The Inescapable Allure of the Box Set to the Harcore Aural Addict: Your Dream/Imaginary/Ideal/Improbable Box Sets

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I don't know what it is that inevitably draws me toward the box set section of a record shop--the promise of an immersive experience; the fetish of packaging; pure musical gluttony; the possibility of entering a previously unkown soudscape; the possibility of gaining from the experience and expertise of other fargone addicts; all of the above. But draw me they do. Even if I know I won't have time to delve through them in full with any speed--they're like reserve treasures, ready when I am to go on an adventure.

So I start this thread for two reasons:

Firstly, to have a general Recordingoholics Anonymouse-type discussion of the pull I imagine many of us feel toward the multi-disc sirens of desire, be they hat-box shaped, wood box-housed, metal book-bound, or plain old long-boxed; be they three disc, five disc, ten disc; be they bargain sub-sub-genre cheapo sets or lavish, three-figure extravaganzas; be they historically-, genre-, sound-, production-mode-, or artist-oriented.

And secondly, to conjur up our fantasy box-sets, the ones we find in that mythical record shop filled with only recordings we've never seen but have been seeking our whole addict-lives (I'm not the only one who has those dreams, am I, the perfect record shop?). For all I know, somebody with Rhino or Columbia or Rough Trade or whomever is reading this thread, prepared to pounce on the brilliant heretofore unmined ground the lot of us theoretically unearth.

My apologies if a thread along these lines has been done before. It's hard for me to imagine one hasn't--but "box set" or "dream box set" or other permutations are disallowed as search criteria because of the brevity of the included words.

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I'll start off with a vague, unreasonably broad concept that keeps haunting me, and that were it ever attempted would likely cause wars between the subfactions over inclusions and omissions. There are a few dozen nicely curated boxes dedicated to the processes of electronic music and sample/loop/treatment-based music. Likewise, there are good boxes focusing on "funk" in any of its permutations, or African field recordings. I don't know if there are any box sets focusing on the bass-end of music. But I'd like to see a box that attempted to trace the interplay between electronics, drums/rhythm, and bass--the lines that flow between Reich, Brown, Sly, Miles, Stockhausen, Can, King Tubby, Kraftwerk, Eno, Parliament-Funkadelic, and on into the hundreds of permutations of dance/listening electronic music, hip-hop, post-punk, and even "post-rock" (thinking the Chicago school who as self-consciously-yet-successfully as anyone blended all of this together as best they could). I'm thinking something like this would have to be in the 8-12 disc range just go cover the basic links--but I'd love to see it. Call it something like 'Drums & Wires & Tapes & Beeps'; or call it something not stupid, preferably.

Another I'd like to see: a history of recorded sound as a thing apart from live performance of music--a history of the process of discovery that began when people started figuring out ways to trap previously transitory sound and make it magically reappear at a later time in a dislocated place. I'd like to see an overview of how technology allowed, and people began to attempt, the treatment of "the recording" as a instrument itself in the experience of sound. In my dream of dreams, I see this being done with a really fantastic long-running documentary DVD on the key technology and key players, or with a really thick LP-sized book. In my mind, this book would run from the earliest cylinder recordings to the most recent 5.1 DVD-A's and touching on as many technological experiments between as possible, regardless of "genre" except in terms of how certain genres are enabled by technology.

And of course, maybe some of us will discover that our dream box-sets have been made by some Italian microlabel in a limited run of 300, that can be ours for triple digits on eBay. . .

― I.M. (I.M.), Monday, 17 April 2006 03:01 (twenty years ago)

Harcore! The Herald Angels Sing

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Monday, 17 April 2006 03:05 (twenty years ago)

Whoops. Let's pretend that was said in a thick brogue, "Har'core".

― I.M. (I.M.), Monday, 17 April 2006 03:29 (twenty years ago)

i think producer-based box sets probably appeal to me more than anything else (esp single band box sets, esp when those bands are mostly album-oriented). like an august darnell box set would be rad. but i'm not such a big box set guy, they kind of scare me off a bit.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 17 April 2006 03:37 (twenty years ago)

I would pay stupefying amounts of money for "A Good Day For Destroying Things: The Sarah 100." All 100 singles on probably 10-15 CDs with a giant booklet of lyrics and cover art and transcripts of all the little inserts. First 100 buyers get a copy of Saropoly!

