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Guide Picks - Top 10 Oldies Compilations
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Here's a list of the finest oldies compilation CDs, as hand-picked by your Guide. This is not intended to be a complete list (yet), just a good starter guide for anyone looking to fill basic gaps in their oldies collection. More will be added over time; if you have a suggestion, please e-mail me!
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1) Street Corner Serenade: The Greatest Doo Wop of the '50s and '60s
The history of doo-wop in one 22-track CD. Includes all of the big hits, but also a number of seminal classics (the Mystics' "Hushabye") and important stepping stones (the original Regents version of "Barbara Ann"). The sound quality of the mastering is stunning. From the good folks at Rhino.
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2) Sun Rockabilly: The Classic Recordings
Only half an hour long, but the first place to go to get a real feel for classic Sun Records rockabilly. Heavy on Billy Riley and Warren Smith; if all you know of rockabilly are major breakout stars like Jerry Lee Lewis, you need to hear this collection.
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3) Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971
It's a box set (4 CDs), and the sound is somewhat primitive by CD standards (it was released in 1992), but this is still the only place to get ALL the influential label's classic sixties hits in one collection, from Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" to Rare Earth's "(I Just Want To) Celebrate."
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4) Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974
Available as a box set or as seven separate CDs, this is nothing less than a comprehensive history of postwar black music in America, from the greatest R&B label of all time. Otis, Aretha, Brother Ray, the Spinners, the Coasters - every hit is here, along with outstanding singles that somehow never found favor. Disc 4 is the greatest 50s R&B collection even released, while Disc 6 practically defines Stax/Volt soul.
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5) Crescent City Soul: The Sound Of New Orleans 1947-1974
The single-disc sampler is out of print, so you'll have to spring for the full four-CD set if you love classic New Orleans R&B. However, if you DO love it, you'll not be disappointed - this set traces the city's development from jump blues to R&B, rock, and the pivotal role in played in the development of both soul and funk. Featuring everyone from Fats Domino to Little Richard to the Meters and Aaron Neville.
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6) Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968
The original psych-rock compilation was a 27-track monster that spearheaded the punk and new wave movements of the 70s; this remastered 1998 version is a 118-track behemoth that does an even better job of archiving obscure and hit psychedelia, proto-punk, and garage rock from America.
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7) Girl Group Greats
20 classics on one CD! It's hard to imagine a better possible collection of girl-group hits, from Motown to Brill Building to terminally weird one-offs like "Sally Go Round The Roses." Most, if not all, of your favorites are here.
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8) Chess Blues Classics: 1947 to 1956
If you need a door into the best blues music of the 50s, look no further. Although they released crucial early rock and roll, vocal group hits, and R&B, Chess was at its finest as a blues label, documenting the music's rise from the Delta to Chicago. There are more comprehensive box sets and the like, but this is the best single-disc introduction to Fifties Blues.
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9) Surfin' Hits
Another great release from Rhino, capturing all the essential big surf hits in one disc. It keeps its focus on both vocal titans like the Beach Boys and instrumental gods like Dick Dale, and it's therefore a great place to start your surf music collection.
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10) Masters Of Jazz Vol. 7: Jazz Hit Singles
Jazz music wasn't quite mainstream by the time the 50s rolled around, yet it remained influential as it rolled into what may be its greatest creative period. This basic one-disc collection spotlights the jazz hits that somehow made it to the airwaves and stuck in the consciousness of postwar America (1949-1967).
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