Box Sets music reviews

I am going to be hated for writing this review, but I have to voice my opinion. Who needs a Led Zeppelin box set? Most of their songs sound the same to me. They set the stage for metal music but maybe metal is overrated. All I hear in Led Zeppelin's music is loud and non-musical vocals and too many guitar solos. To me, they are one of the most overrated bands. However, I do like the song "Fool in the Rain." I think it has more emotion and rhythm than their other songs.

Led Zeppelin is played constantly on 'classic rock' radio stations. It may be that I think the whole genre of classic rock is overrated. Led Zeppelin is one of the major bands in classic rock, so maybe this leads to my not liking their music.

However, if you really like Led Zeppelin, I'm not going to stop you from buying their music. This is a huge anthology with all their hits and deep album tracks. If you're a big fan, go ahead and get it. Remember you can still have your opinion even if I have mine. You don't need to track me down and murder me in my sleep for my not liking Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin is arguably the most overrated band that I can tolerate - of course, there were other overrated ones that I can't stand (cough Eagles cough Dire Straits). But I still have somehow managed to get my hands on all of their albums. Are they all essentials? No. In my mind, all the Zeppelin albums you need are the Early Days & Latter Days compilation along with II and Houses of the Holy, plus I and Physical Graffiti aren't quite essential but still good to have around. Okay, I'll give album-by-album comments, going chronologically although the boxed set does not.
1. Led Zeppelin: 3.5 stars (out of 5). A good debut, but in desperate need of improvement. Still, it had some great songs, such as Good Times Bad Times, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, You Shook Me, Dazed & Confused and How Many More Times. But you had to suffer through Your Time is Gonna Come, Black Mountain Side, Communications Breakdown (hit or no hit I never cared much for it) and their butchered version of I Can't Quit You Baby.
2. Led Zeppelin II: 4 stars. A huge improvement over the debut, not perfect but no Zeppelin album is. Zeppelin started adding folk touches to their music, as heard on Thank You and Ramble On (incidentally, two highlights from that album). But all you headbangers out there will be satisfied by Whole Lotta Love, What Is and What Should Never Be's chorus and Heartbreaker. Only problem? Second or third-rate tunes Living Loving Maid, Moby Dick and Bring It On Home. A whopping SIX classics: Whole Lotta Love, What Is, Thank You, Heartbreaker, Ramble On and Moby Dick.
3. Led Zeppelin III: 3 stars. By now the naming scheme had worn thin, but Zeppelin changed their sound considerably, adding folk touches. But since it's a transitional effort, it's uneven, but there still are highlights: Immigrant Song, Gallows Pole, That's the Way and Celebration Day.
4. Led Zeppelin IV/ZOSO/Runes album/Untitled: 3 stars. Zeppelin's most overrated album, no denying it. Sure, it's got three indisputable classics (Rock and Roll, anthemic Stairway to Heaven and When the Levee Breaks), incidentally the three best songs on there. Still, there is some bad stuff: Black Dog has a cool stop-start riff, but the lyrics are poor even by Zeppelin's standards; folksier pieces Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks and Goin' to California (A reference to the California soft-rock scene?) all suck.
5. Houses of the Holy: 4 stars. My favorite Zep album for several reasons: they finally put out some folk-rock that was not only listenable, but excellent (the wistful Over the Hills and Far Away, arguably the best song in the Zeppelin catalouge, Dancing Days), wrote some decent lyrics (No Quarter) and as expected, contributed great hard rockers (The Song Remains the Same, The Ocean). Still some fillers (D'yer Ma'ker, the Rain Song) but it's better than anything else they ever put out.
6. Physical Graffiti: 3.5 stars. All over the map, which very well works to its advantage. Besides contaning radio songs Trampled Underfoot, Houses of the Holy and Kashmir, there are some other highlights, including several underrated songs: Ten Years Gone, Bron-Yr-Aur, Boogie with Stu and Night Flight. Still, I doubt anyone outside the Zeppelin faithful will be spinning tunes like The Rover, In the Light, Down by the Seaside, The Wanton Song or Black Country Woman anytime soon.
7. Presence: 1.5 stars. AAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!! This is one of the worst albums ever. Once you get past Achilles Last Stand, there's literally nothing good here, low points including Hots on for Nowhere and Tea For One. Plus it lacks the little quirks that made Physical Grafitti such an interesting record, it's just seven rockers. No acoustic guitars or even keyboards. If you like Zeppelin for the heavy rock, you may enjoy it. I, for one, don't.
8. In Through the Out Door: 2 stars. Slightly better than Presence, this time containing two good songs rather than one (the goofy Hot Dog and overlong Carouselambara). But it also has three embarassing hits: All of My Love, In the Evening and Fool in the Rain.
9. Coda: 3 stars. A weak odds-and-sods collection. Some good stuff, though: Traveling Riverside Blues especially, plus Hey Hey What Can I Do, Bonzo's Montreaux (or something like that), Poor Tom and Wearing and Tearing. This is the only place you can get Hey Hey What Can I Do and the boring live medley White Summer/Black Mountain Side, not counting bootlegs.
3 stars overall.

