Tag Archives: Box Sets

The Who – Quadrophenia “Director’s Cut” Super Deluxe Box Set

Add The Who’s Quadrophenia to the list of classic albums getting the box set treatment in 2011 (along with U2′s Achtung Baby, The Beach Boys’ Smile, and a pair from Pink Floyd; Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.)

Quadrophenia, released in 1973, was The Who’s sixth studio album. It’s an ambitious double album (81 minutes spread over 17 tracks) which tells the story of a schizophrenic named Jimmy.

In the story of the album (and the 1979 film based on the album) Jimmy has with four personalities which represent each of the members of The Who (four personalities thus “quadrophenia” instead of “schizophrenia.”) Continue reading “The Who – Quadrophenia “Director’s Cut” Super Deluxe Box Set” »

The Beach Boys Smile Sessions Box Set

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The original recordings from the Beach Boys legendary Smile sessions (’66-’67) are finally set to be officially released. There will be a double CD version, a double vinyl version, and a 9 disc box set!

(Click Here to order the box set on Amazon)

What’s In The Smile Sessions Box Set?

+ Five CDs.
+ Two vinyl LPs.
+ Two 7″ vinyl singles.
+ 60 page case bound book.
+ 12″ x 12″ booklet created for the original release.
| 24″ X 36″ poster of the cover art.

What’s On The 5 CDs? Continue reading “The Beach Boys Smile Sessions Box Set” »

U2′s “Baby” Turns 20

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Are you saving up your important re-issues money this summer, because the autumn is going to be pricy. What with the Pink Floyd extravaganza and all. Well, add to it the “Achtung Baby” blitz and there’s nothing left for Hanukkuh!

After the “earnest young men” ’80s, where were they to go next, without expecting diminishing returns? Become Rock Stars! It was kind of a cool move because it sort of was the shaking of The Joshua Tree and causing all the po-faced fans to fall out as the group re-invented themselves.

It was serious irony as an art form! Unfortunately, some of the new fans took it at face value and thought that they were really what they appeared as. But it became a case of successful ironic posing coupled with a bit of “the joke’s on them” because Methinks that they bought into the whole image they presented as well.

However, that being said, I’m gonna mortgage my car for this set:

Sunuvabitch!!!

Just What The Dickens is in this Uber-Bad Boy? It’s coming in FIVE different formats!!!

#1.Uber Deluxe Edition: In a magnetic puzzle tiled box with 6 CDs. The original re-mastered album, Zooropa re-mastered, 4 more discs with singles re-mixes and B-sides as well as numerous unreleased songs and rehearsal stuff from the original sessions. PLUS… 4 DVDs featuring a new doc., Zooropa Live At Sydney, all the Videos, plus who knows what else!! PLUS MORE…double vinyl version of the original LP, 5 clear vinyl 7″ singles from the original album. Art prints, Hard cover book, stickers, buttons and a pair of sunglasses. Bleedin’ ‘eck!!

#2. Super Deluxe Edition: 6 CDS, 4 DVDS, The book and some art prints in a nice slip case.

#3. The Vinyl Box Set: The original album on 2 LPS. Plus 2 more clear blue vinyl LPs with the re-mixes and B-sides.

#4. Deluxe Edition: 2 CDs including the re-mastered album and B-sides and rairities.

#5. Standard CD: The single CD album re-mastered.

I don’t know how I’m gonna save for this, but…

It’ll be available Oct. 31 as they say at all good retail outlets near you!

I wrote this article for You H!

The ORIGINAL Beatles Box Sets!

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Sometime ago, our illustrious host here at Music By Day once said that The Beatles were relatively late to the box set game, however I would like to point out that The Beatles were in fact the first to the Box Set game. 12 years in fact before the 1990 Led Zeppelin box set that started off the modern day trend of boxed collections.

There was a stereo box, a mono box, an E.P. Box, a singles box and a 8 LP (equivalent to 4 CDs) career overview. These sets are of course LONG LONG LONG out of print but if you have kids and a house you can mortgage, you can sometimes pick up these desirable collections on ebay and such places.

