Gwyn.
Kusuriuri
User

Reviews 8
Approval 89%

Soundoffs 88
News Articles 10
Band Edits + Tags 97
Album Edits 184

Album Ratings 138
Objectivity 75%

Last Active 01-14-21 11:58 am
Joined 11-25-12

Review Comments 17,270

 Lists
09.10.18 My 2018 in music09.14.17 Classical!! ♦
02.27.17 Some stuff I heard in February09.14.16 "Various Artists" ♦
08.02.16 A list with music on it04.26.16 Jazz, once more ♦
03.07.16 Jazz ♦12.19.15 The Force Awakens spoiler talkin'
10.24.15 Any mexicans around here?09.30.15 Give me sexy sexy music
04.27.15 Dota 201.19.15 Lost Whole Music Library
05.25.14 Elliot Rodger04.24.14 2 Yrs
03.14.14 Old School/90's Crpgs03.09.14 Dark Souls 2
01.01.14 Uncle Phil Is Dead01.01.14 Your First Time Drunk
More »

"Various Artists"

So sputnik SUCKS when it comes to various artists compilations, that's no secret. Sputnik's way of cataloguing is just far too simple for that sort of thing. Instead of making a pointless list trying (vainly) to get things to change, I decided to instead bring you this list - These are a whole slew of various artists compilations that contain (Good) music from all over the world and most of which serve as strong footing for people who were looking to delve into a particular genre. I was originally going to add a description for each album but that's a project that demands far more spare time than I have (and frankly more motivation also), but I didn't wanna just throw the whole thing and leave everyone in the dark as to what's even in the compilations (although, with some of the names, a lot of them are kind of self-explanatory), so I added rym genre tags and the record labels so you may know exactly where to look if a particular compilation tickles your fancy and you'd like more of that sort of thing (*Genre tags* // *Record label*). I will make a proper description for some but there won't be many. In some cases I'll quote people who I believed summed it up wonderfully and I wouldn't even bother trying to top them (Also because I'm lazy). I was also originally going to make the list 100 items, like my Jazz ones, but since I figured it'd just be overwhelming (And laziness again), I halved the number. I will make another list to continue this one, I don't know when but probably within the next few weeks. Anyway, without further ado, here you go.
1Various Artists
An England Story

Note: Full name is 'An England Story: From Dancehall to Grime - 25 Years of the MC in the UK 1983-2008'

Digital Dancehall, UK Hip-Hop, Deejay, Grime, Ragga, Breakbeat, Drum & Bass // Soul Jazz Records

The compilation that inspired me to make this list. Despite the scope of the comp, it's actually not long at all, considering how big soem of these other comps are - But that's a good thing. It uses its time ridiculously efficiently. Like the name implies it covers most of the advances in genres with "MCs" from the 80s to the 2000s, and it does so giving you a hit for nearly every genre and despite the relative obscurity of the artists for people outside the UK (Except maybe for Estelle, but entirely for non-musical reasons), this is pretty much all super accessible stuff that BANGS like shit - There's only like 3 or so songs that I didn't even immediately wanna play back right after it was done and there's not a single dud to be found. Soul Jazz records are the best.
2Various Artists
Thai Pop Spectacular: 1960s-1980s

Luk Thung (or Thai Country music), Psychedelic Pop, Disco, Funk // Sublime Frequencies

Mind-bending groovies and microtonal melodies with some absolutely lovely singing. Oh, and this is one of Björk's favorite albums of all time. So there's that. ( http://www.therestisnoise.com/2011/11/my-favorite-records-bj%C3%B6rk.html )
3Various Artists
King of Dub

Dub (Obviously) // Clocktower Records
4Various Artists
African Scream Contest

Note: Full name is 'African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo 70s'

Afro-Funk // Analog Africa

"Goddamned. Benin and Togo? Seriously? Insanely tight funk by a bunch of James Brown idolators with twice the pace and sex appeal of the Godfather's hits. The focus is clearly on "raw", this is actually less psychedelic than most of the Nigerian stuff. Surprisingly, the folk influences also seem lesser; this is simply sexy and sweaty urban afrofunk. From fucking Benin and Togo! Don't let anyone fool ya, Africa is our popular music's spiritual home. Where it comes from and where it will always return. "
5Various Artists
Anthology of American Folk Music