I FIND IT REALLY FUNNY THAT LED ZEPPELIN ARE BEING REVIEWED BY PEOPLE WHO LIKE LOUSY R&B AND SOUL MUSIC AND THEN PROCEED TO CALL THIS GREAT BAND OVER RATED.I WANT TO REMIND THESE REVIEWERS THAT THIS A FORUM FOR REVIEWING A HARD ROCK BAND AND NOT SOME HORRIBLE R&B BAND FROM MOTOWN RECORDS.ANYWAYS LED ZEPPELIN ARE THE GREATEST ROCK BAND THAT EVER MADE MUSIC AND I WOULD RATE EACH OF THEIR ALBUMS TILL IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR 5 STARS WITHOUT HESITATION.THIS BOX SET CONTAINS AN EXCELLENT OVERVIEW OF THEIR MUSIC.GET THIS RIGHT AWAY.

I AM QUITE FED UP OF RADIO STATIONS PLAYING LOUSY R&B AND HIP HOP MUSIC CONTINOUSLY EVERDAY.THESE RADIO STATIONS SHOULD PLAY MORE CLASSIC ROCK MUSIC.I REALLY DESPISE R&B,SOUL AND HIP HOP MUSIC AND LIKE BLUES ROCK AND CLASSIC ROCK MUSIC ONLY.
CLASSIC ROCK FOREVER.

I've always liked Stevie's songwriting and her performances. This set gives you just about everything she has done in her solo career. There's nothing deep here but the melodies are all great.

If you're an obsessive fan then you have to have this set. A casual fan will do fine with 'Timespace', a single disc of her greatest hits.

This is a great set, even for fans like me, who have most of Stevie's albums already. It's a great collection of her "greatest hits" and also some unreleased stuff I had never heard, which became instant favorites. The book is SPECTACULAR with awsome witchy pictures spaning her entire career, and a note from Stevie which was very sweet, as well as an essay about her amazing career.

Even if you are a die hard Stevie fan, I still recommend this box set, I love it.

Sarah, New York, New York

I bought this box set back when it first came out. I was in high school at the time and had to sweet talk my dad into some cash. It was worth it. I was introduced to Stevie, as most of us where, through Fleetwood Mac but it has been her solo work that has become the soundtrack to my life. I dont' take that lightly. Her songs have gotten me though days I thought would never end. I know it sounds corny but her voice has the rare ability to calm me and her words to inspire me. Few people find an artist that can truly touch there soul with there work and I feel greatful to have found Stevie. I wish that feeling for everyone. I actually am going to buy another copy of the box set as I have worn out my 3 cds. I didn't know you could wear them out!! I also suggest the soundtrack to Pratical Magic for all Stevie fans. If you purchase it simply for the Stevie songs "Crystal" and "If You Ever Did Believe" it is totally worth it. Those are 2 of my favorite Stevie songs. If you love Stevie you will love this box set and even if your just a Mac fan it's worth the buy.

www.nicksfix.com

Contrary to another review on this page, if you are a fan of The Smashing Pumpkins, you are going to love this set. Although I am quite a big Pumpkins fan, I think even non-hardcore fans will like it. Wheather you like the sorrowful splendor of Adore, the more up-beat feeling of Siamese Dream, or just the pure beauty of Mellon Collie, you're going to love this set because it has it all. There's even a bit of almost heavy metal-ness in the song 'Pastichio Medley' which is just 25 minutes of guitar riffs piled into one track. I know how bad that sounds now, but think of it like this: the riffs are like those catchy openings of songs like 'Today', 'Thirty-Three', and 'Here Is No Why', and they sound surprisingly good end-to-end.

