Old Enough 2 Know Better: 15 Years of Merge Records

Various Artists (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 13, 2004)
• Original Release Date: July 13, 2004
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B0002C4IF4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #182,305 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Neutral Milk Hotel - Song Against Sex

2. Superchunk - Cool

3. Butterglory - She's Got The Akshun!

4. 3D's - Beautiful Things

5. East River Pipe - Shiny Shiny Pimpmobile

6. The Clientele - (I Want You) More Than Ever

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Spoon - Anything You Want

2. The Ladybug Transistor - Oceans In The Hall

3. M. Ward - Outta My Head

4. Versus - Eskimo

5. Third Eye Foundation - In Bristol With A Pistol

6. Imperial Teen - Ivanka

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. M. Ward - One More Goodbye

2. Angels Of Epistemology - Fiction Romance

3. The Radar Brothers - Painted Forest Fire

4. Portastatic - Some Small History

5. The Ladybug Transistor - Jersey Streets

6. Camera Obscura - San Francisco Song

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars bargain, August 25, 2004

By	Jean Anne Miller (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This compilation is like a deep, porous sponge with many dead ends hidden in the most unlikely places. I don't mean to say it's disappointing; actually, it's quite the contrary. Think in terms of economics. A bargain, a deal, a steal. You start to believe you're getting something for free. And in a society where capitalism wrings each paycheck dry, it feels good to enjoy the supposed best things in life. Merge has hit us with a collection of odds and ends...3 CDs deep, it's a healthy mixture of indie gems and pointless experimentation, all for the price of one CD. Know what you will about Merge, but all I knew prior to my purchase was that Merge is Spoon's label. That was reason enough for me to take a chance on three CDs for the price of one...and it should be reason enough for any indie pop-rock enthusiast who would like to discover a new reason to blow a paycheck on music by one or more of the Merge artists you'll discover through repeated listens to this compilation. The first two CDs give the listener a nostalgic retrospective, while the third disc is chock full of B-sides and songs recorded especially for this collection.

Personal recommendations:
"Long Vermont Roads" - The Magnetic Fields (CD 1)
"Song Against Sex" - Neutral Milk Hotel (CD 1)
"Today is Gonna Be Mine" - David Kilgour (CD 2)
"Out of My Head" - M.Ward (CD 2)
"Decora" - Spoon (CD 3)
"Some Small History" - Portastatic (CD 3)
"Happily Ever After" - The Rosebuds (CD 3)

5.0 out of 5 stars unbelievable, November 21, 2007

By	Kevin M. Dunagan "ferrit54" (everywhere and nowhere) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

hard to believe so much first-rate and varied music is collected on these three cd's. sad it's no longer available from merge.

4.0 out of 5 stars a readymade indie rock party playlist, February 13, 2007

By	Stargrazer "the lost mixtape of my life" (deep in the heart of Michigan) - See all my reviews

Boasting pivotal cuts by Spent, Polvo, the Magnetic Fields, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lambchop and others, this anniversary comp is a quick study in what a brilliant label Merge has evolved into over the last fifteen years... Their roster is practically the indie-rock dream team.

In addition, disc three of this very affordably priced compilation is all unreleased tracks: "Some Small History" by Portastatic, M. Ward's "One More Goodbye," Camera Obscura's "San Francisco Song" and "Happily Ever After" by the Rosebuds are all superb and worth the price of the disc alone. And there's more rare gems from Superchunk, Richard Buckner, Destroyer, Spoon, The Clientele, etc.