Country Blues, Country Gospel, Old-Time, American Folk Music, Jug Band, Cajun, Sacred Harp Music, Appalachian Folk Music // Folkways Records

Absolutely MASSIVE recollection of the early evolution of all that is old timer in America. The lack of production qualities either don't distract from the sheer power of some of these hits or outright add to it, giving it that kind of distant, ethereal air that makes it feel just as endearingly old as it really is. This is worthy of being called one of, if not the, most tresured collection of music in any music library.
6Various Artists
Shona Mbira Music

Shona Mbira Music // Nonesuch Records (Nonesuch Explorer Series)

Beauuuuuuuutiful, heartwarming melodies that can easily lift the most jaded spirit.
7Various Artists
Goodbye, Babylon

Gospel, Blues, Sacred Harp Music, Country, Old-Time, Country Gospel, Spoken Word, Spirituals, Work Songs, Appalachian Folk Music, Bluegrass Gospel, Dixieland // Dust-to-Digital

"This is one of those box sets that is not simply a collection of music but a glimpse into another world. Modern non-denominational Christian pop tends to be so terrible that it's really easy to forget that there was a time when some of the most expressive, fascinating, beautiful and ominous sounding (check "Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb" if you don't think there's some ominous, disturbing, imagery in religious music) music out there was made in Jesus' name. I'm not in the least bit religious but that has nothing to do with enjoying this collection. If you have a soul, or even if you're an atheist that doesn't believe in the concept of a soul but still has ears, there is no reason not to like this."
8Various Artists
Ken Burns Jazz

Note: Full name is 'Ken Burns Jazz: The Story of America's Music'

Swing, Vocal Jazz, Big Band, Blues // Columbia/Legacy

Of course, if you knew my other lists you knew that some Jazz had to be around here! However my recommendation of this boxset comes with a big asterisk - This is a very homogenous compilation, skewering the history of Jazz almost completely in favour of more old-timers and earsing the evolution of jazz through out the 60s almost completely. Regardless, this compilation does still possess a ton of quality music that serves for good footing to anyone who wants to get into the often intimidating world of jazz, pre-Ornette Coleman/Albert Ayler days (Though Coleman does show up in one single track).
9Various Artists
New Orleans -The Original Sound of Funk 1960-1975

New Orleans R&B, Deep Funk, Soul // Soul Jazz Records
10Various Artists
Down South Hustlers

Note: Full Name is 'Down South Hustlers: Bouncin' and Swingin''

Southern Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, Mobb Music // No Limit Records
11Various Artists
American Primitive Vol. 1 (1926-36)

Note: Full name is 'American Primitive Vol. 1: Raw Pre-War Gospel (1926-36)

Acoustic Gospel, Country Gospel // Revenant Records

Take this as a more religious, rawer take on the "Anthology of American Folk Music" boxset that's also far, far, *far* less ridiculously intimidating, size-wise.
12Various Artists
Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh! - A Music War

Powerviolence, Grindcore, Hardcore Punk, Noisecore // Slap-A-Ham
13Various Artists
Fiesta Comes Alive!

Powerviolence, Grindcore, Hardcore Punk // Slap-A-Ham
14Various Artists
Sacred Guitar & Violin Music of the Modern Aztecs

Native American Music // Folkways Records
15 Various Artists
Angola Prison Spirituals

Spirituals, Blues, Work Songs // Folk-Lyric Records

And from happiness we move to gutwrenching sadness.
16Various Artists
Scum of the Earth

Garage Rock // (Unknown)
17Various Artists (Jazz)
Long Story Short

European Free Jazz, Free Improvisation // Trost

The exact polar opposite of the Ken Burns Jazz comp. Whereas that focused on the most commercially viable music that Jazz churned out, this instead is the very antithesis - Monstruous compilation of the evolution of Jazz's most notoriously daunting branch curated by maestro himself Peter Brötzmann. Completely essential for any fan of european free jazz.
18Various Artists
Music