The tracks on this set still have that famous Smashing Pumpkins feel to them; I don't find them any less enjoyable than the songs on Mellon Collie or Adore. In fact, a lot of my favorite songs are on here. There's such a great variety: there are beautiful covers songs of The Carrs and The Cure, songs featuring mainly D'arcy and James on vocals, angry songs, sad songs, happy songs....oh, I could go on and on. I have to point out that D'arcy's voice is absolutely amazing on 'Dreaming', as is James's on 'The Boy'. Listen to the samples; I think you'll like what you hear.

And then there's the cost factor. I actually bought mine here on Amazon for $40. It was not new, but was still in mint condition. Listen to the song samples, and if you like them and you can find it for a reasonable price, just go for it. Believe me, you will not regret it. This is truely a beautiful piece of art that I am very passionate about, and I hope you fall in love with it as much as I have.

Smashing Pumpkins......enough said!! NOW BUY EVERYTHING SMASHING PUMPKINS!!! you will NOT regret it!

Okay, first off, yes this is for hardcore Pumpkin fans. But then again, if you're NOT a dihard Pumpkin fan, what are you doing here?

You've heard it all before, blah blah, this is just really a compilation of B-Sides. B-sides not meaning poorly-written songs, just very quickly recorded.

So, that leaves them with a very raw, unfinished and unpolished sound. I personally love the feel you get out of it. I can imagine some people absolutely hating it.

Many people consider The Aeroplane Flies High five singles from Mellon Collie. This is sort of true... Really, averaging around six tracks per CD they're more like EP's than singles. Also, for instance, with Tonight Tonight there were two versions of the single, each with different tracks. The Aeroplane Flies High combines all the tracks together.

One person's review, I believe, complains saying that there are too many CD's and they could have easily fit them all on two cd's instead of five. Now, that's totally true, but there's something MAJOR that makes this box-set really all worth it. Each EP is true to their A-Side. For instance, with Zero all the B-sides are all hard-rock tracks, like "God" and "Mouths of Babes", with 33 you get more quiet subdued tracks like "The Last Song" and "The Bells". This means each EP sounds very well done, rather than just a jumble of tracks everywhere.

It's important to know that if you're ever going to consider buying this you REALLY need to like Billy's voice. Since these weren't given much time Billy didn't bother re-recording parts where he sounds exceptionally awefull. Of course, for me, since for whatever reason I love Billy's horrible whiney voice, it's a treat.

The biggest problem you'll have is not really deciding on whether you'll get it, or even getting the money for it, it's reall all dependant on HOW you'll get it. I reccomend either here, eBay, or Half.com. You'll HAVE to buy it used, so be careful you get all the CD's and everything's in good condition. If you're lucky, you can land a price around $40, if you're unlucky, expect around $70. So, plan around those two numbers.

On May 13, 1950 Steveland Judkins known to the world as Stevie Wonder was born. Stevie Wonder thorough his career as taken on the rolls of composer,arranger,songwriter,producer,singer,civil rights activist and all around musical genius.'At The Close Of A Century' we get to hear a retpospective of some of Wonder's best work.I remember going to and experiencing a Stevie Wonder concert about 12 years ago.As I was enjoying the show I came to realize the magnitude of his work.He went from singing Uptight(Everything's Alright) to Overjoyed covering around 25 years of trend setting music in a single show.There very few artist that have compile such a great body of work.Songs dealing with social injustice,political unrest and songs dealing with love.Stevie Wonder has done them all.From Fingertips(1963) to For Your Love(1995) and from 1995 to the present.Stevie Wonder has produce four decades of fantastic music.'At The Close Of A Century'(a four disk set) covers 40 years of Wonder's music.This album takes songs from Wonder's albums Fingertips,Talking Book,Innervisions,Fulfillingness'First Finale,Songs In The Key Of Life and a few more.Over the years Stevie Wonder has become a true entertainment phenomenon.And thorough his career Stevie Wonder has worked with some of the top people in the music world.Listening to 'At The Close Of A Century' is like going on a forty year musical journey.And the good thing is you can go on this journey without leaving your home or your favorite easy chair.But you might end up doing a little dancing along the way.

