The Vogue Years
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (03 April, 2001)
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Features

• Import
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (5)

Beautiful French pop music
What can I say about this album. It's stunning, it's elegant and it's really a joy to listen to ( you probably thought for a minute there I was talking about her and not her music!)!

You have a fascinating little biography from Bob Stanley on her who speaks of her as a fan of her music and well what more can I say really. You need to hear this album and I mean that

Oh I should mention one thing is that I'm glad that these songs are all sung in French. It gives the songs a dimension of sensuality which I don't find in many English/American singers

French pop singer of the sixties and seventies
Some say that Francoise recorded her best music after she left Vogue in 1967, but this compilation covering her early music from 1962 to 1967 is of a consistently high quality with presentation to match. Regardless of the quality of her later music, the music here is what she is best remembered for. Francoise wrote most of her own material. Her voice had a limited range but Francoise knew that and wrote her songs accordingly and any lack of range was compensated by quality. She recorded English versions of some of her songs but none of those are included here. All fifty songs here are in French. Because I don't know any French, I don't understand the words but when music is this good, it's worth hearing anyway.

Francoise was clearly influenced by many different styles. Folk-pop is perhaps the main style but you will also hear elements of rock'n'roll, R+B and country here and there, as well as the influences of her own French heritage. The set opens with her debut hit, Tous les garcons et les filles, which sold over two million copes in France. In those days, France did not bother much with singles or albums - records were four-track EP's. Subsequent EP's all did well without matching the success of her debut. In 1964, Francoise moved to London and was rewarded with a UK top twenty hit - All over the world - here in its French version as Danse le monde entire, which opens the second CD. The Seekers also recorded the song and I wonder how big a hit it would have been if their version had been released as a single instead of Francoise's.

In the sixties, Francoise spent some time socializing with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. While her music is not as important as theirs, it has a certain Gallic charm all of its own.

Great intro to the Best Chanteuse of the 60s
To begin by comparison, I originally bought the french 60 Songs import and wished I had purchased this one first. Francoise's original versions of her early vogue singles (4 song eps released every three months during her prolific heyday) have a much more understated orchestration than some of the remixes. Also, this two cd set gets to the heart of what makes Francoise one of the most interesting pop icons of the 60s. Her voice, though soft, is often warm and plaintive with a tonal resonance that stands up to repeated listenings. The tunes (most of them penned exclusively by her on an acoustic guitar) have a simplicity that is refreshing, real, and perhaps more relevant to the current edgy guitar pop that we know today. True, for younger listeners, the occasional choir-like background vocals may be a bit sappy, but with Francoise so up front, you tend to forgive a lot of those bygone conventions. Almost every song resonates with the catchiness of good 60s pop tunes and clocks in at an average of 2 minutes per. Francoise runs the gamut of rockabilly, folk, motown, haunting ballads, and country all with an acute ear for her craft - mixing the traditional french vocal style with the newer milieu that came from these shores. Perhaps if she had written more in English (the UK embraced her translated versions), she'd have been as well known in the states, but there's no denying her talent when it comes to melody and its affect on the imagination. ... Read more

Asin: B000056Q81
Sales Rank: 16822
Subjects:  1. France    2. French Pop    3. French Rock    4. Girl Group    5. Int'l & World Music    6. Pop    7. Pop/Rock    8. Vocal Pop    9. World Music   

Complete Studio Recordings
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (24 September, 1993)
list price: $129.98 -- our price: $116.99
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Editorial Review

As Basil Bunting wrote about Ezra Pound's Cantos, "There are the Alps... you will have to go a long way round/if you want to avoid them." Led Zeppelin's work is the central fact of 1970s rock & roll; in its loving homage to and shameless piracy from the blues, its glorious and wretched excess, its transformation of hippie and folk-rock graces into a foundation-shaking kaboom, and its offhanded myth-making, the band turned everything caught in its wake into a reaction to it--or against it. The three non-album tracks the box includes are grace notes rather than lost jewels, but the point of the set is to be a Rosetta stone of album rock, the stairway to a gaudy paradise that they constructed. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (130)

This is the best thing you can get when it comes to CDs
This will not dissapoint. One Led Zeplin CD rocks but all of them is the bomb you must get this

The Greatest of all time.
Led Zeppelin is the greatest band of all time.I bought this and was blown away.117 songs from Led is unbelivable.It was a lot of money but it was worth it.I listened to this thing and it had fantastic songs.I absolutely have no complaints about this, not even one.If you are a true Zeppelin fan then you must buy this.The 2 box sets that were offered were more money ocmbined and just more trouble.I like how you can get all this in just one buy.This band introduced hard rock.Even some of the young people today are getting into Led Zeppelin.Zeppelin has never left popularity and probaly never will.This collection also has good artwork in it of Led Zeppelin and some of his old cds.In my opinion, if there was never Led Zeppelin than classic rock would just not be the same.I encourage you to buy this collection and I am sure that you will not be dissapointed.Led Zeppelin is my favorite band of all time.Keep on listening to classic rock and God bless you.

Led Zeppelin
If you are just beggining to get into Led Zeppelin, i suggest a "best of" album instead of this pricey collection. If, however, you already have a "best of" and want to hear more, i HIGHLY suggest this collection. The one bad thing about it is that the art on the actual cd's is not original LP art... as far as i can see, this is the ONLY con. All other art is included in the booklets. Also, there are no lyrics, but I for one could care less. I bought this product and I am VERY happy with my purchase. Highly reccomend ... Read more

Asin: B000002IWP
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Arena Rock    3. Blues-Rock    4. Box Sets (Audio Only)    5. British Blues    6. British Folk    7. British Folk-Rock    8. British Metal    9. Folk-Rock    10. Hard Rock    11. Heavy Metal    12. Pop    13. Rock    14. Rock & Roll   

The Last Waltz
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 April, 2002)
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Editorial Review

Even taking into account inflation, it's ironic in this era of $250 concert tickets that critics harped when the Band charged $25 for their legendary November 1976 farewell show at San Francisco's Winterland. That price not only included Thanksgiving dinner, but also numerous guest superstars who'd influenced, worked with, and/or shared the Canadian roots of Robbie Robertson and crew. What transpired was a grand celebration of North American musical forms. There are numerous definitive performances here--from Van Morrison's goose-bump-inducing "Caravan" and solo rendition of the beautiful Irish standard "Tura Lura Lural" (Celtic music inspired those Appalachians in the first place) to Bob Dylan and "the Hawks" delivering a pop-metallic "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down," first captured on the Royal Albert Hall Concert tapes. But because this new fleshed-out version--produced and compiled by Robertson--includes surprises (late blues legend Muddy Waters's endearing take on Louis Jordan's "Caledonia"; current blues legend Dylan's "Hazel"), treasures ("This Wheels on Fire," Neil Young's "Four Strong Winds"), and two jam sessions that just don't add much, the new box set simply matches and enhances--but doesn't top--the original three-LP version of this wonderful slice of rock & roll history. --Bill Holdship ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (32)

Excellent live end to a great band's career
The Band's legendary concert film and off-shoot triple live album The Last Waltz was originally released in April of 1978.
To celebrate that the Canadian-American band called The Band were retiring from the `god---n impossible' life on the road after 16 years, The Band gave their farewell concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving Day, 1976.
To join them, they invited artists as diverse from The Staples Singers to Eric Clapton to Joni Mitchell to Dr. John to Muddy Waters and Neil Diamond(whom Band guitarist Robbie Robertson had produced his comeback Platinum effort Beautiful Noise released earlier in 1976) to celebrate everything from rock to country to bluegrass to jazz to blues.
The result was a concert that can only be described as dazzling and magical. The Band do ecstatic versions of some of their best songs like Up On Cripple Creek, Don't Do It, Stagefright, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down as examples and the guest artists are amazing. Van Morrison did the best version ever of Caravan, Muddy Waters proves why he is the M-A-N chile with his classic number Mannish Boy which was done by The Who as I'm a Man on the British version of My Generation in 1965. The Staple Singers send a shiver up your spine that can rend you comatose for life with their excellent duet with The Band on The Weight. Robbie Robertson and Eric Clapton bring the house down with their scorching six-string duel on Further On Up the Road. All this just to quote a few.
The original album was three records and many great performances were left off due to time constraints, especially the awesome Don't Do It. Why it was left off the album was a sacrilege.
This 4-CD box set has the whole concert for the first time in its entirety plus some extra songs that didn't make it to either the original album or film and was painstakingly remastered and produced by Band guitarist Robbie Robertson.
For years I thought The Band were boring but The Last Waltz album and film has made me a convert and they were a superb live band.
I know some paint Robbie as the bad guy but he was right to walk away when he did because life on the road would take Richard Manuel's life tragically in 1986 and Rick Danko passed away in 1999 and Robbie Robertson shied away from rock and roll for a decade after The Lazt Waltz before returning to rock and roll with his first solo album in 1987 whilst Levon Helm and company carried on without the musical soul of the group.
This deluxe edition also has an excellent booklet written by David Fricke of Rolling Stone and is superb.
Buy this deluxe edition of The Last Waltz after you watch the film or before it or whichever comes first!

