Customer Reviews

Rykodisc 20th Anniversary

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This CD reminds me of those "compilation tapes" that I and friends used to make years ago for ourselves that had all of our favorite songs on them. It's a lot of fun and never gets dull. And if anyone else listening doesn't like a song or artist, it doesn't matter, because there's only one song by that artist anyway. But, more likely, someone will say, "That last song was so cool! What's it called and who did it?"

Some "sampler" albums can go all over the place as per quality and interest, but this one packs a punch all the way through. And what a show! Frank Zappa, Yoko Ono, and Jimi Hendrix all on the same CD! For many, the CD will be a mixture of old favorites and new discoveries.

I recommend this CD for both it's fun and also for it's potential to inspire new directions in your collecting. It would serve well as a CD to play at a party without having to pick out what goes together-- it's done for you! And sometimes you might be surprised how much you like something that you never heard before!

Have fun! :-{D}

Back when I was in high school, friends used to make mix tapes for me. I'd listen, get excited about some of the songs, and go hunt down the albums from the musicians that created them. It was a lot of fun, but I haven't really done that in a while.

Buying this brought me back to those days. Somebody in the Rykodisc ranks made me (and everyone who is willing to spring for it) a mix of a bunch of songs he or she (or more likely they- some kind of committee most likely) appreciated in some way. As with any mix that I'd receive, I like some parts more than others. I'll tend to listen to the Devo or Sugar tracks repeatedly, and skip over "Happiness is Drumming," for example. But the beauty of it is that you can pick out what you like best and skip the rest. Then, you can go buy albums by the artists if you are so inclined.

Which is how I discovered "With These Hands" by Alejandro Escovedo, one of my new favorite discs. And how I learned that Soul Asylum used to sound a lot more like "Husker Du" than "Runaway Train." You'll have your own minor revelations too, I'm sure. And if there's nothing on here that does it for you, you're not out much cash.

One warning-- the focus here is on 80s and 90s "alternative" rock for the most part, so if you are adverse to that loose genre description you're better off saving your money.