Hmmmm- we have started seeing some good ones recently but what constitutes a "good" set? Does it contain remastered hits and fan favourites? Live cuts previously unheard except on crappy bootleg cd's? Interviews? Liner Notes?
Well here is my thoughts on the box sets I have at home!
Abba- Thank You For The Music. 3 discs of previously released stuff followed by a 4th of unreleased stuff including a 23 minutes outtake track. Liner notes for each song and a well presented case.
The Police- The Complete Recordings. It lives up to it's title alright. Good if you like the Police but can't be bothered buying all the albums. Wish more bands would do this sort of stuff!
ELO- Flashback YES YES YES!!! FInally, my ELO in a DECENT remastering!! Bonus tracks aplenty. Good value. Thank you Jeff Lynne!!
Kiss Box Set- 5 discs. about 30 unreleased tracks all in crisp sound with an excellent book to go with it. Just buy the normal edition- not the grossly overpriced "Deluxe Edition" which has no new music, just better packaging!
Led Zepplin Box Sets 1 & 2Yup, every Led Zep track now presented in clean, remastered sound. Thank you Jimmy Page! Even a couple bonus tracks to keep the punters happy plus a couple excellent essays on the band and their music.

I hope to get the Jimi Hendrix 4-cd set soon as well as the new Deep Purple set which has 4 discs and only a handful of hits on it (mostly rare demos and live tracks).

"ELO- Flashback YES YES YES!!! FInally, my ELO in a DECENT remastering!! Bonus tracks aplenty. Good value. Thank you Jeff Lynne!!" - Rodney Hrvatin

Sorry, Rodney. I prefer Afterglow to Flashback. I rank Flashback lower because too many (actually most) of the bonus tracks aren't really ELO songs, but Jeff Lynne solo cuts. Much as I might respect Jeff Lynne and acknowledge that so much of ELO was his vision, the Electric Light Orchestra was a band. Jeff needed the imput of such musicians and fellow band members as Richard Tandy, Bev Bevan, Hugh McDowell, Mik Kaminski, Kelly Groucutt, Michael Edwards, Michael DeAlbuquerque, Melvin Gale, etc. All these musicians had an impact on ELO's music and helped to make it what it was. Without them, the music suffers. Don't believe me? Try listening to Zoom, the ELO album released in 2001. ELO in this case stands for "Electric Lynne Orchestra". With the exception of one or two songs, this CD is an insult to the legacy of the Electric Light Orchestra, almost as bad as Balance of Power was.

np - Grave Dancers Union - Soul Asylum

Try listening to Zoom, the ELO album released in 2001. ELO in this case stands for "Electric Lynne Orchestra". With the exception of one or two songs, this CD is an insult to the legacy of the Electric Light Orchestra -Benn

Yup, got it ages ago. I actually quite like it, and so do a lot of ELO fans I know. Even the Amazon reviwers generally like it. I will be the first to say it doesn't touch their best stuff but I still think it is a better album than a number of their efforts ("No Answer" and "Secret Messages" springs straight to mind).
As for Flashback not using anyone other than Lynne, I suggest you look a little closer at their recording dates.

"Yup, got it ages ago. I actually quite like it, and so do a lot of ELO fans I know. Even the Amazon reviwers generally like it. I will be the first to say it doesn't touch their best stuff but I still think it is a better album than a number of their efforts ("No Answer" and "Secret Messages" springs straight to mind)." - Rodney Hrvatin

I guess that puts me in the minority. I give No Answer credit for its experimental nature. (It doesn't always succeed.) And I like more tracks on Secret Messages than I do Zoom. I guess I'm just out of step with everyone else.