The Last Schmaltz
Is there anything more sanctimonious than filming your last concert and inviting a bunch of fellow overrated hacks (Clapton, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell) to the occasion, as if it's some monumental event? Please! As if the Band were anything worthwhile in the first place. Sorry, but the whole concept of a bunch of Canadians (well, four of five anyway) writing this stuff about Americana always came across to me as pretentious -- and it doesn't get much worse than that stupid shot of Levon Helm wheezing through "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."

These guys were just the beneficiaries of Rolling Stone/elitist rock critic propaganda. (And to think they made fun of prog bands for writing inane lyrics -- huh!) I think Martin Newell put it best when he called the Band "dreadful bearded ghastliness."

Best combined talent of the 1970s!
I forgot how good this concert was. We attended, & we bought the 8-track set. Looks like I need the new CD set. Good music. ... Read more

Asin: B000063DS1
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Country-Rock    4. Folk-Rock    5. Pop    6. Pub Rock    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Singer/Songwriter   

The Golden Road (1965 - 1973)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (16 October, 2001)
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Editorial Review

Considering the amount of posthumous product released since Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead's demise in 1995, perhaps a better name for the band would be the Living Dead. However, there is no denying the fact that the Dead's music--at various times thrilling, adventurous, simple, futuristic, old-fashioned, ethereal, abominable, ridiculous, and sublime--bears this kind of deep exploration. Rhino's 12-disc bonanza is the definitive look at the Dead's formative years, a fantastically creative nine-year period for Warner Bros. In 1965, they were a bunch of ex-folk and bluegrass musicians who were looking to jump on the rock bandwagon driven by the Beatles. The ensuing decade found them travel a sort of circular path that began with revved-up renditions of their folk and blues favorites. Then they maneuvered through intense, far-reaching, mind-blowing psychedelic experiments, settled into timeless stripped-down Americana, and ended atop a mountain where folk, blues, country, jazz, and psychedelic rock lived in near-perfect harmony.

All of the band's nine official Warner releases (five studio discs, four live) have been superbly remastered and buffed with extra tracks that include unheard studio jams and outtakes, plus contemporaneous live cuts. There's also two discs' worth (one studio, one live) of rare early material that predates their Warner Bros. debut. Each "album" comes in its own package with its own notes, while the box itself offers a 75-page booklet filled with thoughtful essays, personal reflections, and great photos. Clearly, Rhino has thrown down the gauntlet to Deadheads everywhere: they know you have most of this stuff in a variety of forms, but with the bounty of bonus tracks, the superior sound, and the wonderful packaging it's as if they're issuing a challenge not to buy this exquisite collection. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Box set
• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (27)

Dead head masterpice, a must have.
This box set is a must for all Dead heads, all the music has been remastered and sounds great. If you dig the dead, then you must have all the bonus songs or you will always wonder why you don't and how they sound, go ahead a click on it a get it. You will not be disapointed. Keep Rocking.
Philip Gossett
Simpsonville, SC

Super.I Give It 3 Stars and an egg roll
Ive Already Said Enough in the title.

Great, but not worth it if you already own the originals
This is a fantastic boxset, even for the casual Grateful Dead fan.But, it is not worth buying if you already own most of the original CD's or if you have the LP's and still own a working turntable.

This boxset is a very good deal if you need most of the Grateful Dead's Warner Brothers CD's.You can get the essential Grateful Dead albums cheaper than buying them individually, plus you get a ton of bonus material.But, each of these remastered albums is available individually. So, if you only need a few of the CD's, it is better to buy them individually.

This boxset comes with a ton of bonuses, but I don't think that they make this boxset worth buying on their own.There is a 2 disc CD called Birth of the Dead.It is an interesting historical artifact, but you would probably only play it once, especially when you have all these other great CD's that come with the boxset.

Rhino has added bonus material to every CD so that every second of the 80 minute length of the CD is used up.Some of this bonus material is great, and some isn't.On Aoxomoxoa, the bonus material is actually better than the original CD.On American Beauty, most of the bonus material is junk and detracts from the CD.There are some interesting bits, like the original radio commercials for the albums.Then there are stupid things, like Bob Wier telling a really bad joke.In some cases, it is like all bonus material didn't quite fit, and it just gets chopped.What I like best is that there is always a 10 second pause between the end of the original album and the start of the bonus material.


Rhino Records has done a wonderful job with the reworking of these CD's.The sound has been remastered and recorded in HDCD.(HDCD is a enhanced format.You need an CD player with that feature to get all the benefits, but it is supposed to provide better sound on standard CD players, also).But, the original CD's had pretty good sound also.So, I am not sure I can notice the improvement.

All the albums have new cardboard cases with fold out booklets and extensive liner notes.(There is also a booklet included in the boxset).


... Read more

Asin: B00005OWEZ
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Box Sets (Audio Only)    4. Country-Rock    5. Folk-Rock    6. Jam Bands    7. Pop    8. Psychedelic    9. Rock   

Hitsville Usa 1
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (03 November, 1992)
list price: $51.98 -- our price: $46.99
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Editorial Review

Motown did so many things well in the '60s and early '70s that this overview of the label's smashes (and some lesser-known classics) practically demands four CDs. It gets them, too, filling them with single mixes of more than 100 tracks. That the running order begins with Barrett Strong's statement of purpose "Money (That's What I Want)" and ends with Marvin Gaye's statement of concern "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" says a lot about how far the company moved in its golden decade--but no more so than what the same two cuts' differences in sound get across. The company was able to blend the smooth and the harsh in ways that few other pop entities have ever mastered, thereby getting over not only to the feet and the wallet, but to the heart. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Timeless, But Toneless....
You can not fault the music.The songs included here all deserve a special place in music history.However, the sound quality leaves much to be desired.Every track is presented in the original mono version (this is not mentioned anywhere on the packaging);and, if any of the songs were "remastered" I would be very suprised.If you want to hear this music like you did the first time, in AM radio mono-quality sound, this is a great purchase. It might be best to search out "remastered" greatest hits releases from some of the individual artists included hereif you can afford it.

All Hail the Funk Brothers
IF I could give it more stars I would. This is the perfect companion to "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" the wonderful DVD that finally gives the 13 musicians who made all this beautiful music their propers.

As some reviewers have said, some hits are missed.But that is an excuse to go out and pick up re-released Motown albums to really see what these guys are capable of laying down.If you think Stevie's "For Once in My Life" is a great tune, find the album "My Cherie Amour" and listen to the way The Brother's and Stevie turn Etta James' "At Last" into a heavy funk workout.

Motown and Stax, alongThe Philidelphia International crew really said all that needs to be said about rhythm and blues.I spelled it out for a reason.The young kids don't know the music from a historical perspective anymore and modern pop is worse off for it.

I am on my SECOND boxed set.Essential music for anybody who even claims to be educated on R&B.

Totally Awesome
This 4 box CD set rocks....it never gives up... unless you give out...its has every major motown hit...a definite for a party....add this one to your collection, play it, slam it, jam it... ... Read more

Asin: B000006NUW
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Pop    3. R&B   

Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1972-1992
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 June, 2000)
list price: $51.98 -- our price: $51.98
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Features

• Box set

Reviews (6)

CLASSIC MUSIC@IT'S FINEST!!!!!
ALL I CAN SAY IS IF YOU LIKE THE MOTOWN SOUND THEN YOU WOULD LIKE THIS CD. I LIKE IT AND ENJOY IT AND I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND ANYONE WHO LIKES THE MOTOWN SOUND OF YESTERYEAR TO BUY THIS ALBUM BECAUSE YOU WOULD DEFINITELY ENJOY IT.

