Wmcmanus
President treasurer secretary and sole member of the Cayman Islands Head-Fi Club.
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2002
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Warning: long post - you can quickly read my ratings and skip the narrative if you're not interested in the music I've listed.
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I've recently noticed at places such as Best Buy that there are many great looking boxes sets coming out, some of which are offered at reasonable prices. I'd like to know what you think of the ones that you've heard (especially Buffalo Springfield if anyone has taken the plunge).
Obviously, you would have to be a big fan of any artist before considering making such a large purchase so it might not make sense to have a "best box set" thread, but I thought I'd start with the ones I have (and have enjoyed).
Rather than splitting hairs on what a "boxed set" or "compilation" is, let's just define it as any single product (regardless of how fancy the packaging) in which 3 or more CD's are packaged together. One other rule - a mere repackaging of old studio albulms don't count (i.e., the 15 SACD box set of old Dylan albulms - what's the point).
Here's my list:
(5 star = best rating, 1 star = worst rating).
1. The Band - "The Last Waltz" *****
The legendary farewell concert for The Band held on Thanksgiving day, 1976 at Winterland in San Fransisco. This is a 4 CD set with a booklet that descibes the events leading up to the show of all rock shows (Woodstock notwithstanding) and some insight from band members. The DVD is excellent too, but this is a MUST box set for any 70's rocker. Features Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Dr. John, Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell... many, many more). If you don't know about The Last Waltz, then - well, you're just too young! (Ask your grandfather about is someday). This stuff is just amazingly good. You can feel the love! They supposedly had to edit the video clips when it first came out to remove a big glob of coke from Neil Young's nose. What a night it must have been!
2. Beach Boys "The Pet Sound Sessions" *****
For entirely different reasons than The Last Waltz, this is a MUST have for anyone who is 1) a Beach Boys fan and/or 2) interested in learning about the recording process of a great albulm. Notice that I said "and/or" because I'm not a big Beach Boys fan and in fact always thought their music was - well, shallow. This is a 4 disc set (3 of music and 1 DVD which I've never actually watched, so my comments are strictly about the music). Wow! What a stunningly recorded masterpiece!
Disc One is the studio albulm that was released more than 30 years ago. Hard to believe they could have achieved this kind of recording quality back then! It's the finished product.
Discs 2 and 3 are the 'work in progress' tapes. Essentially, it's a story that unfolds with Brian Wilson as the 'conductor' (if you will) of the band - telling various members what he's looking for in bits and pieces of their material; everything is woven together in such a way that by the end of Disc 2 (instrumentals) and Disc 3 (vocals) you feel as though you understand what they were trying to achieve. When you've finished the journey, you want to start all over again! This is why the boxed set is wonderful to listen to even if you're not a Beach Boys fan. It's really a great musical experience. The 126 page "Making of Pet Sounds" booklet by David Leaf is an added bonus but the music is what tells the story.
3. Anthology of American Folk Music ****
Not 5 stars because not everyone can stomach old recordings from the 1920's (and onward) but this is one for any serious student of modern music. Bob Dylan is said to have been greatly influenced by this (now) 6 CD set back when he was "hungry" - both in the physical and musical sense - and stole this set of albulms from a friend. (As an aside, Bob did all sorts of not so nice things in his early days - check out the book "Down the Highway - The Life of Bob Dylan" by Howard Sounes - an unauthorized biography, for a good read - and where I got the Neil Young snorting example from, by the way).
Anyway, the "Anthology" is filled with great folk songs that spell out "Americana" in red, white, and blue. It was on the expensive side (nearly $100) so it's not for everyone, but it deserves 4 stars because of it's historical significance.
4. Martin Scorsese Presents "The Blues - A Muscial Journey" ****
A big-time production effort with all sorts of marketing behind it. You can't help but to bump into it in any major record store these days, but - thankfully - it's quite good. I'm not a blues expert (nor an expert of any genre for that matter), but the selections seem judicious.
It moves from very early (again, like the "Anthology of Folk Music") 1920's poorly recorded but influential songs to some very recent recordings. This is a 6 CD set so there will be something for everyone and the packaging is excellent. The price wasn't too bad either - around $50 as I recall, maybe a bit more. Not too much to say about this one because you will all see the playlist next time you're in a record store - ANY record store! There are all sorts of offshoot products as well - DVDs - individual group collections - etc.
