Compile This!

A couple of days ago at work, we drew our names for our Christmas gift exchange. Everyone wrote down one or two suggestions of gifts they'd like on their slip of paper. I got the name of a male co-worker who wrote the succinct message "cd - oldies" on his paper.

I suppose most people consider oldies to be music of the fifties or sixties? Of course, "oldies" could mean almost anything. How about Mozart's Greatest Hits?

Well, I decided that since this man is in his fifties, he'd probably like sixties music.

So I went on Amazon, did a search for ?'60's music and got several selections - and I was instantly reminded why I hate compilation cds.

There were cds with shamelessly boastful titles like "Greatest Hits of The Sixties," and "60's: #1 Hits!" But not one of them featured anything by the Beatles, the Stones, he Doors, the Who or Janis Joplin. It was as if they never existed.

Instead they had tracks like, "It's My Party," by Leslie Gore and "Popsicles, Icicles," by the Mermaids.

Who's responsible for this?

I just can't bring myself to give such a crapfest of suckitude to one of my co-workers. So I kept searching and finally found a cd with a few decent selections, like "You Really Got Me," (the Kinks), "Magic Carpet Ride" (Steppenwolf), and "Wild Thing" (Troggs).

So, maybe it won't suck too bad.

But I can't help wondering, has anyone ever found a compilation CD that they actually like?