"What a buzz for a lifelong music fan who failed as both a teenage DJ and a punk musician. Fifty years on I still listen to the greats while being blown away by new finds. Here’s to all the amazing music and musicians out there - past, present and future!"
We will never tire of the way in which a great compilation can capture our favourite scenes, genres, eras or continents, or the way a new reissue can return our most prized, but often elusive, records to our hands and stereos. 2024 has been another year of inspiring curation, from the revival of our own Behind The Counter series with Ian Rankin, a classic hip-hop anniversary with MF DOOM's, Mm..Food, an eye into 80's German gothic rock with Xmal-Deutschland or the party-starting, dance floor-filling soundtracks from Mr Bongo or Eat Your Own Ears. Beyond celebrating the many new releases which have earned a spot on our Top 100 Albums of 2024, our Compilations and Reissues chart offers the chance to journey through space and times, and reflect on the prominent artists who deserve fresh attention for their impressive works.
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Deeper listening to some of our favourite artist's craft. Scroll for our Top 30 Compilations and Reissues of the Year, including Rough Trade Essential titles and exclusive vinyl editions.
Compilation of the Year
Various - Behind The Counter with Ian Rankin
“I still haunt record shops and play vinyl and I still compose playlists, just in case the chance of working behind the counter arrives." A rockstar or music industry figure in another life, Scottish author Ian Rankin gathers a carefully considered selection of timeless tracks for our second instalment of our Behind the Counter at Rough Trade. The Cure, Isaac Hayes, Jackie Leven, Scritti Politi, Magazine, Throbbing Gristle, Isobel Campbell and more. Music which Ian imagines would be playing if he owned his own record 'emporium' and lyrics and themes which have inspired the acclaimed author's crime writing. A collector and curator with a true ear for timeless sounds, capturing some of music's most vital eras.
"What a buzz for a life-long music fan who failed as both a teenage DJ and a punk musician. Fifty years on I still listen to the greats while being blown away by new finds. Here’s to all the amazing music and musicians out there - past, present and future!"
Ian Rankin, crime writer and curator of Behind The Counter 2024.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive green vinyl + signed art print.
Various - Eat Your Own Ears Recordings Volume 1
"This compilation will stand as a testament to how valued and respected they are among the artists Eat Your Own Ears have been associated with over the last two decades…"
Andy Bell (RIDE)
Esteemed London-based music promoters Eat Your Own Ears collect rare and unreleased cuts from a selection of artists who’ve played at gigs organised by the London promoter over the past two decades. A party starting curation of tracks pairing established veterans of the electronic and alternative scene (Four Tet, Caribou, Mount Kimbie and Anna Calvi) with rising talent (Falle Nioke) who should absolutely be on your radar. Includes a gem of a rework in Vapour Trail by The Cure’s Robert Smith.
EXCLUSIVE: Cover features a hot foil deboss and printed inner sleeves.
Reissue of the Year
Wunderhorse - Cub
Following their placing in our Top 100 Albums of the Year with 2024 album Midas, Wunderhorse take home a second deserved title as Reissue of the Year with debut album Cub. The London band have been on quite a journey since starting out as an alias for frontman and former Dead Pretties singer Jacob Slater. Stepping into bigger stadium venues, supporting Fontaines D.C. in 2024, Wunderhorse's raw rip-roaring sound starts with Cub, an absolute tour-de-force from a band who just get the guitar and harmonies so right and so timeless - making this reissue a must-purchase alongside the rest of the band's discography.
EXCLUSIVE: Clear vinyl with printed inner.
MF DOOM - Mm..Food (20th Anniversary Edition)
Rhymesayers Entertainment
MF DOOM's trademark sample skills underpin some of the most satirical bars of his career, indulging the imagination of true hip-hop heads in a masterful concept album. In celebration of the album’s 20th anniversary, Mm..Food been repackaged with all-new artwork by Sam Rodriguez, and pressed on a rather delicious-looking Rough Trade Exclusive orange crush vinyl. A collector's item for real hip-hop heads and DOOM fans without doubt.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive orange crush vinyl with all-new artwork by Sam Rodriguez.
The Offline - La Couleur De La Mer
Inducing images of manorial, fog-swept villas at the sea's edge, silhouetted sailing boats and cigar-chomping villains attempting to thwart the mission of an imaginary hero, the record is a masterfully composed sonic journey. The psychedelic spaciness, retro soul and hip-hop sensibilities heard here are informed by The Offline’s extensive record collection and crate-digger status. A truly transformative album showcasing deeper sounds and cinematic soundscapes.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive lavender vinyl.
