Best box sets

[jkelman]

recent faves:
Robert Fripp, Exposures
Bert Jansch, Bert at the BBC
Frank Zappa, Waka / Wazoo
The Beatles: Revolver Super Deluxe (w/ Giles Martin remix)

Others include (but there are many more):
Van der Graaf Generator: Charisma Years
Gentle Giant: Unburied Treasure
The Band: Royal Academy of Music
Rory Gallager: Rory Gallager 50th Anniversary
King Crimson: Sailors' Tales
King Crimson: Starless
King Crimson: The Road to Red
King Crimson: Meltdown, live on Mexico City
The Beatles: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Super Deluxe (w/ Giles Martin remix)
The Beatles: Abbey Road Super Deluxe (w/ Giles Martin remix)
The Beatles: The Beatles Super Deluxe (w/ Giles Martin remix)
The Beatles: Let It Be Super Deluxe (w/ Giles Martin remix)
Steve Hillage: Searching for the Spark
Gong: Love from Planet Gong
Bill Bruford: Earthworks Complete
Bill Bruford: Seems Like a Lifetime Ago
John Abercrombie: The First Quartet (full disclosure: I wrote the liners, but it's the music that matters!)
Terje Rypdal: Odyssey Live & In the Studio (full disclosure: I wrote the liners, but it's the music that matters!)
Grateful Dead: Spring 1990 & Spring 1990 (The Other One)
Grateful Dead: Europe '72 Complete and Lyceum Complete (the latter in high res)
Grateful Dead: Fillmore West 1969 Complete
Richard Thompson: RT: The Life and Times of Richard Thompson
Dave Swarbrick: SWARB!
Martin Carthy: The Carthy Chronicles
Genesis: 1970-1975
Yes: Progeny: Seven Shows from Seventy-Two
Various Artists: The Bakersfield Sound: Country Music Capital Of The West 1940-1974
Stevie Ray Vaughan: Texas Hurricane (SACD box set)
Woody Shaw: Complete Muse Studio Recordings
Lee Morgan: Live at the Lighthouse Complete
Miles Davis: Seven Steps box
Miles Davis: Second Quintet box
Miles Davis: On the Corner Complete
Miles Davis: Bootleg Series, Vols 1 (Europe 1967), Vol 3 (Fillmore 1970), Vol 5 (Freedom Jazz Dance), Vol 7 (That's What Happened)
Miles Davis: Complete Plugged Nickel
One Shot: One Shot box
Art Zoyd: 44 1/2 box
The Muffins: Baker's Dozen
Henry Cow: Cow Box Redux
Allman Brothers Band: Beacon Theatre 2009 Complete
Jethro Tull: Anniversary box sets: Passion Play, Minstrel in the Gallery, Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses, Stormwatch
Frank Zappa: Hot Rats Sessions
Frank Zappa: The Roxy Performances
Frank Zappa: Halloween 1973
Pentangle: The Albums
Steeleye Span: Good Times of Old England
Fairport Convention: Come All Ye (1968-1978)
Lefty Frizell: An Article from Life
Chuck Berry: Rock and Roli Music
Fats Domino: I've Been Around
Merle Haggard: Concepts, Live & The Strangers 1968-1976
Merle Haggard: Hag: The Studio Recordings 1969-1976
George Harrison: All Things Must Pass 50th
Bill Evans: Compete Riverside
Wes Montgomery: Complete Riverside
Paul Desmond: Complete Toronto 1975 Recordings
Jim Hall: Toronto Live vol 2
Tears for Fears: The Seeds of Love Super Deluxe
Eric Dolphy: Complete Prestige
Dexter Gordon: Complete Blue Note
Thelonious Monk: Complete Riverside
The Carter Family: In the Shadows of Clinch Mountain
Allan Holdsworth: The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever
Barbara Thompson: Live at the BBC
Nucleus: Live at the BBC
Freddie Hubbard: Complete Blue Note & Impulse! 1969-1966
Chick Corea: Five Trios
Chick Corea & Origin: A Week at the Blue Note
George Duke: Complete MPS
Grachan Moncur III: Mosaic Select
Herbie Hancock: Complete Blue Note
Herbie Hancock: Complete Warner Bros
Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius (Japan-only box)
Joe Henderson: Complete Blue Note Studio Recordings 19963-1966
John Coltrane: Atlantic Years in Mono
John McLaughlin: Montreux Concerts
Larry Young: Complete Blue Note 1965-1969
Ornette Coleman: Beauty is a Rare Thing
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Complete Mercury Recordings 1961-1965
Art Ensemble of Chicago (ECM box)
Steve Kuhn: Life's Backwards Glances
Chick Corea & Gary Burton: Crystal Silence
Keith Jarrett: Setting Standards
Keith Jarrett: Sun Bear Concerts
Keith Jarrett: The Impulse! Years 1973-1974
Keith Jarrett: A Multitude of Angels
Jan Garbarek: Dansere box
Steve Reich: Works box
Kronos Quartet: 25 Years
Aretha Franklin: Don't Fight the Feeling
Bob Dylan: Bootleg Series Vol 12 (Cutting Edge), Vol 13 (Trouble No More), Vol 14 (More Blood, More Tracks), Vol 16 (Springtime in New York)
Buck Owens: Act Naturally (Recordings 1953-1964)
Chet Atkins: Mr. Guitar 1955-1960
Emmylou Harris: Songbird
Johnny Cash: Unearthed
George Jones: A Good Year for the Roses (Complete Music Part 2)
Grateful Dead: Get Shown the Light
Gratefu'81, '82, '83
Grateful Dead: In and Out of the Garden, Madison Square Gardens
Johnny Cash: Original Sun Albums & Sun Era Outtakes
Join Mitchell: Asylum Albums 1972-1975
Kris Kristofferson: Complete Monument & Columbia Collection
Prince: Sign 'o the Times Super Deluxe
Prince: 1999 Super Deluxe
Rory Gallager: Irish Tour 1974 Special Edition
Taste: I'll Remember
Chicago: Quadio
Chicago: Carnegie Hall Complete
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Live at the Fillmore 1997
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Live Anthology (Super Deluxe)
Beach Boys: Pet Sounds Super Deluxe
Beach Boys: Smile & Smiley Smile
Duane Eddy: Deep in the Heart of Twangsville
Eddie Cochran: Somethin' Else
Ashley Hutchings: Burning Bright
David Bowie: Five Years
David Bowie: A new Career in a New Town
David Bowie: Brilliant Adventure
David Bowie: Toy Box
Dr. John: Atco Albums Collection
Family: Once Upon a Time
Family: At the BBC
Jimi Hendrix Experience: 10/10/68-10/12/68: Winterland
John Fahey: Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You 1958-1965
John Prine: Crooked Piece of Time 1971-1980
Neil Young Archives Vol II
Paul McCartney: Flaming Pie Super Deluxe
Paul McCartney: Band on the Run Super Deluxe
PFM: Il Suono Del Tempo
Richard & Linda Thompson: Hard Luck Stories 1972-1982
Sandy Denny: Islands Box
John Martyn: The Island Years
The Who: Tommy Super Deluxe
The Who: Quadrophenia Super Deluxe
The Who: The Who Sell Out Super Deluxe
Wilco: summer teeth Deluxe
Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Super Deluxe
Waterboys: Fisherman's Box
Waterboys: The Magnificent Seven

