Adam’s comment about the American version of compilations reminded me that these pop mixtapes (censored for public consumption) are quite possibly the finest cultural artifacts that the American music business are constructing right now. I believe these things are modeled on a British series of pop hits compilations (which I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on either!), but I think we’ve made it easily very American by including both the hits of today on each compilation as well as one or two songs by bizzare singers/groups that I have never heard of.

It’s a unique combination of a time capsule that both tells us exactly what was popular at the time music-wise (you can see the change from teen pop to hip-hop and the ever-present marginalization of modern rock quite easily) and money-wise (the aforementioned odd artist (Keith Urban, Amanda Perez, Cith High, Samantha Mumba, Souldecision, Kandi, Nine Days are a few of the WTF moments on three of the seven compilations that I own)).

Either way, as soon as I see another volume used that I don’t own, I pick it up with the quickness.