2019 is in the books, and it’s time to take a look back and do a little summarising.
From a music perspective, I will primarily remember 2019 for the many and thorough archive releases that came out. I feel I have been spending most of the past 12 months digging through new boxed sets and deluxe editions. It really has been an amazing year for old gems getting their long overdue release. This no doubt takes some focus away from new releases, but that’s just how it goes. Still, there are also several classic new releases from 2019 that will be remembered for years to come. I’ll be covering several of them in the weeks to come.
For now, let’s look closer at some of the archive releases of the year. These are my top five boxed sets that were released in 2019.
1) Gentle Giant – Unburied Treasures
Easily the best career-spanning box set I have ever seen. It contains 30 discs of newly remastered material (12 studio albums, 2 posthumous albums, 15 live albums (all previously unreleased), and a Blu-ray surround audio of their 1970 debut album mixed by Steven Wilson), a 136-hardback coffee table book detailing the band’s story, a 96-page tour history book, replica booklets, posters and promotional items (too many to mention).
This box is a monster, and a shining example on how to put together a career-spanning box set with care and love.
2) The Kinks – Arthur 50th Anniversary Box Set
Arthur is not my very favourite Kinks album, but still one of their classics. This box set makes it better. In addition to remastered stereo and mono mixes, there are outtakes, home demos, in-studio rough takes, newly recorded versions (including some phenomenal doo-wop choir ones), theatrical and BBC tracks, as well as the “lost” Dave Davies album (which in fairness has been released a few times by now). A total of 81 tracks, including 5 previously unreleased and 28 unreleased versions. Even the well-known tracks are of high interest as they have never sounded better.
Also in the box: four 7’’ singles, a 68 page deluxe book with essays, new band interviews and rare images. Also, posters and photos and a Kinks metal pin badge.
I have a quibble: the box is in a completely different size/format than last year’s Village Green Preservation Society box set. I like to keep my box sets fairly organized by band and year of (original) release on my shelves, but highly different box sizes makes that harder.
3) The Beatles – Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Box Set
There was a whole release bonanza surrounding Abbey Road’s 50th anniversary. You could pick it up on LP (single, double, triple box, or picture disc), CD (single or double), or go for the Super Deluxe box set which is what I’m writing about here. It contains 40 tracks on three CDs (stereo) and one Blu-ray disc (Dolby Atmos hi-res + DTS-HD 5.1).
The main draw for me was actually not the selection of outtakes and rehearsal material (as interesting as that still is), but the totally new remix of the album itself. Yes, that’s remix, not just remaster! This is in keeping with the previous Beatles deluxe anniversary sets. The results are very interesting – hearing “new” parts that perhaps were a bit buried before really shakes up the music after so many years.
The box also contains a 100-page hardbound book with track-by-track details and session notes, info on the cover art photo shoot, and essays about the album and how it was received upon its release. It’s really quite gorgeous, with many unpublished pictures (many taken by Linda McCartney).
4) Woodstock: “Back To The Garden”
50th Anniversary boxes
Another 50th Anniversary, this one celebrating the most legendary festival of its time. Heck, maybe of all time. You can take your pick of formats and boxes for this one: the 3CD, 10CD, 38CD, or 5LP boxes and the I-IV individual LP sets.
There have been releases from the Woodstock festival several times in the past, but not ever like this, and even if you own every single previous Woodstock-related release, the new 38 CD set will have over 20 hours of “new” music that you didn’t have before.
You also get a director’s cut of the Oscar-winning documentary, a hardbound copy of Michael Lang’s book “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music” and numerous pieces of replica memorabilia (original program, posters, photo prints, guitar strap, and a recreation of an actual attendee’s diary). Something to look at while listening through the full 38 disc version, which will certainly bring your mind back to the muddy fields of Woodstock even if you were never there. And you may not come back the same person.
5) Alphaville – Forever Young Deluxe Edition box set
One of the best new wave/synth pop albums of all time got the box set treatment this year. You get the album on remastered LP and CD, a further CD with every 7’’ and 12’’ single mix and b-sides, and a further CD filled to the gills with demos and work sketches. The latter disc is particularly interesting, with some songs starting out as completely different creations than they ended up being. How about a sped-up pop version of “Forever Young” which we all know as one of the great pop ballads of the 80s?
The set also contains a 24-page booklet with essays and information, and a DVD with a feature-length documentary about the album as well as every music video.
Dishonourable mention/Most disappointing box set:
The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
To be very clear: the album itself is great – one of the Stones’ best, and a must-have for fans of music of that era. It really had deserved a more fitting 50th anniversary than this.
ABKCO (Allan Klein’s company, who holds ownership over the Rolling Stones 1960’s catalogue) still have no clue what fans really want when they buy a box set. This box set costs more than the previously mentioned Beatles and Kinks ones put together, or just a bit less than the gigantic Gentle Giant one, and what do you get? The box contains the Let It Bleed album in remastered stereo and mono twice (two LPs and two CDs), as well as a 7’’ mono single of Honky Tonk Woman. That’s it as far as music goes. There’s nothing new on offer. Not a single outtake. Not even a live track.
The presentation is spotless and it all looks really good, by all means, but it feels a bit like the emperor’s new clothes, especially given its rather high price tag. This means that the real draw of this box set ends up being the memorabilia extras. We have a 80-page hardbound book with an essay on the album and rare photos, which looks very nice, although the essay does not contain enough in terms of stories and hard facts about the making of the album. The box also has hand numbered replica-signed lithographs on archival paper (!), and a replica poster from the 1969 Decca album release which frankly looks great. They do add a lovely touch, but is this enough to consider a purchase? That’s totally up to you, and depends on how much into memorabilia and “shiny” you are.
From a musical point of view, I don’t think anyone got what they hoped for, especially if compared with other box sets and what’s becoming the norm. If they want to release an upgraded version and need more extras, give me a call. I have hours and hours of outtakes from these sessions.
Why did I even pick up the Let It Bleed box set, given everything I said? Three words: Black Friday sale. For the right price tag, this can still be a fine purchase. There is unfortunately no way that the contents can defend the ordinary retail price, and it remains extremely disappointing that this is the only 50th Anniversary box set I have ever seen without a single second of previously unreleased/”rare” music.
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