The greatest free music came from the NME tapes back in the '80's - Department of Enjoyment etc, they were all diverse and packed full of new and essential music. In my humble opinion that is.

My vote goes to '20 Reggae Classics' given away with Mojo in 2002. Not a duffer on there and some absolute gems that I hadn't heard before including the track below. It still gets a battering every summer in my house.

- agreed - I think it was the first one introduced me to Calexico, The Handsome Family, Giant Sand, Lambchop, and more. Also had, I think, a heartbreaking Merle Haggard song on it too.

I also like (or at least find interesting) the ones which collect cover versions of a particular artist's tracks - I have two Clash ones and a Bowie one that are curate's eggs, sure, but were worth podding.

Sorry but the best giveaway CD I have is one that has been mentioned before on this blog. It was an UNCUT CD of treasures from Demon Records's vaults called "Unknown Pleasures" and had tracks from Gene Clark, Loudon Wainwright, Carlene Carter, Ian Dury, Nils Lofgren, Townes van Zandt and Nick Lowe to name but a few.

Still listen to it regularly.

especially if we can have casettes.

The Unknown Pleasures series, the Monkey Mafia Heavenly Social mix which still got play in my car ten years on, the Future Tracks one with the live Prodigy track and Impact (The Earth Is Burning) at Glastnobury 94 by Orbital, which is still the best dance track I have ever heard.

Select stopped me being an indie kid and opened up my ears to dance music. If I could get those compilations on CD or MP3 I would be a very happy man, particularly ass I'm having a school reunion this weekend

Given away with Q a few years ago, it includes John Martyn, Goldfrapp, Low-era Bowie, Fairport, Nick Drake, Mercury Rev etc.
Still got it - played it earlier this week in fact...

...is well worth tracking down; a CD which uses as its basic premise the idea that 1965 was the best year for British pop, and makes a pretty convincing case. It's got early Quo, Small Faces, Yardbirds, Bluesbreakers, David "Jones" Bowie, Donovan, PP Arnold, Fleur De Lys, The Sorrows, Timebox, The Cliques, The Spectres, The Carnabys, The Poets, The Searchers, Chris Farlowe, The Pentangle and The Kinks.

A quick look at my iPod reveals that their Feed Your Head compilation of drugs songs, Heavy Nuggets and Heavy Mod collections are also pretty cool.

Like the magazine, it seems to me that Mojo is produced with a lot more enthusiasm , love and care than Uncut which is too often full of cut and paste hackery by inferior writers.

'The Score' (I think), basically a bunch of tracks from soundtracks, still gets played now, and has stayed on the iPod in it's complete running order, a very rare occurance for a free cd.

Uncut and Mojo reign here (along with Songlines, though I acknowledge that their line isn't to everyone's taste).
Many of the mentions above are terrific, but I'll add Mojo's Blues cd (including a stunning Son House take on John the Revelator - on Spotify), Mojo's Roots of Led Zepplin and Uncut's collection of Springsteen covers, which I much prefer to any Springsteen album I've ever heard.
Slight variation: has there ever been a decent attempt at the 'classic album' put together from covers by other artists? Those I've heard (mainly Beatles) have been predictably patchy.

did a superb Studio One Selector and a Memphis Soul one.

Best ever was the Factory Sampler given away with Select. Had it's own FAC number (242 I think....)

Whenever they do their annual free CD of Prog Rock tunes. Always a delight to have.

It was a cassette of performances from 'The White Room' (fleetingly on Channel 4 hosted by Mark Radcliffe). I played it until it stretched. It had a version of Walk on the Wild Side with Dave Stewart on guitar and the Ray Davies/Damon Albarn Waterloo Sunset.

The flexi-single that came with the first edition of 'Oink!': "Poo Poo Tinkle Tinkle Parp Parp Oink Tiddly Widdly Widdly Widdly Plop"

Fantastic collection, now going for $75 on Amazon!
It's a shame the magazine is such a flimsy cut n' paste job.

Mojo produced a fine Christmas albym a number of years ago that I dust off every December. Uncut did a great Byrdsian CD, McGuinn with Crowded House etc, that I kep. Word ones are patchy but still cut the mustard as a challenge.

We try so hard for you, sometimes it's like you hardly notice us... *sniffle*

"Sounds of the New West" from Uncut - it really did open up a new world of music to me.

Uncut have done two new psych collections in recent years which were both excellent and opened my ears to all sorts of goodies - Oakley Hall, Comets On Fire, Black Mountain, Wooden Shjips, Howlin' Rain to name a few all came from these CD's.

Mojo's Maximum 65 freakbeat collection mentioned above was also ace. Might go dig mine out now for a play.