Also: A box of the "Chill Out" sessions by KLF. I have heard a) that they recorded three or four different versions of the album and released the one they liked best and b) they recorded about 8 hours' worth of tape with Dr. Alex Paterson in one marathon jam session and edited it into the 45-minute version it is now. Either would be worthy of great sums of my imaginary money.

― owen moorhead (i heart daniel miller), Monday, 17 April 2006 03:43 (twenty years ago)

Jeez, I.M., why don't you just go and make a box set? ;-)

I'd pay money for a Timbaland Productions box with liner notes by either Ethan or John Darnielle complaining about how corny indie fuxx only like Timbaland and nobody else but agreeing he's great anyway.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 17 April 2006 03:57 (twenty years ago)

do corny indie fuxx still go for timbaland?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 17 April 2006 04:02 (twenty years ago)

http://www.csulb.edu/~rjames/classic/wigga.jpg

― nathan pudworth, Monday, 17 April 2006 04:11 (twenty years ago)

why pee wee herman

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 17 April 2006 04:12 (twenty years ago)

I skimmed this tread title & thought it was about Hardcore box sets. Wow, those would suck.

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Monday, 17 April 2006 04:54 (twenty years ago)

I skimmed this tread title & thought it was about Hardcore box sets. Wow, those would suck.

-- ramon fernandez (ideaoforderatkeywes...), April 17th, 2006.

Damn, my third proposal was indeed going to be a 17 disc comparative study between late 80s post-straightedge D.C. Hardcore and early 80s Northern (UK) pseudo-skinhead Oi.

― I.M. (I.M.), Monday, 17 April 2006 05:53 (twenty years ago)

ONLY 17 DISCS?!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 17 April 2006 05:58 (twenty years ago)

Mmm, Zoviet France box set. I don't even want to start fantasizing about the packaging. Or despairing about the price.

― vartman (novaheat), Monday, 17 April 2006 06:20 (twenty years ago)

Someone please do a boxset of the first 100 Rough Trade singles. I know that's probably impossible due to the way the orginal label ended with all publishing rights or recording ownership reverting to the orginal artists or snatched up by other companies. Still it needs to be done. Rough Trade were the most important 70's British indie and the most underdocumented.

Another label retrospective I'd love to see would be the first 100 Flying Nun singles and EP's. Lots of Kiwi melodic goodness there.

And while we're on labels, redo the Factory boxset. Palatine is almost perverse on what it puts in and leaves out. But what can you expect it was a Factory release after all.

― Richard Kirkbride (ibreakforsmallanimals), Monday, 17 April 2006 09:34 (twenty years ago)

Zoviet France box and first 100 Rough Trade singles box are things I would take out a second mortgage for.

others:
John Cooper Clarke box (isn't it about time?)
Opal box

― sleeve (sleeve), Monday, 17 April 2006 15:18 (twenty years ago)

Les Rallizes Denudes box set would be great -- liner notes!

Complete Sarah Singles is a great idea...

― ghost dong (Sonny A.), Monday, 17 April 2006 15:24 (twenty years ago)

53rd and 3rd singles boxset!!!!

― corey c (shock of daylight), Monday, 17 April 2006 18:27 (twenty years ago)

I dig box sets for bands that were fuckin' great but who didn't record an insane amount of work, just enough to fill a 4- to 6-CD set. Here, I'm thinking of the Zombies, and my wish list would include the Beau Brummels, whose Rhino box is great but doesn't include the entire records. Why? I dunno.

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Monday, 17 April 2006 18:52 (twenty years ago)

I'd like a neatly cherrypicked Robert Wyatt box, covering his entire career. Also, an Elvis Costello live box--not entire concerts, just individual songs. And a Dylan live box from the Never-Ending Tour, with the best performance of each song...

I would totally buy a first-100-Rough-Trade-singles box.

