90s GREEK COMPILATIONS VOL. I
90s GREEK COMPILATIONS VOL. I
And we’ve reached 1990!
A brand new decade, ladies and gentlemen. Just like in the previous episodes, here we will focus on the compilations that were released exclusively for the Greek market on vinyl!
In 1990, there weren’t many compilations, so I will present only four compilations. The first is the collection from Jeronimo Groovy - for many years a music radio station, and in the 90s also a TV channel with the advent of private broadcasting in Greece - titled "School's Out – Jeronimo Groovy." This compilation wasn’t anything special; it featured mainly mainstream hard rock bands such as GUNS N’ ROSES, ALICE COOPER, LITA FORD, WHITESNAKE, and many others. The most interesting track in this collection was the ballad "It's Late" by the Greek band DOUGLAS.
The second compilation of 1990 is the album simply titled "Rock Tracks." Again, we’re dealing with commercial bands like CINDERELLA, L.A. GUNS, TORA TORA, and DANZIG (Danzig was fucking great back then!). The funny thing is that the collection is called "Rock Tracks," so buyers expect to hear rock and hard rock songs, but this collection also contains songs by ONSLAUGHT (which includes the famous cover of "Let There Be Rock" by AC/DC) and MORTAL SIN... haha!
To finish off the year 1990, I’ll mention two compilations. The first is now a cult compilation featuring Greek bands, "Metal Gear," from the record label Molon Lave Records. The mastermind behind the label was the Yugoslavian George Osmak. In the 80s, there were no independent labels in the heavy metal scene, so all vinyl releases came from well-known companies of the time, with very few exceptions, like the first album of VICE HUMAN released in 1984 by Iraklis Triantafyllidis’s label Polyavlos, and if we want to include the hard rockers BOOBY TRAP with their 1983 album "Women" on Bomby Records, which was basically an independent release since the band owned the label for that release (if you find it, buy or listen to it - it’s amazing!).
Also, in 1989, the split album "Uncontrolled Decease" by Ninnghizhida, Porfiria, and Corruption was released on the historic Black Power Records (which truly deserves its own tribute!). And finally, for me personally, the best album released by a Greek band in the classic heavy metal scene was the legendary RUST with their incredible 1989 album "Shoot Them Higher," independently released under the Seagull label. Seagull was a distribution company, not a record label. RUST was a top band in my opinion, and I will cover them in more detail in the future because they contributed a lot to the Greek metal scene of the 80s! All other label efforts were from major companies of the time.
In the punk and new wave scene, things were very different compared to metal. Independent labels had existed since the early 80s in that scene. By 1990, many changes were happening in the record industry, one of which was the rise of independent record companies. As mentioned above, in 1990, the compilation "Metal Gear" by Molon Lave Records was released, featuring Greek bands such as NIGHTSTALKER (nothing like how they evolved later; here we have two instrumental compositions of classic heavy metal with influences from Yngwie Malmsteen and Cloven Hoof - yes, ladies and gentlemen, no joke, these songs are fantastic!), BEAUTY & THE BEAST, BLACK LACE, DIVORCE (George Osmak’s band with his wife Johanna on vocals), and LEVIATHAN.
Overall, I should dedicate a separate tribute to Molon Lave Records, as George Osmak helped the Greek metal scene of the 90s so much through his label, the festivals he organized, the recording studio he owned (later bought by ROTTING CHRIST and renamed Storm Studios), and of course the historic record store Go Underground (Go was the initials of George Osmak’s name!). The cover of the compilation has a kind of cult charm and beauty; it somewhat resembles Maiden’s Eddie, don’t you think?
At the end, we have the split 7” (call it a split, a compilation, whatever you want!) titled "Decapitated Compilation EP," released along with the 5th issue of the cult fanzine ''Decapitated'', in collaboration with the historic Wipe Out! Records and the then-emerging Decapitated Records (their first vinyl release was this 7” - they had earlier cassette compilations). Decapitated Records later changed its name to Unisound Records. These two labels (Decapitated / Unisound) deserve a special tribute; they contributed a lot not only to the Greek market but also internationally, with many interesting releases on their roster. I will definitely do something about that in the future! This 7” contains four songs (one from each band): Septicemia, Could Be Worse, Death Courier, and Neurosis. It was released in a limited edition of 500 copies! Very cult release!
Entering 1991, we have quite a few compilations to cover. It seems record companies realized that compilations sold well in the Greek market. Let’s take a look. Here we have the compilation titled "Classic Metal Ballads" - hahaha, what a cliché title, right? This compilation was created by the leader of the Greek metal (??) hard rock band DIMITRIS KATIS & THE EXORISTOI (ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ ΚΑΤΗΣ & ΟΙ ΕΞΟΡΙΣΤΟΙ in Greek) , who was also the TV host of the show Metal Mania on Greece’s state channel ERT1. This was a double compilation and, as you can guess, only mainstream bands like DEEP PURPLE, UFO, BLACK SABBATH, DIO, SCORPIONS, etc. appear here. The collection closes with the song "I Make a Wish" (''Κάνω μια Ευχή'' in Greek) by THE EXORISTOI. Dimitris Katis’ TV show will come up again in a future compilation. Between us… the best way to promote your band, right?
Continuing with the compilation "Rock With The Legend," released as a double album - honestly, I probably didn’t need to include this one since it offers nothing special; all the songs are classic rock hits. The only exception might be ALICE COOPER with "School’s Out."
Another pointless double compilation is "The Spirit Of Rock – Rebel Yell," featuring classic rock and hard rock tracks from well-known artists. Enough with these boring mainstream compilations - let’s get to the serious stuff, the heavy and underground scene.
Still in 1991, the split album "Rumpus Of The Undead / Deride The Remedied" by Singapore’s ABHORER and Japan’s NECROPHILE was released by historic Decapitated Records in cooperation with the awesome Wipe Out! Records. Of course, this is not a compilation but a split album, but I wanted to include it here for historical reasons so newcomers can learn and veterans can reminisce!
Finally, for 1991, we have the compilation "Screwing The Sane" (haha, what a title!), released by Molon Lave Records. It includes 8 bands such as ACID DEATH, MEDIEVAL DEATH, MORTAL PAIN, APPARENTLY DEAD, VOYER, HORRIFIED, STIGMA, and NIGHTSTALKER. A classic and historic compilation with very nice songs! Also, the cover is pretty good for the time, a little kitschy, but metal was kitschy, wild, and rebellious back then! Worth mentioning for fun are the typos on the labels, including the title of the compilation being misspelled on the labels themselves - below you will see corresponding photos!
(to be continued...)
By Steve the Filthy Dog.