Once upon a time in the 1990s, retailers used compilation CDs as marketing tools. Some, like Starbucks, charged for the CDs–mostly the going rate of regular music CDs. Other retailers offered the compilation CDs for free with a purchase. Other retailers discounted the CDs to move them.
BOKS ROCK (1993) from Reebok had a more eclectic variety of songs. George Thorogood rubs shoulders with Slowdive. Beyond the Blues (1996) from Lane Bryant offers Name artists–like Patti LaBelle, Taylor Dayne, Etta James, Oleta Adams, Rod Stewart, Peter Frampton, Rita Coolidge, and Gloria Gaynor. And a couple Well Known groups: Gladys Knight and the Pips and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
The fact that no corporation I know is offering music as part of the buying experience today–not even streaming–shows that this marketing tactic is now obsolete. But, back in the day, this was a fairly common practice.
Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B (for both)
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Patti LaBelle– | New Attitude |
| 2 | Gladys Knight And The Pips– | I Heard It Through The Grapevine |
| 3 | Taylor Dayne– | I’ll Be Your Shelter |
| 4 | Etta James– | How Strong Is A Woman |
| 5 | Atlanta Rhythm Section– | So In To You |
| 6 | Oleta Adams– | Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me |
| 7 | Bachman-Turner Overdrive– | You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet |
| 8 | Rod Stewart– | You Wear It Well |
| 9 | Tears For Fears– | Everybody Wants To Rule The World |
| 10 | Peter Frampton– | Baby, I Love Your Way |
| 11 | Rita Coolidge– | Fever |
| 12 | Gloria Gaynor– | I Will Survive |
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Duran Duran– | Come Undone |
| 2 | Radiohead– | Creep |
| 3 | The Devlins– | I Know That |
| 4 | Portrait– | Day By Day |
| 5 | The College Boyz*– | Victim Of The Ghetto |
| 6 | Adorable– | Glorious |
| 7 | George Thorogood– | Gone Dean Train |
| 8 | Slowdive– | Allison |
| 9 | Michael McDermott | Just West Of Eden |
| 10 | Ryuichi Sakamoto– | Heartbeat |
Looks like Lane Bryan could afford better artists and better songs here, although I may be prejudiced because I was never the target audience of Reebok. (I was also not the target audience of Lane Bryan, but Kitty would shop there occasionally.)
Gladys, Etta, Oleta, Bachman Turner, Gloria Gaynor, and even Rod Stewart are among the favs of the Lane Bryan album. I confess that I have little or no knowledge of those on the Reebok album.
Jerry, the Lane Bryan audience was a much different audience than the Reebok audience.
I’m a bit nostalgic for those retail CDs, in particular the coffee shop Christmas compilations, some of which are quite good, that I still listen to. Many of them, though, were a seemingly random mixed bag and this is a pretty good example. It’s the old corporate buckshot mentality that a little of everything will please everyone when the reality is…no. About the only tracks here I’d listen to are the Slowdive and maybe the Ryuichi Sakamoto.
On a very slightly related note, Slowdive have done the seemingly impossible and have created their best music ever since regrouping after quarter-century hiatus. Their last two albums. “Slowdive” and “Everything is Alive,” are just gorgeous works of shoegazer/dreampop.
Oh, and I went record shopping the other day and the place was packed with ecstatic kids. I talked to two teenagers, each clutching an armful of CDs, and they are in love with physical media. Everything they talked about was the classic record store experience stuff. Made my day.
I’ve also heard that a few smaller, youth-focused retailers have started giving away CD samplers again. What goes around…
Byron, I’ll keep on the lookout for smaller, youth=focused retailers with CD samplers.
First CD isn’t bad, especially if it was a giveaway. I only recognize three artists on the second one. Ah the 90s, when the idea of DonaldTrump in the White House was still a harmless punch line.
Fred, the 90s get a Bad Rap but it’s better than the 2020s!
The World’s Biggest Lane Bryant was in Downtown Brooklyn, but they are long gone. Jackie doesn’t shop there anymore anyway. I do still wear Reebok sneakers occasionally.
As for the CDs, the first is OK, the second…who knows?
Jeff, I was juxtaposing the Lan Bryant CD with the Reebok CD. Very different music for very different audiences…
I remember Caribou Coffee selling this sort of thing. Don’t even know if Caribou Coffee still exists.
Patti, Caribou Coffee is still around, but I’m pretty sure they’re not dealing with music CDs any more.
Somehow, I missed commenting yesterday 😟. CDs with your purchase seems such a quaint notion now. My favorite song here is Duran Duran’s “Come Undone”. I used to shop at Lane Bryant quite a bit back in the day—they really catered to “the full-figured gal”—but I don’t remember the CD offerings. I will piggy-back on Byron’s comment: Gen Z loves physical media of all kinds. Just browse the ThriftStoreHauls subreddit full of twenty-something’s gushing over finding Pearl Jam CDs and “Sleepless in Seattle” on VHS. They’d have a field day at my house!
Deb, one of our local thrift stories gives VHS movies/TV shows away for FREE! And, you and Byron are right about the young people scooping them up!