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The 10 best K-tel compilation albums of the 1970s
Did you shell out money for Dumb Ditties and Disco Fire?
Images: K-Tel / YouTube
Before there were iPods, we had K-tel. The Canadian company became the king of "As seen on TV" advertising in the 1970s, churning out both gimmicky gizmos (like the Whizbee and Cut-All Super Saw) and budget music compilations. If you're younger and have not heard of K-tel, picture a successful hybrid of the Now That's What I Call Music albums and the guy in commercials who saws a rowboat in half before repairing it with Flex Tape.
The K-tel music compilations were a quick, cheap way to boost your music collection or hear your favorite pop hits on demand. A record could go for $3.99. The commercials were catchy and brilliant. How could you resist spending your cash with ads like this.
K-tel sold countless albums around the world, particularly finding success down under in Australia. We're going to try and stick with the records they sold here in the U.S. Here are ten of our favorite from the golden decade of K-tel. Did you own any of them?
1. 60 Flash-Back Greats Of The Sixties (1972)
By 1972, people were already pining for the good ol' days of the 1960s. Nostalgia works fast, especially for a decade that revolutionized pop culture. This whopping four-LP set featured fistfuls of one-hit-wonders. You might not recognize names like The O'Kaysions, The Stone Poneys or Keith (just "Keith") on paper, but their tunes would ring a bell. This covers everything from bubblegum to psychedelic, with British Invasion and folk in the mix, too.
Top Track: The Shangri-Las - "Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)"
Deepest Cut: Cat Mother And The All-Night Newsboys - "Medley: Good Old Rock 'N Roll"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
2. Super Bad (1972)
This essential compilation culls the greatest soul and early funk singles of the era. It's loaded with diamonds, both relatively obscure (Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together," Honey Cone "Want Ads," Detroit Emeralds "Baby Let Me Take You") and legendary (Isaac Hayes "Theme From Shaft," James Brown "Good Foot, Part One").
Top Track: Main Ingredient - "Everybody Plays The Fool"
Deepest Cut: Timmy Thomas - "Why Can't We Live Together"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
3. James Last's Super Party Pac (1974)
German jazz man and big band leader James Last shifted gears in the 1970s and began cranking out kitchy muzak. His brassy, snappy cover versions made you feel like a game show contestant or go-go dancer atop a platform on Laugh-In. This is the kind of cheerful cheese you can only find in the 1970s and we eat it up.
Top Track: "Ballad Of John And Yoko"
Deepest Cut: "The Pushbike Song"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
4. Souled Out (1975)
The massive funk cuts were expected (Kool & The Gang's "Jungle Boogie," Ohio Players' "Skin Tight") but this killer compilation featured some more obscure gems from William DeVaughn, Honey Cone and the Tymes. It perfectly captures the soul scene just before disco began its dominance.
Top Track: William DeVaughn - "Be Thankful For What You Got"
Deepest Cut: The Joneses - "Sugar Pie Guy Part 1"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
5. 24 Great Truck Drivin' Songs (1976)
The C.B. and trucking craze peaked in the mid-1970s, as every kid dreamed of driving a big rig. There were even entire TV shows devoted to the phenomenon, like Movin' On, which you can stream right here on MeTV.
Top Track: Hank Snow - I've Been Everywhere
Deepest Cut: Lavon Lyle - "Diesel On My Tail"
6. Stars (1977)
It's hard to pin down the theme here, as these songs span multiple genres, and range from hitmakers (Hall & Oates) to more forgotten pan-flashes (Addrisi Brothers). That being said, it's a delightful slice of the state of '77 pop, despite (unsurprisingly) overlooking the punk movement.
Top Track: Daryl Hall & John Oates - "Rich Girl"
Deepest Cut: Stanky Brown Group - "Coal Town"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
7. 24 Greatest Dumb Ditties (1977)
It's hard to resist a title like Dumb Ditties. While the disco fad certainly helped K-Tel build its name, the label did a sizable business with kids, too, mostly thanks to its novelty collections. There offered stiff competition to Dr. Demento, lumping together ubiqu
Top Track: Dodie Stevens - "Pink Shoelaces"
Deepest Cut: Serendipity Singers - "Beans In My Ears"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
8. Disco Fire (1978)
When it kicks off with Chic, you know it's going to be a party. From that opening "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" we boogie onward to titanic disco hits (The Trammps "Disco Inferno"), novelty numbers (Meco "Star Wars Title Theme"), deep funk (Brick "Dazz") and forward-looking dancefloor workouts (The Michael Zager Band "Let's All Chant"). It's a blast.
Top Track: Donna Summer - "I Feel Love"
Deepest Cut: Bionic Boogie - "Risky Changes"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
9. The Stud (1978)
The original soundtrack album to a sex-laded Joan Collins B-movie, The Stud collected some rather glorious Eurodisco for its titillating adaptation of the Jackie Collins novel. You get Spanish duo Baccara's kooky disco tune "Sorry I'm A Lady" and French electro-pioneers Space delivering "Deliverance." There were also some smash hits from K.C. & The Sunshine Band, Rose Royce and Rod Stewart.
Top Track: 10cc - "I'm Not in Love"
Deepest Cut: Space - "Deliverance"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
10. Starflight (1979)
This eclectic mix ranged from romantic R&B balladry (Maxine Nightingale's "Lead Me On," Peaches & Herb's "Reunited") to rock (Foreigner, Dr. Hook) to quirky pop (M's "Pop Muzik"). The end of the decade was a diverse place.
Top Track: Cheap Trick - "I Want You To Want Me"
Deepest Cut: Bonnie Pointer - "Heaven Must Have Sent You"
Image: K-Tel / Discogs
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