Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground

Probably my favorite '80s box set. Are there big artists left off? Yes. Are there some songs I would've swapped out for different ones? Yes.  But as an overview of what alternative music was in that decade, this pretty much touches all the different sub-genres.  If there is one single item you could give to someone and say - this is what alternative music was in its first decade - look no further.

Nuggets I

It's odd that a box set of forgotten songs would become a classic must-have, but this 4-CD set collects many non-Top 40 classics, underrated, rare, or weird songs from '65-'68 and it really is an essential part of '60s rock.

To The Outside of Everything - Post Punk 1977-1981

To The Outside of Everything - UK Post Punk 1977-1981 is a nice 5 x CD box set, which serves as a great introduction to the genre.