Greg's List
Because owning a boxset makes you a little more legitimate.
Who doesn't want to spend forty or fifty dollars on a CD collection? Since we all know the more you spend, the better quality you get - here's some box sets to buy. You may have to build a custom shelf out in the garage to hold all of these, but don't let that stop you. Put this stuff on your Christmas list, kiddies. There's no way your parents can say no to buying you music they're actually familiar with.
The Beach Boys - The Pet Sounds Sessions - It doesn't matter if you own one or two copies of Pet Sounds, this one is still worth it. The set contains a total of four discs. Both the stereo and mono versions are included, but the real treat is the inclusion of the A Cappella tracks. It really showcases the vocal talent of Brian Wilson. This may seem like overkill to the casual fan - and it probably is, but this collection is absolutely essential to any Pet Sounds diehard. The "Making of Pet Sounds" book has some interesting nuggets of information, most of which can also be found elsewhere. For my money, it doesn't get much better than this.
The Velvet Underground Box Set - This five disc set includes all four of The Velvet's original albums, along with a demo disc of formerly unreleased tracks. All of the other discs have live or unreleased tracks included on them (more than 30 extra tracks in all). Whether you already own all the original albums or you have just been meaning to pick them up, this set is dynamite. Unless, of course, you hate The Velvet Underground - in that case just go pick up Loaded.
Simon & Garfunkel - The Columbia Studio Recordings 1964-1970 - I don't know why; but I tend to take a lot of crap from people about really liking Simon and Garfunkel. It usually goes one of three ways. One - (young person) "My mom listens to them! They suck." Two - (middle aged person) "Paul Simon's solo stuff is much better. Art Garfunkel sucks." Three - (anyone) "They're okay, I guess." I disagree with all three of these stances (although I do like some Paul Simon solo stuff). Simon and Garfunkel created some of the greatest songs of the sixties. Bookends is as close to a must have album as it gets. Anyway, this is a solid box set. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Five albums all ranging from good to great, so fork out the thirty bucks for this one. You won't regret it.
Posted by Greg Herald on Nov 15, 2007 @ 12:00 am