Minimal Wave, Industrial, Field Recordings, Drone // Vanity Records

Try to find a record with a more non-descript title.
19Various Artists
This Comp Kills Fascists, Vol. 1

Powerviolence, Grindcore // Relapse Records
20Various Artists
To Scratch Your Heart

Note: Full name is 'To Scratch Your Heart: Early Recordings From Istanbul'

Turkish Classical Music, Turkish Folk Music // Honest Jon's Records

"Rarely has a collection had a more fitting name: these recordings of Ottoman-era Istanbullu divan musicians do not break your heart, but scratch it, indelibly. This is, in essence, a Turkish version of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music or American Primitive Vol. II: Pre-War Revenants (1897-1939), and the ethereal, otherworldly ballads of Fikriye Hanım and Hafız Cemal Bey are as uncanny and mystifying as anything by Geeshie Wiley or Clarence Ashley. ... This compilation is indispensable for anyone who, like myself, is obsessed with the city of Istanbul, and, more generally, for anyone with a penchant for dusty antique stores, flea markets, ruins, yellowing newspapers, and other cues to ambivalent nostalgia."
21Various Artists
Oriental Jazz

Note: Full name is 'Oriental Jazz: Ethnic Sessions 1960-1970 in USA'

Jazz Fusion, Arabic Jazz // FM Records
22Various Artists
Longing For The Past

Note: Full name is 'Longing For The Past: The 78 RPM Era in Southeast Asia'

Southeast Asian Folk Music, Southeast Asian Classical Music, Gamelan, Vietnamese Folk Music, Austronesian Traditional Music, Thai Classical Music, Burmese Classical Music, Vietnamese Classical Music, Hmong Folk Music // Dust-To-Digital

"The discs weave their way through southeast Asia, and include recordings from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. ... For those with an unflinchingly western/modern/popular aesthetic framework, you will find this abominable. If you are open to learning a very different musical vocabulary and set of aesthetic values, and if you are willing to approach listening to this music as you might approach learning a new language; Longing for the Past is rich with revelations."
23Various Artists
Sorrow Come Pass Me Around

Note: Full name is 'Sorrow Come Pass Me Around: A Survey of Rural Black Religious Music'

Gospel, Blues, Spirituals // Advent
24Various Artists
The Old New Thing: A Free Jazz Anthology

Free Jazz // Abraxas & ESP-Disk
25 Various Artists
Balani Show Super Hits

Note: Full name is 'Balani Show Super Hits: Electronic Street Parties From Mali'

West African Music // Sahelsounds
26 Various Artists
Dark Sweets

Note: Full name is 'Dark Sweets • Soothing Sounds of Shellac for a Long Winter'

Swing, Vocal Jazz, Blues, Keroncong, Big Band // (Unknown)
27Various Artists
Trojan Jamaican Hits Box Set

Mento, Deejay, Ska, Reggae, Rocksteady // Trojan Records
28Various Artists
WARP10+1. Influences

Acid House, Techno // Warp Records
29Various Artists
Firehouse Revolution

Note: Full name is 'Firehouse Revolution: King Tubby's Productions in the Digital Era 1985-89'

Digital Dancehall, Dub // Pressure
30Various Artists
Nigeria 70

Note: Full name is 'Nigeria 70: The Definitive Story of 1970s Funky Lagos'

Afrobeat, Afro-Funk, Highlife, Jújú // Strut
31Various Artists
Soul of Angola

Note: Full name is 'Soul of Angola: Anthologie de la musique angolaise 1965/1975'

Semba // Lusafrica

"As unfair as it may be to Angola's musical legacy, I doubt there is an apter way to describe these once-upon-a-time pop hits than as a head-on collision between samba-canção and Congolese rumba, the latter one making a slightly larger impact. This 40-song set of catchy three minuters reveals a rarely spoken of piece of Afropop history: there are lamentations of the cruel Portuguese colonial rule and more conventional pop songs, some quite modern and urban (eg. the songs of Urbano de Castro) and some raw and rural. ... The highlights are many though and this box requires several further listens before I can begin to comprehend the wealth of goodies inside. Glorious."
32Various Artists
Choro 1906-1947

