Various Artists/Anthologies

Alligator’s Various Artist anthologies are the perfect introduction to highlights from the Alligator catalog and to our dozens of artists. They range from double CDs that showcase our entire catalog to genre-specific single discs to collections of lesser-recorded artists. Many of them have special low prices.

Our budget-priced Crucial Blues series (six CDs) features various styles and instruments of blues (guitar blues, harmonica blues, Chicago blues, Texas blues, live blues and slide guitar blues). All the tracks have been remastered for the best possible sound quality. These collections include many of our best-known artists. If you’re just getting into the blues, they’re a perfect (and inexpensive way) to find the artists and musical styles you like.

If you prefer your budget-priced single CDs that have no connecting themes but are just terrific Alligator music, check out our five-CD Genuine Houserockin’ Music series. These compilations feature hard-rocking tracks from our first 25 years, each at a low, low price. And there are no duplicated tracks on this series.

For a broader introduction to Alligator’s first 30 years of recording, you can choose one of our three Anniversary Collections (20th, 25th & 30th). Each is a double CD (two for the price of one!) containing classic tracks from the entire history of the label. Each booklet includes extensive liner notes and rare photos. The 30th Anniversary Collection also contains a never-before-released one-song video of our first band, Hound Dog Taylor And The HouseRockers.

Our other stellar anthologies contain songs not available anywhere else. Our Living Chicago Blues series of four award-winning CDs is crammed full of recordings by some of the city’s lesser-known artists of the 1970s. At that time, most of them were playing in the little clubs on the South and West Sides of Chicago. Since then, many of them, like Lonnie Brooks (making his Alligator debut), Pinetop Perkins, A.C. Reed, Jimmy Johnson and Eddie Shaw, have gone on to become some of Chicago’s best-known artists.

In the mid-1980s, we carried on the tradition of introducing new artists with our single-CD collection called The New Bluebloods. This album introduced Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, The Kinsey Report and Maurice John Vaughn, all of whom went on to cut multiple full albums for Alligator.

If you like your blues live and rocking, you’ll certainly enjoy The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour. It’s a double-CD set of terrific performances by Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, Katie Webster, Elvin Bishop and Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials. Plus, it’s two CDs at one very low price. And, for another special treat at a low price, check out Blues Deluxe, a classic recording from the 1980 ChicagoFest with thrilling performances by Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, Son Seals and Mighty Joe Young.

For the blues fan’s perfect Christmas gift, nothing could be better than either (or both) of our two Christmas collections, The Alligator Records Christmas Collection (which has a special low price) or Alligator Records’ Genuine Houserockin’ Christmas. Both of these feature never-before-released performances by our entire roster of artists, recorded especially for these collections.