I'd ask for the James Brown Productions box, but um I'm sort of unofficially compiling that for myself.

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:02 (twenty years ago)

i like genre boxes like nuggets, the girl groups one & the harry smith box better than individual artist ones.

ones I'd love to hear (that probably already exist):
50's & 60's gospel
freaky psychedelic kids records
more "boot sale" glam a la velvet tinmine
asian pop
asha bhosle/rd burman/bollywood oddities
killed by death punk
70's jesus-freak rock

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:21 (twenty years ago)

complete lamonte young

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:25 (twenty years ago)

Dylan "Neverending Tour" box seconded.
I'd also still like to see a "Smile Sessions" box officially released. I think Capitol's been teasing people with that for close to 20 years now! I'm surprised they didn't put it out to capitalize on the 21st century Brian Wilson "Smile."

― Tyler W (tylerw), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:43 (twenty years ago)

How about that 6 disc Boredoms box set? : )

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Monday, 17 April 2006 20:12 (twenty years ago)

everything by gas
- on 180 gram vinyl
- in a mahogany case.

― gaseous (gaseous), Monday, 17 April 2006 20:29 (twenty years ago)

my bloody valentine boxset. :( :(

― 6335, Monday, 17 April 2006 20:49 (twenty years ago)

How about that 6 disc Boredoms box set? : )

yus

― gbx (skowly), Monday, 17 April 2006 21:45 (twenty years ago)

I want a CDR box set of every song whose lyrics are quoted on ILM's y'all ready for this? thread. I'd make one myself if I knew even half of the un-Googleable song lyrics on there.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Monday, 17 April 2006 22:03 (twenty years ago)

70's jesus-freak rock

Huh? Like Jesus Christ, Superstar? Why in God's name would you want to listen to that?

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Monday, 17 April 2006 22:06 (twenty years ago)

kreisel99 7" box set plz Wolfgang

http://www.discogs.com/label/Kreisel+99

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Monday, 17 April 2006 23:01 (twenty years ago)

yes to Kreisel!! and while we're at it, how about a Gas box?

― nerve pylon (flat_of_angles), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 00:33 (twenty years ago)

the kreisel 99 box set should be shaped like a giant spinning top! the 7"s could be stored in the widest part of the top, in a big stack.

― geeta (geeta), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 00:40 (twenty years ago)

and, how about a vinyl box of every Profan record--could be called Profan: All

― nerve pylon (flat_of_angles), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 00:51 (twenty years ago)

"Aphex Twin - Life"

every audio file on his computers / answer phone / fridge on a minidisc set...

its cost easily £1000, BUT ID STILL PAY IT ..

― Edmoon, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 20:09 (twenty years ago)

1. every recorded version of every song written by Jimmy Webb
2. every song ever that includes instructions on how to dance to it
3. A.R. Rahman's greatest hits
4. "A History of Feedback in Pop Music"
5. "A Child's Garden of Murder Ballads"

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 20:22 (twenty years ago)

Haikunym OTMx5

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 20:43 (twenty years ago)

A boxset of Rogerio Duprat productions and TV soundtracks!

― Richard Kirkbride (ibreakforsmallanimals), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:14 (twenty years ago)

even though I have most of this stuff, I would still buy a lavishly-packaged box set of everything Dego McFarlane and Marc Mac have done, in their various guises (4 Hero, Tek 9, Tom & Jerry, Nu-Era, etc.)

also:

there should be a Charles Stepney box set...

― hank (hank s), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:30 (twenty years ago)

I once on ILM proposed a complete Sign 'O' the Times box set w/outtakes, complete versions of Camille, Dream Factory, Crystal Ball, the March 1987 First Avenue show, a tricked-out DVD of the movie, at least two discs' worth of live shows from Europe, at least two discs' worth of aftershows from Europe, a gigantic color book, and The Black Album.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:36 (twenty years ago)

Boogie Fever: The Complete Billboard R&B Number One Hits 1942-2006 would be nice too. So would Boogie Oogie Oogie Fever: The Complete Billboard Dance/Disco Number One Hits 1974-2006 and Pistol Packin' Mamas and Brand New Men: The Complete Billboard Country Number One Hits 1948-2006.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:40 (twenty years ago)