So, since The Beatles seem to be staggeringly popular around this manor Squire, here’s a brief bed time story for all you kiddies in Beatle-land:

THE STEREO BOX (1978)

This collection was issued in 1978. Included were all the original U.K. albums plus the American Magical Mystery Tour LP and an album called “Rairities” which was essentially a few difficult to find B-sides and a few mixes that were different from around the world.ie. an extra measure left in here, a bar edited there, a longer count in etc…

Cassette Version

The interesting thing about this set is that this is the first time most Americans would have encountered the albums in their original U.K. form. And also, “Past Masters” didn’t exist yet so lots of singles tracks were not included.

For me, having been used to Beatles ’65, it was a bit weird listening to Beatles For Sale for the first time.

THE MONO BOX (1982)

This included 10 mono albums up to and including Yellow Submarine. Now, that album wasn’t released in mono but evidently was mixed for mono for a proposed Yellow Submarine EP that was never released. This does explain, at least to me why the four Yellow Submarine tracks are included in the new mono box set on the Past Masters.

Again, lots of singles missing from this collection. Now the Biggie:

FROM LIVERPOOL: THE BEATLES BOX (1980)

The last Beatles item to be released in John Lennon’s life time, this was a chronological overview of their career over 8 LPs in nice new sleeves. This was only available by mail order from the T.V. though it was produced by EMI. It was a nice looking set with lots of detailed liner notes on the back of each sleeve, and the strange thing is that a few different mixes of certain songs appeared on here that weren’t available anywhere else in the world which made this collection essential!

I thought I’d do a public service for you and enable you to “own” this 1980 box set by giving you the track listings and through the wonder of digital music storage, you can, with a few clicks of the mouse, create your own play list to match the box set. When your friends ask you why the Beatles songs are being played in that order, you can nonchalantly mention, “oh, it’s the 1980 box set don’t you know”. Amaze your friends. Be the zaniest kid on the block. Here goes: Continue reading “The ORIGINAL Beatles Box Sets!” »

New Pink Floyd Remastered Box Sets: “Discovery” & “Immersion”

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The Discovery Box Set

This 16 disc box set includes all of Pink Floyd’s fourteen studio albums from 1967′s Piper at the Gates of Dawn to 1994′s The Division Bell.

All of the albums have been digitally remastered by James Guthrie (who co-produced The Wall.) The Discovery Box Set also includes an exclusive 60 page artwork booklet designed by Storm Thorgerson.

This box set is set to be released on September 27th of this year. It can be ordered on Amazon.com now. The cool thing about ordering on Amazon (besides the free shipping and that it’s almost always cheaper than local big box stores) is that if the price goes down before it’s shipped, you’ll get that new lower price. Continue reading “New Pink Floyd Remastered Box Sets: “Discovery” & “Immersion”” »

Lennon Signature Box | Remastered John Lennon Box Set

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A new John Lennon box set (SIGNATURE BOX) is being released on October 4th (you can pre-order it on Amazon.com now.) This is what the 11 disc set includes:

+ All eight John Lennon solo albums remastered (hopefully done as well as the remastered Beatles albums in The Beatles Stereo Box Set.)

+ A disc of remastered non-album singles (not included on any of those eight albums.)

+ A disc of never before released studio outakes and home demos.

+ Three new essays by Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, & Julian Lennon.

This Signature Box Set is not the only new Lennon material out on October 4th; there is also a new 4 disc set called Gimme Some Truth which is a compilation set where each disc includes a different type of solo Lennon song.

The first disc is “Roots” and it represents Lennon’s rock n roll roots and influences. The second disc is “Working Class Hero” and it contains Lennon’s “socio-political” songs. The third disc is “Woman” and it includes Lennon’s love songs. The fourth disc is “Borrowed time” and it features Lennon’s songs about life.

There is also a new 15 track “greatest hits” type collection called Power To The People: The Hits. Of course if you’re going to get the Signature Box there’s no good reason to get Gimme Some Truth or Power To The People: The Hits because they are just a repackaging of some of the songs you get with the Box Set.