Great selection
The tunes on these disks are varied in style and sound quite different from one another. The older selection from 59-71 has a real sound from yesteryear.
They are both great selections of singles from their day.

Not as many "hits", but filled with great recordings
The first box set dealt with Motown's Golden Era (1959 - 1971) when they were a hit factory in Detroit.This set captures highlights from the next 20 years, after Motown had relocated in Los Angeles and the hits weren't so automatic.Because of the large number of great recordings found here that aren't readily available elsewhere, this set for me - a Motown collector - was far more enjoyable.

Disc one covers 1972 - 1975 and includes The Four Tops' dramatic "A Simple Game" (written and produced by members of the Moody Blues).A huge hit in England, it undeservedly stiffed here, and wasn't available on disc until this set (it is now also available domestically on the Four Tops box set FOUREVER).There's also the irresistible Valerie Simpson solo gem "Silly, Wasn't I" and the nostalgic "Shoe Shoe Shine" by the flamboyant Dynamic Superiors (try finding any of the Superiors' recordings on disc elsewhere!)Another rarity is G.C. Cameron's "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" - a far superior recording to the Boyz II Men hit remake.

Disc two captures recordings from 1976 - 1979.High Inergy's only real hit, the classy "You Can't Turn Me Off," clearly shows that these gals were underappreciated and underutilized.Sassy Bonnie Pointer - represented here by her only top ten hit "Heaven Must Have Sent You" - and fiery Thelma Houston - with her Grammy winning "Don't Leave Me This Way" - also deserved more success.The disc belongs to Smokey Robinson, though, with his lush hits "Quiet Storm," "Crusin'," and "Being With You."

Disc three tackles 1980 through 1985.Lionel Richie and Rick James' prominence at Motown at the time is apparent with their hefty appearances as artists and producers on this disc.My favorites include a latterday Motown effort by Michael Jackson ("One Day In Your Life" - perhaps the most touching recording he ever made), and the only real solo hit for former Temptations' lead singer Dennis Edwards' (the reggae tinged "Don't Look Any Further").There's lots of fun dance stuff here too: Dazz Band's "Let It Whip," DeBarge's "Rhythm Of The Night," and Miss Ross' "Upside Down."

Disc Four, spanning 1985 - 1992, shows Motown in transition.Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Smokey Robinson (the last of the artists from the Glory days) lead off the disc with some strong efforts, but by track eight the baton has been passed to youngsters like Johnny Gill and Boyz II Men.With a completely different sound and approach (and demographic) on the latter tracks, the set should have probably ended in 1987 with the Smokey hits (also leaving off the noisy Stacy Lattishaw piece of poop "Nail It To The Wall").

Motown is now just a name.Berry Gordy sold the label long ago, which conglomerate Universal Music now oversees.Since they and the other number crunchers who run the music industry today will never allow such joyous music to be created ever again, it is important to appreciate the magic found here. ... Read more

Asin: B00004U04R
Sales Rank: 72533
Subjects:  1. 70's    2. 80's    3. 90's    4. Adult Contemporary    5. Album Rock    6. Blaxploitation    7. Box Sets (Audio Only)    8. Club/Dance    9. Dance-Pop    10. Disco    11. Funk    12. House    13. Motown    14. New Jack Swing    15. Pop    16. Pop-Soul    17. Pop/Rock    18. Psychedelic Soul    19. Quiet Storm    20. R&B    21. Smooth Soul    22. Soul    23. Urban   

Coat of Many Cupboards
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (02 April, 2002)
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Editorial Review

Coat of Many Cupboards finishes the job that the 1990 collection Rag 'N' Bone Buffet started, unearthing a deluge of outtakes, demos, home recordings, acoustic versions, and rare live tracks from XTC's long, adventurous existence. Buffet and the band's other singles collections and box sets only scratched the surface of what's out there; any serious XTC collector knows about the mountains of material that have been recorded throughout the band's 26-year existence, living in third-generation tapes passed around from fan to fan. The four-disc Cupboards tracks an awful lot of it down, cleans it up, and puts it all together, showing off the overwhelming creativity and songcraft that XTC's Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding have displayed over the decades. In all, 41 of the 60 tracks here have never before been released, with lo-fi versions of favorites like "Dear God" turning this into an interesting journey for casual fans and a dream collection for die-hard fanatics.

Precious and rare live material pops up early on the first disc in the form of "Spinning Top" and "Traffic Light Rock," documenting a jagged, brash sound that seems a far cry from the meticulous approach and intricate layers of later records like 1989's Oranges and Lemons. The first two discs track that evolution in detail, exploring the band's early Clash-like pop-punk and the skewed social commentary of records like 1980's Black Sea, while offering up intriguing nuggets like a demo version of "Senses Working Overtime" from the amazing English Settlement. The last two discs comprise XTC's later incarnation as a studio band after Partridge's mid-'80s mental breakdown and subsequent retirement from the stage. Moving through the revolutionary Skylarking, including a stunning demo of "Grass," the music slowly morphs into the densely produced, late-Beatles sound of Oranges and 1992's Nonsuch.

The set also includes a 60-page booklet as well as track-by-track commentary from Partridge and Moulding, making this a must-have for collectors even if they have somehow tracked down all this stuff themselves. One final note: the band does leave off material from Apple Venus Pt. 1 and Wasp Star (Apple Venus Pt. 2), but only because it's already been well-documented with the outtake records Homespun and Homegrown. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (13)

Hidden tracks Notice!!!! Easter EGGING
I've had this set for a while now, but recently discovered two hidden tracks.
The won't play automatically as most hidden tracks do as these are buried in the pre-roll BEFORE track 1.Insert disc 2, hit play, as the track begins to play, pause and rewind/review back past the beginning.
The First on is on disc 2.The next is on disc 3, and it is 9 minutes of live material.

Pure XTC
IÕve always had a great fondness for XTC. Andy Partridge and Colin MouldingÕs stubborn commitment to their idiosyncratic musical vision doomed them to commercial obscurity even as it endeared them to fans who eagerly stuck with the band through a number of personnel changes and stylistic shifts.

Coat of Many Cupboards is essentially a closet-cleaning exercise; a 4-disc set comprised mostly of live, rare, and unreleased tracks, scattered (seemingly at random) with a handful of album tracks. ItÕs an embarrassment of riches even for the casual XTC fan.

The first two discs, which cover White Music through Black Sea, are absolutely stellar. The incredible live cuts reveal the live XTC to have been wound incredibly tight, a juggernaut of jerky adrenaline and velocity. The other standouts are variant versions of several tracks from Drums and Wires, nearly all of which eclipse the album versions.

Discs 3 and 4, which cover the remainder of the Virgin years, are a bit spottier. Home demos take the place of the live cuts, and these sometimes shaky efforts will be of more interest to established fans than to newcomers or more casual listeners. That said, thereÕs plenty of great material here too, including a wonderful live version of Yacht Dance and several outtakes from Sklarking. The only real disappointment here is that the Dukes of Stratosphear (XTCÕs tongue-in-cheek psychedelic alter-ego) are represented only by a pair of previously released album tracks; it would have been nice to delve a little deeper into the vaults of the Dukes.

To top it all off, the entire set is beautifully and cleverly packaged. The booklet contains a long essay that focuses, lovingly and in some detail, squarely on the music. Partridge and Moulding also add extensive track-by-track commentary. Highly recommended.

For Fans, It's Great
Some wonderful treasures are unearthed.The two songs Andrews wrote for "Go 2" that didn't make the album, prompting him to leave ... the wild "Let's Have Fun" ...

Many of the songs which appear here are in some alternate form.Some were re-recorded with other producers to get more "commercial" versions of songs that could be singles.Sometimes the version here beats what was previously available - the "Ball and Chain" and "Punch and Judy" A and B-side here, for example.