Various - Here, There and Everywhere - Black America Sings the Beatles Volume 3
A golden touch for compilation albums, Ace Records release a third compilation of soul and jazz reinterpretations of classic Lennon, McCartney and Harrison copyrights – and the first to be issued on double vinyl. The Beatles as if they existed in the worlds of soul and jazz, superb versions by the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Arthur Alexander, Barrett Strong, the Isley Brothers and more. All of the featured songs are exclusive to this volume, as are most of the featured artists, and with our special Rough Trade Edition, hand-numbered and limited to 300 copies on red and blue split vinyl, this is a fresh new collectable for fans of The Beatles and soul music alike.
EXCLUSIVE: Half red half blue vinyl with Rough Trade Exclusive alternate sleeve.
Hawkwind - In Search Of Space
The sounds of space rock. This legendary album is remastered from its original master tapes (recorded in 1971!). Psychedelic soundscapes of real deep grooves, a psychedelic atmosphere of tribal punk beats providing a meditative space for dystopic warnings and commentary relevant to today's social and ecological climate. The reissue is all-encompassing, a limited edition deluxe box set comprises 2CDs of a new remaster of the original album, along with new stereo mixes by Stephen W Tayler, including the session out-takes of Hog Farm and Kiss of the Velvet Whip. Also includes a 68-page illustrated book with a new essay and a reproduction of the rare Hawkwind Log Book, making this box set the definitive release and this legendary album.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive clear with yellow, red and blue splatter, housed in a gatefold sleeve with a poster.
Xmal Deutschland - Early Singles (1981-1982)
A great entry point to a band vital to the history of goth music. Across eight key tracks, Early Singles (1981-1982) A sharp and succinct listen of their earliest and most important work (featuring bonus tracks Kälbermarsch and Allein) paints a picture of the unbridled and burgeoning DIY scene of the eighties, and how this band were at the real cutting edge of this in Germany. A sharp and succinct listen of their earliest and most important work coinciding with the release of the first solo album by the group's former front woman Anja Huwe.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive cloudy with yellow, red and blue splatter vinyl.
Various - Keb Darge Presents the Best of Ace Sixties Garage Punk
“Though there are a couple of “never before on vinyl” tunes here for serious collectors, this compilation is aimed at those folk who are just getting into it”
Keb Darge
Laced with fuzzed guitar, enthusiasm, a driving beat and an attitude that was proto-punk, Keb Darge (Scottish DJ, music producer and connoisseur of Northern soul, deep funk, garage punk and rockabilly) selects a soundtrack of top-notch American garage stompers. The LP explores the likes of Hooterville Trolley, the Litter, the Music Machine, the Venturie “5”, The Lyrics and The Nightcrawlers and includes liner notes from Keb. Housed in a sleeve by Robin Bank, who also did the artwork for Keb’s Rockabilly compilation, this is music which remains fresh and ready to be embraced by a new generation. An essential purchase.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive pink and black split vinyl.
Various - Mr Bongo Record Club Volume Seven
A new volume of the must-listen Mr Bongo Record Club series. A diverse array of artists making the best Brazilian, Latin, soul, disco, gospel, cosmic, dancehall and downtempo music with a particular focus on the folk / Afro-Brazilian sound and dance floor tracks. Tested favourites from Os Panteras from Brazil, stomping underground disco by Claude Jay, the Danish soul sounds of Gitte & Inger and the gospel excellence of Truth & Devotion and an exclusive new track from legendary cult artist Asha Puthli, the wonderous band SOYUZ and Swedish maestro Sven Wunder: Spring Has Sprung.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive purple vinyl.
11-30
Explore the full top 30 compilations featuring the following titles...
Shack - HMS Fable (National Album Day 2024)
Various - Come To My World (A Brief History of Indie Pop 1985-2023)
Shop Assistants - Will Anything Happen
Various - Night Train: Transcontinental Landscapes 1968 – 2019
Various - Richard Norris Presents - Weird Scenes from the Hangout (Psychedelic and Freakbeat Dancefloor Anthems 1967-1982)
Various - Fantastic Voyage - New Sounds for the European Canon 1977-1981
Various - New Jill Swing
Fire Engines - Chrome Dawns
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Through The Looking Glass (National Album Day 2024)
Candi Staton - Candi Staton
Various - Come To My World (A Brief History of Indie Pop 1985-2023)
Shop Assistants - Will Anything Happen
Various - Arthur Baker presents Breaker’s Revenge
Jalen Ngonda - Come Around And Love Me
Can - Live in Keele 1977
Various - Electro Throwdown – Sci-Fi Inter-Planetary Electro Attack on Planet Earth 1982-89
Various - Everything Above The Sky (Astral Travelling with Luke Una)
Various - Congo Funk! Sound Madness From the Shores of the Mighty Congo River (Kinshasa / Brazzaville 1969-1982)
Rival Schools - Pedals
Nothing - Guilty of Everything - 10th Anniversary Edition
Monsters Of Folk - Monsters of Folk (Deluxe Edition)
Various - Stop Making Sense - Everyone's Getting Involved - A Tribute Album