JOHNNY CASH; "The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958" (Time/Life) ****
In three years, a young singer from Kingsland, Ark., became one of the hottest country-music stars of his time. J.R. Cash, renamed Johnny by Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, showed up for his first recording session with a rag-tag band and found a niche with his "boom-chicka-boom" style. This three-CD set traces the beginnings of Cash's nearly 50-year career. "Wide Open Road," "Cry, Cry, Cry," "Trail to Mexico," "Folsom Prison Blues" and, of course, "I Walk the Line" are here, remastered and pristine. "Next in Line," "Wreck of the Old 97," "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" and undubbed versions of "Sugartime" and "Born to Lose" are more Cash hits compiled in this definitive early-recordings package. The set is complete with a rare-photo-laced, 40-page booklet written by producers Mike Jason and Colin Escott. — Scott Iwasaki
JOHNNY CASH; "The Legend" (Columbia/Legacy) ****
Columbia Records, the home of Johnny Cash after he left Sun Records in 1958, has released this four-CD set (with some Sun recordings). "I Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire" are here, as is "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Man in Black." This set also features Cash's takes on previously unreleased traditional folk tunes, such as "Down in the Valley" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad." The fourth disc features Cash's collaborations: "Keep on the Sunny Side" (with the Carter Family) and "Highwayman" (with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and the late Waylon Jennings). U2 plays with Cash on "The Wanderer." His son John Carter is on "Who's Gene Autry?" and his daughter Roseanne Cash joins in for "September When It Comes." — S.I. (Also available is the single-CD hits package "Legend," which features songs included in the box sets, as well as more recent works, including Cash's remake of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt.")
CHICAGO; "At Carnegie Hall, Volumes I, II, III and IV" (Rhino) ***
Back in 1971, Chicago played the now-demolished Salt Palace Arena on July 17, the same tour the band played at Carnegie Hall. Those who were at the Salt Lake show know that the Carnegie Hall album was a four-album set with three posters and a 20-page photo album. While the posters have been downsized to fit a CD box, the photo album has been expanded to a 36-page booklet that features the original liner notes and a new essay by Chicago historian Don Heckman. The music has been expanded as well: Three discs feature the original album tracks from "In the Country," "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon," "25 or 6 to 4" and "I'm a Man." The fourth CD is a bonus disc with the full and previously unreleased version of "An Hour in the Shower" suite and "South California Purples." — S.I.
DONOVAN; "The Journey of Donovan" (Sony) *** 1/2
Starting with the single version of "Catch the Wind" and winding up with a 2004 remake of "Happiness Runs," this collection of classic Donovan tunes runs the gamut for fans of the ultimate flower-child folk singer. Still, the three-disc set remains a sampler, and one could complain about some of the songs left out. On the other hand, those songs can be found elsewhere. This collection is actually for superfans, with unreleased tracks, an engrossing book that includes lots of photos, and — here's the clincher — a bonus DVD of Donovan's never-released 1970 film "There Is an Ocean," a 40-minute film made during a trip to Greece, which includes live performance footage. — Chris Hicks
TOMMY DORSEY; "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing: Centennial Collection" (Bluebird/Legacy) ****
The fabulous big-band leader/trombonist gets his due with this excellent three-disc collection, which includes an insightful booklet and an overview of Dorsey's career from his being a sideman in the early '30s through swing stardom in the '40s, and winds up with his band performing "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956 — backing Elvis Presley! There are studio and radio and concert tracks, and such guests as Duke Ellington, and vocalists Bing Crosby, Mildred Bailey, Connie Boswell and, of course, Frank Sinatra. Great material, though many of his best-known hits are missing (but readily available elsewhere). — C.H.
