Compilations of Yore

The other day, I heard "Black Coffee in Bed" by Squeeze on the radio, and ever since, I've been thinking about this compilation tape I used to listen to over and over again in college. I googled the song, as well as one other song I remember from the tape -- "Mirror in the Bathroom" by The English Beat -- and this blessed soul has created a discography of New Wave compilations. I was then able to identify my lovely tape:

Alterno-Daze: Origin Of The Species

1. Joe Jackson, Is She Really Going Out With Him?
2. Squeeze, Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
3. Devo, Whip It
4. Ramones, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
5. David Bowie, Love You Till Tuesday 1/2#
6. Madness, One Step Beyond
7. Marianne Faithfull, Broken English
8. The Beat, Mirror In The Bathroom
9. The Velvet Underground & Nico, I'm Waiting For The Man
10. The Troggs, Wild Thing
11. The Tubes, Don't Touch Me There
12. The Jam, Going Underground

I think I might have to buy it today. [Edited to add: D'oh! "Black Coffee in Bed" is not on that CD. It's on volume 2 -- Alterno-Daze: Survival Of The Fittest, which I also owned.]

Okay, not so bad, right? Well, there's another. Before retirement, my dad used to own a wholesale grocery business. They mostly sold to convenience stores, so they sold cigarettes in addition to groceries. As a result, tobacco distributors were always giving him tons of free stuff: t-shirts, duffel bags, and compilation tapes. I had a Newport "Alive with Pleasure!" tank top, a red satin Swisher Sweets jacket, and: remember Bucks Cigarettes? At the time, I had a Bucks t-shirt that said, "Buck the system," which I thought was cool.

Anyway, one of my favorite compilation tapes ever was Benson & Hedges Spotlights the 70s. Deep down, I knew it was a terrible tape, so I never listened to it when any of my friends were around, but when I was alone, I played it on a loop. I don't remember all the songs that were on it, but here are a few, just to give you an idea:

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother -- The Hollies
Time in a Bottle -- Jim Croce
American Pie -- Don McLean
You've Made Me So Very Happy -- Blood, Sweat, & Tears
Listen to the Music -- Doobie Brothers

Edited to add another one I loved: Never Mind the Mainstream: The Best of MTV's 120 Minutes:

1. Orange Crush - R.E.M.
2. This Is Not A Love Song - Public Image Ltd.
3. Do You Remember Rock'N'Roll? - Ramones
4. Burning House Of Love - x
5. Stigmata - Ministry
6. Everyday Is Like Sunday - Morrissey
7. Head On - The Jesus And Mary Chain
8. The Killing Moon - Echo And The Bunnymen
9. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
10. The Perfect Kiss - New Order
11. Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode
12. Birthday - The Sugarcubes
13. Could You Be The One? - Husker Du
14. We Care A Lot - Faith No More
15. Gone Daddy Gone - Violent Femmes
16. Eardrum Buzz - Wired