"As for Flashback not using anyone other than Lynne, I suggest you look a little closer at their recording dates." - Rodney

I have noticed the recording dates on the tracks. There is no indication of how much of those tracks was completed in 1980 or 1982. Jeff says he "finished" them in 2000. The remake of "Xanadu" is strictly Jeff Lynne as it was recorded in 2000. The bonus cuts Jeff "finished" tend to sound less like early 80s ELO to me and more like Jeff's Zoom album. They could easily fit in on Zoom and not be noticeably different. But that's just me.

np - Abbey Road - The Beatles

I guess it boils down to how much input did the rest of the band in the creative process- judging by the pitiful efforts of "ELO Part Two" I would say not much!
Have a listen to the Zoom Live dvd and see how easily they can be replaced!

Or you could watch ELO Live at Wembley. Either way, a live album isn't a fair way to judge the contribution made by the others. ELO is notorious for using pre-recorded music in their concerts. That was a long standing complaint about the band's concerts.

And while ELO Part II's studio albums weren't all that good (Moment of Truth is a particularly dismal CD.), the two live Electric Light Orchestra Part II aren't bad. Better than ELO's The Night the Light Went Out on Long Beach by a wide margin.

But ELO Part II's failing was not a matter of musicianship. (Let's ignore the fact, for the moment, that at most, ELO Part II only had three or four former members of ELO in it.. [Hugh McDowell was a semi-member and I don't count Louis Clark, as he was the one who conducted the orchestra the Electric Light Orchestra used on their albums.]) The problem with Electric Light Orchestra Pt. II was in the song-writing department. No one, not Eric Troyer, Kelly Groucutt or Mik Kaminski was as good at fashioning pop songs as Jeff Lynne is. No question there. But that does not distract from the fact that they were very good musicians.

I think it's a mistake to dismiss, as you seem to, the other members of ELO as Jeff Lynne's back up band. If only by dint of their styles as musicians and their personalities shining through in their performances did they contribute to the band's success. Jeff, believe it or not, could not do it alone.

Incidentally, I have Live at Wembley on DVD and rewatched it recently. One thing that struck was how Jeff Lynne often did not play the guitar parts on many songs. I think "Do Ya" or "Rockaria!" are examples of what I mean. I do recall back in the 70s watching ELO perform "Evil Woman" on Twiggy's Jukebox. There's a guitar part in the song that Richard Tandy was playing on the keyboards. I saw Tandy doing the same on Wembley.

I've also seen part of the Zoom Live on PBS. I thought some of the performances were a bit lifeless. Particularly on "Don't Bring Me Down". How anyone can sukk the life out of that song is beyond me.

np - National Public Radio: Milestones of the Millennium - The Great War - various artists

Hmmm . . . started out as a box set topic, then shifted to an ELO board. Well, I'll try to gently steer it back on topic

In my estimation a good multi-disc box set should have all of the following attributes/qualities.

1. It should contain all the essential tracks of a band/artist - every hit or well known song. At the same time it must delve a little deeper than that - there should be some album tracks that aren't known as "hits" but are still popular numbers in a band's/artist's repritore. Ideally, at least one track from each studio album during the career or the portion of it being covered.

2. A fair number of rarities/previously unissued outtakes. These should be of sufficent quality (both in sound and aesthetically) to justify inclusion. Ideally, a good box set will offer up enough essentials so that newcomers will have the basic package, while offering enough new rarities to make it a good purchase for the veteran fan. The rarities should be presented in the chronological order in which they were recorded and not just taked on at the end of the set (unless they are all given their own seperate disc). Presenting a different form of a track (demo, single version, mono mix, alternate mix or version, etc.) of a track that is already present in its original form elsewhere on the set should be discouraged. And putting only a couple of new-old previously unreleased tracks on a set that contains nothing else but standards and then asking long-time fans to shell out $50-70 just for those few new tracks is a no-no.

3. Track and disc arrangement. Should be in basic chronological order to show the development of a band\artist's career. Each disc should as much as possible represent a different and distinct era in the band's career, and each should have appropriate beginning and ending tracks.

