Which boxset was the biggest disappointment to you?

this was an awesome boxset, because, as you said it's an easy way to get everything in one place
1) it's steely dan

2) remastering

3) several extra tracks...

4) i got it used for dirt cheap price...

later
-1

 

And the mono tracks were fold downs again.

 

Yes 1, the 12" Box, I skipped the album box based on the SQ
As I posted, these were sound quality issues I had. They were a disappointment to me.
These were all purchased on release days, well before I was on the forum. Except Lush. I'm glad modern compression has no affect on you, I'm unfortunately sensitive to it.
I don't recall placing the blame on anyone, I've come to the conclusion however these are marketed for headphone/portable device users, because they sound like crap on my big system.
No way in hell I was going to drop money on that new Erasure box, they can keep the handfull of rarities

 

I got caught up in the hoopla over Neil Young Archives Vol.1 and purchased the DVD version the day it was released. After a while I realized this was the most disappointing box set I ever purchased.
1. Way overpriced for the content you received.
2. All the content of his 4 albums should have been included. No excuse for the price he was asking for this.
3. Too much already released material included.
4. DVD Audio of Harvest should have been included with surround sound.
5. Journey From The Past Movie was terrible. I realize others might have liked it, I didn't. The soundtrack of the movie should have been included also.
6. Hidden songs and video is ridiculous. I shouldn't have to jump through hoops to find content.
7. Box is way to big for content included.
I have thankfully sold mine and recouped some of the wasted money I spent on this.

 

i remaster songs that have issues myself, or buy other versions that don't have those issues.

buying the boxsets supports the artists, if you're unhappy, obviously you would sell them, or get rid of them,
or if enough people have a problem,, hopefully, the label would reissue or fix them.

later
-1

 

Al Kooper 50/50

for 2 BIG reasons.

1, 3CD format, yet no physical release.
2. Only available as MP3 files.

Great song selection and booklet (electronic). Yet, Sony will not release physical media version.

 

Any box set that mixes stuff I already owned with unreleased material was a disappointment. Either make a product for people buying the music for the first time, or people who already have all the main albums. Those are two different audiences, and both were going to be underserved by things like Billy Joel's My Lives or Jefferson Airplane Loves You, or Aerosmith's Pandora's Box, or... <goes on ad infinitum>

 

Remastering so pitiful it gave birth to its own verb: "Norberged".

 

Because it's not a disappointment in any way.[/QUOTE]

It's a gem. But there's plenty of folks here who thought it was a travesty.

 

I don't agree. While the stereo mix are fantastic, listening to take after take without vocals, becomes almost muzak-like, especially since Brian chose the instruments he did. And the vocals-only section is missing the musical element they are leaning against, originally. I will forever appreciate the album as a whole, but splitting it into atoms was not a great idea and the musical arrangements where not different enough to serve the purpose of 'alternate' versions

 

Intended to serve its purpose (at that time) of being the CD version of The Young Person's Guide to KC but for CD format and to include 80's material. From that perspective, it was a success. Plus, it won their only Grammy award for packaging. Obviously, it's since been supplanted by The 21st Century Guide to KC. (You can get that 4-disc set for 25.99 plus S/H from DGM!) These set weren't necessarily targeted for the deeper collectors anyway.

 

The Who's Live At Leeds box set because they promised that the Hull '70 live recording was an exclusive to the box set, then they re-released Hull on it's own, making the Leeds box set totally obsolete.

 

I have the Blu-ray and like it.

 

Then who was the exclusive (at the time) live disc for? It's not like they didn't know that hardcore fans were desperate for unreleased live material. Desperate enough that they'd pay $90 or so for the whole box just to get the one disc they needed. They could just have easily used the same packaging for a 3-disc set of the previously released material and issued the live disc by itself.

 

The box set I am most disappointed in myself regarding it is... the Beach Boy's super deluxe SMiLE box set.

I was one of those people that bought all the SMiLE bootlegs and read everything I could about the sessions and made several of MY versions of SMiLE so I was super psyched for for the giganto box.

But, I've listened to it all a few times but it's' just hard to sit through a zillion versions of "Heroes and Villains" or "Good Vibrations" etc. I tend to try to organize things in a logical fashion, like cherry picking the "best" of the box set for a comp but there is too much of a good thing here, so it defies organization.

Plus, the box set is so nice I still have it in it's great outer cardboard box to keep it minty fresh, so I hate to violate it's wonderfulness by opening it up and risking damaging something.

 

That Bob Dylan 'Blood On The Tracks' box set continues to disappoint.

 

Paul McCartney - "Super Deluxe" Tug of War. A decent book, but what else? An inferior remix and an old mastering most people already owned. Throw in a very short and underwhelming bonus disk, an even shorter and more underwhelming DVD. Add five "hand numbered" photos and a plastic slipcase. All for only ¥27,000 ($250) thanks to the "Japan premium" pricing.

I agree with others that the Pet Sounds box is amazing. I realized that Brian was gifted, but never really understood until I listened to him hum and sing the various parts for the studio crew. The only thing comparable was hearing those tapes of Michael Jackson writing and arranging songs, that surfaced in his copyright lawsuits. You just have to be humble in the face of musical genius.

 

Bitches Brew Sessions. One of my favorite albums, but the box had a too-clean remix of the album with some editing mistakes, no outtakes from the actual BB sessions and two and a half CDs of some of Miles's less successful sessions following BB.

 

Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour 74. 8-disc set

This is exhaustive music wise, with a mix of stereo and rather poor mono recordings. But if you're into Gallagher, then you'll want this.

The trouble is the lazy-assed, half-assed packaging. They decoded to put it in what resembles a 10" "box", that isn't a box as much as a thick envelope. It is thin, and I've never seen one that isn't crushed. Good luck anyone who is bothered if things aren't "mint", because I'm pretty sure that in this case such a thing does not exist.

Why did they decide to go to the trouble and make a wonderful package, with a nice booklet, and then to wrap the whole thing up on a piece of paper? Mysterious.

 

Everyone else seemed to love it but I thought Faces Five Guys walk into a bar was a mess

I only had the amazing Good Boys...when they're asleep comp at the time and was pumped to buy this

I thought the sloppy live recordings and mix of studio and annoying live sloppiness didn't jive.

I've since grabbed everything Faces, but I don't recall a more disappointing box

 

At least it was cheaper than the Blu Ray...

 

The record was fine, but that and odd bits of ephemera were all that was in it.

 

Wish your spelling was examined more carefully!

Agreed. Love the album, but in the end, this was overkill.

Tracks by Bruce was a disappointment to me. I just don't listen to it.

 

Two more complaints. I bought two "box sets" (one Pauling Oliveros/David Tudor, and the Julius Eastman set) from New World Records.

Musically, no complaints. Booklets, no complaints. The hard work that obviously went into them, no complaints.

But when you advertise something as a "Box Set", I think it ought to come in an actual box. Instead, both sets arrived stuffed in Fat Jewelcases. It just isn't the same somehow. A minor quibble for great releases, I suppose; but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disapointed.

 

I'm disappointed not to have Bootleg Series, Vol. 5: The Rolling Thunder Revue. Does that count?