Decisions, Decisions

Still Scrambling For Holiday Gift Ideas? Here Are 15 Box Sets And DVD Suggestions That May Ease Your Mind

originally published December 19, 2007

Box Sets

Art Rosenbaum

The Art of Field Recording, Vol. 1

The Athens archivist delves into his mother lode of traditional American music. This first volume is a four-disc set replete with essay, illustrations and photographs, and CDs divided into blues, sacred, instrumental and dance, and a final mishmash disc.

Emmylou Harris

Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems

Most of Harris' most familiar songs were compiled on the 1996 box set, Portraits, so Songbird digs into more obscure album tracks (as well as unreleased tunes) and proves to be just as essential and enjoyable.

The Stanley Brothers

The Definitive Collection (1947–1966)

This three-CD set is an overdue summation of the mountain soul sound of Carter and Ralph Stanley, who along with Bill Monroe stand as the chief architects of bluegrass.

Merle Haggard

Legends of American Music: The Original Outlaw

Sixty songs strong, The Original Outlaw includes virtually all of Hag's hits. These prime cuts show that Haggard's hard-scrabble version of country music remains one of the genre's most distinctive sounds.

Various Artists

The Brit Box: UK Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems Of The Last Millennium

This four-CD set would have been more focused and complete had it concentrated only on 1984–1992, when shoegazer bands and their ilk (the Cure, the Stone Roses, Echo & the Bunnymen, etc.) flourished. Still, there's no arguing with the quality of the music here.

Genesis

1976–1982

1983–1998

Here's all the Genesis one could want from the band's Phil Collins era. These two sets include all nine studio CDs, each with a bonus DVD that includes a new interview about the making of its respective album (and on some of the DVDs, full concert performances).

Ike & Tina Turner

The Ike & Tina Turner Story - 1960–1975

Though not as rich in studio cuts as one might wish, this three-CD set shows that, in bridging the worlds of soul, blues and rock and roll, Tina and the recently departed Ike Turner made some of the most timeless music of their era.

Frank Sinatra

A Voice In Time: 1939–1952

A fair chunk of A Voice In Time has appeared on other box sets, but this collection nicely sums up Sinatra's early career for newcomers.

Various Artists

Love Is The Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965–1970

This four-CD set features songs from many familiar and long-forgotten Bay area Summer of Love acts: The Charlatans, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe & the Fish, as well as smaller and more obscure names like The Count Five and Kak.

Various Artists

Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra Records: 1963–1973

Five CDs provide an in-depth look at the rise of one of the most eclectic and adventurous record labels ever, featuring tracks from Judy Collins, Love, The Stooges, Carly Simon, WIND CHIMES, The Beefeaters and more. It's a trimmed-down version of last year's $200 whopper.

Various Artists

Vee-Jay: The Definitive Collection

This four-CD set mines the catalog of Vee-Jay Records, a label that thrived from the mid 1950s through the 1960s, with a strong roster that spanned blues, R&B, soul, gospel, jazz and pop.

DVDs

Various Artists

The Best Of The Johnny Cash TV Show

Over its brief three-year run, Cash's variety show played host to Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Derek & the Dominos, Ray Charles and a who's who of country music royalty. The performances are interspersed with interviews that give perspective to a DVD that's as historic as it is entertaining.

Bob Dylan

The Other Side Of The Mirror - Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival, 1963–1965

Director Murray Lerner presents Dylan's three Newport appearances with few frills. The result is a pure and objective look at Dylan during a period when he moved beyond his protest singer roots, transformed his sound (going electric at the 1965 festival) - and changed the face of folk and rock and roll in the process.

Nirvana

Unplugged in New York

The MTV show found a CD release in 1994 (Nirvana's best-selling album), but it's taken this long for the unedited performance to hit video. There's new footage that was trimmed from the broadcast, a Dolby and 5.1 surround sound mix, rehearsal footage and a 14-minute interview segment with those involved in the event. Plus, there's that killer Leadbelly heart-ripper "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"

Eric Clapton/ Various Artists

Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007

Two DVDs is hardly enough to contain all the worthy performances from the second edition of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival. But it has many of the highlights from this fantastic star-studded day of blues, rock and guitar mastery.

Alan Sculley