Really, that is because you got only one copy. Think of your great grandchildren, and how much they will enjoy this set. You don't want any fighting over the Tony box at your funeral.
@jtsjc1, @paulmock, and others buying this set now, be sure to heed this early post (#198) in the thread:
Alright Paul! A good deal is too good sometimes. My local B&N hasn't had this in stock in a long time. I guess they're shipping them back to stores to sell at this discounted price. At one time there was a blog with the missing tracks someone had put up. This thread is long so I don't remember where I saw it does anyone have the link?
Search this thread for posts by @scoredaddy with the word “missing”. Blog link: Missing Bennett You may also find this web page useful, although I haven’t updated it in years: Tony Bennett: The Complete Collection
We had a really fun time going album by album and commenting as you "discovered" Tony when you bought this set. I think I am going to go thru it once again when/if I decide to play the whole damn thing just for kicks. as usual, you did GREAT work on this, @Bob F. Many thanks from the groupies.
I picked this set up just about a year ago and it was on sale then. If they really want to get rid of them, they should put the discount on their online store, they’d probably go fast. But, people getting a surprise deal is cool too. Most of my local B&N stores are showing it in stock.
I'm waiting till tomorrow to start listening. I do have a number of Tony's albums but more than half this box I don't. As with all my FS boxes I start from the first disc and go to the last. Like FS the duets will get a listen and that's that. I've heard a couple that are ok but I'm more into Tony's "Capitol" period of the '60s. To me its his best music although I'm looking forward to hearing some of his good as Paul says "2nd career" material. Btw thank God this came out before the Lady Gaga duets that saves me from going through that. Nice to see she respected him for his music but there were some bad moments for Tony there.
As the first 8 discs are "rarities and singles", I seriously suggest that instead you start with Disc 9, his first LP masterpiece. The singles, in many cases, do not best represent Tony's artistry. Many are good, of course, but many still do not represent what Tony himself wanted to create. Putting all CD1-CD8 first before the "albums" also does not follow any chronology, as you would be putting all of his later 45s before his earlier LPs
This is where my CD changer comes in hand. Fill it up with 6 discs and push "random". It takes the boredom out of chronological listening!
A good number of Tony's earlier LPs were concept albums specifically planned by Tony to have a cohesive unity yet be very different from the previous (or next) concept album. Randomizing 6 of his different albums kills Tony's conceptions for the albums designed for a listening session. I would not call them boring when listened to as a whole.
That is quite true. But sometimes playing stuff randomly makes me pay attention to the individual song. I do that every so often with Mr. S's concept albums and it sheds a whole different light on how he approached individual songs within the concept. Not knowing exactly what song is next can be an exciting listening experience. I don't do it a lot, but sometimes in the case of a behemoth box set I like doing it. Apples to oranges....
One thing is I miss jewel cases and the books with liner notes. I have many cardboard sleeves and these are nice but nothing was better than a nice booklet with pics and liner notes. Like my UK FS Capitol set. Of course this would be 3ft long and 25 lbs with jewel cases. It is a fairly compact box though considering it has 70+ cds.
The Japanese style cardboard sleeves, called mini-LP's, are so much better. A little bigger, more rugged, and always including excellent CD protection and care. They also often include fold-out inserts that can almost re-create LP sized printing. I could never understand why American companies stubbornly continued to provide low quality packaging, when the Japanese-style was only a bit more expensive, yet created big-time customer loyalty and popularity. The deluxe sets certainly deserved the Japanese-style storage design.
THANK YOU for posting this almost 12 years ago. I now have a copy of this sitting in the top of the box along with the "band" that went around the box.
I managed to score a sealed copy of Listen Easy for $5! Amazed I even found it. I always liked this album and leaving "If I Could Go Back" off the box set is questionable to say the least. Some these omitted tracks really mystify me. Did Tony really think the song is that bad? Did he or whoever compiled the set realize this doesn't reflect Tony's "complete" album output. One thing I have to say is I'm glad they left plenty of room for added cds in the box. Bennett And Brubeck fit in there real nice.
Wow, I can not believe well more than a decade has passed since I purchased that beloved box set. A lot has happened in that time, Tony himself succumbing to the ravages of time. I first noticed 5 or 6 years ago that he had stopped telling stories between songs at his concerts, and it made me wonder then if he was struggling. I was not surprised when his issues were publicly acknowledged, and I'm sure other TB fans were similarly aware of what appeared to be going on. On a personal note, during that same time span, my wife of 4 decades developed dementia as a complication of her Type 1 diabetes, and she died 3 years ago. I saw my last Tony Bennett show in 2018 without her while she was hospitalized, which was a very bittersweet concert experience for me. The two of us seeing Tony in concert had become a must-see experience every time he went out on the road to places like Boston, Montreal and my former home up in Burlington, Vermont. I have since moved to eastern Tennessee, and remarried. My new bride also endured the loss of her husband, so we each have approached our time together as a "live for the moment" kind of thing. Thus, we saw Paul McCartney in the front row in May...went to the World Series in Atlanta last October...saw Mick Jagger from the 4th row in Atlanta last November. We even went to London for a 60th anniversary concert/meet and greet/honeymoon with her British Invasion idols The Hollies last month. And only yesterday, I remarked to her how sad I was that I was never going to be able to take her to see Tony Bennett in concert, that he was by far my favorite performer ever. FWIW, I have a couple hundred highly collectable box sets, (i.e., at least 60 Mosaic jazz/big band boxes, just to back up my point), and this Tony box is perhaps my very favorite set of all. That said, I have found that it is physically very fragile. The flip top box cover is especially problematical, and despite me babying and minimally handling this box, it is worrisome to me to see its condition. I am tempted to purchase another box if indeed they are being liquidated this inexpensively. I don't really need a second copy, but heaven help me if I ever lose the rare CD enclosed in it, "With Love", and the exquisite rendition of Johnny Mercer's "Harlem Butterfly". It is something of the soundtrack of my life running in my head. I may need to run over to the local B&N tomorrow... Apologies to all for rambling in this way. Tony Bennett and his music are something special to me, and to everyone here who has followed this thread.
A bittersweet yet lovely post. We are here for you. Thanks for the advice on the box and it's fragility.♥️
And now some 10 years later (or so) a whole new bunch of TB fans can enjoy the absolutely TASTY fruits of your hard labor to bring all of this overlooked music from the TB catalog to life once again. @scoredaddy , you are indeed a legend in the preservation of the beloved Tony Bennett catalog. Rest assured you shall always be fondly remembered for it. With deep respect and affection Paul