In some ways, I'm tempted to rate it as a 3 star collection simply because it doesn't beg to be heard over and over again. It gets 4 because the price is reasonable, the packaging is excellent and there was a lot of thought that went into the project from many bluesmen and other experts. It's more of an education than anything, and for that it's excellent (a modern day "Anthology" but for blues instead of folk).
5. Oriente de Cuba ****
I don't understand a word of Spanish, but this 5 CD set (nothing fancy, just CD's) for $23 and change was an absolute steal since it's so soothing and peaceful to listen to. The recording quality is adequate but nothing to write home about, but at low volumes, I've never noticed anything that would be considered annoying. It was an internet purchase, so do a Google search to find the vendor and snap up a copy fast. The rating reflects the bagain price more than anything since I know so little about the music itself - I just love it!
6. Bruce Springsteen "Tracks" ****
4 CD set (released in 1998) with nice packaging and lots of previously unreleased songs. I've picked this set up recently and have enjoyed it tremendously. It's hard to belienve that songs like "Thundercrack" and "Rendezvous" never made the final cut on any of his studio albulms. (Or did they, and I missed them somehow? Where is Jmederios when I need him?).
This collection is not a MUST unless you happen to be a die-hard Boss fan; the 4 star rating reflects my musical tastes. HDCD technology provides excellent sound quality. Note that all 66 songs (well over 4 hours) are studio cuts including the very first notes Bruce ever sang in a Columbia recording studio. No live material here. Lots of great nostolgia.
7. Fleetwood Mac "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions - 1967-1969" ***.5
Ok, so my keyboard will not allow me to give a 3.5 star rating. This was the biggest sleeper in the lot! I found it for about $35 and figured "How can I go wrong for 6 CDs?" Indeed! Some of these discs were previoulsy released studio albulms of the early Fleetwood Mac "blues band" days (i.e., "Fleetwood Mac", "Mr. Wonderful" and "The Pious Bird of Good Omen"). That's right, for you young folks, at one time, there were no ladies in the band - this is pre-Rumors (which came out in '76) and these guys were an excellent blues band with Peter Green as their tutor. Hey, if you don't remember The Last Waltz (from '76) how could you remember the 60's?
What I like about this collection is that there a lot of out-takes and false starts and you get a feel for how the band worked together. Some funny **** actually - you hear these British voice saying, "What the screw are your playing? as the music stops and the tape keeps rolling. The other thing I like is that you don't have to listen to any of it in order. Once you make your first pass through the collection, you can reach for any of these juicy discs and be equally happy when you need a great blues guitar fix! Rated as 3.5 stars because, let's face it, there are better blues bads out there - then and now - but it grooves, no doubt!
8. Bruce Sprinsteen "Live 1975/85" ***
Ok, so not a boxed set at all, but it fits my definition of "any single product of 3 CDs or more". Obviously, an oldie, and lots of great Boss stuff that you either love or hate. I almost forgot about this one; I'll have to listen to it all again!
9. Bob Dylan "The Bootleg Series - Volumes 1-3" ***
3 CD set. Like the Springsteen stuff, this is an oldie. It contains some of my favorite (previously unreleased) Dylan material so it's never too far out of reach. The "Last Thoughts on Woddie Guthrie" tribute - a 5 page poem that takes about 10 minutes to read - will send a chill down your spine every time. I've got most of it memorized - Bob is simply the best.
Incidentally, Volume 4 (which I don't have) and Volume 5 (which I do) have also been released. I quite like the material on Volume 5 - known as "The Rolling Thunder Revue" or "Live 1975" from his famous world tour. Yet, since this is just 2 CD set, it would break my rules to rate it seperately. so I'll behave.
10. Bob Dylan "A Tree With Roots" **
As a huge Bob Dylan fan, it's painful to give any of his work a mere 2 star rating, but this kind of stuff was never meant to be released. This is definitely a "collection" rather than a boxed set in terms of packaging - a bootleg all the way! For serious Dylan fans, there are websites that will direct you closer to where you ought to be looking for non-albulm material. The biggest problem is not the songs themselves but the recording quality! These are the "Basement Tapes" made at the big pink house during Bob's post-motorcycle accident years spent in Woodstock with members of "The Hawks" (later to become "The Band").
That's my list. This was fun. Hope I didn't bore anyone.
Oh, on order are Volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Sarah Vaughn's "The Mercury Collection" each of which has 5 or 6 CD's of Sassy's early years - and I've also ordered the 8 CD Sarah Vaughn set put out by Mosaic for some of her mid-career material. That's a lot! But the good thing is that I never tire of my girl Sassy!
