Back from the Grave (series)


Back from the Grave is a series compilation albums of 1960s garage rock created and compiled by Tim Warren and released by Crypt Records. The series originally consisted of eight LP records released between 1983 and 1992. Volumes seven and eight were double albums. Starting in 1994, the series was reissued on compact disc. Due to the longer playing times offered by CDs, the first seven volumes were contained on four discs, save for a few tracks that were omitted. And, while all of the songs on the first four CDs are included on first seven vinyl albums, they do not necessarily correspond to the individual LPs bearing their same titles. However, the Volume 8 CD corresponds almost directly its LP double-LP counterpart, but with the addition of four bonus tracks not included on the LP. The eight vinyl albums are titled consecutively "Back from the Grave, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 5, Volume 6, Volume 7, Volume 8, Volume 9, and Voume 10". In similar fashion the five CDs are titled "Back from the Grave, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 8, and Volumes 9 & 10". There are no volumes 5, 6, or 7 for the CDs. Two separate LPs for Volume 9 and 10 were released in 2015 as well one CD, released the same year, which combines Volumes 9 and 10 onto one double-length disc.

Description

The music

Unlike many garage rock compilations, the Back from the Grave series focuses exclusively on the rawer and more aggressive side of the genre. Psychedelic rock is categorically excluded. The series also includes very few pop- or folk-oriented songs. As a result, the albums are primarily populated by louder songs that are characterized by fuzztone guitars, rough vocals, and are clearly influenced by groups such as the Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, the early Kinks, and the Pretty Things. The lyrics and performances tended to focus on anger, lust, and cheating girlfriends, matching the often chaotic music. According to the liner notes, the songs were recorded by American groups, between 1964 and 1967.

Packaging

The series tends to follow the packaging format established by the Nuggets album and the Pebbles series: each volume includes detailed liner notes that include basic information about each song and group, such as origin and recording date. However, the Back from the Grave series' liner notes are very distinct. The information that they present suggests especially thorough research, often including humorous anecdotes about the artists included, information about the circumstances of the recordings, and brief biographical sketches of the groups, in addition to more basic information. The Back from the Grave series was one of the first to actively seek out bands for this sort of information, sometimes even paying royalties to bands included in the compilations. The liner notes are also notable for their distinctive style – they tend to be highly enthusiastic, full of intentional spelling errors and slang, humorous asides and tangents. They are noticeably opinionated, and often include tongue-in-cheek insults directed at psychedelic, art rock, and commercially-oriented music. As a result, the notes convey a conversational tone. The albums also include photographs of the included groups, and the covers tend to elaborately drawn cartoons by Mort Todd that feature zombies emerging from graves and "attacking" various manifestations of the pop-and-progressive-oriented world that had come to musical prominence by the end of the 1980s, such as disco music and MTV.

Reception

Back from the Grave is considered one of the most important and influential garage rock compilations series ever assembled. Though it takes a much narrower approach to the genre, the tracks compiled on its ten volumes are considered to be of exceptionally high quality throughout. Back from the Grave's influence can be seen in other series that take a similar approach to compiling garage records.

Albums

LP series

The tracks on each of these CDs, though all featured in the LP series, did not coincide with the track listings of the individual corresponding LPs. Only the "Volume 8" CD coincides with track listing on the corresponding LP, but adds several bonus cuts. There were no volumes 5, 6, or 7 released in this sub-series.
Each of these CDs contain either one or two LPs worth of material on one disc and correspond more closely to the original LPs, however there are differences. Volume 8 was not released with this sub-series, but could be considered as forming a bridge between Volume 7 and Volumes 9 & 10.