4. Packaging. Box sets should be attractively packaged, with handsome boxes or books. An informative booklet is a must, containing a full history of the artist or band complete with pictures, quotes, discography information and other goodies. All information in the book should be as factually accurate as possible. The discs themselves should have appropriate and well-conceived designs on them or be distinctly color coded from each other.

Well, those are my basic standards. What do you guys think?

I can go along with that, Todd. Though, I'm not too picky about the actual packaging itself.

Here are what I think are some of the best box sets:

1. The Complete Sessions - Robert Johnson - Two CDs and everything this highly influential blues artist ever recorded. A must-have for blues fans.

2. Peel Slowly and See - The Velvet Underground - It contains all five studio albums and various demos and rare tracks. The demos and other bonus cuts are sorted with the albums for which they were recorded. Plus the box has a peel-off banana sticker, just like the original pressings of The Velvet Underground and Nico did.

3. Listen to the Band - The Monkees - Haven't gotten The Monkees' Jukebox yet, but it doesn't appear to have anything by the Pre-Fab Four I don't have anywhere else. Listen to the Band's bonus tracks are good and all the hits and fan favorites are here. Too bad it's been discontinued.

4. Janis - Janis Joplin - Excellent representation of Pearl's output. Again, great bonus tracks and it's in chronological order

5. SRV - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - After this, it's hard to imagine there's very much left in the way of unreleased material. (Though I can name two: The studio version of "Superstition" is missing. So is "Life Without You" from Live Alive [it has yet to be released on a CD]). Still, it's a nice look at Stevie's career. The fourth disc is a DVD containing more of SRV's performances on Austin City Limits. That alone makes it worth the price of admission.

6. The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper - Five discs covering everything from Alice's pre-Alice Cooper days to 1994. Rhino did an excellent job with this set.

Re: Alice Cooper's Life and Crimes

My edition only has four discs Benn. Is there a new edition that has another disc?
I have vivid memories of purchasing this one because it happened, eerily and onimously enough, to be released on the date of the Columbine killings. I can remember standing in line waiting to purchase it at Circuit City and the TV's in the store were all blaring the news which is where I first heard of it.

Soon I'll post a list of all the box sets I own with a review.

Eep! You're right, Todd. The Coop's boxset does only have four discs. So, I'm not perfect.

Or you could watch ELO Live at Wembley. Either way, a live album isn't a fair way
to judge the contribution made by the others. ELO is notorious for using
pre-recorded music in their concerts.- Benn
I have THAT dvd as well. Apart from having to wear sunglasses to stop me being blinded by all the satin- it was like listening to a record. It's a good document of their 70's act though. Whoever directed it needed to be shot though- ugh! Some of those effects used drove me nuts (especially during "Rockaria"). I will say that ELO weren't the only ones who used backing tapes heavily- it was quite common in those days as people weren't so fussed.

ELO Part II's failing was not a matter of musicianship. (Let's ignore the fact,
for the moment, that at most, ELO Part II only had three or four former members
of ELO in it.. The problem with Electric Light Orchestra Pt. II was in the
song-writing department. -Benn

[nods head vigorously] yup yup yup. That's my point, as good musicians as they were, they were replaceable. I don't know why Lynne chose to almost go it alone for "Zoom" but his band for the Zoom Live dvd is very tight. I'll agree "Don't Bring Me DOwn" was a bit lifeless, but there are many fine performances- my personal fav "Turn To Stone"- with no backing tapes, it works a treat!

Alright, enough ELO talk....

Todd- have to agree with your breakdown of what constitutes a good set. I guess it's where you draw the line between "hits" and "rarities" that divides people a lot.

And yes Benn, I love the Robert Johnson set as well. For recordings made 70 years+ ago, they sound fantastic. I loved the doco "In Search Of Robert Johnson" narrated by Danny Glover- an absolute insight into that great enigma of Johnson.

Okay, here's the list of the box sets I own with review. This only lists those sets which apply to individual artists and not comilation box sets.