---
I've recently noticed at places such as Best Buy that there are many great looking boxes sets coming out, some of which are offered at reasonable prices. I'd like to know what you think of the ones that you've heard (especially Buffalo Springfield if anyone has taken the plunge).
Obviously, you would have to be a big fan of any artist before considering making such a large purchase so it might not make sense to have a "best box set" thread, but I thought I'd start with the ones I have (and have enjoyed).
Rather than splitting hairs on what a "boxed set" or "compilation" is, let's just define it as any single product (regardless of how fancy the packaging) in which 3 or more CD's are packaged together. One other rule - a mere repackaging of old studio albulms don't count (i.e., the 15 SACD box set of old Dylan albulms - what's the point).
Here's my list:
(5 star = best rating, 1 star = worst rating).
1. The Band - "The Last Waltz" *****
The legendary farewell concert for The Band held on Thanksgiving day, 1976 at Winterland in San Fransisco. This is a 4 CD set with a booklet that descibes the events leading up to the show of all rock shows (Woodstock notwithstanding) and some insight from band members. The DVD is excellent too, but this is a MUST box set for any 70's rocker. Features Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Dr. John, Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell... many, many more). If you don't know about The Last Waltz, then - well, you're just too young! (Ask your grandfather about is someday). This stuff is just amazingly good. You can feel the love! They supposedly had to edit the video clips when it first came out to remove a big glob of coke from Neil Young's nose. What a night it must have been!
2. Beach Boys "The Pet Sound Sessions" *****
For entirely different reasons than The Last Waltz, this is a MUST have for anyone who is 1) a Beach Boys fan and/or 2) interested in learning about the recording process of a great albulm. Notice that I said "and/or" because I'm not a big Beach Boys fan and in fact always thought their music was - well, shallow. This is a 4 disc set (3 of music and 1 DVD which I've never actually watched, so my comments are strictly about the music). Wow! What a stunningly recorded masterpiece!
Disc One is the studio albulm that was released more than 30 years ago. Hard to believe they could have achieved this kind of recording quality back then! It's the finished product.
Discs 2 and 3 are the 'work in progress' tapes. Essentially, it's a story that unfolds with Brian Wilson as the 'conductor' (if you will) of the band - telling various members what he's looking for in bits and pieces of their material; everything is woven together in such a way that by the end of Disc 2 (instrumentals) and Disc 3 (vocals) you feel as though you understand what they were trying to achieve. When you've finished the journey, you want to start all over again! This is why the boxed set is wonderful to listen to even if you're not a Beach Boys fan. It's really a great musical experience. The 126 page "Making of Pet Sounds" booklet by David Leaf is an added bonus but the music is what tells the story.
3. Anthology of American Folk Music ****
Not 5 stars because not everyone can stomach old recordings from the 1920's (and onward) but this is one for any serious student of modern music. Bob Dylan is said to have been greatly influenced by this (now) 6 CD set back when he was "hungry" - both in the physical and musical sense - and stole this set of albulms from a friend. (As an aside, Bob did all sorts of not so nice things in his early days - check out the book "Down the Highway - The Life of Bob Dylan" by Howard Sounes - an unauthorized biography, for a good read - and where I got the Neil Young snorting example from, by the way).
Anyway, the "Anthology" is filled with great folk songs that spell out "Americana" in red, white, and blue. It was on the expensive side (nearly $100) so it's not for everyone, but it deserves 4 stars because of it's historical significance.
4. Martin Scorsese Presents "The Blues - A Muscial Journey" ****
A big-time production effort with all sorts of marketing behind it. You can't help but to bump into it in any major record store these days, but - thankfully - it's quite good. I'm not a blues expert (nor an expert of any genre for that matter), but the selections seem judicious.
It moves from very early (again, like the "Anthology of Folk Music") 1920's poorly recorded but influential songs to some very recent recordings. This is a 6 CD set so there will be something for everyone and the packaging is excellent. The price wasn't too bad either - around $50 as I recall, maybe a bit more. Not too much to say about this one because you will all see the playlist next time you're in a record store - ANY record store! There are all sorts of offshoot products as well - DVDs - individual group collections - etc.
In some ways, I'm tempted to rate it as a 3 star collection simply because it doesn't beg to be heard over and over again. It gets 4 because the price is reasonable, the packaging is excellent and there was a lot of thought that went into the project from many bluesmen and other experts. It's more of an education than anything, and for that it's excellent (a modern day "Anthology" but for blues instead of folk).
