# Superb Anthologies That Introduced You To Great Artists



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Sometimes when getting into older music, it makes more economic sense to pick up an anthology containing two or more 70+ minutes CDs full of great music. Here are some that have provided me with a lot of listening mileage.

Roy Harper-Counter Culture
Kevin Ayers-Songs For Insane Times

















Harper and Ayers are two of the finest 60s-70s era British songwriters I had previously overlooked. In fact, Harper continued to produce great work up until 2000. If you like great sounding acoustic guitars, vocals, and don't mind some caustic socio-political commentary, Harper could be of great interest. He's the guy singing on Pink Floyd's Have A Cigar.

In contrast to Harper, Ayers's easy going, deep mellow vocals are non threatening, and he doesn't take himself or this life too seriously. The anthology cherry picks the strongest material from 1969-1980. Highly recommended!

Gryphon-Crossing The Styles










Gryphon is another British band combining classical and folk elements. They remind me of a cross between Gentle Giant and Steeleye Span. Lots of fine playing and vocals here.

Steeleye Span-Spanning The Years










After getting into Fairport Convention, and The Pentangle, I got hold of this excellent anthology. I subsequently picked up two 3 disc sets containing 10 albums, but I think the anthology would have been enough.

Cream-Gold










What can I say? The first power trio/super group in heavy rock history. I was too young to remember their heyday, so this collection does nicely.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk-Does Your House Have Lions?










A great overview of the blind, eccentric multl-reed player's Atlantic years.

Can you share some more?


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## misterjones (Oct 9, 2007)

Without question in my mind, the best place to start for pre-fusion jazz. This version is out of print. (The new version looks OK, but I prefer this one.) And this anthology is not something to be discarded once you've fully explored the genre. It makes for a nice repeated listen, even if you have most of the selections on other CDs. When I get my turntable, I think this will be my first (used) vinyl purchase.









And with this post, it appears as though I've turned 100 and am now a "Senior Member".


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

I don't like the ones that pull cuts from albums, because they totally break the flow of things.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

misterjones said:


> Without question in my mind, the best place to start for pre-fusion jazz.
> 
> View attachment 3272


Smithsonian did a great Country music set too, but it never made it to CD.

My choice for a best jazz compilation is the 38 CD set, That Devilin' Tune. Amazing music and a great book too.

http://www.berkshirerecordoutlet.co...m=&text=Devilin+tune&filter=all&submit=Search


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

though i like free jazz, i've had problems with ornette coleman for years. This Ken Burns's collection helped me to understand him much better









it's a great way to discover the inventiveness of this musician, the scope of his music and his great gift for melody.


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## misterjones (Oct 9, 2007)

bigshot said:


> Smithsonian did a great Country music set too, but it never made it to CD.


Actually, it did and I have it (but it is out of print). Discs 1-3 = superb. Disc 4, where the compiler tried to anticipate modern greats, not so great. I'm not sure Dolly Parton's 9-to-5 belongs on a classic country set. And at least Lyle Lovett should have been included on disc 4.

Tragic omissions on discs 1-3 include Ray Charles and Bob Dylan.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

norman bates said:


> though i like free jazz, i've had problems with ornette coleman for years. This Ken Burns's collection helped me to understand him much better
> 
> View attachment 3285
> 
> ...


Yeah, that is a great set! I bought it while on vacation in Florida about ten years ago. A really good selection of tunes, and definitive if you're just a casual fan.


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## DavidMahler (Dec 28, 2009)

I think Ken Burns Jazz 16 song selection of Charlie Parker was just as good!









It has almost all the essential tracks


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

The Ken Burns Jazz CDs are a lot better than the series itself. I've never seen a documentary on such an important subject be made with such bias and ignorance... and disrespect for the music. There was only two songs in the entire series that didn't have talking head narration over them. Usually, the talking would come over the top of the solo! Stupid.


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## DavidMahler (Dec 28, 2009)

i actually thought the series was good save for the fact that it basically ended in 1960. had it had 5 more hours dedicated to the late 60s onward

and explored:

more of Charles Mingus
more on Bud Powell
more on Bill Evans
Eric Dolphy
Keith Jarrett
Wes Montgomery
Betty Carter
Chick Corea
Pat Metheny
John McLaughlin
Jan Garbarek
Sun Ra
Weather Report
Lennie Tristano / Lee Konitz / Warne Marsh (an unbelievable omission)
Kenny G (I believe his name should have been mentioned to show the horrible elevatorism commercialization of jazz)
David S Ware

and the Young Lions at the time.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

'Groundhogs Best 1969-1972' (originally a vinyl double album taking tracks from the five studio albums released during the group's peak period). As Groundhogs albums were often spotty it's still probably the one to have. Available on a single CD but I don't think it's ever been remastered. I used to rate the budget 'Get Stoned' double album compilation as well. A number of Rolling Stones albums are essential in their own right but 'Get Stoned' definitely served its purpose as a starter pack.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

The ECM Rarum:Selected Recordings was another great compilation series. I have the Bill Frisell, Paul Motian, Terje Rypdal, and Bobo Stenson editions.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

ECM has released so many great discs. All hail Bill Frisell.


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## misterjones (Oct 9, 2007)

I went through a major R&B stage several years ago. To get going, I figured I needed a good anthology. My research indicated this was the best. I think it is out of print now. Almost everybody is represented, and represented well. Sam Cooke is notably absent.









Rhino has assembled some good anthologies, which are frequently limited because of licensing issues (probably the reason for the Sam Cooke omission). The "Does Your House Have Lions" anthology (in an earlier post above) is a Rhino release. I recall liking their Coltrane and Mingus compilations, even though both might have been missing some necessary Impulse! material.

The Ken Burns CDs had plenty of Impulse! cuts, and his Coltrane CD turned me on to (at least) Interstellar Space.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

The Saxophone: A critical analytical guide to the major trends in saxophone development on Impulse Records was a great overview of the development of jazz saxophone players when it came out in the '70s and helped me a lot. The liner notes started at the beginning and explained why each artist was influential. I'm guessing it's out of print now.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

misterjones said:


> I went through a major R&B stage several years ago. To get going, I figured I needed a good anthology. My research indicated this was the best. I think it is out of print now. Almost everybody is represented, and represented well. Sam Cooke is notably absent.
> 
> View attachment 3342
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That's because the Rhino sets are compilations of Atlantic material. Chess had some great anthologies of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, that I acquired during my blues phase in the 80s.


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## misterjones (Oct 9, 2007)

starthrower said:


> That's because the Rhino sets are compilations of Atlantic material. Chess had some great anthologies of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, that I acquired during my blues phase in the 80s.


Though the Rhino sets rely heavily on Atlantic material, the R&B, Coltrane and Mingus sets I mentioned have a lot of music from other labels, as well. Chess, on the other hand, is Chess and Chess alone. Not that that's a bad thing - Chess has much of the best post-war blues there is - but one must go elsewhere for a more complete picture (unless, of course, the artist spent most of his/her career with Chess).

I believe Smithsonian did a post-war blues anthology called "Mean Old World". I've never listened to it, but it looks pretty good.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Another good series was the Verve Jazz Masters sets. That's where I first got into Roland Kirk's Mercury material, and some other artists like Gil Evans, Toots Thielemanns, and Dinah Washington.


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