The Compilation As Trojan Horse

[AndyM]

Not a post purely about a Gillettian compilation, though one prompted by Garth C's observation that buying Charlie's Honky Tonk CD means he finally owns a Dire Straits track.

I noticed last week that in buying an Island records celebratory compilation (because it had a few songs I only owned on decrepit vinyl) I have now done the unthinkable & allowed a U2 track into my home. The horror, the horror.....

The moral of the story, I guess, is check what nightmares lurk, potentially overlooked, before you purchase a compilation. Or, quite probably, I could just be a bit precious about this.

But has anyone else let in the devil while acquiring something you really wanted ?

[garth cartwright]

Andy, I'm sure in the days of old ie pre internet I purchased many a comp' wanting one exclusive track and so having to wade through lots of average stuff. Or terrible stuff. Def Jam comp's were notorious for putting the likes of Slayer alongside Public Enemy and such. That said, I'd prefer Slayer to U2. Or a later Dire Straits tune like Money For Nothing. If Charlie had put MFN on Honky Tonk I would have had to take a hammer to the CD!

Funny Charlie-Dire Straits story that I've told in part here before. Around '94-95 Charlie hosted a Southern Songwriters event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Charlie hosted on stage - all at the same time - Allen Toussaint, Guy Clark, Joe South (great tune on Honky Tonk), Dan Penn and Vic Chesnutt - the greatest line up of talent I've ever seen on one stage and one of the best gigs I've ever attended - each playing a tune when CG requested.

At one point Vic, who is in a wheelchair, requested a bottle of water. Charlie guessed a QEH staff member would bring such and the concert continued but no water appeared. After a few minutes Vic shouted "shall I just fall out of my wheelchair and crawl over to get myself some water?" Everyone on stage fell silent and the entire audience took a collective breath.

Sitting in the row behind me was a bloke with long hair and a Flaming Groovies T-shirt who loudly announced to everyone in hearing range "typical bloody Charlie Gillett. Gives the world Dire effing Straits but can't get a poor cripple a glass of water!" Entire rows nodded in solemn agreement.

From now on whenever Charlie and I disagree on any artist I will recite that as a mantra. Charlie plays Bregovic again? "Typical bloody Charlie etc".

[will vine]

Sure, the compilation cd can be a Trojan horse and I've fallen victim many a time. Equally bad are "The Complete Sessions" cds where for the sake of the one great track you want to own you are subjected to duff bonus tracks, never before released tracks, and, worst of all, several aborted takes of the same song.

[AndyM]

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