Stevie Wonder is simply the best! There have been other Stevie Greatest Hits collections, but nothing compares to this. No filler here, just hit after hit after hit. Grab the headphones, find a quiet place and just enjoy the master at work. This should be required listening to anyone under thirty years of age who is serious about wanting to know what good music is.

Superb box set - 4 discs exploding with well-chosen content, no filler, exceptional sound quality, elegant booklet thick with terrific photos and useful information, sharp packaging. In 56 years, Stevie Wonder has woven himself into the American flag, everyone has a favorite song by "Little Stevie," we feel, in a sense, that he belongs to us and we to him. Because of this, it is easy to forget that he has been a revolutionary and constantly evolving creative dynamo for decades, touching millions of listeners and influencing an untold number of musicians.

Stevie Wonder and I are almost exactly the same age, born a week apart; I've had the pleasure of being present for every step of his journey. I remember being 13, listening to a transistor radio (look it up), and hearing Fingertips Part II blaring out of an AM radio station. The energy, excitement, and pure funk were irresistible. (Turns out Marvin Gaye was playing drums on that track!) The Top 40 years as Motown's child prodigy are covered particularly well in this box set.

When Wonder turned 21, he made the smartest decision of his life, and acted with incredible courage. Barry Gordy was running a plantation at Motown, exercising his unique gift for exploitation with regal power. Like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder battled for complete independence, total creative control and ownership of all his material - Motown heresy. His first album reflecting the new relationship, Music Of My Mind, was completely groundbreaking, and Talking Book, which followed, was otherworldly and nearly perfect. (Blame It On The Sun, from Talking Book, sadly did not make the cut here.) This raises another point. Even though this compilation has been collected with tremendous care, there are still omissions. (Where is With Each Beat Of My Heart?) Wonder has been so prolific and so consistently great that even 4 discs cannot do him justice; amazing.

The disks move chronologically, walking you through the evolution of a man who embodies the concept of a "complete package." Certainly he's a gifted performer, and a wonderful singer who holds nothing back. But his ability to compose a hit song is nothing short of masterful; it seems so simple when he does it. Most significant of all, I think, is the ability to roam the emotional landscape fearlessly - inviting us inside. Wonder makes himself vulnerable in a way that is virtually unknown. He takes you as high as you can stand and swoops down low to the places that could break you in half. Most of all, Little Stevie embraces life as it is. (As a child he used to climb trees and make his mother crazy with fear.) Personally I'm fond of Ribbon In The Sky but frankly, with Stevie, you simply can't go wrong.

I received this set years ago and I love it. But, I almost never listen to it. The sound quality is HORRIBLE. I can't listen to it at all in the car, and I can only handle 6 or 10 songs at home before I've had enough. The older tracks (first cd) are the worst. I know these are old recordings, but it would have been nice if they'd been remastered. When cd's were new, (way back in the olden days of the early 80's) a lot of things were just rushed out. They were later re-released with better sound. Why not these?

I have always liked Bob's first hit single, "simmer down" it is here as is all of his most important work. This compilation take's one above and beyond casual Marley fan status. The booklet that comes with this boxed set has antecdotes and details found nowhere else. Put it on the stereo and ride along with the evolution of a Master.

Simply put this is the best collection of Bob Marley songs you can find on the planet. It is worth every dollar. The acoustic medley (which includes guava jelly, this train and stir it up to name a few) is something that every fan of Bob should hear. My other favorites are "Johnny Was" and "Zimbabwe" neither of which I have on any other albums. There are versions of songs which you probably haven't heard before. Quit reading this and click on the purchase button.

Will there ever be another Nick Drake? Many have tried - few have come close. If singer/songwriters are your cup of tea, you CANNOT go wrong. I won't waste your time duplicating what other reviewers have already stated so eloquently, except to say, in my humble opinion, this is the man who started it all. Get your hands on anything he has recorded...you will not be disappointed.

Nick Drake was one of those rare artists who had great talents, but too little time on this earth. When he died in his mid-twenties in 1974, Drake left behind only three albums of poignant folk pop. Three albums, and a demo/B-side collection -- sadly, that was all he created.

"Fruit Tree" collects all four albums together, in the order they were released: The first is his enchanting debut "Five Leaves Left," a wistful and startlingly polished first album. "Five Leaves First" is followed by the masterful, brooding "Bryter Layter," which many consider to be his best work of all.