There are too many home demos here of songs that were done better in the studio.This could easily be reduced to a 2 or 3 CD package.But, much good music is on here.XTC deserve an "Anthology" styled treatment like this, in my opinion.They are one of the truly great bands we've been blessed with.Buy this, buy "Rag and Bone Buffet" which is another collection of unused scraps, buy the "Fuzzy warbles" discs of even more demos and unused material on Andy Partridge's APE label. ... Read more

Asin: B00005V94X
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Pop    3. Rock   

Heart and Soul
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (28 August, 2001)
list price: $64.98 -- our price: $58.49
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Editorial Review

Though Joy Division's anxious, angular songs echoed time-honored art-school obsessions from the Doors through Eno, they never stooped to cheap nostalgia or pretentious condescension. Neither bridge nor battering ram, the band's music--haunting and hypnotic, with an emotionally naked core as bleak as it was compelling--has transcended disposable pop culture past and present; leader-vocalist Ian Curtis's 1980 suicide only underscored the notion that Joy Division was a band out of time, figuratively as well as literally. In just over two years, the Manchester, U.K., group constructed a legacy whose influences have surfaced with the surviving members' New Order through macabre, psychically-damaged Curtis/Cobain parallels to the sonic atmospherics of Radiohead. And if their recorded output was limited, it has long been ill served by the record industry's worst Cuisinart instincts. Thus, this artfully designed four-disc, 81-track box should reign as the band's definitive recorded history. Journalist Jon Savage collaborated with band members Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook to assemble Joy Division's legacy into four subtly different chapters. Discs one and two center around the band's albums, Unknown Pleasures and Closer respectively, culling singles, demos, and outtakes. Disc three gathers BBC and Peel sessions and more than a dozen previously unreleased outtakes. The final chapter may be the most artistically revealing: 17 live tracks that represent not only the best of the band's darkly compelling songs, but show their riveting stage presence during a performance peak that spanned but seven months. The accompanying booklet presents an almost Rashomon-like take on the band, from its spare, impressionistic imagery through its multiple essays and, crucially, the lyrics of Ian Curtis, starkly presented as the candid, disquieting poetry that was the essence of Joy Division's murmuring heart and troubled soul. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Features

• Box set
• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (67)

BUY NOW!!!!!
i wanted this box set for awhile and put it off for too long. if i'd have known how good it was...if you even like joy division a little bit it will make you a huge fan.i started out listening to new order and worked my way back...i love new order,i really do...but hats off to them for even trying to carry on after making music this good.no wonder they get bad reviews ... before anyone ever says one bad word about new order ever again, ask yourself "could anyone follow joy division?" most of the bands you'll ever hear can't do in decades (with loads of cash and promotion)what joy division did in under 4...10 stars!!!!!!!

Holy music
I do not often term much music that way. Sure, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Springsteen, Beach Boys, Pink Floyd all made spectacular and beautiful music, but the melodies would soon become redundant and/or the music would be essential UP TO A POINT. Sorry if that makes no sense. Joy Division is really the only band I can think of whose music I would consider holy. I revere above all music the songs of Joy Division. I happen to be a nonbeliever, and this music is the closest thing to a belief I have. To immerse yourself in the songs of Joy Division is to be taken to the depths of the human soul, in a way few other modern artists have done, in any art form.I could go on for days, so I'll focus more on the set itself. This is really the only Joy Division release you need. This has pretty much everything ever recorded by the guys. My only complaint is Disc 4. Most of these live songs have already been heard and traded amongst JD fans for years, and it would have been nice to hear less played songs from rarer bootlegs than The Factory 7-13-79 show. Again this is a minor quibble and to hear any JD live is a gift. Save up and buy this album. One thing I hate about many box sets is that they just seem to be greatest hits collections with a few b-sides and rarities thrown on for loose change. A box set should include everything by a group I feel, and this set achieves that. Along with the beautiful packaging and amazing booklet included, this is nothing short of essential. Save up and get it.

Five Stars. (period)
Have you heard a Joy Division song and are curious to hear more?If you are drawn to one song, or to the mystery of this band alone, don't waste your time buying individual Joy Division cds.Buy this set.Listen to it, you will like it.Listen to it again, you will love it.Listen again... and get lost in Ian's world... a world frightfully like your own. This band has influenced so much in so short of a career it is astonishing.Strip away the glam, the fluff, and the glitter and you are left with Joy Division - a menacing, powerhouse band that can level you with a note and kill you with a word.There is no faking this kind of music.This band is not a group of guys trying to be like something else, this is gut honest, intense music - a glimpse into the "heart and soul" of a man that approached the edge and didnt just take a peek - he walked right off.R.I.P., Ian Curtis ... Read more

Asin: B00005MKHQ
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Pop    3. Post-Punk    4. Rock   

Crystal Days: 1979-1999
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (17 July, 2001)
list price: $59.98 -- our price: $59.98
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Editorial Review

Though a much-ballyhooed phenomenon that influenced modern bands as diverse as Pavement, Hole, and Flaming Lips, Liverpool's Echo & the Bunnymen tellingly had their biggest American successes ("Lips Like Sugar" and a cover of the Doors' "People Are Strange") just as they were beginning to come apart at the seams. With frontman Ian McCulloch wailing his impressionistic/expressionistic lyrics (occasionally so obtuse it was hard to tell which adjective applied) over Will Sergeant's fevered, jaggedly hypnotic guitar lines like a shamanic voice in the wilderness, the Bunnymen didn't so much push rock's boundaries as redraw them entirely to their own grand specifications. Compiled with a fan's zeal and the frank circumspection of hindsight, this richly annotated (including running track-by-track commentary by McCulloch and Sergeant) four-disc set documents the Bunnymen from their awkwardly determined '79 tracks and singles through highlights from their '80s albums and a gratifying late '90s comeback. Sprinkled generously throughout are singles, B-sides, Peel Session outtakes, and live tracks that add insightful details to their compelling, if decidedly star-crossed tale. Disc four will be especially welcomed by the faithful, containing mostly live tracks from '83 to '87 and an unlikely, eclectic array of covers ranging from Dylan's "It's All Over Now" and the Stones' "Paint It Black" through the Doors, Lou Reed, and Television that suggest these were impossibly ambitious musicians who made their mark first and discovered their roots later. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

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Reviews (22)

Completed my Collection
My wife recently whined in the car (while we were listening to my Ipod) "why can't you play anything modern, or hip?" You see, I'm a child of the 80s, and moving into the 90s I was an Alternative Guy.

Strangely enough, today, while we were driving around town (after I put in the 4 disks of this collection), she enquired as to who was playing. She soon found out that she was listening to the brilliance of Echo in the 80s. Freakin' 20 years ago, and she's complimenting my choice!

I love Echo --- if my wife weren't who she was, I would wed them! This collection is soothing, sweet, and something I'm glad to have. V Terrace is amazing. There are some great versions and covers that I'm pleased to own now. WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT.

If you enjoy just one song of Echo's, this will awaken you to an amazing band. I'm just starting to re-discover them, and appreciate this collection.--and finally my wife is, too!

Not for long-time bunneymen
I'll never forget the day, back in 1979, when I slapped on the headphones and was transported to another place by the opening notes of "Going Up" - hooked, I was. Perhaps it is true that the Liverpool lads never quite matched their debut LP, but there certainly have been highlights along the way, especially "Porcupine" - a vastly under-rated effort. I even loved the "Evergreen" return, and the first steps toward eventual reunion as Electrafixion.

As for the box set - it is for the new and relatively unaware fan. Echo people have already picked up most of this material already.

My main complaint - why wasn't the full "Shine So Hard" 4-song live 12-inch single from 1981 included?

I have searched in vain for this brilliant recording (on CD)for years. Early MTV viewers may remember videos from "Shine So Hard" that were in the regular rotation for a while (1981-82) - it was during Echo's military garb phase.

This is the definitive "live" Echo release, and it is nowhere to be found. Great versions of "Over The Wall" and "All That Jazz" are the best I have ever heard. All of which should have made "Shine So Hard" a perfect candidate for inclusion in the box set.

Best thing to come out of the 80's?
Definitely up there with getting rid of one of the Bee Gees. What can be said about Echo and the Bunnymen? Quite simply, they're amazing. I could go on and on about how they merit more credibility than most contemporary bands, but I won't. If you're looking at this item, chances are, you already know.

As for the collection itself, it's damn near perfect. Some of the normal versions of the tracks are missing, but that is easily remedied by buying the original albums themselves. Alternate versions of already legendary songs add to the mythology that is the Bunnymen. After all, this is over 4 hours of Echo-y goodness.