AEROSMITH: Pandora’s Box
An adequate 3-CD collection of the band’s greatest hits with decent packaging. Personally, I happen to think Aerosmith is one of the most overrated bands of all time. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the band (if I did I wouldn’t have gotten the set), but there were many hard rock bands of the seventies doomed to obscurity who deserve Aerosmith’s fame more than they do.

ALICE COOPER: Life and Crimes
Superbly packaged four-CD set documents Coop’s entire career up through ’99, includes at least one track from each of his multifarious studio albums, plus a wealth of bonus material. The down side is that most of the bonus material isn’t that good in quality. And some of my favorite Cooper songs, such as “The Quiet Room” from From The Inside, “Pass The Gun Around” from Da Da and “Didn’t We Meet” from ACGTH, among several others, are absent. Ah well, I guess I’ll have to wait until Cooper’s entire back catalogue is finally rereleased in remasters (long promised).

AMERICA: Highway
I actually just recently got this one as I was looking to explore America a little bit more beyond the greatest hits collection. I haven’t really listened to it much yet, although it seems to be nicely arranged with superb packaging and booklet.

MARC BOLAN/T. REX: 20TH Century Boy
FINALLY at long last, the definitive Bolan collection, covering all phases of his career from the earliest solo singles to the last T. Rex album before his death. The 4-CD collection is comprehensive, the only quibbles come with the sound quality and the sparseness and insufficient track information in the booklet.

THE DOORS: The Complete Studio Recordings
This box does contain all six original Doors albums, and a bonus disc of rarities, but not all the studio rarities availible are on it, so the title is slightly misleading. A very good booklet containing a wealth of material and pictures as well as complete lyrics.

GRATEFUL DEAD: The Golden Road (1965-73)
As I said elsewhere, this box set probably gives you the most in terms of value for your dollar. The complete and unabridged studio and live albums from the years covered with bonus material filling up each disc, plus two previously unreleased discs (1 studio, 1 live) from the band’s earliest days. In addition, the packaging is marvelous and contains a wealth of documentation in the form of a large booklet and newly-written liner notes for each album. The standard in terms of quality and thoroughness against which all other box sets should be measured.

LED ZEPPELIN: The Complete Studio Recordings
Self-explanatory. Nicely compact if not lush packaging, similar to the Doors set of the same name, excellent remastering. The discs are kind of hard to get out of the sleeves in their little booklets. Only real shortcoming is the booklet, it simply reprints the Cameron Crowe essay from the original Zep box set and offers little in the way of band history or track commentary.

THE MOODY BLUES: Time Traveller
Only an obsessive completist would need more of the Moodies than this excellent four-disc anthology offers. The set does a fine job of distilling down the early essential albums so they still don’t lose the overall concept effect and programming the tracks. A few rare singles are thrown in to spice things up, and a generous portion of Hayward/Lodge’s magnificent Blue Jays album is included as well. One of the best four-disc box sets out there.

PINK FLOYD: Shine On
Repackages the Floyd’s seven most popular studio albums. Pretty cool packaging and contains a nice hardbound book complete with a section devoted to each album including full lyrics. Other goodies as well. Most valuable item is the bonus disc with all the band’s sixties singles (A and B sides) which contains a few Floyd songs not found anywhere else on CD.

URIAH HEEP: A Time of Revelation
As good as a 4-CD box set gets. Four discs wonderfully programmed with a mix of studio standards and a wealth of high-quality previously unreleased outtakes. Each disc represents a distinct and seperate phase of the career of this legendary band. I could write a seperate post on this set. A magnificent full-color booklet handsomely laid out is marred unfortunately by several factual errors, which extend to the misspelling of the band’s name on the spine (not even Spinal Tap could have had that happen to them).

THE WHO: Maximum R&B
R&B? I could’ve sworn the Who played straight up rock. Anyway, this set has been discussed elsewhere on this board. It’s an excellent set overall, but the decision to use live or alternate mixes in the place of some of the studio standards mars it somewhat (as does the intrusive studio chatter). Also, there are a few notable omissions. Still and all, a superb collection and the best Who compilation out there.

