Mine is exactly the same colour. Bought it almost immediately afer release. The CDs are not remastered - same mastering as old Rhino CDs with silver spine. This box is the only one I've seen which has back sides of the sleeves from the CD and not from the original LP. Normally front and back covers are put in a frame. However on Chris Rea box in these series the sleeves bear full-size pictures (no frames).
Continuing on from the excellent Volume 1 I decided to check out Volume 2. Original Album Series Vol. 2 - Emmylou Harris (Warner Bros) Roses In The Snow * Evangeline * Cimarron * White Shoes * Thirteen So far I've only had a listen to the first two in this box. The sound quality is superb. The songs and music is better than I had anticipated. Good to eventually catch up on some titles I missed out on when initially issued. Apparently there are one or two CDs in this box that are not available separately, making this box all the more attractive, and even better value for money.
Original Album Series - The Monkees (Rhino) The Monkees * More Of The Monkees * Headquarters Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. * The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees This one was sitting in the clear-out section, and after reading negative reports on sound quality I had second thoughts about purchasing, but as it turns out I had no worries on that front. Thankfully I can find no grounds for complaint concerning the sound of any of the CDs in is "made in the EU" Original Album Series box. This is the only title in this series that I've come across to date that includes bonus tracks.
Evangeline and Thirteen have never been on cd before, and Cimarron had come and gone very briefly a couple of times. This is such a welcome set, indeed!
OK, I know it's a really long shot and highly unlikely, but.... Is the Fleetwood Mac Original Album Series with Then Play On, Future Games, etc new masterings by Chris Bellman, similar to the masterings for the recently released Then Play On separate release and the Rhino 4 LP box set? Has anyone actually checked directly? Thanks!
The Original Album Series 5CD set came out way before the Then Play On remaster so, the set is very unlikely to contain the remaster. I was considering the set but ended up buying the remaster and Penguin, not included in the set, another reason for not buying it.
Here's another example of a truly wonderful artist who I've always liked, but until now failed to check out any of his albums. Thank goodness I have now rectified that situation with this box, which not only includes bucket-loads of classic Curtis Mayfield recordings, but is also presented in very satisfactory sound quality. Curtis * Curtis/Live! * Roots Curtis * Superfly * Back To The World Bearing in mind the amazing Curtis / Live! was originally released on double vinyl LP we have better than usual value than usual in that we get what were 6 full LPs on 5CDs. For anyone still missing out on Curtis Mayfield this box makes for a superb introduction. I strongly recommend it! *Note - the EU version of this box has a different design and includes Sweet Exorcist in place of Superfly.
I've bought a few of these collections. They can be all 'old' masterings, 'new' ones or a mix of both. I just wish they'd include that info for each disc, why they don't is beyond me, it would only take a few minutes and a bit more print. The last one I got totally turned me off of 'blind buying' of these sets. The Alice Cooper one. HORRIBLE masterings of 3 out of 5 of the discs. I sent the package back and got a full refund. When I see 'ORIGINAL' on an item, that's what I expect. And don't tell me that just means the cover and the song order. It means THE SOUND to me !!!! Here's an example of good OLD masters ! Little Feat !!!!
Every one of these albums knocked me out so much I had no other option but to get a hold of Volume 2 as well, and am getting blown away all over again! Aretha Arrives / Aretha In Paris / Soul '69 This Girl's In Love With You Young, Gifted And Black
I held back on this one until just recently. It's another worth while purchase, especially for anyone interested in any of the titles included in the box Like all the other titles I've heard in the Rhino Original Album Series series this one is hard to beat both in value for money and musical content.
I actually just ordered both Aretha sets to the other day. I'm tempted to get the Rascals sets above. I'm not familiar with anything beyond their hits. So it's worth it?
Stating the obvious but when the Rascals were good, they were very very good. I do think the Rascals set is worth it, although I know there are some who were never that impressed with many of their recordings. I recommend you check out the - the Rascals Album by Album thread for further guidance - http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-young-rascals-rascals-album-by-album-thread.239207/ Concerning the two Aretha boxes - you just can't go wrong with 10 killer Atlantic originals from the Queen of Soul!
Thanks for the info. I'll check out the album by album thread too! How do you feel about their later albums (the ones after the ones on this set)?
As a primer,this is the 1 to get...imo. The rest can follow...many good mono and stereo versions here on this 2 cd set.
Just FYI, Barnes and Noble.com is blowing out a lot of these sets starting at just $6.99. I've seen reports in the marketplace forum that some of these sets can also be found in Barnes and Noble stores for 7.99. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?store=music&keyword=original+album+series
Very Few though at 6.99...the rest are no great shakes and up there $ but surprisingly Dr. John is a good deal...
The Rickie Lee Jones one looks good at $6.99, but the psychedelia one is a very expensive import (surely it's cheaper to import it directly from Amazon in Germany or the UK). These sets can become very addictive at such low prices.
Capitol/UMG are getting into the act: http://www.amazon.com/5-Classic-Albums-Beach-Boys/dp/B00FA1DEWA/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1397211016&sr=1-1&keywords=beach boys 5 classic albums This sounds surprisingly good. Pet Sounds is stereo. Evan
I can't believe how cheap The Electric Prunes set is being sold. Even though it doesn't have the bonus tracks, it's a great deal for what you get. I'm almost tempted to buy one myself. Can anyone comment on the sound if this set if they have it. Is there an improvement in sound for the last album Just Good Old Rock and Roll. My Collectors Choice CD has some clicks.
