Bort's Compilation Collection

[doctoracula]

The production sounds nothing like Emo to me!! It sounds more like a MLD or TVCD outtake to me. Anyone know?

i checked the liner notes to thank you very little.  its a TVCD outtake. 

[bort]

Another Year On The Street
(Vagrant, 2000)
This is one of those comps/label samplers (and there will be many more) where one has to consider the bang you get for your buck.  Pretty weak overall, but for 5 bucks, will I complain?  The fact that many of these tracks are exclusive is nice.  I always appreciate a compilation that can give me something new rather than rehashing album material.  However, the songs themselves don’t really hold up.  Never cared for A3 and the Get Up Kids, and these tracks here aren’t helping the case.  Face To Face are well past their prime by this point.  Even Saves The Day, whom I normally like, put forth a song that’s a bit drawn out.  I don’t like GUK, why would I want a more boring version of them with the New Amsterdamns?  Throw in some 3rd tier shit like Automatic 7 and this whole thing hardly seems worth it.  BUT WAIT.  This comp has some ripping songs by Rocket From The Crypt (and to a lesser extent, the Gotohells – remember them?  From like, 2 comps ago?)  It also has “D In Detroit” by the Anniversary, which is probably the best thing this label ever released.  There’s also a song by No Motiv on here called “Get A Life” which sounds like something Rally Records would release (and yes, that’s a compliment).  No, I guess I won’t complain.
BA: 6/20 (.300)

[bort]

A Slice Of Lemon
(Kill Rock Stars/Lookout, 1996)

Larry, am I correct in thinking this was one of those comps you had nothing to do with?  In teeeeny tiny print it says this comp was created by Slim Moon, Chris A, and a few other people who aren’t you.  Anyway, this double disc collection is …strange to say the least.  It’s got some great notable acts from both labels - unsurprisingly Elliott Smith, Pansy Division, MTX, Bomb Bassets, Go Sailor and Cub turn in some of the best tracks here.   It’s got some bands I’ve never heard or heard of before or since – Delightful Little Nothings and Sunnychar in particular are favorites.  There’s also some good stuff from Excuse 17, Mary Lou Lord, and the Potatomen.  However, this release also contains some of the worst shit I’ve heard in my life.  Men’s Recovery Project, the Frumpies, and a bunch other bands that I’ve purposely forgotten simply to rid them from my memory.  Why anyone would want to make that music, release that music, and listen to that music is beyond me.  Could’ve been a great single disc comp, instead it kinda got ruined, like when douchebags play football in the outfield of a Punk Rock Softball game.
BA: 15 for 40 (.375)

[Shotzi...]

AK Press Presents: Better Read Than Dead and Return of the Read Menace
(AK Press/Epitaph, 1996 and AK Press/G-7 Welcoming Committee, 1999)

A two-fer this time. I’ve found that benefit cds usually produce better material than tribute albums. Both comps have two things going for them: exclusive cuts and a variety of material. The original, BRTD, not only gave me non-album treats from NOFX, Snuff, and Pitchshifter, but also has the honor of introducing me to Spazz, whose track “Mighty Morphin Power Violence” is the penultimate song of that genre. That, however pales in comparison to the fact that this comp introduced me to one of my favorite bands of all time – Chumbawamba (Tubthumper wouldn’t come out until a year later). And the track “Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart” is such a sweet one. The disc also contains cool stuff from Zoinks, Blaggers Ita, and the Levellers, all of whom I enjoy but never dug much deeper into their catalogs. BA: 12 for 22 (.545)

The sequel is even better (usually that’s not the case – especially with 90s punk comps). Basically this collection has music that falls into 3 categories: Well written, well sung tracks (Ron Hawkins, Randy, Weakerthans). Well written, poorly sung tracks (Screeching Weasel, Atom & His Package, Hot Water Music), and tracks from bands that aren’t putting forth their best, but still outshine a ton of other shit that plopped on us back in 1999.  J Church, Chumbawamba, Robb Johnson, and Discount all contribute solid tunes.  Propagandhi's Cro-Mags cover kicks ass and Avail's Elvis cover would also kick if it didn't sound like such a novelty.  I guess there’s a 4th category of filler but overall this one bats a respectable 15 for 25 (.600)

I love that Ron Hawkins song so much.

[bort]

me too shotz.  i only ever tracked down one of his EPs, and it was very good, but not as good as that song.

[bort]

Asphodelic
(Asphodel, 1999)

One of those comps that no one but me will care about.  Asphodel was a great label in the late 90s, and primarily focused on two sub-genres of music.  The first was bubbly, electronic beat busting from the likes of Tipsy, We, and especially DJ Spooky, whose track here “Synaptic Dissonance” is one of his best.  The label also was a great promoter of turntablism and abstract hip-hop, putting out great stuff from boundary pushers like Mix Master Mike, Rob Swift, and the X-ecutioners.  The songs here are mere tastes of what they accomplished on their albums (I try not to hold that against any comp) and in fact are probably the most accessible works of the artists (again, can’t blame the comp for doing it’s job). If anyone wants to argue that hip-hop is boring and uncreative I’ll happily point them to the Asphodel catalog.
BA: 9 for 13 (.692)

[doctoracula]

that another year on the streets comp got me momentarily re-interested in saves the day
then they released that next LP and that stopped

[bort]

Astralwerks New Music 2010
(Astralwerks, 2010)

I’m kinda just throwing this in here because it was a pleasant fucking surprise.  This was the only freebie I deemed worth grabbing at Record Store Day, and even though the price was right/non-existent I didn’t have high hopes.  I haven’t kept up with the label since the 90s so I figured this would just be some tired electronic stuff.  Nope!  “Free Energy” by Free Energy is a contender for rock/pop song of the summer.  The 60s pop-esque Revolver and the acoustic songstress Laura Marling tell me the label has really stretched their boundaries, and their signing of the Albert Hammond-backed, NYC hipster sounding Postelles tells me they want to keep up with the times.  Hot Chip and Doves are enjoyable as usual, but (ok, so here’s the swing and miss) I find Air and Royksopp a tad tiring.  Do I consider the Pet Shop Boys a guilty pleasure?  No, not really, they’re great.  Also I’ll always welcome a Kraftwerk track (even if it’s a reissue) with open arms.
BA: 8 for 13 (.615)

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http://www.sendspace.com/file/it5y67

[Grath]

Bort!  You have a lot of shitty comps that start with the letter "A!"