EAGLES; "Eagles Box Set" (WSM) ****
This little black box has all the Eagles' Elektra/Asylum albums: "The Eagles," "Desperado," "On the Border," "One of These Nights," "Hotel California," "The Long Run" and "Eagles Live." They are meticulously remastered and repackaged in smaller versions of the original album covers and sleeves. Replica posters and a special extended-play CD of "Please Come Home for Christmas" and "Funky New Year" are also here. From the early days with Bernie Leadon to the later years with Timothy B. Schmit, the Eagles — featuring Don Henley and Glenn Frey, along with Randy Meisner, Don Felder and Joe Walsh — broke ground on Southern California's country-rock sound. — S.I.
FLEETWOOD MAC; "Men of the World: The Early Years" (Sanctuary) ***
Forget Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. When Fleetwood Mac started, it was a blues band named after drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie. This three-CD compilation reaches back into the band's leaner years, which began in 1968. Jams include "My Baby's Sweeter," "Long Grey Mare," "Leaving Town Blues," along with studio versions of "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)" and the original version of "Black Magic Woman," which was later made famous by Santana. — S.I.
GRATEFUL DEAD; "Fillmore West 1969" (Rhino) *** 1/2
The Grateful Dead has miles and miles of live recordings that ensure album releases well into this century. "FiIlmore West 1969" is actually culled from the four nights of music that eventually were edited down to create the Dead's landmark live album "Live/Dead." This three-CD set is packaged as a booklet, loaded with pictures and an essay from longtime Dead publicist/historian Dennis McNally. "Dupree's Diamond Blues," "Mountains of the Moon," "Dark Star'" and "St. Stephen" are included in an extended jam that also focuses on "The Eleven" and "Death Don't Have no Mercy." The third disc zeroes in on "Drums/Jam" before letting up for "Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)," and ends with the a cappella "We Bid You Goodnight." — S.I.
BILLY JOEL; "My Lives" (Columbia) *** 1/2
The working-class career of piano man Billy Joel has been compressed into four CDs and one DVD in this box set. The music documents his early days in the bands the Lost Souls, The Hassles and Attila. The box also features demo recordings of "Only a Man" and "Piano Man," to name a couple. Alternate versions of "Only the Good Die Young," "The River of Dreams" and live versions of the Isley Brothers "Shout," "I Go to Extremes" and "You May Be Right," which he sings with Elton John, demonstrate Joel's development after he started playing nightclubs and bars. The DVD was shot during Joel's 1994 European tour and features "No Man's Land," "Pressure," "Ballad of Billy the Kid," the Beatles' "Hard Day's Night" and an emotional "Goodnight Saigon," just to name a few. — S.I.
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS; "Soul Revolutionaries: the Early Jamaican Albums 1970-71" (Trojan/Sanctuary) ****
If Toots & the Maytals were the forefathers of reggae and ska, then Bob Marley is the poster child. This four-CD box set features Marley and the Wailers' three albums before they were signed to Island Records. "Soul Rebels," "Soul Revolution" and the alternate-take album "Soul Revolution Part 2" are here, as well as "The Best of the Wailers." Remastered and repackaged in original album art, the box set gives a glimpse of Marley's genius, before he hit worldwide cult status. — S.I.
CHARLIE POOLE; "You Ain't Talking to Me: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music" (Columbia/Legacy) ****
Eighty years ago, a banjoist named Charlie Poole and his group — fiddler Posey Rorer and guitarist Norman Woodlief— laid down the tracks to "I'm the Man That Rode the Mule 'Round the World," marking one of his first recorded songs. Columbia held onto those records and remastered Poole's tunes for this three-CD box set. The box also contains other songs from Uncle Dave Macon (a remake of "I'm the Man . . . "), Arthur Collins ("Moving Day"), Frank Jenkins ("Home Sweet Home"), the Highlanders ("Flop Eared Mule") and the Floyd County Ramblers ("Sunny Tennessee"). The lo-fi recordings, made 30 years before an unknown Johnny Cash stepped into Sun Studios, contain a bit of innocence, and bring to mind a nation four years away from the stock-market crash that started the Great Depression. An audiophile's dream. — S.I.
