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Give the gift of music this holiday season

Posted: December 23, 2011 - 12:02am
 
By ALAN SCULLEY
FOR GO!

Music always makes a great holiday gift, and this year, the record industry worked hard to put together a wide selection of box sets and other collections to please fans of just about any style of music. Here are some excellent options:

Elvis Presley, “Young Man With The Big Beat.” (RCA/Legacy) — These five CDs document Presley in 1956 — the year he became a full-blown phenomenon, selling 10 million singles, 3 million EPs and 800,000 albums. It’s anchored by Presley’s first two CDs — “Elvis Presley” and “Elvis” — but also includes songs recorded in 1956, but not released on album until later (including “Hound Dog” and “Heartbreak Hotel”), a disc of outtakes, performances from three 1956 concerts, and audio interviews. This is the sound of rock ’n’ roll being revolutionized.

Rating: Four and a half stars.

Ray Charles: “Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles” (Concord) — Charles started out on Atlantic Records, but his career didn’t really take off until he left Atlantic for a lucrative deal with ABC Records.

This five-CD set compiles Charles singles for ABC from 1960-1973. So it has hits like “Georgia On My Mind,” “Hit The Road, Jack” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” But what this set really demonstrates is the consistent quality of Charles’ work through this period

Rating: Four and a half stars

Howlin’ Wolf: “Smokestack Lightning/Complete Chess Masters (1951 to 1960) (Hip-O Select) — This 97-song set features several classic songs that established Wolf as a towering figure in blues (“Spoonful, “ “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” and “Moanin’ At Midnight”). There are also are plenty of alternate takes of songs and superior album tracks, making this a great document of Wolf’s first decade. Now let’s see a box like this covering Wolf’s post-1960 work.

Rating: Four and a half stars

Various Artists: “The Best Of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum Live” (Time Life) — Over the past quarter century, the all-star performances at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame ceremonies have been nothing short of historic. And 51 such performances from a who’s who of music royalty are featured in this highly entertaining three-CD set.

Rating: Four stars

Johnny Cash: “From Memphis To Hollywood: Bootleg, Vol. III” (Columbia/Legacy) — This two-CD set collects 53 mostly unreleased live performances from 10 shows that span 1956 through 1979. Of special note is a 1970 White House concert with a gospel slant. Many of Cash’s famous songs are included in the shows, but what “Live Around The World” really Illustrates is Cash’s range and growth as a live performer.

Rating: Three and a half stars

Etta James: “Heart & Soul: A Retrospective” (Hip-O Select) — Aretha Franklin may be the “Queen of Soul,” but James is a close second. Spanning 1955-2008, this four-CD set covers everything from the lush balladry of “At Last” to the rough and tumble sounds of “Pay Back” and “Tell Mama,” Few artists — female or male — can match James’ command of R&B and soul in its various varieties.

Rating: Four and a half stars

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Winterland” (Experience Hendrix/Legacy) — A year after these 1968 shows Hendrix disbanded his group, the Experience. But the trio of Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell is in fine form on this four-CD live set, as they take tracks like “Foxey Lady,” “Purple Haze” and especially “Are You Experienced?” to fresh and adventurous new places.

Rating: Four stars

Miles Davis: “Miles Davis Quintet Live In Europe 1967” (Columbia Legacy) — This three CD/one DVD set features unreleased performances by what many consider Davis’ greatest band, (Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums). Fans will love comparing multiple versions of songs like “Footprints,” “Round Midnight” and “Mesquelero,” while enjoying the classic Miles Davis Quintet in prime form.

Rating: Three and a half stars

The Temptations: “50th Anniversary Collection 1961-1971” (Hip-O Select)/The Supremes: “50th Anniversary Collection 1961-1969 (Hip-O Select) — These two three-disc collections are the first releases to include every A and B side released by these two legendary vocal groups. The hits from each group are here, but so are lots of intriguing lesser-known songs. And one can literally hear both the Temptations and Supremes develop their signature sounds as the sets move from early singles to prime material.

Ratings: Temptations: Four stars; Supremes: Four stars

Various Artists: “Live From The Old Town School Of Folk Music’ (Old Town School Recordings) — More than 50 years of live performances from this famous Chicago venue’s two locations are included on four CDs. The caliber of artists represented in this package says a lot about the talent that has passed through the Old Town School doors — Pete Seeger, Odetta, Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco), Taj Mahal, Donovan, Dave Von Ronk, Robbie Fulks — the list goes on. This is simply a treasure trove for fans of folk music – and its related forms.

Rating: Four stars

Pink Floyd: “Discovery Box” and other releases (EMI) — This was a great year for Pink Floyd fans. The “Discovery Box” collects remastered versions of all 14 of the group’s studio CDs. Even more exciting for hard-core fans are reissues of three key albums — “Dark Side Of The Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” and “The Wall” — in expanded “Experience” sets and massive multi-disc “Immersion” packages filled with outtakes, concert recordings and more.

Ratings: Four stars

Nirvana, “Nevermind” (Universal Music Enterprises) — A two-disc reissue features the original groundbreaking album plus unreleased early recordings and rehearsals of “Nevermind” songs and outtakes from the recording sessions. For those who want more, a “Super Deluxe” edition also includes a previously unreleased concert recording from Halloween 1991 and producer Butch Vig’s previously unreleased mixes of “Nevermind.” The sets provide a fitting in-depth look at a CD whose reverberations are still being felt today.

Rating: Four stars

Beach Boys: “The Smile Sessions” (Capitol/EMI) — Planned as the follow-up to the classic 1966 Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” CD, “Smile,” remains pop music’s most famous unfinished album. Wilson eventually re-created what “Smile” was supposed to be on a 2004 CD. Now “The Smile Sessions” collects the actual Beach Boys recordings that were intended for “Smile.” Available as a two-CD set or as an outtakes-filled box set, “The Smile Sessions” includes the closest thing to the original “Smile” that we’ll hear. It’s understandably a bit disjointed, but there are many moments of brilliance in these tracks — as well as the outtakes in the box set. It’s clear Wilson had the makings of a whimsical masterpiece in “Smile,” and it’s fascinating to hear Wilson as he tries to realize his vision for the album.

Rating: Three and a half stars

Rolling Stones: “Some Girls” (Universal Republic) — Along with the original 1978 “Some Girls” album, this two-disc reissue also has a dozen unreleased bonus tracks from the period. They include some genuinely worthy songs, like the swaggering rocker “So Young,” the slinky blues of “Keep Up Blues,” the frisky country-fied track, “Do You Think I Really Care,” and a rollicking cover of “Tallahassee Lassie.” These tracks make the “Some Girls” reissue an essential addition to any serious Stones fan’s collection.

Rating: Four and a half stars

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