But there is another release that may interest Lennon fans; a new version of Lennon’s final solo album called Double Fantasy Stripped Down. This is a newly remixed (by Yoko Ono and Jack Douglass) version of this classic album. It will be interesting to hear how “stripped down” they really mean.

Miles Davis 70 CD Box Set: The Complete Columbia Album Collection

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I’m jazz novice but I do quite enjoy the Miles Davis stuff that I have (the usual suspects like Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, & Bitches Brew.)

But you true jazz freaks (hopefully Howard Moon is reading this…) may want to get your hands on The Complete Columbia Album Collection which is a 70 CD box set including all 52 of the albums Miles Davis recorded for Columbia. It’s only available through Amazon.

Along with the 70 CDs, it also includes a DVD (Live in Europe ’67), a 250 page book, lots of photos, a complete song index, and many more goodies. This box set features the first complete audio release of Miles Davis’ August 29th, 1970, Isle of Wight festival performance.

All told, this is a truly mammoth box set. It makes The Beatles & Neil Young box sets look pretty puny in comparison.

I would say this would make a good (and quite expensive) Christmas present for a fan of Miles Davis but Amazon is currently correcting a “manufacturer defect” so it’s not available to order at the moment.

***UPDATE*** The corrected version of this box set is set to be released on January 19, 2010. You can pre-order it now: CLICK HERE.

The Beatles Remastered: Three Flavors (Stereo, Mono, USB)

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With the upcoming release of The Beatles USB (on December eighth) there will be three different flavors of The Beatles new remasters available. (And if the rumors are true then a fourth flavor, vinyl, will be added next year.)

FLAVOR ONE: The Beatles in Stereo Box Set

Features remastered stereo mixes of every Beatles song released from 1962 through 1970. That’s all 13 UK studio albums (including Magical Mystery Tour although it was originally released as an EP in the UK) along with the double disc Past Masters set which includes all of the band’s non album songs (such as “We Can Work It Out” & “Hey Jude.”) This box also includes a DVD with 13 mini documentaries (one for each album), extended liner notes, and previously unpublished photographs.

Click Here to Order The Beatles Stereo Box Set on Amazon.com

FLAVOR TWO: The Beatles in Mono Box Set

Features remastered mono mixes for each of The Beatles first 10 UK studio albums (all of them through The White Album) along with the Mono Masters set which includes non album songs in mono (it’s basically a mono version of Past Masters.) For many Beatles purists this is the box set that matters most. These mono mixes are the ones that were considered the standard during most of the ’60s and they are the mixes that the band themselves worked on the most.

Click Here to Order The Beatles Mono Box Set on Amazon.com

FLAVOR THREE: The Beatles USB

The Beatles music is finally available to purchase in digital format with this release, but not in the way people expected it to be. Instead of being available for download, mp3 versions of The Beatles stereo remasters are included on this Apple themed (that’s The Beatles Apple, not the computer company) USB stick. This is essentially a digital version of stereo box set as it includes all of the same audio and visual elements.

What excites audiophiles about this release is that it actually includes 44kHz/24bit FLAC files as well as the mp3s. These files are actually of superior audio quality in comparison with CDs (which are only 16bit.) This means that this USB contains The Beatles music in it’s highest sound quality available at this time (although a future 96kHz/24bit DVD and/or 192kHz/24bit Blu-Ray release could change that, if there is one.)

This USB stick is compatible with both PC and Mac computers along with all mp3 players (iPod, Zune, and other brands.)

Click Here to Order The Beatles USB on Amazon.com

The Beatles Stereo Box Set: Back In Stock On Amazon On Friday

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The Beatles Stereo Box Set is back in stock on Amazon.com this Friday. It’s been sold out about two months now and who knows if/when it may sell out again. So if you’re really wanting this for yourself (or as a Christmas present for someone else) I’d definitely head on over to Amazon and order it now (you can pre-order now to be sure you get it.)

I won’t go through a whole review of the box set again, instead I’ll link to the review I put up back in September: The Beatles In Stereo Box Set Review. Now that I’ve lived with the box set for almost two months since then, my feelings are about the same. I love it.

The Beatles Mono Box Set Is Back In Stock At Amazon