5. Oriente de Cuba ****
I don't understand a word of Spanish, but this 5 CD set (nothing fancy, just CD's) for $23 and change was an absolute steal since it's so soothing and peaceful to listen to. The recording quality is adequate but nothing to write home about, but at low volumes, I've never noticed anything that would be considered annoying. It was an internet purchase, so do a Google search to find the vendor and snap up a copy fast. The rating reflects the bagain price more than anything since I know so little about the music itself - I just love it!
6. Bruce Springsteen "Tracks" ****
4 CD set (released in 1998) with nice packaging and lots of previously unreleased songs. I've picked this set up recently and have enjoyed it tremendously. It's hard to belienve that songs like "Thundercrack" and "Rendezvous" never made the final cut on any of his studio albulms. (Or did they, and I missed them somehow? Where is Jmederios when I need him?).
This collection is not a MUST unless you happen to be a die-hard Boss fan; the 4 star rating reflects my musical tastes. HDCD technology provides excellent sound quality. Note that all 66 songs (well over 4 hours) are studio cuts including the very first notes Bruce ever sang in a Columbia recording studio. No live material here. Lots of great nostolgia.
7. Fleetwood Mac "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions - 1967-1969" ***.5
Ok, so my keyboard will not allow me to give a 3.5 star rating. This was the biggest sleeper in the lot! I found it for about $35 and figured "How can I go wrong for 6 CDs?" Indeed! Some of these discs were previoulsy released studio albulms of the early Fleetwood Mac "blues band" days (i.e., "Fleetwood Mac", "Mr. Wonderful" and "The Pious Bird of Good Omen"). That's right, for you young folks, at one time, there were no ladies in the band - this is pre-Rumors (which came out in '76) and these guys were an excellent blues band with Peter Green as their tutor. Hey, if you don't remember The Last Waltz (from '76) how could you remember the 60's?
What I like about this collection is that there a lot of out-takes and false starts and you get a feel for how the band worked together. Some funny **** actually - you hear these British voice saying, "What the screw are your playing? as the music stops and the tape keeps rolling. The other thing I like is that you don't have to listen to any of it in order. Once you make your first pass through the collection, you can reach for any of these juicy discs and be equally happy when you need a great blues guitar fix! Rated as 3.5 stars because, let's face it, there are better blues bads out there - then and now - but it grooves, no doubt!
8. Bruce Sprinsteen "Live 1975/85" ***
Ok, so not a boxed set at all, but it fits my definition of "any single product of 3 CDs or more". Obviously, an oldie, and lots of great Boss stuff that you either love or hate. I almost forgot about this one; I'll have to listen to it all again!
9. Bob Dylan "The Bootleg Series - Volumes 1-3" ***
3 CD set. Like the Springsteen stuff, this is an oldie. It contains some of my favorite (previously unreleased) Dylan material so it's never too far out of reach. The "Last Thoughts on Woddie Guthrie" tribute - a 5 page poem that takes about 10 minutes to read - will send a chill down your spine every time. I've got most of it memorized - Bob is simply the best.
Incidentally, Volume 4 (which I don't have) and Volume 5 (which I do) have also been released. I quite like the material on Volume 5 - known as "The Rolling Thunder Revue" or "Live 1975" from his famous world tour. Yet, since this is just 2 CD set, it would break my rules to rate it seperately. so I'll behave.
10. Bob Dylan "A Tree With Roots" **
As a huge Bob Dylan fan, it's painful to give any of his work a mere 2 star rating, but this kind of stuff was never meant to be released. This is definitely a "collection" rather than a boxed set in terms of packaging - a bootleg all the way! For serious Dylan fans, there are websites that will direct you closer to where you ought to be looking for non-albulm material. The biggest problem is not the songs themselves but the recording quality! These are the "Basement Tapes" made at the big pink house during Bob's post-motorcycle accident years spent in Woodstock with members of "The Hawks" (later to become "The Band").
That's my list. This was fun. Hope I didn't bore anyone.
Oh, on order are Volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Sarah Vaughn's "The Mercury Collection" each of which has 5 or 6 CD's of Sassy's early years - and I've also ordered the 8 CD Sarah Vaughn set put out by Mosaic for some of her mid-career material. That's a lot! But the good thing is that I never tire of my girl Sassy!
