21 June 2013 (Day 172) – Compilations By Music Pioneers

I realised today that I forgot to make a fundamental point about yesterday’s post and let it become the focus for today's limited listening.  It is that the notion of a single disc compilation works best of all for music pioneers of the 1950’s and even earlier.  In this era, artists more or less, released singles; albums were little more than greatest hits compilations.

Today there are hundreds of compilations that honour these acts, mostly single or two disc sets.  As such, all I have to do is to think of an act I would like to see included in my iPod and to seek out the compilation that contains what I consider to be the best of that artist’s work.

Even then, not every act is represented this way on my iPod.  It is also loaded up with a number of various artist compilations that can produce a wealth of tracks by the same artist that nothing else is necessary other than to create a playlist for tracks by that artist drawn from these varied sources.  This applies in particular to a number of blues and rockabilly artists, Southern soul acts and Motown.  

But some acts simply cannot be denied, having produced so many memorable hits that a compilation had to be included, including;

(# 455) Chuck Berry – Greatest Hits

Elvis Presley may have made rock ‘n’ roll accessible to white people but ultimately it was Chuck Berry who provided its vocabulary, ensured the guitar was the dominant instrument and who developed the licks utilised by just about every major guitarist of note ever since.  There is probably no one definitive Berry compilation out there, mainly because so many el cheapo companies have flooded the market with CDs of his best work.  My copy is one of these, but oh what a track listing; - Roll Over Beethoven, Rock And Roll Music, Sweet Little Sixteen, No Particular Place To Go, Johnny B Goode, Let It Rock, Memphis, Reelin’ And Rockin’, You Never Can Tell and Back In The U.S.A. are within its 24 tracks.  And extra marks to the compilers for leaving off his biggest hit, My Ding A Ling.

(# 456) Buddy Holly – The Best Of Buddy Holly (2008)

Thanks to Paul McCartney’s ownership of the Buddy Holly songbook, there is little chance of the market being flooded with numerous Holly Best Ofs.  This particular one – with a pink cover – is the best single disc compilation of his work I’ve found, comprising 20 tracks, with not a duff one among them.  That’ll Be The Day, Think It Over, Peggy Sue, Rave On, Heartbeat, Peggy Sue Got Married, True Love Ways, Brown Eyed Handsome Man and It Doesn’t Matter Any More are amongst its tracks.  All contain his marvellous guitar work and distinctive vocals amid an overall production that trod the fine line between vitality and overblown floss quite nicely.  Most importantly, although there are some 50s harmony vocals, these do not overwhelm the songs in the way the Jordanaires rendered so much of Elvis’ 50s output to be practically unlistenable these days.

(# 457) Little Richard – The Very Best Of Little Richard (2008)

This is another single disc compilation released in 2008 with a pink cover.  Play this to anyone who doubts the size of Little Richard’s contribution to the development of rock ‘n’ roll.  Along with Jerry Lee Lewis, he was responsible for introducing the flamboyance and wild abandon that is so integral to the very best rock.  Tutti Frutti, Long Tall Sally,  Good Golly Miss Molly, Slippin’ And Slidin’, Rip It Up, The Girl Can’t Help It, Jenny Jenny and Bama Lama Bama Loo are all here as is his take on The Killer’s Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.  And if that’s not enough, check out the awesome live medley of Ain’t That A Shame/I Got A Woman/Tutti Frutti tacked on to end. Wooooooo!

Little wonder I headed into the weekend in a good mood.