His swan song was the beautiful, tormented "Pink Moon," which hints at Drake's inner turmoil, but not in a raw or obvious way. Coming after that was "Time of No Reply," a solid collection of non-album tracks. Admittedly, it's a bit of an anticlimax after the veiled emotion of "Pink Moon," but still extremely good.

It's a rare thing when am artist's entire discography is made up of beautiful songwriting and equally exquisite music. There is literally not a single bad song on the entire collection -- the worst songs on it can simply be said to be pretty good, but never bad. That in itself is a rarity.

Drake's music is of a nearly-uniform mood -- wistful, brooding, soft and melodic. Normally a repeating theme is a bad thing, but Drake managed to keep it always interesting. He has a few catchier songs, a few bland-ish ones, and a few hopeful ones. But the overall sound is of a young man with romantic sensibilities, who was also sad and fragile.

But despite his loneliness, Drake had immense writing ability. His songwriting has a simple eloquence, with poetic overtones. He also was a pioneer of the "folk pop" sound, mixing his finger-picking guitar style with viola, strings, piano, and other such instruments. It adds extra beauty -- and often ethereality -- to the grounded guitar.

Nick Drake left behind only a few albums, but "Fruit Tree" allows you to hear them all together. Exquisite, understated, and truly timeless.

Don't make the mistake that I did and buy one of his cds, because you will eventually need the next... and then the next. It is much cheaper to just get right to the cold hard truth: You will love this music; all of it. I wish I trusted the reviews and just bought the darn box set, but no... I had to get each album one... at...a... time... What a waste of time and money!

Nobody does it like Nick Drake. Every single song is five stars, in my book. Buy it.

I bought this box set way back in the day when it was a new release. I must say I really enjoyed it. This was the last good thing this band ever put out. I've since sold this boxset along with everything else Metallica related that I owned. Once they started suing their fans and putting out below par horses*** I quickly became a nonfan. Lars is a dousche as is Hetfield.

Sometimes only Metallica will do, and this is their best. Every great song, played to the hilt live in Mexico City on the CD's and a two DVD set recorded here in the States. When you need something and only Metallica will do, and when you need it as hard as it comes, this is the album for you. I love this box set. I'm on my second one. I let the first one get scratched up in the car, and I discovered I couldn't live without it. If you love Metallica, you'll feel the same way. Enjoy.

this is so awesome. great concerts. great everything. but you people are stupid to pay 89 bucks for it. i got the whole set for $2 at a garage sale. and everythings perfect.

The Police, founded in 1977 by drummer Stewart Copeland, was a rock band like no other. Though much of their early work is clearly punk rock-inspired, the band is most popular due to a style of music which they invented: reggae rock. From the release of their first single in 1977 to their official disbandment in 1986, The Police garnered legions of fans, thanks to their creativity and unique style and sound. Sting led the band with his prominent bass lines, vocals which fluctuated from furious to calm and dreamy, and intelligent lyrics. Andy Summers' atmospheric guitar work was always flawless; as was Stewart Copeland's fast, inventive and often unpredictable drumming. To me, one of the greatest parts of the band is that each member seemed equal. Though Sting is obviously the most famous of the bunch, he seems equal with the other members of the band when you listen to their music. All in all, The Police were most definitely a force to be reckoned with.

MESSAGE IN A BOX: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS collects every studio recording The Police ever made, as well as some live recordings. It consists of 78 tracks spread over four discs. Along with the songs found on the band's albums, MESSAGE IN A BOX also contains rare B-sides as well as compositions from the BRIMSTONE & TREACLE soundtrack. To top it all off, there's a huge booklet filled with all sorts of juicy info about the band, including interviews and a Police timeline. Also, every song in the set has been digitally remastered. It's an offer no Police fan can refuse.

Disc one opens with three songs previously unavailable on CD. Two of these, "Fall Out" and "Nothing Achieving", are from the band's first single; the third is "Dead End Job". These are very different from the group's later work, as they're all punk rock bits, made blatantly clear by Henri Padovani's loud guitar (Padovani played the guitar part for the band's first two songs), Sting's fast singing, and Stewart Copeland's high-speed drumming. Though I enjoy "Nothing Achieving" - primarily for Pavodani's guitar work - I am especially fond of "Fall Out". The tune is catchy, and each of the band members is doing great. I'd go so far as to rank this among the band's best recordings.