Couple this with an awesome, in depth booklet about the group and you've got yourself a winner. And hey, they did! Ian (guitar/vocals) and Will(lead guitar) give commentary for tracks and suchlike. It makes for an interesting read.

The only fault I can find with this set? The packaging. And this is minor griping. First, I don't like the CD cases... they're the kind that hold the discs too snug and make it feel like you might bust it if you try to free the CD too hard. Second, the aforementioned booklet is bound to the case and, at least with mine, the glue looks like it'll be ready to drop the book after a few readings. Ah well, one buys this for the music.

As a child of the 80's (and hey,"Ocean Rain" came out the year I was born) I urge you to buy this if you've ever heard "Killing Moon". You won't regret it. While you're at it, try the Echo-inspired Coldplay. ... Read more

Asin: B00005LMXO
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. College Rock    4. England    5. Neo-Psychedelia    6. Pop    7. Post-Punk    8. Rock   

The Columbia Studio Recordings 1964-1970
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (21 August, 2001)
list price: $47.98 -- our price: $42.99
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Editorial Review

Though the American folk movement of the early '60s wouldinfluence bands like the Byrds and Buffalo Springfieldand a score of oh-so-sensitive '70s singer-songwriters, its two mostlooming successes during the decade--Bob Dylan andSimon and Garfunkel--couldn't have seemed more disparate. While Dylanturned hard-left, outraging many a folk purist by zealously embracingrootsy blues-rock and its electrified cacophony, S&G veered toward thecenter, equally infuriating snooty pundits by embracing a Top 40 popsense whose ostensible shallowness often belied its rich musicaldiversity. In retrospect, Simon and Garfunkel's career as a duo wasremarkably brief (five albums in six years), if no less commerciallypotent (a slew of Top 40 singles, two Number One albums, and therequisite handful of Grammy Awards). This box set compiles digitallyremastered versions of the original S&G albums, each expanded toinclude bonus tracks (mostly previously unissued demos with a fewscattered outtakes, the quartet on Sounds of Silence thebest of the lot) and a booklet featuring new notes for each album andsong lyrics. It's a rewarding journey, wending from the almost slavishfolk devotion of Wednesday Morning 3 AMthrough the greeting-card iconoclasm of Sounds of Silence, themadrigal-pop of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, andThyme to the increasingly impressionistic lyrical landscape ofBookends. Italso covers the rich musical tapestry of Bridge over TroubledWaters, which foreshadowed Simon's own diverse solo career byembracing everything from the Everlys and Jan & Dean toAndean folk and R&B. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Features

• Box set
• Limited Edition

Reviews (14)

An absolute must-own
I bought this several months ago and am still happy that I did.

Before, I only had the S&G Greatest Hits and it was my favorite CD. The thing is, that every album they made plays like a greatest hits album. There are only two or three tracks that I skip over in the entire box. That's how high the quality is.

Buying the albums in this box definitely has advantages. The book has a nice summary of each album and complete lyrics. The album sleeves are really cool-looking and it feels like the CDs are brand new material. The box is nice and can almost be used as decoration.

These five CDs are some of my favorites. Simon and Garfunkel were true musical geniuses and every album they made is worthy of being owned.

4.5 stars - An excellent set from the classic folk rockers
The Columbia Studio Recorings 1964-1970 (2001.) Simon And Garfunkel's second box set.

Simon And Garfunkel, though their partnership was short lived, managed to create some of the most excellent pop songs of the sixties and early seventies. It's a shame they only lasted for five albums, because they could have done so many other great things together (but I guess their solo careers kind of made up for this.) Many compilations and collections of the band's work have been released over the years. In 2001, the band released its second box set, The Columbia Studio Recordings. How does it measure up? Read on for my review.

PROS:
-ALL FIVE OF THE CLASSIC COLUMBIA RECORDS ALBUMS ARE HERE. You get Wednesday Morning 3AM, Sounds Of Silence, Parsley Sage Rosemary And Thyme, Bookends, and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Each one has been remastered and sounds great.
-THE ALBUMS COME IN REPLICA LP CASES! This is great, because the covers and the back covers look identical to their original releases. Why can't all bands do the CD cases in their box set like this? It was an excellent idea.
-BONUS TRACKS ON EVERY ALBUM. There are a plethora of bonus tracks in this set, and many of them are previously unreleased. It's a shame these tracks have been so hard to come by over the years, but I'm happy to see them all together in one place!
-THE BOOKLET IS PRETTY HANDY. The booklet is rather lengthy, and has new liner notes, as well as lyrics to every song. This is a pretty convenient tool to have handy for learning about the band, or for learning the lyrics to their songs.
-FOR THE MOST PART, THIS PUTS THE OLD BOX SET, OLD FRIENDS, TO SHAME. Old Friends was only a three-disc set and lacked liner notes. And this set basically corrects all the flaws that the old set had.
-A GREAT VALUE. For one fairly low price, you get ALL of the duo's albums! This makes this set a great alternative to buying all of the albums separately.

CONS:
-ONLY THE FIVE STUDIO ALBUMS AND A FEW BONUS TRACKS. Because it's a studio recordings box set, the duo's live albums aren't included. This is a shame, because they were a pretty good live act.
-SOME MISSING STUDIO TRACKS. No, nothing's missing from the actual albums. However, there are several tracks that could have been bonuses on here that should have been included. For example, the alternate version of Mrs. Robinson from the Graduate soundtrack.
-WHY FIVE DISCS? The record company could easily have condensed this material onto considerably less discs. This would likely have resulted in a lower price.

OVERALL:
If you want to get all of Simon And Garfunkel's albums, you have a few choices on how to do it, but I think getting them all here is the obvious and best choice. Take my advice and get this set. No classic pop collection is complete without these classic albums.

Columbia (Sony): always a step behind
Or maybe they're mocking at us? When I bought the first CDs of Columbia (S&G or Dylan's...) they did their best to put out the worst edition (bad photo covers, CD cases that didn't close well, lack of original liner notes and dreadful presentation on the surface of the compact discs -just look at Collected Works, you'll know what I mean). Now they they got better on that issue, but they still do the things wrong. I agree with the reviewers that critic the edition of this collection and Old Friends. Why do we have Old Friends (a good selection with rarities) and THEN the Collected Works with rarities? Why not release the Complete Works and THEN a Box Set with rarities (also they could put on Complete Works more rarities, I feel that any of the 5 CDs ended before I begun to listen to them). And now they're releasing a live 1967 concert. Good, good, keep it giving us their gems with a dropper, we'll get the music, but it's not the best way.
S&G are more than five stars, Columbia is -2. ... Read more

Asin: B00005NKKU
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Folk-Pop    3. Folk-Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. Soft Rock   

Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (28 September, 1993)
list price: $59.98 -- our price: $53.99
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Editorial Review

"This is it: Everything the Police released," boasts the notesin the 66-page booklet included with this box set. Obsessive fans have alreadywritten to rock magazines indignantly pointing out the omission of this or thatobscurity. But everyone else will find that these four discs include all thePolice they'd ever want to own. The first two discs include all of Outlandosd'Amour, Reggatta de Blanc, and Zenyatta Mondatta in theiroriginal order, interspersed with live rarities and singles B-sides. Discs 3 and4 are more satisfying, including the band's well-crafted studio high points,Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity, plus more outtakes andlive tunes. The set ends with "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86," adismal remake of the early favorite. By this point, the musician's egos wererunning rampant and they were barely speaking. If anyone wonders why the groupcalled it quits so abruptly, this tune makes it clear that the split was smartand timely. --Jim DeRogatis ... Read more

Features

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Reviews (78)

Man!What could have been.....
A great collection.Goood musicianship and a great look into the functioning of a band - these guys were broken up by success,

This set covers the gamut of music that was the Police. Pop, New Wave, Reggae.It's a bit of everything.Buy it if you are interested in the Police.