I was wondering when you were going to post this, Todd. Interesting list.

"...such as “The Quiet Room” from From The Inside..." - Todd Pence

Fortunately, I have an import copy of that CD. The lyrics book has some interesting omissions and censoring. (The lyrics were translated [or transcribed] into English.)

"THE MOODY BLUES: Time Traveller
Only an obsessive completist would need more of the Moodies than this excellent four-disc anthology offers. The set does a fine job of distilling down the early essential albums so they still don’t lose the overall concept effect and programming the tracks."

Does it contain "Go Now" or any of the other Denny Laine era tracks? Y'know, from when the Moodies really were blues?

"R&B? I could’ve sworn the Who played straight up rock."

Early on in their career - primarily when they were the High Numbers - the Who actually performed cover versions of some R&B hits of the day. Rhythm and Blues was also the preferred music of the Mods, the type of fans the Who were originally catering to. They quickly evolved from that sound into a band that was better suited for Rockers. The Who, really, were Mods in dress style only.

I think I've noted elsewhere the complaints you have with this set, and frankly, I agree with them.

np - Tommy - the Who (Ironic, isn't it?)

>Does it contain "Go Now" or any of the other >Denny Laine era tracks? Y'know, from when the >Moodies really were blues?

Well, no, that's really the only era of the band that is missing. But it does begin with three rare early singles of the classic lineup.

That's what I thought. Back in Dallas, my best friend had the Time Traveller boxset. I think the lack of the Denny Laine era material was his major complaint with the set. IIRC, he went out and bought an import CD or two to cover that particular era of the Moodies.

" I happen to think Aerosmith is one of the most overrated bands of all time. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the band (if I did I wouldn’t have gotten the set), but there were many hard rock bands of the seventies doomed to obscurity who deserve Aerosmith’s fame more than they do." - Todd Pence

I meant to mention, Todd, that I agree with you about Aerosmith. But let me add, I thought Steve Tyler, Joe Perry, et al, produced better songs when they were drunken stoners, than they have stone cold sober. There's an irony there somewhere...

np - Get Back - the Beatles (the Let It Be album before Phil Spector wouldn't let it be. An interesting bootleg.)

For the record, the next box set I plan on buying is the complete Simon and Garfunkel studio recordings.

My latest box set- Deep Purple "Listen, Learn, Read On".
The defenitive box set of Purple before their initial break-up. There is over 40% unreleased stuff with the most amazing 120 page booklet. It's about time they got a decent set. All the hits are there in some form or another all remastered into crisp, clean audio.

Taking a leaf out of Benn's book-
np- Shine- Bond

Personally, I judge box sets the same way I'd judge any single CD: if I don't already have it and it sounds good, I'll take it! A bit simple, but I'm not a very complicated person.

Out of all the Box sets I've wound up with over time, my personal favorites are Nuggets I and II, with II having the edge over one.

np - Galaxie 500 Galaxie 500

Was just listening to Alice's Life and Crimes box set a little while ago and suddenly realised a SERIOUS shortcoming of the set: The version of "Only Women Bleed" on the set is NOT the full album version, but a hacked-up cut-down single version. Fie, Alice, fie!

Just a thought Todd, is that particular version (good or bad as it may be) available anywhere else? If not, maybe it is on there for that purpose as opposed to the uncut version which is on countless greatest hits cd's.

Yes it is, Rodney, in fact it is the version which usually appears on compilation CDs. It is about two minutes shorter than the full version,

I'll have to take your word for that Todd. Space might also be an issue (this is, of course, all supposition- I'm just trying to help here!).

Funny, my version of The Beast Of Alice Cooper has the full version of Only Women Bleed.

So does my copy of Alice's Welcome to My Nightmare.


Oh, yeah. Waitaminute. That doesn't count.

np - "Bulbous Buffant" - Radio Free Vestibules

"Music is forever." - Paul Simon