On a Maximum 65-related note, anyone who likes music of such a stripe should head to the Slaughtered Lamb, Clerkenwell tonight to my night, Rock'n'RollSoul. The Carnaby got a spin last month.

http://www.rocknrollsoul.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/rocknrollsouluk

My first thought as I started to read the seed of this thread was Sounds Of The New West, which introduced me to Vigilantes of Love among others. This one seems to be a popular choice so far.
They also did a great Movie Soundtrack one, although I can't for the life of me think what was on it apart from The Magnificent Seven. I'll have a look when I get home.

introduced me to great stuff - I wish I had got all of them, but I seem to recall having to pay for them and money was to tight to mention in those days, so I had to pick and choose.
Keep it up with the Word cds and keep it eclectic! I find something I really like on every compilation, and I've bought quite a few albums as a result. Recent purchases include Little Jackie, Jaymay, Yasmin Levy, The Felice Brothers, Ry Cooder, I could go on (and on...).

the Froots compilations; one free every six months, with a broad sampling of folk, world and roots

Years before I got a CD player I used to buy Sounds for their free cover mounted Sounds Blast 7" EPs. Given that this was before the internet, try before you buy & the general ubiquity of music, four or five tracks from a few different bands was much appreciated & helped to influence what music i bought with the meagre resources I had as a student. Killdozer's New Pants & Shirt sticks in my mind but I enjoyed all the EPs at the time.

I just dug out my Sounds Of The New West CD from Uncut as it would seem due for reappraisal.

I would dig out my Select tapes from the loft / garage but that would then mean trying to find a cassette player that still works.

"Roots Of Hip Hop"

Didn't even know I liked Hip Hop!

Also really liked the Ska one they did last year.

Mojo and Uncut do themed cds which means once in a while they play a blinder, but they also produce a lot that never leave the cellophane. There's always something good on a Word cd, usually several songs jump out, but it's hard to pick a specific disc. Don't take this as encouragement to change the format, I was disappointed when Uncut stopped doing their "best of the months releases" so I'm glad that is what the Word cd provides.

but Q86 is still one of the greats. Introduced me to the blue nile. Also there was a mixmag cd from about 94 done by laurent garnier that still sounds great today.

The NME Christmas DustUp cassette mixed by the Chemical Brothers - got me into 'that dance music'...

The Mojo 'Score' CD...

The Mojo 'Trojan Explosion' as mentioned above...

Essential Skint from Select, now that was Classic! Very much of its time though but I would have paid good money for that back then!

have been routinely excellent especially the New Country ones and the Keith Richards Devils music one. Also the Mojo reggae one that came out a couple of years ago and the one I think from last year about new Blues that included a Pete Molinari song which introduced me to his wonderful cd. Uncut are also responsible for the dozen or so Jackie Leven albums i now own as they included Single Father on one of their cd's.
However the best free cd I ever got was from SXSW last year - A double cd of Daptone Records artists - first cd contained original tracks and second cd was remixes - this was possibly my most played 'in car' cd of 2008.

Americana cd from about 95/96. Fab cd that introduced me to the delights of Lambchop, Calexio and The Handsome Family, at the time it was like a real breath of fresh air

a free CD given away by Uncut or Mojo ( can´t remember , can´t be bothered to look )

All 15 tracks were good and I've ripped all of them which is a first.

but I recall the 7" flexi disc of Alice Cooper's 'Elected' (sadly no longer in my possession) that was attached to an edition of Fab208 magazine from the seventies with great affection.

I think there was from Q many moons ago but stand to be corrected, but it was at the start of the grunge "boom" and had the Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains etc and I can't find my copy to download it onto the old 'pod.

Dang and blast!

I enjoyed a run of CD's from late 90's / early 00's in Select called Revolutions (I think).

Uncut had the Nonesuch Collection in 2004 which was brilliant.

But, not meaning to suck up to The Word, nothing compares to their CD's. Every month I get the "Now Hear This!!" cd onto my ipod and listen to it again and again during my commute to and from work, and I always end up falling in love with two or three tracks, who eventually get searched and bought from Amazon.

A ritual I'd happily do forever.

Uncut have done two rather good CDs based on Bob Dylan's radio show.

I also have a CD from a now-defunct magazine called Later called "Serve Chilled 2" which features Rockers Hifi , Royksopp, The Bees & Mr Scruff which is pretty good as well

Seeing as I started this little saga can I end it by saying thanks for your responses. I, funnily enough, seem to have most of the CD releases gifted and mentioned by WORD readers.
What that says about me and the ability to just collect(and store)the aforementioned would fill the notebook several times over of a psycho-analyst in popular culture.
For those of you who included NME cassette releases I have to add these were never front cover freebies, but provided by means of coupon and payment at a small insignificant price.In fact the best NME freebies were the Rolling Stones 'Exile on Main Street' and ELP 'Brain Salad Surgery' flexi discs.
Of course SELECT and VOX did give their tapes away with the mags and good old SOUNDS gave away vinyl via the coupon and post option. Q and MOJO also gave away CD's to subscribers only.
I now await the day when the free cd becomes a downloadable item as the magazine market tries to save the planet.

I can remember, in my youth, sending off for this LP from Sounds magazine. It had 14 tracks from artists on Stiff Records. Some tracks were good, while others were ... less good.