GREAT!!
Now if only all box sets were this good! A MUST HAVE for Police fans! Not only does it have their best material but you can hear the evolution of Sting's incredible songwriting and Stewart's unbelievable drumming skills.They basically started off as punkish band ripping off reggae but the band slowly evolved into their own sound! It's a shame when they found their sound they broke up. But as you can tell by Sting's incredible songwriting on Disc 4, it was time for him to leave.
It was time for him to see the Blue Turtles! Just to have the haunting tunes "Burn For You" and "Once Upon A Daydream" is worth the price of the box set alone

Excellent Box Set!
Buying this box set should be automatic for anyone who grew up in the 70's or 80's. There's very few songs on this album that would get a 2 star rating or lower. Few as in I can count on 1 hand.

The Police have so many huge hits, such as Roxanne, Walking On The Moon, Message In A Bottle, etc. Also, many of the other tracks are classics, such as The Bed's Too Big Without You, Bring On The Night, Invisible Sun, etc. You cannot do without having this set. 4 CD's and you have EVERYTHING The Police did. Including b-sides and songs from other sources (such as I Burn For You from the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack)

Bottom line is this. If you like any of The Police big songs, it's very likely that you will also like all of their other songs. Why not get them all in one bang instead of getting the 4 individual albums and having to deal with trying to find all of the other B-Sides? It's totally worth it. ... Read more

Asin: B000002G23
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Box Sets (Audio Only)    4. New Wave    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Post-Punk    8. Rock   

Kiss Deluxe Limited Edition
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 November, 2001)
list price: $195.98 -- our price: $195.98
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Editorial Review

Set aside the makeup, pyrotechnics, and coffin sales, and all that's left of "the hottest band in the world" is the music. Fortunately, in the case of for Kiss, the music is their strongest suit. This five-CD box set blends previously released recordings, demos, and unreleased live material. Rarities come in large part from the band's halcyon makeup period and include unheard songs from an assortment of demos. Among the curios are the Wicked Lester versions of "She" and "Love Her All I Can," replete with horn kicks and hand percussion. No less intriguing is the previously unreleased Destroyer-era, Slade-inspired stomper "Doncha Hesitate" and Paul Stanley's disco-influenced "God of Thunder." Other demos give insight into the band's proclivity for cannibalizing early material for portions of soon-to-be hits. Though most fans recognize the 1970s as Kiss's heyday, the 1980s material such as Creatures of the Night's "War Machine" and Asylum's "Tears Are Falling" holds up surprisingly well. The fifth CD, which consists of 1990s output, falls flat, though some sparks are rekindled with the rewrite of Argent's "God Gave Rock & Roll to You." The box includes a thick, full-color booklet with rare photos and insightful song-by-song commentary from the band. --Kelly Minnis ... Read more

Features

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Reviews (26)

Good band, mediocre collection
For three decades, KISS has been one of the finest hard rock bands out there. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss are musical geniuses, and there's no denying. When artists get to be as popular as these guys, it's not unusual to see them release box sets. And now KISS has released a box set. Read on for my review of it.

PROS:
-The most obvious cool thing about this box set is the unreleased material. There are demos from the band's Wicked Lester days, plus other demos, live stuff, unplugged stuff, and many other cool rarities.
-You get a number of hits spanning the band's entire career.
-The set relies on more than just hits. You get plenty of underrated masterpieces as well, including stuff from the band's often overlooked eighties days, in which they had a few line-up changes.

CONS:
-There are two ways to do a career-spanning box set - the good way, which is a definitive collection of all your releases to date, or the bad way, which is a scattershot mixture of tracks. Sadly, KISS goes with the latter style. WHY DO ARTISTS DO THIS!?
-The band couldn't seem to decide whether they wanted to do a career-spanning anthology, or a rarities package, so they tried to cram both into one set. That makes this a very scattershot package.

OVERALL:
Overall this is some excellent music, but I recommend shelling out the extra cash and getting the albums. It just isn't worth blowing this much money on such an uneven set. Want the rare tracks found here? Download them.

You Wanted The Box, You Got The Box!
Always a sucker for limited editions, box sets and anything else that is rare, imported, or otherwise different.I personally have always wanted to learn the process that goes into writing a song.We've all seen original lyrics and stuff, but to be there (metaphorically) while the band goes through the tunes, deciding what stays, what goes, etc. is really interesting.

While not thrilled with some of the re-released material, I understand it's purpose.I would have preferred to have the original studio tracks complementing the unreleased material.However, Paul's vocals on what would be Gene's signature song, "God of Thunder" was enough to hook me.Very haunting, and very different.Like "Wizard of Oz" with Buddy Ebsen as the Tin Man or any other "classic" with someone other than the people that made it special (Perry Mason without Raymond Burr), it gets you to thinking what might have been if these unfinished tracks made it to the record.

We wanted the best...
...And this is what we got, a repackaged offical release of songs that we're on most bootlegs years beforehand. ... Read more

Asin: B00005R72E
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Arena Rock    3. Box Sets (Audio Only)    4. Hard Rock    5. Heavy Metal    6. Pop    7. Pop-Metal    8. Rock   

Lynyrd Skynyrd [Box Set]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (12 November, 1991)
list price: $51.98 -- our price: $51.98
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Reviews (31)

Jesus loves you
Lynyrd Skynyrd needs more songs than 47 songs.He is the greatest southern rocker of all time.I hope they come out with a better box set than this soon. I hope this review helped you and keep on listening to classic rock.God bless you all.

lynyrd skynyrd box set a must have
this is for sure a must have for any skynyrd fan. and even if your not into skynyrd in a big way. you will still enjoy listening to the tracks on this one. its just awsome. there is so mnay songs on here to enjoy. i really believe this is one of the best box sets by them so far if not the best. there's many demo versions to songs we all know and love. and you may not hear them anywhere else its worth the buy. a fan of skynyrd always.

Phenomenal
Even if you are not a fan of southern rock,this box set will knock your socks off. No matter where you are from, I think you can easily relate to at least one song in the set. Whether it is the brutal honosty of "Needle and the Spoon" and "Trust",the soulful appeal of "Curtis Loew" or the despiration in "One More Time". Not to mention classics like "Free Bird" and "Sweet home Alabama".If you live your life without ever experiencing "Lynyrd Skynyrd", you are missing out on a piece of American Culture.

... Read more

Asin: B000002OHV
Sales Rank: 12805
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Arena Rock    3. Blues-Rock    4. Boogie Rock    5. Box Sets (Audio Only)    6. Hard Rock    7. Pop    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Southern Rock    11. United States of America   

Creedence Clearwater Revival
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 November, 2001)
list price: $99.98 -- our price: $89.99
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Editorial Review

Popular but not hip, basic but not shallow, rooted but not retro, Creedence Clearwater Revival distinguished themselves in the late 1960s and early 1970s through these contradictions. This six-disc set is the definitive Creedence collection, offering superbly remastered versions of all of their studio and live albums and adding a disc's worth of pre-Creedence material. The ultimate blue-collar rock band, John Fogerty and CCR found success by wholly giving in to their fascination with the American South (despite hailing from Northern California) and exploring the turf that connected R&B and country--the same turf that their heroes at Sun studios tilled at rock's birth. As the songs on the first disc prove, they hadn't always taken this approach though perhaps they should have: The first four songs from 1961 (by Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets), original compositions in the classic '50s rock & roll style they loved, hold up better than subsequent Golliwogs tracks that attempt to replicate the British Invasion sound in vogue at the time. Still, the Golliwogs tracks offer hints of John Fogerty's menacing growl and biting guitar that would fully blossom later on.

When diving into CCR's entire body of work, many myths dissipate and a more well-rounded view comes into focus: the quintessential singles band that dominated AM radio was also quite an album band, releasing solid records from top to bottom even though half of the songs were saturating radio long before the LP would hit. Also, they weren't quite as far removed from their Bay Area brethren (who were reared on the same roots music) as is often stated, offering a number of long and loose jams that, while not overtly psychedelic, gave them and their fans a chance to stretch out. Without question, though, CCR were the kings of the three-minute rock single, and it's these now-ubiquitous gems--the consummate AM band now dominates FM radio--that will always define them. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (28)

Essential for the CCR fan, casual or hardcore
Even if you're not a hardcore CCR fan, you should get this box.As I've found over the years, CCR has so many great songs that simply aren't on greatest hits compilations and retrospectives.This set has EVERYTHING they ever recorded, in chronological order from when they were writing chintzy pop through their classic period all the way to the end.Two live sets are included as well, which were released after Tom Fogerty left the band and CCR continued as a trio.The sound is great as the whole catalog of songs was remastered.My one complaint is that their set from Woodstock wasn't included, nor was a retrospective live DVD.Oh well, I'm probably just being greedy.Additionally, with the exception of Credence Gold, this set is the only place you can find the full, awesome 9 minute version of Susie Q as well as the complete 45 Revolutions Per Minute (Parts 1 and 2).All in all, well worth the investment considering what you're getting here (it's cheaper to buy this than all of the albums individually!).

