, Stormy? Better than Pebbles? I've only got two Highs right now, both of which are classics: Texas Part Two (the one with Stereo Shoestring and stuff) and the third L.A. one (the '67 one).

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:29 (twenty years ago)

if we're talking killer-to-filler ratio, the original chocolate soup compilation is #1 for me. based on total number of killers, rubble box comes out on top, followed by nuggets II.

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:44 (twenty years ago)

nah, Tim .. I don't really think HitM60s is the best of this group ... just givin 'em a namecheck! I've only heard the Michigan ones anyway ... (which were pretty damn notable tho for including stuff like the Iguanas, Pleasure Seekers, Chosen Few, and The Bossmen!!)

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 02:52 (twenty years ago)

If you're going to talk about high quality 60's comps then you really need to consider the following:

Off The Wall, volumes 1 and 2 (USA)
Scum of the Earth Volumes 1 and 2 (USA)
Wild Things Volumes 1 and 2 (New Zealand) There's a rumored unrelased Volume 3.
How Was The Air Up There? (Also, New Zealand. Bonus points for being a K-tel compilation)
Searching In the Wilderness (Sweden)
Michigan Brand Nuggets --THE definitive Michigan comp--Lotsa early Seger and MC5
That Sixties Psychedelic Comp of Japanese bands on "Corumbia" This predates Alec Palao's "GS I Love You" CD's
I Was A Teenage Caveman (Similar to BFTG's)
Rumble (Quebecois garage bands a la Les Lutins etc.)

― Max Hechter (Max), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 19:28 (twenty years ago)

Erratum:

Searching In The Wilderness = Netherlands. (Typical American vagueness about geography...)

― Max Hechter (Max), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 19:31 (twenty years ago)

What's the name of the Kiwi Psych comp that comes in a green paisley sleeve and includes The Dave Miller Set's "Mr Guy Fawkes"? CUZ THAT RULES!

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 19:35 (twenty years ago)

It's called Number Eight Wire (or No. 8 Wire).

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 19:57 (twenty years ago)

Best track on that = "A Day in My Mind's Mind"

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 19:57 (twenty years ago)

There are some stretches of songs on these albums that are just sublime. Like on Pebbles 1:

"I'm in Pittsbugh (and It's Raining)" - The Outcasts
"Going All the Way" - The Squires
"Going Away Baby" - The Grains of Sand
"You Treat Me Bad" - The Jujus
"1-2-5" - The Haunted

That is one fucking killer set. Or this stretch on Pebbles 7:

"Seen Through the Eyes" - The Edge
"When I Arrive" - We the People
"Shakin' with Linda" - The Survivors
"If You Still Want Me" - The Four Fifths
"She's Not Just Anybody" - The Dovers
"A Pindaric Ode" - Sunday Funnies

So great. The entirety of side 2 of Highs in the Mid-Sixties Vol. 3 (L.A. '67) is another killer stretch. Back from the Grave 1 works in its entirety from start to finish, both sides. Also: this stretch on side 2 of Chocolate Soup for Diabetics Vol. 2:

"She's Got Eyes That Tell Lies" - Him and the Others
"Cold Turkey" - Big Boy Pete
"Grey" - The Hush
"Subway (Smokey Pokey World)" - The Tickle
"14 Hour Technicolour Dream" - The Syn
"With Love from 1 to 5" - The State of Micky and Tommy

The original LP version of Beyond the Calico Wall works from start to finish - both sides - too.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 20:14 (twenty years ago)

Oh man, Pebbles Vol 8 was the record for me. I might still have it.