6. Todo Por Tu: La Historia Completa de los Stilos Regionales de Musica Mexicana, 1900-2006
7. Every song on which Earl Palmer played drums
8. A Lengthy History of Sophisticated Japanese Pop, compiled by Konishi Yasuharu
9. Funkstrumentals What Hit the Pop Charts Innit
10. THE 30-DISC GEORGE CLINTON BOX

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:51 (twenty years ago)

"A History of Feedback in Pop Music"

Damn straight.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:58 (twenty years ago)

The complete works of Russell Crowe's band...with two lyric sheets in case one gets all dog eared and yucky from all the fingering. Go Russ go.

― dr lulu (dr lulu), Friday, 21 April 2006 01:03 (twenty years ago)

The Chic Organization, featuring everything they ever produced together.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Friday, 21 April 2006 01:04 (twenty years ago)

Lots of all-the-versions-available-of-one-song boxes possible here: "Star Dust," for example.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Friday, 21 April 2006 01:08 (twenty years ago)

Matos they did that on one disc of the A.C. Jobim set, four or five versions each of four or five songs.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 21 April 2006 01:13 (twenty years ago)

Somewhat pedestrian, I guess, but I really think the Wu deserve a box, simply because even a double-disc "greatest" collection is going to give short shrift either to some of the members, or to beloved album cuts by the Wu collectively...

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Friday, 21 April 2006 03:01 (twenty years ago)

7. Every song on which Earl Palmer played drums

I salivate at this idea -- but wouldn't it have to be like 1000 discs?

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Friday, 21 April 2006 04:33 (twenty years ago)

20 Years of Drifting in the Dark: The Complete Ween

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 21 April 2006 05:05 (twenty years ago)

> I would pay stupefying amounts of money for "A Good Day For Destroying Things: The Sarah 100." All 100 singles on probably 10-15 CDs

matt complained a couple of times about dvds on ebay containing the whole recorded output. (i did start doing it myself - about 70% of it is available on cd anyway, it's that other 30%, the third tracks on poppyheads singles, that's the tedious bit. i'll leave it to LTM...)

(there weren't 100 singles btw, 4, 14, 32, 50 and 70* were fanzines and games, 100 was a compilation. pedantic, moi?)

(*although 70 did come with a live blueboy flexi, 'cloud babies' from memory)

(i really should try and forget this stuff, free up mindspace for other things.)

― koogs (koogs), Friday, 21 April 2006 12:55 (twenty years ago)

I'd like to see a COMPLETE roundup of Cali punk 1977-1986 or so, including every worthwhile track from every tiny comp that came out within those years (I know it's been tried, but it didn't cut the mustard - probably due to licensing).

I'd like every Kate Bush LP in a box with every b-side and one-off included.

NWW, is there a box set of their more ambient stuff? well, there oughta be!

I'd like to see the early Akron stuff all tied together, with LOTS of NOTES and stuff from CLE magazine in it. WTF, throw in a DVD.

I'd like the Mott the Hoople 2-CD comp I have expanded to a 4-CD comp.

etc

― matt the queeg, Friday, 21 April 2006 18:38 (twenty years ago)

Having read an enjoyed Gary Giddins biography, I'd buy a solid Bing Crosby box set that covered his entire career and picked the highlights of both the mainstream pop and more jazz-oriented recordings.

And I'd go for a near-as-complete-as-you-can-get-it recordings from Dylan's basement tape recordings, as-is (er, as-was), NO after-the-fact overdubs.

― James, Friday, 21 April 2006 18:53 (twenty years ago)

i'm in the process now of doing the sarah thing.
the only problem is my collection is missing christine's cat, and can only find a 128k rip online, which is at odds with the hand-detailed flac rips/cover scans, etc i've been doing from the rest of my vinyl.

and now of course ebay and gemm aren't even helping with that bloody awful song. i guess i could just pretend it's not real.

my imaginary boxset wishlist is : the creation singles collection - all of the singles compiled in catalogue order onto discs, with full colour booklets with front/back covers, inserts and spindle/labels.

