Back From The Grave Series
Encyclopedia
Back from the Grave is a series compilation album
s of 1960s garage rock
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. In addition, the eighth volume of the series was released on CD in 1994, with four tracks omitted from the vinyl version. As such, it is the only CD reissue from the series that closely corresponds to its vinyl counterpart. The eight vinyl albums are titled "Back From The Grave, Volume 1," etc. The five CDs are titled "Back From The Grave, Part 1," etc. The five CDs are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 8. There are no 5, 6, or 7 for the CDs. Parts 1-4 correspond to the first seven vinyl albums, and Part 8 corresponds only to Volume 8.
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 Rolling Stones, 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.
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 biological 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 liners 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 that feature zombies (intended to personify the music found on each volume) 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 60s, such as disco
music and MTV
..
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s of 1960s garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
released by Crypt Records
Crypt Records
Crypt Records is a Hamburg-based record label and record store founded by Tim Warren. The label is perhaps best known for issuing the eight-volume Back From The Grave Series of garage rock compilations, although its reissues and releases include surf, rockabilly, punk rock, exotica, garage punk,...
. The series originally consisted of eight LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
records released between 1983 and 1992. Volumes seven and eight were double albums. Starting in 1994, the series was reissued on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. 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. In addition, the eighth volume of the series was released on CD in 1994, with four tracks omitted from the vinyl version. As such, it is the only CD reissue from the series that closely corresponds to its vinyl counterpart. The eight vinyl albums are titled "Back From The Grave, Volume 1," etc. The five CDs are titled "Back From The Grave, Part 1," etc. The five CDs are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 8. There are no 5, 6, or 7 for the CDs. Parts 1-4 correspond to the first seven vinyl albums, and Part 8 corresponds only to Volume 8.
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. PsychedelicPsychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
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 Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, the early Kinks, and the Pretty Things
Pretty Things
The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
. 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 NuggetsNuggets
- Music :* Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968, a compilation of U.S. psychedelic rock released between 1965 and 1968...
album and the Pebbles
Pebbles
Pebbles may refer to:* Pebbles, small rocks* Pebbles , Boston-area radio DJ* Pebbles , British-trained thoroughbred racehorse of the 1980s* Pebbles Flintstone, a character in The Flintstones animated television show...
series: Each volume includes detailed liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
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 biological 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 liners are also notable for their distinctive style – they tend to be highly enthusiastic, full of intentional spelling errors and slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
, humorous asides and tangents. They are noticeably opinionated, and often include tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
insults directed at psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
, 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 that feature zombies (intended to personify the music found on each volume) 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 60s, such as disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
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