From there, we move on to the songs from OUTLANDOS D'AMOUR, the first album of The Police. The quality of the songs is good, but they sound a little tinny, possibly due to the low-quality of the recording tools available to the band at the time. OUTLANDOS D'AMOUR stands apart from the later Police recordings. Half of the album is the sort of reggae-rock which the band would later produce; the other half is made up of punk rock songs. It's an underrated album, in my opinion. Though it's famous for featuring such greats as "So Lonely", "Roxanne", and "Can't Stand Losing You", the album has other impressive songs as well: "Next to You", the opening piece; "Hole in My Life"; and "Truth Hits Everybody". OUTLANDOS D'AMOUR didn't do so well upon its release, due in part to a bad rap from the BBC and a few critics. However, when "Roxanne" was re-released as a single in 1979, the album became a hit.

After the OUTLANDOS songs, we're treated to two less-than-spectacular live recordings of "Landlord" and "Next to You". I've never been very impressed by the live work of The Police. The songs sound too raw and fast-paced to me. After these we get another rarity, "Landlord", which is notable for the awesome guitar part beginning at 0:05 and ending at 0:14. Then we get the first half of REGGATTA DE BLANC.

REGGATTA DE BLANC, the second album of The Police, was the first indication of what the group was really capable of. It's an excellent album which is far better than their debut. It includes some of the band's finest work, such as "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon", as well as some lesser-known songs like "Bring on the Night", "The Bed's Too Big Without You" and "No Time This Time". There's also Stewart Copeland's quirky composition "On Any Other Day". Here we have the one flaw of MESSAGE IN A BOX. Due to the limit in running time for each CD, REGGATTA DE BLANC is split in half. The first half, which begins with "Message in a Bottle" and ends with "Deathwish", closes off the first disc; the second half, beginning with "Walking on the Moon" and ending with "No Time This Time", opens the second disc.

Disc two is possibly the best disc of the set. As soon as REGGATTA DE BLANC ends, we get "Visions of the Night", a B-side with abnormally furious vocals by Sting. This is succeeded by an interesting mono version of "The Bed's Too Big Without You", which may even be superior to the album version. Next is a live recording of "Truth Hits Everybody". Then we have "Friends", another rare song and a particularly bizarre one. It's about a cannibal, eerily voiced by Andy Summers. One you've endured that song, ZENYATTA MONDATTA begins.

ZENYATTA MONDATTA is possibly the group's greatest album. It's definitely their most balanced. It opens with the classic "Don't Stand So Close to Me", an outstanding song with outstanding lyrics by Sting; it's possibly the band's best song. "Driven to Tears", another excellent song, follows. There's hardly a moments pause between that song and the great "When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Around". "Canary in a Coalmine" is as close to a traditional reggae song as the band ever recorded. The next two songs, the repetitive "Voices in My Head" and "Bombs Away", are not amongst the band's finest work; "De Do Do Do, De Da Da", however, is. Andy Summers' guitar sounds especially beautiful in that song, while it sounds harsh and dry in the indstrumental "Behind My Camel". "Man in a Suitcase" is a short, fun song of which I'm rather fond, partially because of Sting's tongue-in-cheek lyrics. "Shadows in the Rain" is inferior to the re-recording which appeared on Sting's debut solo album. ZENYATTA MONDATTA, and the second disc, end with "The Other Way of Stopping".

Disc three opens with the rare "A Sermon", a nice little song followed by a high-voltage live version of "Driven to Tears". This is followed by the rare "Shambelle", which is my personal favorite of the band's instrumental pieces. Sting's bass meshes especially well with Andy Summers' guitar in that song. After that, GHOST IN THE MACHINE begins. It was here that the band really perfected their reggae rock; it's also the group's political album. Most of the songs here seem rather dark and grim to me, but they're also quite good. Especially notable on this album is the frequent use of saxophones, which really enhances the songs. The great opener "Spirits in the Material World" is followed by one of The Police's all-time greats and classics, "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", a sweet little romantic song that just sounds beautiful. This is in sharp contrast to "Invisible Sun", which sounds cold and industrial, but which also ranks among the group's best songs. "Hungry For You (J'Aurais Toujours Faim de Toi)" is sung almost entirely in French, and it's a great song. "Demolition Man" was later remade by Sting and used in the Sylvester Stallone film of the same title. The saxophones are especially prominent on "Too Much Information", which is followed by the catchy "Rehumanize Yourself" and the sax-heavy "One World (Not Three)". "Omegaman", written by Andy Summers, is an excellent song which I consider to be one of the group's best. "Secret Journey" is a cool and mysterious song. The last song of the album, "Darkness", has a nice piano part and has an oddly claustrophobic feel to it.

The four rarities which follow are interesting, but only one is really good. The first is the dull instrumental "Flexible Strategies", made up for by "Low Life". Then we've two songs from the BRIMSTONE & TREACLE soundtrack: "How Stupid Mr. Bates" and the rather disturbing "A Kind of Loving". On that rather poor note, we close the third disc.

The fourth disc is excellent, and possibly the best of the bunch. It contains SYNCHRONICITY, the final album of The Police. It was a major hit upon its release and is widely regarded as a classic. Not without reason - most of the songs are flawless, and Sting's lyrics have never been better or more visually-stimulative. The album opens with the memorable keyboard opening on "Synchronicity I". "Walking in Your Footsteps" is a departure from the usual style of The Police, but "O My God" is classic Police. It's hard to endure Andy Summers' shouting in "Mother", but the lyrics make it worth a try. Stewart Copeland wrote the nice, calm "Miss Gradenko". Everything which follows that is pure gold. "Synchronicity II" is one of the band's best songs, an energetic piece entirely different from "Synchronicity I". This is followed by the band's all-time biggest hit, the almost-legendary "Every Breath You Take". Needless to say, this is one of the group's best. "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" are both among the band's very greatest songs, featuring outstanding lyrics by Sting, particularly on the latter. "Tea in the Sahara", is a beautiful, dreamy song with a perfect vocal by Sting and some of Sting's finest lyrics ever; undoubtedly, this is one of the band's best. SYNCHRONICITY closes with "Murder by Numbers", another tongue-in-cheek composition which stirred up some controversy when it was released. And there ended the final album of The Police. MESSAGE IN A BOX, however, has more to offer.

There's a nice live recording of "Man in a Suitcase". Andy Summers gets the lead vocal part on the mega-rare "Someone to Talk To", which is definitely one of my favorite Police songs and very likely one of the group's best songs. The live recording of "Message in a Bottle" which follows is good, but unremarkable. "I Burn for You", originally featured on the BRIMSTONE & TREACLE soundtrack, is a beautiful, atmospheric song which also deserves a spot with the group's best work. "Once Upon a Daydream" is an interesting, eerie, and quite good rarity, succeeded by a nice live recording of "Tea in the Sahara". Finally, the career of The Police - and the last disc of MESSAGE IN A BOX - concludes with the infamous "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86", a revamp of the group's original hit which was the final song recorded by The Police. I like this song, though it has a more mainstream sound than the other compositions of the group. It goes without saying that it's far inferior to the original.

MESSAGE IN A BOX: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS is absolutely essential for any fan of The Police. It collects every one of the group's five albums and features a variety of highly intriguing rarities, as well as some interesting live recordings. It makes especially apparent the fact that The Police were not just one of the greatest bands of the 80's - they were very likely one of the greatest bands of all time. No Police fan can go without purchasing this, and I'd highly recommend it to everyone else as well.

Message In a Box is a 4 disc, 78 track anthology of all the Police's recorded studio work and a handful of live songs. Its title is a bit deceiving because it's not in a "box" at all; rather, it is a book or gatefold-style set. Also found in the gatefold is an attached booklet of color photos, a history of the band's career, a complete discography (with photos of all their releases) and, most interestingly, the stories behind the band's "B-Sides and other Obscure Releases," as told by Sting, Stewart and Andy.

The songs are more or less in sequence of release or their order on each respective Police album. Because of the volume of songs, the ordering's not perfect. The Regatta De Blanc album straddles discs one and two. It's a minor complaint - if a complaint at all - and is offset by all the cool added material.

The highlight of the set is really all the "B-sides and other obscure releases". A few of those are better than tracks that found their way onto albums. A true Police fan will want this set just for those songs. If you like the Police enough to buy all their stuff, you're better off buying this set instead of their 5 studio albums separately. It'll save you a few bucks.

The sound quality is good; there are certainly no glaring quality issues. As for the music, it's incredible! The Police are one of the best bands ever and are truly underappreciated. Their blend of reggae, ska, punk, rock and new wave sounds was quite astounding, even during the creative surge in pop music in the late 70's, early 80's.

I have hundreds of CD's but Message in a Box is, without question, in my top 10.

It's got EVERYTHING!! A MUST for every Police fan!
Plus, It's got REALLY nice photo's, a short bio for each band member, as well as an informative, chronological bio on the evolution of the band between the years: 1976- 1986.
A very nice compact set worth buying.

I only wish that I could give this CD set the ten stars it deserves. Initially, one might flinch at the price, but it is well worth it. Bruce delivers each song with heartfelt urgency--you feel the energy as if you're actually there in the crowd, and the dialogue between songs is fantastic. (Try not to cry at the story he tells about his relationship with his father on the lead-in to "The River.")

The best part about this set is the fact that almost every version of each song is superior to the original studio recording, probably due to Bruce's obvious passion which comes through each note he sings. Some of my favorites include "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," which is so much better than the studio version that I could hardly believe the difference, "I'm on Fire," which Bruce sings in such a way that one practically blushes, and "Thunder Road," a gorgeous, tender solo piano rendering of the classic hit. Besides those is a great cover of Tom Waits's "Jersey Girl," as well as the Patti Smith song "Because the Night"--a far, FAR better cover than the 10000 Maniacs version from a decade or so ago.

Just a quick note: I'm a little surprised that another reviewer seemed to feel that most of these songs are "Born in the U.S.A." True, a large number of the selections are from that fantastic album, but I feel that they did a good job taking songs from all of Bruce's albums that had been released up to this point in time.

Even if you already own most or all of the music from this set in the form of the original recordings, definitely invest your money in this way. I'll wager that you'll spend more time listening to the cuts from this album than the originals.

Great song. I love Patti Smith's version but this one's even better. That song alone is worth however much you pay for this album. Plus you get other rare gems (and great Bruce songs) such as Fire, Seeds and Paradise by the "C" (great title!), not to mention killer versions of Bruce classics such as Rosalita, Born to Run, Thunder Road, Badlands, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Independence Day, etc. Whether you're a completist or a huge fan of The Boss (I fall in the latter camp), you really should pick this up.

Is this the best live CD? I don't know, but sure is one of the best. Absolutely not to be missed.

"Cover Me" - live in Los Angeles, is one of the best live tracks I have ever heard.

I only wish that I could give this CD set the ten stars it deserves. Initially, one might flinch at the price, but it is well worth it. Bruce delivers each song with heartfelt urgency--you feel the energy as if you're actually there in the crowd, and the dialogue between songs is fantastic. (Try not to cry at the story he tells about his relationship with his father on the lead-in to "The River.")

The best part about this set is the fact that almost every version of each song is superior to the original studio recording, probably due to Bruce's obvious passion which comes through each note he sings. Some of my favorites include "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," which is so much better than the studio version that I could hardly believe the difference, "I'm on Fire," which Bruce sings in such a way that one practically blushes, and "Thunder Road," a gorgeous, tender solo piano rendering of the classic hit. Besides those is a great cover of Tom Waits's "Jersey Girl," as well as the Patti Smith song "Because the Night"--a far, FAR better cover than the 10000 Maniacs version from a decade or so ago.

Just a quick note: I'm a little surprised that another reviewer seemed to feel that most of these songs are "Born in the U.S.A." True, a large number of the selections are from that fantastic album, but I feel that they did a good job taking songs from all of Bruce's albums that had been released up to this point in time.

Even if you already own most or all of the music from this set in the form of the original recordings, definitely invest your money in this way. I'll wager that you'll spend more time listening to the cuts from this album than the originals.

Great song. I love Patti Smith's version but this one's even better. That song alone is worth however much you pay for this album. Plus you get other rare gems (and great Bruce songs) such as Fire, Seeds and Paradise by the "C" (great title!), not to mention killer versions of Bruce classics such as Rosalita, Born to Run, Thunder Road, Badlands, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Independence Day, etc. Whether you're a completist or a huge fan of The Boss (I fall in the latter camp), you really should pick this up.

Is this the best live CD? I don't know, but sure is one of the best. Absolutely not to be missed.

"Cover Me" - live in Los Angeles, is one of the best live tracks I have ever heard.