Marchinha, Choro // Frémeaux & Associés records

The garden of eden, of sorts, for Brazilian music. If you like music from the country at all, do not skip on this. This is where it all began, and it's timeless.
33Various Artists
...Compiled

Dub Techno, Ambient Techno, Industrial Techno, Minimal Techno // Chain Reaction

The dudes from Basic Channel don't know how to do something wrong.
34Various Artists
A Lethal Dose of Heavy Psych

Heavy Psych // Arf! Arf! Records
35Various Artists
Cry Now, Cry Later Vol. 1 & 2

Powerviolence, Grindcore, Sludge Metal, Death Metal // Pessimiser
36Various Artists
Music of Indonesia

Gamelan // Folkways Records (Ethnic Folkways series)
37Various Artists
Improvised Music from Japan

Free Improvisation, EAI, Onkyo, Tsugaru Shamisen, Gagaku, Lowercase, Turntable Music, Glitch // Improvised Music from Japan (IMJ)
38Various Artists
Yiddish Songs: Traditionals (1911-1950)

Jewish Music, Klezmer, Jazz, Vaudeville, Show Tunes, Operetta // Membran Music
39Various Artists
I Listen to the Wind That Obliterates My Traces

Note: Full name is 'I Listen to the Wind That Obliterates My Traces: Music in Vernacular Photographs 1880-1955'

Old-Time, Blues, American Folk Music, Field Recordings, Gospel, Hawaiian Music // Dust-to-Digital
40Various Artists
Folk Music in America, Vol. 3

Note: Full name is 'Folk Music in America, Vol. 3: Dance Music - Breakdowns & Waltzes'

American Folk Music, Czech Folk Music, Native American Music, Country Blues, Swedish Folk Music // Library of Congress
41 Various Artists
Matachines Tarahumares

Note: Full name is 'Matachines Tarahumares: Tarahumara Matachin Music'

Native American Music // Canyon Records
42Napalm Death
Grind Madness at the BBC

Note: This is for some reason classified under Napalm Death here but it's NOT A NAPALM DEATH RECORD, this is a various artist compilation and features bands like Carcass and Bolt Thrower.

Grindcore, Death Metal, Goregrind, Crust, Thrashcore // Earache
43Various Artists
Grand 12-Inches

Disco, Dance-Pop, Hi-NRG, Electro-Disco, Synthpop, Freestyle, Boogie, Euro House, Synth Funk // Sony Music Media
44Various Artists
Masters of Flamenco Guitar

Flamenco // Hemispheres
45Various Artists
Universal Sounds of America

Spiritual Jazz, Free Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz // Soul Jazz Records
46Various Artists
Out of Cuba

Note: Full name is 'Out of Cuba: Latin American Music Takes Africa By Storm'

Son Cubano, Bolero, Bolero son, Rhumba, Guajira, Trova // Topic Records
47Various Artists
Colombia! The Golden Age of Discos Fuentes

Note: Full name is 'Colombia! The Golden Age of Discos Fuentes - The Powerhouse of Colombian Music 1960-76'

Cumbia, Porro, Salsa Dura, Vallenato // Soundway Records
48Various Artists
The Very Best of Éthiopiques

Note: Full name is 'The Very Best of Éthiopiques: Hypnotic Grooves From the Legendary Series'

Ethio-Jazz, Soul, Funk, Berber Music, Tizita, Afro-Funk, Soul Jazz // Manteca

Highly recommended for somebody who wants to get a taste of the Ethiopiques series, since it can be daunting at first. Here, it's all bite sized and equally delicious.
49Various Artists
Music of Tanzania

Field Recordings, Ngoma, East African Music // Sublime Frequencies
50Various Artists
Collection of Iranian Music (28)

Note: Full name is 'Collection of Iranian Music (28): Iranian Piano Recorded on 78 RPM During (1909-1934)'

Persian Classical Music // Avaye Mehrabani Institute
Show/Add Comments (24)

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy