#inform-video-player-1 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }
#inform-video-player-2 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }
Several of this year’s most anticipated and intriguing box sets – all of which make for special Christmas gifts – are collections that expand on important albums from notable bands and solo artists, with deep dives into the Who’s storied abandoned rock opera, “Life House” and Bob Dylan’s masterful “Time Out Of Mind” album among the gems that arrived in 2023.
The Who: “Who’s Next Life House” – For many Who fans, this is the box set they’ve been waiting nearly 50 years to hear. Fresh off the triumph of the “Tommy” rock opera, guitarist Pete Townshend embarked on his next such project, seeking to tell a prescient-for-its-time story of a dystopian future world beset by climate disaster and led by an autocratic government that puts its citizens into lockdown and sedates them with entertainment accessed via a virtual reality suit. Long story short, the “Life House” rock opera never came together, and nine songs from this era were cherry picked to form the band’s best album, 1971’s “Who’s Next.” Some of the “Life House” tracks previously surfaced on previous compilations, but this massive 10-CD box set goes well beyond those releases, debuting a number of songs, as well as multiple worthy alternative versions of songs from this fruitful period. The set is topped off by two 1971 concerts that capture the Who at their combustible live peak.
Bob Dylan: “Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997)” — A string of lackluster albums during the 1980s and early 1990s had plenty of people wondering if Dylan was running on creative fumes. Then suddenly, Dylan found his mojo on 1997’s “Time Out of Mind,” beginning a fruitful run of inspired albums that has continued to this day. This five-disc set includes three discs of outtakes (including several solid songs left off of the album), alternate takes that are often notably different from the album versions of the songs and a disc of live performances of the “Time Out of Mind” tracks.
The Replacements: “Tim (Let It Bleed Edition)” – The Replacements’ fifth studio album, “Tim,” fulfilled the considerable promise of the band’s earlier albums and confirmed Paul Westerberg as one of rock’s very finest songwriters, whose lyrics could be brash, funny and clever, yet vulnerable and full of pathos. This four-disc box set begins with a new mix by Ed Stasium of the original album that brings a new crispness and clarity to the songs. The new box set also expands on the bonus cuts that debuted on the 2008 single-disc deluxe version of “Tim,” including the rocking outtake “Having Fun,” a frenetic electric version of “Kiss Me on the Bus” and four versions of “Can’t Hardly Wait,” which surfaced on the band’s next album, “Pleased To Meet Me.” The set is rounded out by a rocking and fairly tight (by mid-80s Replacements standards, anyway) 1986 live show from Chicago.
Green Day: “Dookie” – The blockbuster album that made punk safe for the masses gets expanded with 24 demos and outtakes, the band’s Woodstock 1994 concert and a full club show from Barcelona. The demos and studio versions of several unreleased tunes – which measure up to the songs on “Dookie” — are the stars of this set. If you want more Green Day, a similar expanded reissue of “Nimrod,” the band’s excellent 1997 album, offers multiple demos (10 of which are of unreleased songs) and a concert.
Prince & the New Power Generation: “Diamonds And Pearls” – Prince’s post-1990s albums tended to be more uneven than his mostly stellar 1980s work, but 1992’s “Diamonds And Pearls” had its share of strong songs spanning rock, pop, funk, hip-hop and gospel. The highlight of this seven-disc super deluxe set is disc five, whose 10 tracks, coupled with a few other selections from the 47 outtakes included in this set, could have made up one of Prince’s better albums.
Steve Miller: “J50 – The Evolution of the Joker” – “The Joker,” Miller’s eighth album, gave him his commercial breakthrough. This 43-song set dissects the project, usually using demos, early studio versions. and with a few songs, live versions to illustrate the development of each song, followed by the final master. It makes for an intriguing and fun inside look at how this album took shape.
Tragically Hip: “Phantom Power 25th Anniversary Edition” – One of the best albums from Canada’s Tragically Hip is supplemented with several strong unreleased tunes and a typically taut and energetic 15-song live set.
Elton John: “Honky Chateau (50th Anniversary Edition)” – The album that really launched John on the path to stardom – thanks to the hits “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time)” and “Honky Cat” — is expanded with demos of eight of the album’s 10 songs (some, like “Salvation,” “Honky Cat” and a fast version of “Slave,” contrast notably from the album versions) and a performance debuting the album at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
The Barracudas: “Drop Out with the Barracudas” – This deluxe version of the Barracudas’ 1981 debut album adds nearly 50 tracks to a 2005 re-release. The band, which blended garage rock, ‘60s-style pop, surf and touches of psychedelic rock, went through personnel changes after this album. This deluxe version adds a ton of unreleased demos and rehearsal takes and even a few worthy songs that didn’t make “Drop Out.” It makes for the most complete document of the early Barracudas that’s ever likely to surface.
Bob Marley and The Wailers: “Catch A Fire” – The reggae legend/cultural icon’s classic fifth album – and first for Island Records – gets expanded to three CDs, with the original album, supplemented by extended or alternate versions of several songs and a 10-song 1973 live set.
Linkin Park: “Meteora 20 Year Anniversary” – The trend-setting rap-rock (and more) band’s blockbuster second album gets a massive 89-track expansion with lots of live material, and most notably, a 12-track “Lost Demos” disc that includes several strong unreleased tunes.
Eric Clapton: “The Definitive 24 Nights” – This reissue adds 32 tracks to the original 15-song double CD documenting Clapton’s 24-night stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1990/91. The added songs include a reworked version of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home,” solo classics like “Lay Down Sally” and “Cocaine” and Derek & the Dominos’ “Layla” (hard to believe that was omitted from the original release). It’s a major improvement on a set that captured Clapton at the top of his game.
The Black Crowes: “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” – This set adds a disc of outtakes and a concert to the band’s stirring second album. Highlights from the outtakes include the rough-and-ready ballad “Miserable,” the tangy acoustic-ish rocker “Darling of the Underground” and a swaggering cover of “99 Pounds.”
Stevie Nicks: “Complete Studio Albums & Rarities” – All eight of Fleetwood Mac’s magnetic singer’s solo albums are collected here, as are 23 rarities scattered across b-sides, tracks from soundtracks and her 1998 box set, “Enchanted.”
The Darkness: “Permission To Land Again 20th Anniversary Edition” – This hit debut album from the retro-ish rockers gets expanded to 66 tracks with a wealth of demos (including full-band versions of solid non-album songs), finished studio outtakes and live material from three concerts.
Supergrass: “Life On Other Planets” – The excellent fourth album from Supergrass gets expanded with a full disc of demos that offer interesting looks at album tracks in their early stages, a 13-song live set, and best of all, a half-dozen b-sides – some of which were UK-only releases – including the brash and hooky “Tishing In Windows (Kicking Down Doors),” the mid-tempo T. Rex-ish “Velvetine” and the bouncy piano-centered “I Told The Truth.”
#inform-video-player-3 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }