Which boxset was the biggest disappointment to you?

Sounds like a lot of disappointment with these.

 

...one's imagination.

 

Try typing with a horn honking in the background...

 

Johnny Cash - The Legend. I'm not fond of the way it's sequenced (Hits/Favourites/Traditional/Duets).

 

New Order's Retro was a huge disappointment. After the rumoured lavish singles box never materialised, what we got (many years later) was Retro. This consisted of two compilation discs of widely available tracks (basically another "greatest hits" CD and an "album cuts" CD), a live compilation and a disc of remixes, none of which were rare.

What was the point? A newcomer to an artist is unlikely to buy a box set, and existing fans would have the singles and album tracks on the first two discs anyway.

The only redeeming feature was the bonus disc. Due to fan disappointment, this disc was added to initial boxes sold in HMV stores in the UK. However, even that only had a couple of genuinely desirable tracks, in my view.

 

IMO, nothing is close to Neil Young Archives in the disappointment category. It could have been salvageable had he not released so many of the live albums individually - if you got Fillmore East, Massey Hall, Canterbury House, Cellar Door and Riverboat all at once it would have seemed almost worth it.

 

I enjoyed this release - the demos alone to me make it worthwhile.

 

not a surprising omission considering Neil compiled it and he didn't play with them at Monterey

 

Pretty much the only New Order I skipped because of this, but there are a couple tunes i'm missing. Such A Good Thing is a so-so b-side tacked on to the later World In Motion re-issue, I've been in no hurry tracking it down and the mix of Run Wild

 

The Beatles - The U.S. Albums

 

..just curious...was it the fact that they weren't of the original Capitol versions, sound-wise..? I'm only asking because I have the box and actually like it for what it is rather than dislike it for what it isn't (although if that *is* your reasoning, I can understand it).

 

The Bear Family Louis Prima 8-CD box.
I could live without 2-CDs of solo Keely Smith and 2-CDs of solo Sam Butera.

 

I really like the way this was mastered by Vic Anesini. I am fond of the Duets disc but the rest could have been assembled differently.

 

The Who's 30 Years Of Maximum R&B set. Terrible. Cross-fades, etc.

Also the expensive Springsteen The Ties That Bind box - it's only good for the DVD set, a total cash-grab, a rip-off.

 

Not a box set per se, but Prince's Crystal Ball. I pre-ordered from 1-800-NEW-FUNK, which involved dozens of hours on the phone trying to track down my missing shipment. With the song "Style" on repeat endlessly. And then when my set finally showed up, there was no cassette of "The War" and the main Crystal Ball CDs had many flaws. I won't even mention Kamasutra.

 

Led Zeppelin Mother Ship, I should have kept my worn old originals..Disappointing remaster or somthing, they got no life..kinda flat
I played a couple tracks and put it on the shelf..

 

The Who Join Together box - two CDs of live material from their 1989 tour. I saw them on this tour at Giants Stadium and enjoyed the show, but hearing it on CD stripped away all the concert excitment and left uninspired music. Also the packaging was ridiculous - two CDs packaged in an LP sized box for no particular reason, except to raise the price.

Robert Johnson Complete Recordings - I had the 2 Columbia LPs for a long time and was excited when this box was announced since the booklet was supposed to be amazing and include alternate takes not on the LPs. Plus the dapper photo in the suit that had not been public until then. Came in a thick long box, impressive packaging, lots of photos in the booklet. Then I read the booklet, not impressed. Then I listened to the CDs. Shocked at how lifeless they sounded, this amazing music drained of it's energy. Plus terrible programming of the songs with the alternate takes.

 

The four box sets I have of Mozart's symphonies by The Academy Of Ancient Music. It doesn't matter if you get them on Decca or L'oiseau-Lyre. The preformances are just lame and lifeless. I would love to get rid of them but I have a conscience and can't bring myself to inflict that on someone else. It just isn't Cricket!

 

It would be great if people could tell us why they didn't like the sets. I know some of you have but others just post a picture or the title of the boxset with no other info provided.

 

You're a pretty knowledgeable Crimson fan here. As such, you've had plenty of experience of buying the same material multiple times and having overlap. If you paid $90, then that was combination of Canadian currency or excessive markup. It went for about 2/3 that price in the US. When the live material became available, it was EZ to sell. At the time of the release, most fans considered the band to be history. So within the context of the time, there was a comprehensive overview. Compare that with now. Anytime a new Super Deluxe set is announced, for just one album priced at $110 minimum, a thread is opened and the local natives fall all over themselves.

 

I'd say this is one of the best ever. Sure beats all an artists existing released songs just in a different order

 

4 boring CD sets with CD singles reproduces the 7'' vinyls, with no extended versions in some singles, non sense release

 

I loved the CD set. I play it frequently on random. So cool ! Never noticed strange editing. Just enjoy the music everyone I play it.

 

I disagree on this too. I love this one. Sam and Keely stuff is part what the original shows were all about.

 

Daddy Cool ~ Totally Cool

in 2011 I wrote

There's a 3 CD box called Totally Cool but it's a complete mess. Both studio albums have single versions replacing the original LP versions. CD2 (The Last Drive In Show) has about 6 songs missing and CD3 (The Missing Masters) is all over the place and replaces songs on the original Missing Masters LP with horrible remixes and a medley. The packaging has to be seen to be believed (and I mean that in a bad way)