Sampler (record)

A sampler is a type of compilation album generally offered at a reduced price to showcase a selection of artists signed to a particular record label. The format became popular in the late 1960s as record labels sought to promote artists whose work was primarily available in album rather than single format, and therefore had little opportunity to gain exposure through singles-dominated radio airplay.

One of the first labels to issue sampler albums of its range of artists was Elektra, who issued the folk samplers "A Cold Wind Blows" (1966) and "Fantastic Folk" (1968), before the rock-oriented "Select Elektra" (1968). [ [http://www.atsf.co.uk/elektra/discography.php?from=4990&to=5190 Elektra discography] ] However, these were full price issues. CBS’s "The Rock Machine Turns You On", Liberty Records' "Gutbucket", Warner Bros.' "The 1969 Warner/Reprise Songbook" (first of the long-standing Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders series), and Island Records' "You Can All Join In" were the first samplers issued in the UK and Europe at a discount price, setting the standard for those to follow. Many of the most important and innovative folk and rock artists of the time featured on the samplers of their respective record labels, particularly in the UK, and as a result their work reached an audience which would have otherwise been inaccessible. Amongst the most well regarded, and subsequently collectable, were those from Island Records, CBS, Decca Records, Liberty Records, Vertigo Records and Harvest Records. By the end of the 1970s, however, the format became less relevant. The rise of indie rock labels (e.g. Chiswick Records and Stiff Records in the UK) and bands in the late 1970s and early 1980s revitalised the sampler as a marketing tool, but the format was all but dead by 1985 [The last "mainstream" sampler, issued as a disc or CD was arguably the ZTT Records sampler of 1985] . Since then, the increased influence of the World Wide Web as a medium for distributing content has made the sampler album format increasingly redundant.

Important Samplers

Island Records (UK)

* You Can All Join In
* Nice Enough To Eat
* Bumpers
* El Pea

CBS/Columbia (UK/US)

* The Rock Machine Turns You On
* Rock Machine - I Love You
* Fill Your Head With Rock
* Rockbuster
* Together!
* Different Strokes
* In Good Company
* The Music People

Atlantic/Atco(US/UK)

* Atco Blockbusters
* The Age of Atlantic
* The New Age of Atlantic

Elektra

* A Cold Wind Blows
* Fantastic Folk
* Select Elektra
* Nuggets

Harvest Records (UK)

* Picnic
*

Dandelion Records (UK)

* There is Some Fun Going Forward

Transatlantic Records (UK)

*Listen Here!

Liberty (US)

*Gutbucket
*Son Of Gutbucket

Chiswick Records (UK)

*Submarine Tracks & Fool's Gold (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume One)
*Long Shots, Dead Certs And Odds On Favourites (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume Two)

Stiff Records (UK)

*A Bunch of Stiff Records

Cherry Red (UK)

*Pillows & Prayers

Probe (UK)

*Handle With Care

Dawn(UK)

* The Dawn Take-Away Concert
* Has it Dawned on You?

Warner/Reprise

* The 1969 Warner/Reprise Songbook
* The 1969 Warner/Reprise Record Show
* Hot Platters
* The Whole Burbank Catalog
* The Big Ball

tones Throw

* Stones Throw Records 2005 Sampler

References