Essential box set, wished they had a DVD though.
This would be a good purchase for people who either A: have Chronicle and want to hear more, B: have their songs on tape, C: younger fans who enjoy classic rock music, D: People who might have one of their CDs, but haven't gotten around to picking up the remastered copy.

I still recommend "Chronicle" vol. 1 and 2 but nothing truly beats this collection.

CCR have had their songs repackaged time and time again, and this is the first time their work has been properly put together.

First off, you get a full length CD of the pre-CCR Golliwogs and Blue Velvets, which showcases the Fogerty brothers trying to find their own style and trying others. Starting with "Little Tina" and "Walk on the Water" (which they'd rerecord as CCR) you start hearing the style they'd run with. On the second CD, you hear them start off with the rare 45 "Call it Pretending" into more familiar terrotory. The second through the fifth CDs cover all their studio recordings and some promos here and there. Part of the fifth and all of the sixth CD showcase CCR in a live setting (some of which are repeated), and even though the audio is not as good as it should be, it's still pretty energetic and sounds almost as good as the studio albums. The closest we can get is John Fogerty's "Premonition" DVD which covers a healthy amount of CCR-era material.

Finally, this would have been a good time to put out a video collection exclusive to the box set (a lot of which people have rarely if ever seen). On American Bandstand, they did "Commotion" and "Green River", on Ed Sullivan they did "Fortunate Son" and "Down on the Corner", on Johnny Cash they did "Bad Moon Rising" and "Proud Mary", Beat Club in Germany, and had full length shows filmed at the Royal Albert Hall and in Oakland Arena in 1970 for TV as well as Roundhouse in the UK in 1968, promo videos for "Bootleg", "Looking Out My Back Door", "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" as well as possible Woodstock footage. Overall it would've made for a decent 2 hour collection of video footage.

Creedence lives!
Or is it "live"? I can never figure out if bands are plural or singular.
This is a great box set, though. All of Creedence's classic 60s and 70s recordings, and the best fidelity available. A really good booklet, too, and the early pre-Creedence material is often surprisingly good, even if it lacks the originality and maturity of the hits.
Not the place to start, I guess, but serious fans will want to pick up this excellent compilation which genuinely adds to the Creedence legacy. John Fogerty's swampy rock n' roll is some of the finest, most literate and most enjoyable rock music ever, and some of the most memorable as well. ... Read more

Asin: B00005OM4K
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop   

Music of Bill Monroe From 1936-1994
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 July, 1994)
list price: $49.98 -- our price: $44.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

It's the rare artist who virtually invents a genre single-handedly, and there's no artist in any genre whose work has remained as dominant a force as Bill Monroe. The songs here not only define bluegrass, they remain the core of any bluegrass band's repertoire. Monroe added a dose of sophistication to traditional hillbilly music--intricate group harmonies, expert musicianship--and he rehearsed his Blue Grass Boys for hours on end. MCA's lavish 4 CD set covers 60 years and 98 songs, adding detailed notes and anecdotes. Beginning with 1936 duets with brother Charlie, the list of Blue Grass Boys reads like a roster of legends: Flatt and Scruggs, Chubby Wise, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements,Sonny Osborne,Bobby Hicks, Kenny Baker, Bill Keith,Del McCoury, Peter Rowan, and Richard Greene; the list goes on and on, as does the legacy of Monroe's music. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Must for Collectors of American Music
This boxed set, while certainly not the complete recorded output of Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, is an excellent sampling of Bill's music throughout his storied career. I would recommend this collection to anyone who is interested in the evolution of American music in particular "roots" music and early Rock n' Roll. While Monroe stayed within a simple chord progression format though the years, the textures of the music evolved with the changes of the band's personnel and his own experiences. Some of the instrumentals on disc one and two are examples of bluegrass "breakdowns" that are played at a breakneck pace. The instrumentals on disc three and four, while still played quickly, are more subtle and have a modal "old timey" quality to them, as if Monroe was returning to the sounds he heard as a child.
The vocal songs also show the changes that Monroe went through as a songwriter and song interpreter. The listener can compare "I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome" on disc one with a powerful yet understated quality, to "Blue Night" on disc three sung with a raw nerve exposed. On "Blue Night" with his voice against the urgent fiddle of Richard Greene played with a siren-like quality, the listener can take away the notion that as Monroe got older, the more he was willing to take a chance and challenge the listener as well. Background music this is not!
Credit is due to [the record company] for issuing this material and investing in the liner notes and photographs on such a non-mainstream project. The accompanying booklet is worth almost as much as the recorded material.
Just as Louis Armstrong is an important figure in American music and popular culture, Bill Monroe's music is equally as important as a synthesis of what he heard around him; Blues, Swing, Jazz, Gospel, Celtic and later even Rock n' Roll. Without Bill Monroe we may never have had the Everly Brothers, Elvis, or Buddy Holly. (Listen to Monroe's mandolin and compare it to Chuck Berry's guitar. Coincidence? I doubt it!) If you are reading this and don't own it, buy it now. You'll thank me later.

A True Genius and Inovater
How many people can claim that they "invented" a style of music?And have the music named after their home state.This is the legacy of Bill Monroe and this box set shows the reason why.

Bill's vision regarding his music was absolutely remarkable.It was a new style, unheard of, captivating and invigorating.On track after track his genius is shown.A master mandolin player, a great vocalist for this new style of music and a larger than life figure.He was also tough and unrelenting on what he wanted.Bluegrass music today exists because of his demands and forsight.Almost every major figure of the second generation of bluegrass pickers played in his band at one time or another.We are now in the third generation of pickers and they are still influenced by his mastery. You can not go to a bluegrass concert today and not hear atleast one of his compositions.

This box set shows why he is considered the father of bluegrass.The tracks vary from driving instrumentals, to gospel, to thought provoking songs of real life in the mountains.They attest to his unequaled grasp of the feeling that is meant to be presented in music, especially acoustic music.If you are a bluegrass fan, this is something you should already own.If you are not a bluegrass fan, buy this and enjoy and learn where the music came from.

A classic box set, one of the best ever, an awesome collection.

A Lifetime of Great Music
This 4-disk set presents the music of Bill Monroe in a chronological perspective much like the Modern Museum of Art did with Picasso's art in 1980.It takes you through all the periods of the bluegrass master, from duets with his brother to the classic band (Flatt, Scruggs, Wise) to the final incarnation of the Bluegrass Boys.The passion and polish of Monroe's playing and singing rolls across the decades exceeded only by his inspired updating of American folk music.Many fine musicians who lived as long as Bill could have a 4-disk set released but very, very few would have one where they wrote most of its music!What stands out in this collection is how many standards, how many influential tunes, came from this legendary Kentuckian. ... Read more

Asin: B000002OSF
Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Country    3. Pop   

Kiss - eXposed
Average Customer Review:
DVD (19 March, 2002)
list price: $19.99 -- our price: $17.99
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Editorial Review

Ah, the '80s! A time of hair bands and their ludicrous MTV videos filled with spandex-clad band members and skimpily clad bimbos. Kiss: Exposed returns us to that forgettable era, as Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons show how to desperately try to remain cock rock's elder statesmen.This 1987 compilation serves up several now-hilarious video clips from Kiss's '80s "unmasked" period, including "Tears Are Falling," "Heaven's on Fire," "Lick It Up," and "I Love It Loud." (Count the fires burning in these classic video relics of days gone by!) Also on hand are Stanley and Simmons themselves, looking properly embarrassed as they act out rock's biggest fantasy: lounging by the pool with a bevy of (mostly) bare beauties. The saving grace is the generous selection of vintage live performances: hearing the band do "Strutter," "Detroit Rock City," "Ladies Room," and "Deuce" in its late-'70s prime is worth wading through the outdated '80s-style power pop... if you're a real Kiss fan, of course. --Kevin Filipski ... Read more

Features

• Color

Reviews (38)

KISS at their best!
By the time it was 1987, the hair metal era had been big for about four or five years, and even though Ace Frehley and Peter Criss were gone from KISS and they(KISS)had taken their makeup off, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley had managed to keep the band together,even though it meant having lineup changes and taking their makeup off.It was sad to see Ace Frehley and Peter Criss leave the band-but this made up for it.

