Originally Posted by
grommet
I personally keep Album Artist set on everything, even on albums that don't have different (or multiple) contributing artists per track. It doesn't help in those scenarios, though. :D I treat it as the artist the Album should be associated with... the one it should be "filed under."
And, unlike Spoon, I do use Album Artist on my "compilations" or so-called various artists recordings. I use many Album Artist settings in these scenarios. For example: "Various Artists", "Original Movie Soundtrack", "Original Movie Score", "Original Broadway Cast Recording", "DJ Mixmaster Bob". I find a single compilation hierarchy too limiting for a large library. Your mileage may vary.
Of course, iTunes/iPod users don't benefit fully... since they only effectively use Album Artist for CoverFlow grouping currently. :thumbdown