― rentboy (rentboy), Friday, 21 April 2006 19:00 (twenty years ago)

all those Deep Soul Treasures compilations should be collected in one fine box set, matey!

― hank (hank s), Friday, 21 April 2006 19:07 (twenty years ago)

Maybe ReR has already done it--but it'd be neat to see a box covering the territory bounded by Eno, Roxy Music, Soft Machine, This Heat, Massacre, et all--the prog-but-not-so-wanky, RiO-ish, art-with-balls.

A box called something like "The Beat" would be cool, featuring something like the 100 greatest songs to be mined in hip-hop for their breakbeats.

A 5+ disc New Orleans Funk box would be fantastic.

Seems like a very good 4-5 disc Neu Deutsche Welle box could be put together. . .

― I.M. (I.M.), Friday, 21 April 2006 22:25 (twenty years ago)

My fantasy of a "Minutemen: Complete Discography" box now includes the "We Jam Econo" DVDs.

― pixel farmer (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 22 April 2006 01:06 (twenty years ago)

I honestly don't often look at or buy box sets. I think I've found them most useful when I suddenly decide I want everything of a certain artist (Nick Drake, Style Council). Some folks have mentioned some things here, though that were they to appear in box set form I would likely be so excited as to actually purchase them despite having what's in them already (Chic, Kate Bush - although there is a singles box set of her I own). I would also like there to be a box set of the entire Factory records catalogue. God only know how many discs that would be!

Incidentally, I did actually finish the 1979 set I was working on, I.M. It's just been sitting dormant on top of my CD shelves now, and came to 8 discs. Just haven't felt in the mood to distribute it, in the end. Maybe in the summer when school is over...or maybe not. I will say that I can't claim to have found a fancy packaging scheme though, like your '81 set. Design is not my forte.

― Bimble.... (Bimble...), Saturday, 22 April 2006 01:38 (twenty years ago)

Oh yes, yes, yes, to a Cali punk or Chic Organization boxset. While we're at it how about every 12-inch on Transmat or Planet E, a compilation of orginal Bronx block party breaks curated by DJ Kool Herc, a No Wave set including everyone left off of No New York, and a Suibiya-Kei compilation curated by Momus or Cornelius.

― Richard Kirkbride (ibreakforsmallanimals), Saturday, 22 April 2006 11:02 (twenty years ago)

"Genesis live '68-'71" in my fucking dreams.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Saturday, 22 April 2006 11:54 (twenty years ago)

1981: "I Hear Music In The Streets"

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Saturday, 22 April 2006 12:37 (twenty years ago)

also I'd love to compile the ULTIMATE DEE-TROIT ROCK&ROLL BOXSET

pt1 LATE 60S

Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
Bob Seger & the Last Heard/Bob Seger System
The Rationals
The Pleasure Seekers
MC5
Amboy Dukes
SRC
The Frost
Stooges
Popcorn Blizzard (w/Meatloaf)
Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen
Third Power
The Up
Detroit w/Mitch Ryder
Savage Grace
Brownsville Station
Cactus

pt 2 late 70s

Sonic's Rendezvous Band
Destroy All Monsters
The Romantics
The Mutants
The Ramrods
The Torpedos
Flirt
Cult Heroes
Cynecide
the 27
The Seatbelts
R.U.R.
Algebra Mothers (A*MOMS)
Nikki & the Corvettes
The Sillies
The Cubes
Gang War
The Same Band

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Saturday, 22 April 2006 12:55 (twenty years ago)

also I'd love to compile the ULTIMATE DEE-TROIT ROCK&ROLL BOXSET

I was thinking city-specific comps could be really cool, covering towns with great histories that are somewhat undervalued or unknown beyond their regions.

― I.M. (I.M.), Saturday, 22 April 2006 17:27 (twenty years ago)

rentboy:
> i'm in the process now of doing the sarah thing.
> the only problem is my collection is missing christine's cat

i can help here. email me.

― koogs (koogs), Friday, 28 April 2006 10:29 (twenty years ago)

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