This DVD starts off with Mark Blankfield(the interviewer in this DVD) talking to people watching the DVD with a little "warning" and then he goes over to Paul Stanley's mansion in Beverly Hills, California. When Blankfield gets there, he rings the doorbell, and Paul answers the door- except he is irritated because he claims that Mark has interrupted his "beauty sleep"(there are a few females who accompany Stanley to the door in this scene)but when Paul finds out that a Barry Manilow concert coming up VERY soon could get in the way of KISS, Blankfield is let inside. Throughout the rest of this DVD, you get interviews with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons,Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr(even though Kulick and Carr have very small parts in this)and you do get to see the "beauties"during most of this DVD. There is video footage of KISS concerts from both the 70's and 80's to be found here, as well as six KISS videos from the 80's: "Lick It Up", "All Hell's Breakin' Loose", "Heaven's On Fire", "Tears Are Falling", "Uh! All Night", as well as the uncensored video for "Who Wants To Be Lonely", which MTV did NOT show on TV.

Highlights(the best scenes from this DVD)include:"The Paul Stanley Exercise Session", the monkey that is dressed up like Sonny Crocket(Don Johnson's character on "Miami Vice"), Paul's(Stanley)beauties telling him that their favorite KISS song is "Uh!All Night"because it reminds him of them with Paul's response being "I've Got Them Well Trained", as well as all of the hot women that are to be found on this DVD.

My only complaints are that Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr were not given a big enough part in this DVD and also because they didn't say anything about the Barry Manilow concert at the end of the DVD that Paul Stanley and Mark Blankfield seemed so worried about at the beginning of this DVD, but other than that, this is KISS at their raunchiest, best, and funniest.Everybody who was in this had very cheesy acting-but that is part of what makes this behind the scenes look at KISS so hillarious.

A great treat for ALL KISS fans-especially(especially)male KISS fans.

All for the ClassicMaterial
At least this release has a semblance of production to it.
The greatest moments are the Classic KISS footage, and not the throw away non-makeup material. It has taken KISS 20 years to realise that the best and most lucrative material is the out and out concert footage, with all of the blasting phantasmagoria that is the original KISS.
This video comes close to that original fantasy in some of the scripted material, but falls flat on oh too many ways, however, just before it goes through the floor, it gets rescued by another classic clip.
There definitely should have been more of Eric Carr in the Video, but not of Bruce Kulick. However, the original is still the best, and that footage is why I give this disc 5 stars. Unfortunately it would still be better in the bootleg version, but its nice to have the Authorised version. Pity they cannot do more releases of the Classic and Re-united KISS ( However short lived that fabulous fanatasy was).

Good collection but they should put full retrospective out
If you've seen Motley Crue's "Uncensored", it's somewhat similar to this one. "Konfidential", "Unplugged" and "Kiss My A**" should also be picked up. So far the footage alone makes this one worth getting over the others. If you loved the 80s era KISS along with seeing some vintage clips, this one's the one you want to pick up.

I would love to see them put out a full length blown out video collection from over the years worthy of being a companion to the KISS box set including the original 4 playing the songs from "Alive" and "Destroyer" from beginning to end.


... Read more

Asin: B000063JZ7
Subjects:  1. Music Video - Pop/Rock   

The Complete Billie Holiday On Verve, 1945-1959
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 March, 1993)
list price: $169.98 -- our price: $169.98
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Editorial Review

That's right: Ten CDs with everything Billie Holiday recorded on VerveRecords between 1945 and her death in 1959--not only the songs, but concertintroductions, some of the rehearsals, and between-take studio chatter, too. All of which makes for a definitive portrait of Lady Day in her final years. For a long time these recordings were disparaged because it was said her voicewas no longer fine and mellow,"ravaged" by hard living, jail time,booze, and drugs.And there's no question that her later tone is darker, morebrittle and unstable than it had been in the '30s--but somehow I find myselflistening to this music more often than those Brunswick/Columbia or Decca sides,anyway.Like Frank Sinatra, who so often paid tribute to her influence,Holiday's artistry was never based on virtuosity; it was about interpretation,bringing out the emotions in a song and giving a personal reading.She neverstopped doing that, and for all the "strange fruit" you'll find inthis collection, it's a gold mine.--Jim Emerson ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (10)

The package
In reference to the Dec 7th/2001 review by Michael Mccarthy:

I to bought this when it was originally released and aside from the collected songs and book - which cannot be faulted - the package was as Michael points out beautifully done - it did in fact win a Grammy (for the packaging and the way it was put together - all hardbound etc)-I had intended to buy this box set for my Daughter - however after having read Michael's review I chose not to pay the high cost given the packaging has been downgraded..Like Michael I cannot understand why they would have done this given the cost remains basically the same.If your looking at purchasing I would read Michael's review and then look for the original...

Avoid at all costs
This is one of the worst box sets ever released.

There is talking between virtually every track (on 7 or 8 of the 10 cds)(scores and scores of title and take numbers spoken, and respoken. The producer introducing tracks by title and making endlessly pointless studio remarks. (Of course the same uninteresting remark
each and every time you play the cd..)
Sometimes songs even stop after a single line is sung (or before). Then reslate, retitle and restart for
another 20 seconds.

Of course the (properly recorded) music itself is wonderful but it's impossible to fall into any kind of musical reverie
with the incessant interruptions (absolutely none of it worth hearing).
So if you like Billie Holiday for her *music* this isn't for you

In fact the box set is so utterly unplayable I rebought the music on individual cds so that I can actually listen to it.
I'm a big Billie fan, I already had all the music on vinyl before I bought the box set.
(Yes, even the very poor bootleg stuff that Verve bought to pad out the box set.)

Finally it's wildly overpriced, around 5/6 of the cd's are only for listening to once (and you might not even manage
that. Billie Holiday as a slurring rambling drunk is a big downer and
the record company might have shown her a little respect and kept the tapes in the vault.
Haven't they made enough off her yet?In the first place they only paid her a fee of $30-$100 per track for a buyout with
with no royalties ever.

In reality at least half the box set is actually unreleasable outtakes/rehearsal tapes - boxed up as full price cds.
The whole thing smacks of record company greed.

So there are only around 4 cds of real, properly recorded releasable master take music.
And these can be bought on 2 double cd sets (unfortunately only from Verve) without the talking between tracks.
Do yourself a favor and get these instead.

Oh yeah, and as if all this isn't enough bad news, they've jammed different sessions on to the same cd - so you get a handful of
prime Billie tracks followed by 40 minutes of amateur home recorded rehearsal talking on the same cd.
So what emerges is that there is only (I think) one single cd which is prime quality all the way through.
(Except for the stopping, retakes and talking between the takes which it also has..)

So get any other Billie Holiday box set than this - but get one!

Verve should be ashamed of themselves for ruining an incredible archive like this.
And making me feel so ripped off that I had to go to the trouble of writing this.
Thanks Amazon for the cheap therapy.

a lot of stuff, but indispensable
There are many rehearsal cuts in this box set, which may not be of interest to all listeners. Plus, there are many live performances recorded with less than ideal equipment.
That said, this is THE collection for those of us who love Billie's 1950s work. It's all here, and it's all wonderful - those who agree with Miles Davis that Lady Day's chief attribute during this decade was her rhythmic flexibility will be more than satisfied, and those who love her expressiveness will be more than amply rewarded.
The accompaniments are exemplary, featuring many of the greatest players of that Golden Era.
Plus, of course, she's singing some of the greatest songs ever written, and her attention to lyrics is beyond comparison.

She never had Ella's vocal range and flexibility and virtuosity (or her sweetness of sound); she never came close to Sarah's level of musicianship (or her richness of sound). But this set will convince you that Billie was the greatest of the great: to borrow from Virginia Woolf, among major jazz singers, Billie is the hardest to catch at the act of being great.

This is an important release. Miss it at your soul's peril. ... Read more

Asin: B0000046P3
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Jazz    3. Pop