[badmoon]

Bort!  You have a lot of shitty comps that start with the letter "A!"

Hahaha.  Bort is making me want to check out some of these comps.  Esp that girl one.

[bort]

This post is dedicated to my good friend Grath!





At War With Society
(New Red Archives, 1998)

33 song punk comp for 99 cents!!!!!  This compilation is both the epitome of punk and the ultimate example of what people complain about when they complain about punk.  A bunch of samey same bands playing straightforward punk rock and all of them with generic “smash the state” lyrics.  I don’t want to shit on this stuff too much – I’ll just say many of these songs are worth about 3 cents, thus I agree with the statement the label is trying to make…right?  I enjoy the songs by MDC, Hogan’s Heroes, a few Samiam tracks, and the UK Subs “NRA Jingle” song, even if it’s a novelty. I’d rip on some other bands but I don’t think it’s necessary, and besides, I barely escaped from this listening session with only a teensy bit of an Anti-Flag song stuck in my head. 
BA: 7 for 33 (.212)

[bort]

Back Asswards
(Interbang, 1996)

Another comp I’m glad I revisited.   Thematically I’d like to think that some dude at Interbang felt like he was having some kind of genius moment.  “Eureka!  I’ll do a compilation, but all bands will be in reverse alphabetical order!  Brilliant!”   It’s kind of a mixed bag musically, but there are some neat songs I found myself reflecting on.  Stars like Squirtgun, Teen Idols, Groovie Ghoulies, Discount turn in good stuff, as did the Gain and the Automatics.  Bands that I don’t know anything about like the Unknown and Lunkhead were two nice surprises.  This comp inspired me to dig deeper into the catalogs of The Nimrods, the Mushuganas (who mostly I like because it sounds like Wolfman Jack doing Weaselcore) and Showcase Showdown.  I’m sure they have a gem that will come in handy for an upcoming mix.  There’s some poorly recorded stuff (some live, some not) and it’s kind of a shame because this was stacking up to be a great comp.  As is, though…
BA: 13 for 30 (.433)

[bort]

Back To Donut!
(No Idea, 1999)

Well, I’m glad I revisited this one, though nothing new was revealed this time around.  I still like I Hate Myself, Radon, Rumbleseat, Usuals.  Jud Jud, Schlong, and Less Than Jake are still somewhat funny.  I might come around on Hot Water Music in a year or two.  Buncha crap here too, though.  Took me forever to listen to it because Jessie couldn’t stand it and I had listen to it when I was alone.
BA: 11 for 33 (.333)

[bort]

hey remember this?



Beep Click Strum Sing
(Datawaslost, 2004)

This is one of those comps that had great indie pop/rock stuff that I liked, so I hoped the other acts that I never heard before would deliver as well.  Somewhat worth the 1 dollar investment.  Bishop Allen, Looper, Tullycraft, Saturday Looks Good To Me, and the Minders came through, as I knew they would.  Everything else is pleasant, but not really any gems to be found, certainly nothing that outshines the A-listers on this comp.
BA: 5 for 17 (.294)

[bort]

Before You Were Punk
(Vagrant, 1997)

Mix tape fodder, as I like to call it.  I love fun punk rock cover songs, but only in small doses.  After a while it gets a bit tiring.  Good Riddance, MTX, and Bracket I like the most.  Guttermouth luckily covers a great song ("Happy Loving Couples") that sounds swell no matter the version.  No Use For A Name also covers a great song ("Turning Japanese") but it's hard to improve upon the original.  A bunch of other bands cover crap songs or good songs and do a crap job with it. 
BA: 5 for 12 (.416)

[bort]

Only 10 more comps and I'm done with the Bs!

[doctoracula]

do you also have before you were punk 2?
i do

...

[DitkaFan]

Did you ever have the Shredder comps?  Those got me into some new bands.  Also the Chicago Actung comps were good at the time.  I have a ton of old comps I should bust out.

[bort]

do you also have before you were punk 2?
i do

...

no.

Did you ever have the Shredder comps?  Those got me into some new bands.  Also the Chicago Actung comps were good at the time.  I have a ton of old comps I should bust out.

you're in for a wait.

[Pleasedontrock]

Good thread.

[angry ryan]

do you also have before you were punk 2?
i do

...

That one had a good RFTC song on it. The rest of it is what you'd expect.

[doctoracula]

the good riddance song was definitely my favorite on the first one.  the NOFX and RFTC songs on vol 2 are decent.  i always liked seeing bouncing souls cover the breakfast club song, but i never cared about listening to a recording of it

[angry ryan]

That Bouncing Souls cover is horrible! The Get Up Kids version of Close to Me is okay from what I remember. My favorite from the first CD is the MTX cover of Crash.

[DitkaFan]

Good thread.

Yeah, good thread.  It's like time traveling with no Flux Capacitor.

[angry ryan]

Man there were so many of those tribute/ironic cover albums in the mid to late 90's.