There are so many more...but these are the ones that are, for the moment, at the top of the longer list.

[proggy_jazzer]

Okay, John wins.

From my modest collection, in the jazz area its:
Miles 65-68 quintet studio box AND the complete Plugged Nickel
Coltrane Complete Village Vanguard 1961
Bill Evans Turn out the Stars Complete Village Vanguard 1980
Herbie Hancock Complete Bluenote
Ornette Beauty is a Rare Thing

Rock:
Aretha Franklin Queen of Soul Atlantic recordings
Steely Dan Citizen
Brecker Brothers Complete Arista recordings
Kevin Gilbert Thud

Prog/other:
King Crimson Great Deceiver
King Crimson at 50
The Muffins Baker's Dozen
Bruford Seems Like A Lifetime Ago

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but as they say, memory ain't what it used to be...

[Garyhead]

I have a few of them but the standouts are, not in particular order:

Genesis - Green Box 1970-1975
Yes - In a word (1969 - ...)
King Crimson - The Road to Red
Jeff Beck - Beckology
Mike Oldfield - Elements
ELP - The Return of the Manticore
Jethro tull - Anniversary (40th? Cigar Box)
Alice Cooper - The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper
Supernatural fairy Tales Progressive Rock Era by Rhino
Pink Floyd - Shine On
Steely dan - Citizen
Genesis - Archive Vols. 1 & 2

The JT Cigar Box was the 25th Anniversary. Thanks for the reminder.....I will seek this out this AM as it has been quite a while since I went through it. It was a pretty cool idea for 1993.

[JJ88]

Bob Dylan's excellent Biograph is often cited as an early rock box. But there were precursors before CDs- Neil Young's Decade (which had a lot of rare stuff) and two Elvis box sets (Elvis Aron Presley and A Golden Celebration). These two were mostly entirely previously unreleased material.

[Garyhead]

I went back to the OP to see what the criteria was for "a good Box Set." I agree, the SS box is chocka-block at budget price. But there is also lavish box sets that are as beautiful as informative. The Caravan box comes to mind here. I guess MY favorite in-the-middle are the JT 40th anniversary Books. Many unreleased works and new tidbits of info gleaned not only from band members but engineers, producers even album cover artists. I have not included KC Box sets as I haven't really taken the time to delve into them. Anyway, in my future I see Hours of Geekdom entertainment pouring over my box set collections!.....unless there is a house fire....then the FD will determine the cause of the massive petroleum / cardboard accelerant source. Anyone know if Vinyl self-combusts?

[arturs]

I too have this set, I was very pleased to get it back in the day as it had some tracks that were elusive to me, but like you, I have mostly filled in this gaps since. If I remember correctly a few tracks were mislabelled, which was a bit irksome, but it was a nice set, prettily presented, and at a time with The "P Word" was not to be said out loud

IIRC The Rolling Stone review of Supernatural Fairy Tales was quite positive. It was probably one of their first attempts to rehabilitate the "P word".

[Rarebird]

Magma - Konzert Zund
Fläsket Brinner - Swedish radio recordings
Johann Johannsson - Retrospective I + II
Wim Mertens - Inescapable 1980-2020

[rcarlberg]

If I remember correctly a few tracks were mislabelled, which was a bit irksome, but it was a nice set, prettily presented, and at a time with The "P Word" was not to be said out loud

Archie has always claimed that was Rhino's fault, not his....

[llanwydd]

20 Years of Jethro Tull is my favorite by a small margin. Next to that, Biograph by Bob Dylan, then Yesyears (which I paid $40 for on cassette in 1990) then the Sibelius Symphonies played by the London Symphony Orchestra and finally Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar by Frank Zappa. Those are the only boxes I have ever owned.

[jkelman]

Okay, John wins.

It isn't a competition, of course ... more a sign of my pathological inability to resist, money permitting, box sets, especially those that cover entire careers (thank you Madfish) or periods in great detail (thank you Panegyric!).

For me, if I discover and turn out to love an artist/band, I simply have to hear as much as I can, and these box sets really help me do that. Bear Family, for country, rock & roll, etc, are similarly excellent ways to get immersed into periods or full careers in incredible detail, also including great written material to put the music in context.

So consider it a pathology....

[proggy_jazzer]

It isn't a competition, of course ...So consider it a pathology....

We're all afflicted...

[Hobo Chang Ba]

The best box sets are the ones that focus solely (or at least largely) on unreleased material. I have no problem with a box set of all the studio work of a particular band, but I don't care for when they combine it with various unreleased material which forces long time fans to have to rebuy all or most of the stuff they already have.

Probably the best in this regard is the Henry Cow boxset by RER, and the Art Zoyd and The Muffins boxes by cunie. I'm sure there are others that follow this pattern but those are the three that jumped to mind immediately.

[moecurlythanu]

Personal Favorites are the Free Reed label's Box Sets for Martin Carthy, Richard Thompson and Ashley Hutchings. Also the giant Gentle Giant box, the UK box, and the Tangerine Dream behemoth of recent years.

https://www.discogs.com/release/2062...thy-Chronicles

https://www.discogs.com/release/3670...hley-Hutchings

https://www.discogs.com/master/26051...chard-Thompson

https://www.discogs.com/release/1448...uried-Treasure

https://www.discogs.com/release/9310...ectors-Edition

https://www.discogs.com/release/1375...ings-1973-1979

[happytheman]

I picked up a bunch of boxsets via BMG's "buy 12 get 1" until they closed that door and only let you get single discs to count towards your 12.

[Rarebird]

The best box sets are the ones that focus solely (or at least largely) on unreleased material. I have no problem with a box set of all the studio work of a particular band, but I don't care for when they combine it with various unreleased material which forces long time fans to have to rebuy all or most of the stuff they already have.

You are right on that one. Let them release the unreleased material on a seperate disk. It's the reason I didn't buy the Kayak box. Though I bought the latest Focus box-set, although I already had a box with all albums and some albums I bought seperately. But well, the price was right, so I went for it.

[JKL2000]

Okay, John wins.

Indeed, that collection is surely too much for one man to satisfy on his own.

[ronmac]

A personal favorite:

beatles-complete-bbc-sessions_1_1c7e393cac7f8e93677f327b154fb66f.jpg

Beatles Complete (at the time) BBC sessions. 256 tracks. this is what forced the official releases.

[UnephenStephen]

Genesis - green and blue boxes from 2007
Tony Banks - A Chord too Far
Grand Funk - Trunk of Funk
Zeppelin - Complete Studio recordings
Crosby Stills Nash - CSN