Which boxset was the biggest disappointment to you?

The same as the Division Bell box set, many things for NOTHING really raritiy, like demos.

 

I have the LP version of that Join Together box set. I guess the packaging made more sense that way. 3LP set, too. I remember the Rolling Stone review, it stated the content sounded like a Who tribute band where the 3 surviving members happened to be in said tribute band.

 

The Buddy Holly box set from a few years ago. Yes 4 of the CDs were great but did people really want 2CDs of posthumous Frankenstein butchery? No.

 

Yes, makes much more sense as a 3 LP set in that box. And the Rolling Stone review was uncharacteristically accurate.

 

Jeff Beck's Beckology. It could have been so much more. Major disappointment.

 

Pink Floyd Early Years 65-72

ZERO effort put into the audio side of things.

 

Tracks, Bruce Springsteen. Lousy packaging--including a booklet with sparse (and in some cases , wrong) info, thoughtless and disorganized sequencing , the inclusion sub par material at the expense of superior, modern day re-recording --including vocals and backing vocals---that fooled nobody.

A big , and in retrospect--seeing how Springsteen and his "brain" Landau operate--predictable disappointment.

 

In The Hour Of Not Quiet Rain?

 

I liked having everything in one place. Outside the USA (especially in England) some of those tracks were actually big hits and the lesser compilations usually use the wrong versions (Peggy Sue Got Married is the prime example, the version that charted here was the one on The Buddy Holly Story vol 2 but the one on Gold and most other comps is the later overdubbed version with The Fireballs).

 

At least they included See Emily Play... Oh wait, did it was already released somewhere??

 

They originally wanted it to be 4 discs but the label made them cut it to 3 because they didn't think it would sell enough. If I remember correctly, the 4th disc was going to have songs from some of the sessions that feature him.

 

I have yet to read one in this thread that I thought was a massive disappointment. Neil Young Archives has the best digital sound of any box set, ever.

I guess I'll say the Miles Davis At Newport box that came out a couple years ago. One disc was the widely available 1958 set and it sounded weird to hear the electric stuff with the old stuff. And there's much better live electric Miles material out there.

 

That massive Sandy Denny box. Primarily because I didn't get one!!!! Grrrrr ...

 

This is a joke, right?

 

Terrible, terrible set right down to the packaging. I know there are plenty of people around these parts that love Rhino. I've had it with them. This set was a waste of money.

 

No. Adore the album as a whole. A masterpiece. But as an archival project, there is not much enough material to justify it being explored as a whole boxed set. The SMiLE Sessions was a lot better.

 

Over 60 songs were recorded during the Bad sessions, as well as very different demo versions of the album songs.

Not only did we get just 6 new tracks, but a concert sourced from a VHS tape and a live CD the was so badly mixed and abridged it was barely a Michael Jackson concert.

And a documentary that featured Justin Bieber and Ce-Lo Green.

 

Did you look at the title of the box when you bought it? It is not a Louis Prima box set. It was Louis, Keely and Sam on Capitol

 

Usually, the only thing I might be disappointed in is poorly designed packaging, not the music. Especially box sets with silly fake cardboard replicas (cardboard radio in Hank Williams, cardboard accordion in Edith Piaf, cardboard record players, etc etc

 

I have to say that the all Miles Sessions boxes I have get very little to no play (and I have almost all of them). The majority of the added/extra studio material is not well fleshed out and/or was pieced together into the final mix. I get the whole idea of putting "sessions" boxes together but...

...those original release Miles recordings are all brilliant but the Sessions boxes somehow manage to significantly detract from my overall appreciation of those recordings instead of add to it. This hasn't happened with me with any other artist and I almost feel uncomfortable even bringing it up.

 

And why?

 

One of the great boxes of all time (despite some reported production flaws) and I was kicking myself after the fact (of course) for thinking that the $425 asking price was way too expensive. They did release a followup box without all of the studio recordings for a lesser price (I think I paid $80?) but surely that one too is crazy expensive by now.

(Boxful of Treasures is a must, BTW)

 

Of course I did.
You would think of the whole group, but not solo.

Forget that set, another one dawned on me as being worse.

The 24 CD Duke Ellington Centennial Box.

Destroyed by excessive noise reduction, totally unlistenable.
If you like loud ringing artifacts from Sound Forge 7's NR module, then go for the cheese.
The flimsy little cardboard covers don't do it any justice either.

 

I hate the way all the albums in the Steely Dan CITIZEN box all run back to back from disc to disc.
...Totally annoying!!