As Richard pointed out to me, the tribute album has a long history in jazz, but this was largely unexplored territory for rock performers. Part of Willner's genius was inviting rock musicians and singers to collaborate with jazz and avant-garde performers.
The earliest rock tribute album that I can find (other than Willner's projects) is 1987's Beyond The Wildwood - A Tribute To Syd Barrett. This was the first of a baker's dozen of tribute albums released by the British label Invisible Records during the next five years.
In 1988, Jon Langford assembled Til Things Are Brighter (a Johnny Cash tribute), CBS released A Vision Shared (a tribute to Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie), and the NME issued Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father (a tribute to the Beatles' album compiled by Roy Carr).
1989 brought tributes to Buddy Holly, Shonen Knife, The Sonics, and Neil Young. The latter included an enduring classic, The Pixies' version of "Winterlong". That song exemplifies some of the strengths of the tribute album: an unexpected pairing of composer and performer, a deep cut plucked from obscurity, and a stellar performance.
Some tribute albums also served as fundraisers for worthwhile causes. The Red Hot Organization issued its first release (a Cole Porter tribute) in 1990. The Sweet Relief Musicians' Fund has benefitted a number of songwriters with health crises and medical expenses. Profits from the NME's Sgt. Pepper tribute went to a helpline for children.
I think 1990 was the first year with more than ten new tribute albums. That number more than doubled in 1994 (the year that Jon Tiven got involved), and tribute albums increased exponentially through the rest of the 1990's.
To mark the 2020 release of Angelheaded Hipster (Hal Willner's final tribute album), Ira Robbins of Trouser Press wrote an essay which warned that "when major labels commission (tribute albums), they corral momentarily popular acts" and "now-forgotten bands" to "interpret an important oeuvre". This led to such misfires as Stone Free, Working Class Hero, and Ecomium (a Led Zep tribute that opened with 4 Non Blondes).
Today I'm sharing a tribute to the tribute album: some of my favorite cuts from tribute albums of the 80's and 90's. Separating the wheat from the chaff, as it were. Hope you enjoy.
A Tribute To Tribute Albums: https://pixeldrain.com/u/gHa131Ma
ReplyDeleteMost of the tribute albums on today's comp are compilations of various artists paying tribute to a single artist or composer. One is a tribute to an album (Sgt. Pepper), and another (Dead Dog's Eyeball) is an album of Daniel Johnston covers performed by a single artist, K. McCarty (former frontwoman of the Texas group Glass Eye).
Speaking of Daniel Johnston, is that him singing along with Dinosaur Jr.?
Excellent idea and execution. If you are going to continue this as a series, I would also highly recommend anything (everything) off the Richard Thompson tribute, Beat the Retreat. --Muzak McMusics
ReplyDeleteYes, I am thinking about a series. The tribute album thing got way out of hand in the 2000's, but "Beat The Retreat" is a great one. Thanks!
Deleteimpressive breadth & depth--thanks!
ReplyDeleteLove that version of "Rocketship"!
ReplyDeleteMe too! I put it on a mix for my kids when they were little.
DeleteStinky asked in a recent post about great songs by not great musicians, and he nominated "Speeding Motorcycle". I was reminded of this album, as a well-performed collection of Daniel's originals (which are well-written but amateurish in performance and low in fidelity, though for his fans that is part of his charm).
One of my favorite tribute albums is "Stories Of The Dogs: Songs For Dominique" which had enough names I knew (Elliot Murphy, Jeremy Gluck, Slickee Boys) to give it a spin, and now I am a huge fan of Les Dogs and the late great Dominique Laboubée. Some of the renditions* would be worthy of a tribute collection and/or a TISH! That's French
ReplyDelete* Huels "A Million Ways Of Killing Time" is the musical version of Jean Reno as Léon in The Professional.
Killer cool.
Thanks for the recommendation! I also recognize the band Classic Ruins and the name Tony Truant (who is on my C.C. Adcock compilation).
DeleteThe label 'Beyond the Wildwoods...' was released was Imaginary Records. It was based in a semi detached house on the outskirts of Heywood near Manchester.
DeleteHappy to have 'pushed' you to this tribute post! Excellent selection by the way, keep them coming. Another candidate: If I Were a Carpenter from 1994!
ReplyDeleteAs a devoted fan of Redd Kross, I would likely choose their version of "Yesterday Once More" -- but Sonic Youth (a band that appeared on many tribute albums) did a great job with "Superstar" A difficult choice!
DeleteGreat compilation. Apart from the great jazz tributes/songbook albums by (pop)jazz artists the one that stood out for me was Sgt Pepper from 1978 by Beegees, Robert Stigwood and a load of other artists. The Big Gundown with music composed by Ennio Morricone is by John Zorn, though there are a lot of famous people working alongside him, and John Zorn does not play on a number of tracks. Lost in The Stars is for me my personal favorite, and you reightfully start with it
ReplyDeleteBTW I think Edward Not Edward is a great album. Listen to Jane - I Slap My Belly, a tribute album to someone well known is relatively easy, this is one to an artist that was completely unknown to me, back then.
Necropolis, Amphibians & Reptiles (The Music Of Adolf Wölfli) only features three groups/artists . Great album on a disturbing subject.
I guess I always thought of that Stigwood/Bee Gees thing as a soundtrack album (and a commercial and artistic disaster). I knew of Adolf Wölfli as a visual artist but did not realize that he also made music. It's only 9am here, and I've already learned something today! Thanks, Richard
DeleteK. McCarty's album is a gem. Richard Linklater used "Living Life" in Before Sunrise. I bought my first copy of Dead Dog's Eyeball on CD from WFMU's great Catalog of Curiosities mail-order business (made obsolete with the Internet and websites).
ReplyDeleteThat R.E.M. tribute, Surprise Your Pig, is wild. Some of the tracks, like Vic Chesnutt's "It's the End of the World as We Know It" and "We Walk" by Steel Pole Bathtub, run gleefully off-model. Then you have Mitch Easter with a faithful rendition of "Shiny Happy People." The best track is Jawbox's "Low" - they make the song their own.
Speaking of R.E.M., they cut great versions of Richard Thompson's "Wall of Death" and "Roky Erickson's "I Walked With a Zombie" for tribute records.
And on that note, agreed on Beat the Retreat: the Songs of Richard Thompson - it's the gold standard of tribute albums.
Matthew Sweet might have been the king of tribute records - I remember him appearing on a lot of them (the Saturday morning cartoons tribute, for one).
Thanks, James! If Matthew Sweet is king, then Lucinda Williams must be the queen of tribute albums (plus she's had an amazing run of cover albums recently)! Check out this great Discogs list:
Deletehttps://www.discogs.com/lists/Tribute-Albums-Saved-By-Lucinda-Williams/1006688
Another inspired comp, from concept to execution, Jon!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Koen, that If I Were A Carpenter is hard to beat, but I have a soft spot for the SHONEN KNIFE tribute album and their own tribute to their #1 influence; OSAKA RAMONES: https://shonenknife.bandcamp.com/album/osaka-ramones.
Great and inspired post! The comments section is pure gold! I find these comps great for road trips and we have a 5 plus hour coming soon. I'll add this to the suggestion box - "Come On Up to the House - Women Sing Waits" Tom Waits tribute- https://open.spotify.com/album/4xyavB5BZ4HZeAFwmothzx?si=f2M7CFe2ROChoH9TFxqDEA&nd=1&dlsi=25f3e0406d0e42ff. Cheers and thank you all kindly!
ReplyDeleteRight back atcha! Come On Up To The House is the third Waits tribute I know of, following Step Right Up (1995) and New Coat Of Paint (2000).
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