1. You Must Be a Witch - The Lollipop Shoppe
2. I Never Loved Her - The Starfires
3. I Wonder - The Gants
4. My Baby's Gone - The Sound Barrier
5. Hey Little Girl - The Jujus
6. Do Like Me - The Uncalled For
7. Bad Way To Go - The Bruthers
8. Bad Times - The Clue
9. It Ain't True - Faine Jade
10. Lovin' Just My Style - The Caravelles
11. My Generation - The Human Beinz
12. Make You Mine - ? & The Mysterians
13. I Can't Stand This Love, Goodbye - The Others
14. Don't Do It Some More - The Cindermen
15. How Many times - The Rovin' Flames
16. She Lied - The Rockin' Ramrods
17. Run Girl Run - Movin' Morfomen
18. I Live In The Springtime - The Lemon Drops

― laurence kansas (lawrence kansas), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 20:19 (twenty years ago)

No doubt.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 20:23 (twenty years ago)

Tim and Lawrence couldn't be any more OTM. Killer sequences.

I wore out a tape of Choc soup 2 - must track it down on CD

― Soukesian, Tuesday, 18 April 2006 20:46 (twenty years ago)

>> Searching In The Wilderness = Netherlands. (Typical American vagueness about geography...)

"Searching For Shakes" is the Swedish one so you weren't too far off!

Other good 60's garage/psych/freakbeat comps:

Mayhem & Psychosis (2 vols that I know of)
Maximum Freakbeat (introduced me to Wimple Winch!)
30 Seconds Before The Calico Wall

I'd still take KBD (the first 10 volumes anyway) over all this though!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 09:10 (twenty years ago)

Mindrockers are fun.

Not much beats the 3 Big Beat Aussie comps 'A Peculiar Hole in The Sky' 'Of Hopes and Dreams and Tombstones' and 'Hot Generation'.

Maybe its because I'm a Brit, but Rubbles totally stuffs the competition here, in terms of both breadth and depth as well as great packaging, sleevenotes etc. But maybe that just opens up the UK Freakbeat vs US Garage argument, which I'm not trying to do..
Vol 1, 2, 3, 6, 11 are just utterly perfect.

I am not very impressed with the 'That Driving Beat' or 'We Can Fly'series. Also totally avoid 'Hen's Teeth'.

The Psychedlic Pstones series started well with 'Hot Smoke and Sassafras' (didn't buy it though, cos I have most of the tracks) and 'Haunted' (I did get this and it's good although a bit too close to the Ripples series in scope.) I haven't liked the look of later vols, but would be interested to hear if anyone has them.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 09:51 (twenty years ago)

I really need to get some Rubble, I haven't got any of those.

I don't know if it is because you're a Brit that you prefer freakbeat to garage, cos if I had to pick, I'd go with US garage and I'm also a Brit.

BUT maybe if I get the Rubble collection I'll change my mind! Admittedly I'm basing my garage vs freakbeat opinion on Maximum Freakbeat, Decca Freakbeat Scene, Nuggets II box and a couple of Bomp's English Freakbeat comps vs BFTG, Pebbles, Nuggets I, Teenage Shutdown and numerous other comps so my collection is rather biased towards the US!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 09:57 (twenty years ago)

I just like the variety of the Rubbles selections - just taking the first 3 volumes - you've got everything from gnarly (R&)freakbeat like the Dakotas, The Koobas and the Wimple Winch, almost proto-hard rock of The Open Mind and The Craig, pop-soul (Sons Of Fred, Bo Street Runners), pop-psych era The Pretty Things and tons of big-production whimsy from the likes of Mark Wirtz. Those albums opened me up to so much great music back when they came out.

I saw some of those Rubbles boxes on e-bay recently for around £25!! That's 10 CDs worth! Mind you they were only £40 when they came out. Get them both.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 11:42 (twenty years ago)

I was going to mention the Mayhem and Psychosis comps. The one that starts "Look to the sky! The flying saucers will always be there!" is

I seem to remember that Texas Punk Vol 2 is very good, though I mainly bought it for the sleeve notes, which are the origin of the phrase "the technologic art of guitariffley".

Another notable is Ugly Things - the one with the song Ugly Thing by the Creatures - which is a bunch of Australian nonsense.

