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Best box sets/live albums/retrospectives of the decade


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Only stuff with (mostly) unreleased stuff qualify. So the Pavement reissues don't qualify (although with all the bonus stuff, they come damn close)

 

My top ones:

 

Shrimp Boat - Something Grand (box set)

Brinsley Schwarz - Cruel To Be Kind (live at the BBC)

Jim Ford - The Sounds of Our Time

Jim Ford - Point of No Return

The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neil Hemphill, Vol. 1

 

more to come, I'm sure...

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Jim Ford - The Sounds of Our Time

Jim Ford - Point of No Return

 

Big Star - Keep an Eye on the Sky

The 13th Floor Elevators - Sign of the 3 Eyed Men

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Second the Big Star shout - loving that!

 

Also, Billy Bragg - Volume 1 & Volume 2. Slightly bending the rules because it was a re-release of all his albums (up to England, Half English and omiitting the Mermaid Avenue stuff) but...

 

...each album had a bonus disc of unreleased outtakes, demos, sessions, etc. And each box had a bonus DVD with Southbank show, live performances, etc. So, even if you take the re-released albums out of the package, you got 7 discs of unreleased stuff and a DVD in each volume!

 

Plus, I'm bias where Billy Bragg is concerned ;)

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My top ones:

 

Shrimp Boat - Something Grand (box set)

Brinsley Schwarz - Cruel To Be Kind (live at the BBC)

Jim Ford - The Sounds of Our Time

Jim Ford - Point of No Return

The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neil Hemphill, Vol. 1

 

 

Well if Shrimp Boat is in there, how about the Coctails box set and also the Tortoise Box set. Actually the Tortoise set was one of the best things they ever did. Also there is a Birmingham sound vol 2. (Do any of the Numero Group sets count, if so they are the best of the lot.)

 

Aren't the Miles sets reissues? I suppose not since they are the original sessions without being cut up.

 

LouieB

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Well if Shrimp Boat is in there, how about the Coctails box set and also the Tortoise Box set. Actually the Tortoise set was one of the best things they ever did. Also there is a Birmingham sound vol 2. (Do any of the Numero Group sets count, if so they are the best of the lot.)

 

Aren't the Miles sets reissues? I suppose not since they are the original sessions without being cut up.

 

LouieB

 

I haven't heard the Cocktails or the Tortise boxes.

Looks like I gots me some spendin' to do!

:thumbup

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I haven't heard the Cocktails or the Tortise boxes.

Looks like I gots me some spendin' to do!

:thumbup

 

I checked the Thrill Jockey site - and it is out of stock. It wasn't all that much money (compared to other box sets). It is a great set, hopefully they will produce more.

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Aren't the Miles sets reissues? I suppose not since they are the original sessions without being cut up.

 

LouieB

 

Those boxes include the original albums, plus five or six discs worth of studio sessions, so yes and no.

 

Are these other boxes that have been named made up entirely of unreleased material? I find that extremely hard to believe. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the rules of this thread.

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Well if Shrimp Boat is in there, how about the Coctails box set and also the Tortoise Box set. Actually the Tortoise set was one of the best things they ever did. Also there is a Birmingham sound vol 2. (Do any of the Numero Group sets count, if so they are the best of the lot.)

 

Aren't the Miles sets reissues? I suppose not since they are the original sessions without being cut up.

 

LouieB

 

the Tortoise box is very good (and cheap!) but it's mostly released material.

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Pogues - Just Look Them in the Eye and Say Pogue Mahone.

5 disc box set - 3/4s of which was previously unreleased.

I did not know this existed until now.

 

I've already ordered it.

 

Can't wait for it to arrive.

I've been listening to it in bits and pieces (haven't had the time to give it a dedicated listen, but hell, it's nearly six hours long), and what I've heard has been great.

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Another Side of This Life: The Lost Recordings of Gram Parsons

In The Beginning - Townes Van Zandt

Uggh....These are both new material, but Gram sounds like crap half the time and the VanZandt is middlin at best. Both for fans only as far as I am concerned (which I am of both so they are both worth having...)

Hank Williams Radio show box.

 

Really great stuff.

the Tortoise box is very good (and cheap!) but it's mostly released material.

Well some is remixes and the rest I suppose you are right, but difficult to get. Either way it is a really good one which is now out of print. Way to make a market for stuff like this.

 

Miles is a combo of the two. I love that Nels gets included in the notes to the Jack Johnson set.

 

LouieB

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Miles Davis: Complete On the Corner Sessions

Miles Davis: Complete Jack Johnson Sessions

 

Right on!!! Beautiful sounds.

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Guided by Voices - Suitcase 1, 2 and 3.

12 disc, 300 songs of mostly unreleased material. For fans only but there are some good things to hear.

 

Guided by Voices - Hardcore U.F.O's.

4 "new" discs, Forever Since Breakfast on cd, and Come Watch Me Jumpstart DVD. More for casual fans than the other box sets. There's a retrospective disc, a live favorites disc, a singles/7" disc, and an unreleased song disc. Good stuff.

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Johnny Cash's Unearthed is one of my favorite boxed sets of all entire time multiplied by infinity + 4.

 

2003 was the weirdest year for me. I was in high school when June died and remember breaking the news to the kids in physics. we all signed "RIP JUNE CARTER CASH" in everyone's year books. then Johnny died. my recent ex came home from school and brought me a Cash key chain when she heard the news. I was supposed to see him up in Virginia that summer but opted to see the Doors of the 21st Century instead. so this boxed set really helped out at a weird time.

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