This wasn’t a plentiful year for CD and DVD box sets — the kind of releases that make special holiday gifts for music fans. But there weren’t many misses in this year’s crop of releases, either. Here are the best of the bunch to my ears and eyes.
Box Sets
Bruce Springsteen: “The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story” (Columbia): This three CD-three DVD set is getting a lot of attention for its two discs of unreleased songs from the sessions that produced 1978’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town” — perhaps the pivotal album in Springsteen’s career.
The outtakes are a highlight, but there’s much more to this set, most notably a DVD of a complete three-hour 1978 concert from Houston.
The Springsteen experience is not complete without seeing him live, and this was the tour that established Springsteen and the E Street Band as rock’s best live act. Rounded out by a great documentary about the struggles to create the “Darkness” album, and another DVD of rehearsals and live performances, there’s never been a better deluxe reissue of a single album than this.
Rating: 5 stars
Jimi Hendrix: “West Coast Seattle Boy” (Experience Hendrix/Legacy): Considering the wealth of unreleased material that has been issued since Hendrix’s death in 1970, it’s surprising that enough was left to fill this box set. The compilers of this set were, in fact, beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel of unreleased material. But it’s fun to study the differences in these versions of familiar songs and to try to divine what shape unfinished songs in this set might have taken had Hendrix lived beyond 1970.
Rating: 3 stars
John Mellencamp: “On the Rural Route 7609” (Mercury/Island/UME): Far from being a best-of set, what emerges here is a thematically illuminating portrait of an artist who grew from a brash-yet-generic young rocker into one of rock’s most compelling songwriters. This artist has plenty of insights into the human condition and life in America during the past 30 years.
Rating: 4 stars
Wilson Pickett: “Funky Midnight Mover: The Atlantic Studio Recordings (1962-1978)” (Rhino Handmade/Atlantic): It’s about time this soul great got a box set, and this one does it right. The hits are here, and so are plenty of overlooked album tracks and a disc of unreleased material that is — for the most part — surprisingly worthy.
Rating: 4 stars
Oasis: “Time Flies … 1994-2009” (Big Brother Recordings/Sony): Now that Oasis has apparently called it quits, “Time Flies … 1994-2009” puts a suitable cap on the British band’s career. Two discs include all of the group’s hit singles, while a third disc captures the band’s last concert, a July 29, 2009, show in London that was energetic enough, if a bit polished. A DVD of Oasis’ videos rounds out this solid set.
Rating: 4 stars
DVDs
Various Artists: “The Best of Soul Train” (Time/Life): Three DVDs from this enduring show (taken mostly from 1972 through 1979) present a who’s who of soul and R&B. Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Barry White, The O’Jays, The Commodores, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone — they’re all here and in prime form.
Rating: 4 stars
Various Artists: “The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts” (Time/Life): History and some amazing performances came together during these two anniversary concerts. The 51 performances on this two-DVD set include Jeff Beck unleashing a wicked guitar solo while sitting in with Stevie Wonder on “Superstition,” Metallica adding crunch to Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane,” U2 backing Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith on a fevered version of “Because The Night,” and the list goes on. It’s clear the 25th Anniversary concerts will be a tough act to follow when year 50 rolls around.
Rating: 4 stars
Michael Jackson: “Michael Jackson’s Vision” (Epic/Legacy): Beyond his music itself, perhaps Jackson’s most lasting impact will be in taking the music video to a whole new level of creativity and technical sophistication. “Michael Jackson’s Vision” collects all 33 of his videos, including the game-changing “Thriller” mini-movie, to form a lasting document of Jackson’s ambition and creativity. It’s also highly entertaining.
Rating: 4 stars
Various Artists: “Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010” (Rhino/Reprise): This two-DVD set captures more than four hours of guitar greats’ on-stage collaborations from a day-long gathering. The music covers blues, rock, country and jazz. And while it closes with Eric Clapton, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan joining B.B. King on “The Thrill Is Gone,” the thrills actually happen over and over with this terrific DVD.
Rating: 4 stars
Various Artists: “T.A.M.I. Show” (Shout Factory): Never before available on DVD, the famed film of this 1964 concert featured many of the era’s most popular rock ’n’ soul acts. From Chuck Berry to the Supremes and the Beach Boys, it all builds to the famous knock-out performance from James Brown that overshadowed the closing act by a young and rocking Rolling Stones.
Rating: 5 stars