― mrs xanthippe cantrip, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 12:06 (twenty years ago)

I was going to mention the Mayhem and Psychosis comps. The one that starts "Look to the sky! The flying saucers will always be there!" is great.

I seem to remember that Texas Punk Vol 2 is very good, though I mainly bought it for the sleeve notes, which are the origin of the phrase "the technologic art of guitariffley".

Another notable is Ugly Things - the one with the song Ugly Thing by the Creatures - which is a bunch of Australian nonsense.

― mrs xanthippe cantrip, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 12:06 (twenty years ago)

Folks might want to look here: http://lellebelle.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_lellebelle_archive.html

― Guymauve (Guymauve), Thursday, 20 April 2006 03:09 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

NEW OBSESSION: BOPPIN HILLBILLY COMPS!!!

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Sunday, 28 May 2006 00:58 (twenty years ago)

guys come on, this is important.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Sunday, 28 May 2006 01:22 (twenty years ago)

Seem to remember 'Desperate Rock'N'Roll' is a pretty great, especially the Halloween themed one. Nice pulp-art packaging, too. Norton put out or distributed loads of terrific-looking rockabilly comps.

― Soukesian, Sunday, 28 May 2006 08:38 (twenty years ago)

I've only heard Desperate Rock'n'Roll #1, but that one is great.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Sunday, 28 May 2006 11:46 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, we carry Desperate Rock'n'Roll (assorted vol's) at the shop I work in. Also, Billy from Norton has his warehouse next door.. hopefully the next time I go in to work there will be a stack of stuff for me to listen to.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Sunday, 28 May 2006 14:08 (twenty years ago)

Surprised no one has mentioned Texas Flashbacks, as all 6 volumes are ace. As with many of the above, the early Pebbles comps - 1, 2, 3 and 5 especially, have a big place in my heart, despite the shocking mastering etc... (though nowhere near as bad as some of the infamous Boulders series, although vols 1 and 3 of these are killer, too).
There's almost too much of this stuff available now, though - back in the late 70s/early 80s garage (or Sixties punk as it was more often known) was a true lost genre - you really had to seek it out.

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Sunday, 28 May 2006 14:31 (twenty years ago)

I'm surprised no one has had the nerve to call one of their comp series "Barrel-Scrapings." Great opp for an emblazoned motto: "To scrape and serve the very bottom of the barrel!"

― George 'the Animal' Steele, Sunday, 28 May 2006 14:35 (twenty years ago)

Lately I've been getting into the South American comps, like the Exitos a Go Go and Sons of Lima series. I found a great comp with a bunch of Los Mockers stuff on it that's got some of the most perfectly hyperbolic descriptions ever (Los Mockers would have been bigger than the Rolling Stones if they hadn't been from Ecuador!)

― js (honestengine), Sunday, 28 May 2006 15:15 (twenty years ago)

js, is this the Peruvian comp you're talking about?
http://www.turnmeondeadman.net/ADM/GPComps/SonsOfYma.html

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Sunday, 28 May 2006 15:49 (twenty years ago)

seven years pass...

Then there's the 4 volume Real Life Permanent Dreams: A Cornucopia Of British Psychedelia (1965-1970) and five volume The Perfumed Garden, which seem to have better sound than many collections.

The Arf Arf collections look good too:
Overdose of Heavy Psych
Lethal Dose of Hard Psych
Deadly Dose of Wylde Psych
Heavy Dose of Lyte Psych

So much stuff, and it seems only Rubble is on Spotify. Has anyone ever curated a tidy mix of the best 100 or so songs from all of these?

Also, has anyone other than Jim DeRogatis published a decent history of this kind of stuff?

― Fastnbulbous, Friday, 3 January 2014 18:51 (twelve years ago)

What ARE on Spotify are most of Nick Saloman's (Bevis Frond) compilations for the Psychic Circle label! There's also a bunch of others that focus more on British Beat and U.S. orchestral psych and much more.

Fairytales Can Come True: UK Popsych from the Late '60s
Fairy Cakes For Tea: Fairytales Can Come True 2
Let's Ride: Fairytales Can Come True 3
We All Love The Human Race: Fairytales Can Come True 4
Steppin' Through An Empty Time: Fairytales Can Come True 5
With The Sun In My Eyes: 25 Psychedelic Spins from the UK & Europe
We Can Fly 1-5
Filling The Gap 1-5
Blow Your Cool: 20 Prog/Psych Assaults from the UK & Europe
Cosmarama: Blow Your Cool 2
A Visit To The Spaceship Factory: 20 Gems From The Early Years of Prog
White Lace & Strange: Heavy Psych and Power Fuzz
White Lace & Strange 2: The Room of Loud Sound - Heavy Psych from the USA 1968-72

― Fastnbulbous, Friday, 3 January 2014 21:10 (twelve years ago)

sweet, thanks

― sleeve, Friday, 3 January 2014 21:16 (twelve years ago)

I would listen to all of these Saloman-curated comps

― sleeve, Friday, 3 January 2014 21:17 (twelve years ago)

All those Arf Arf psych comps are worth a listen (well, tbh I haven't heard Lethal, but the other 3 are goood)

Goood was a typo but gonna leave that in there.

― Just noise and screaming and no musical value at all. (Colonel Poo), Friday, 3 January 2014 21:20 (twelve years ago)

five months pass...

I went nuts and rounded up nearly all of the above comps, then got overwhelmed, ha ha. We need to pick the best songs for one killer 50 song mix!

― Fastnbulbous, Friday, 27 June 2014 18:15 (eleven years ago)

"Freak Out Total Vol. 3" is some pretty great Francophone stuff in this vein. (There are only two volumes, Vol. 3 and Vol. 33. I haven't heard Vol. 33.)

― rushomancy, Friday, 27 June 2014 18:28 (eleven years ago)

The "Stompin'" series is great - like a Pebbles of 50's-early '60's R&B and blues. Only heard the first few - there are dozens by now, but will vouch for 1-3 for sure. 3 especially iirc.

― Brio2, Friday, 27 June 2014 19:23 (eleven years ago)

I only have two of those Stompin' comps (one is jump blues, one country blues) and they're both great.

― the asterisk is the most sensitive part of the d*ck (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Friday, 27 June 2014 19:28 (eleven years ago)

Country Hicks series is good if anyone's looking for raw early country.

― the asterisk is the most sensitive part of the d*ck (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Friday, 27 June 2014 19:34 (eleven years ago)

"Lookey-Dookey" and "Talkin' Trash" are also good in a similar trashy early R&B vein as Stompin', as are all the comps I've heard on "Candy Records" (maybe a Crypt Records pseudonym?) like "Whip It On 'Em" and "Shakin' Fit".

― Brio2, Friday, 27 June 2014 19:39 (eleven years ago)

Tony - that's a fine idea but deciding on those 50 killer tunes will be impossible! I've gone down the route you're considering and the effort vs reward wasn't there for me. I've stuck with the two Nuggets boxes, the Acid Drops UK psych box, "Uptight Tonight" and "Mojo Instant Garage".

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 27 June 2014 21:28 (eleven years ago)

I'd go with the Back to Front comps. Best of the best were Chuck Warner's Hyped to Death cassettes—every song great. Which in turn reminds me of the fantastic Every Song a Classic series of CDs...

― Michael Train, Saturday, 28 June 2014 21:23 (eleven years ago)

i sometimes have nightmares where i'm in a record store and spot, like, volumes one through forty-six of one of these series and freak out wondering WHICH ONES I SHOULD BUY. i usually wake up gasping for air and sweating.

i do pick up those thematic country/rockabilly comp CDs on buffalo bop whenever i get a chance.

― I dunno. (amateurist), Sunday, 29 June 2014 04:32 (eleven years ago)

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