THE RAMONES; "Weird Tales of the Ramones" (Sire/Rhino) ****
As it turns out, they found a way to make irresistible this multi-disc compilation of the Queens-based punk-rock act's work — irresistible to both newcomers and longtime fans. Not is there a generous selection of songs — the three CDs feature 85 hits and rarities — but there is also a "Lifestyles of the Ramones and More!" DVD with 18 music videos and interview material. But the capper is the inclusion of "Weird Tales of the Ramones," a graphic novel with stories about and tributes to the group, by such acclaimed independent comics artists as Bill Griffith, Jim Woodring and Sergio Aragones. — Jeff Vice
TOOTS & THE MAYTALS; "Roots Reggae," (Trojan/Sanctuary) ***
The only complaint about this six-CD box set is that it's missing Toots & the Maytals' first album "Never Grow Old." That disc was left out due to contractual reasons. Still, the rest of this set includes all of Toots' early Jamaican releases — "The Sensational Maytals," "Sweet & Dandy," "Monkey Man," "Greatest Hits," "Slatyam Stoot" and "Roots Reggae" — all remastered and repackaged in original art-laden CD covers. A comprehensive liner-note sheet guides the listener through the albums of one of reggae's pioneering music-makers. — S.I.
THE TRAGICALLY HIP; "Hipeponymous" (Universal) ***
The late 1980s saw a shift from the Los Angeles hair-metal bands to the more down-to-earth punk sound of such independents as Nirvana and Alice in Chains (before those bands signed to major labels). One integral group was the Canadian band The Tragically Hip, which hit the scene in 1987. Although it was picked up by a major label, the low-key band didn't shoot to superstardom. Instead, it created a loyal following through albums releases and constant touring. This two-CD/two-DVD box set chronicles the band's career. Fan favorites include "Grace, Too," "Vaccination Scar" and "Twist My Arm," and there's a new song, "No Threat." The live DVD spotlights "Nautical Disaster," "My Music at Work" and "Gus: the Polar Bear From Central Park." The other DVD includes music videos "Last American Exit," "New Orleans Is Sinking," "Poets" and the Christopher Mills documentary "Macroscopic." — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "A Quiet Revolution: 30 Years of Windham Hill" (Windham Hill/Legacy) ****
Three decades ago, the new-age style hadn't been labeled. Guitarist Will Ackerman began distributing his vinyl albums under the Windham Hill label, which he formed. Windham Hill ushered in the sound and introduced the world to pianists George Winston, Jim Brickman and Liz Story, the late guitarist Michael Hedges and such groups as Shadowfax and Nightnoise. Other artists the label helped promote include pianist Tim Story and guitarist W.G. "Snuffy" Walden, just to name a few. This four-CD box set features the aforementioned artists along with Tuck & Patti, Patty Larkin, John Gorka, Keola Beamer and Janis Ian. This is the ultimate chill box. — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Children of Nuggets" (Rhino) ***
When the original "Nuggets: Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968" was released in 1998, it was an iconic collection of rare songs from bands who may not have had the best sound in the scene. "Nuggets II" in 2001 focused on the British side of otherwise non-commercial garage music. Those boxes spawned this new collection, yet another four-CD musical collage. However this one focuses on the stylish post-punk tunes that include underground, psychedelic pomp and pop that may have missed the mainstream. The Fleshtones' "The Girl from Baltimore," the Creeps' "Down at the Nightclub," the Salvation Army's "She Turns to Flowers" and the Hoodoo Gurus' "I Want You Back" are fine specimens of experimental tunes of the 1980s. A booklet contains commentary by the E Street's Little Steven Van Zandt and Bucketful of Brains magazine founder/editor Nigel Cross. — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Doo Wop: Vocal Group Greats" (Shout Factory) ***
The three CDs in this 1950s and '60s doo-wop collection feature swinging harmonies, slow-dancing romantic works and rich arrangements. The Cardinals' "Come Back My Love," the Six Teens' "A Casual Look," Jessie Belvin's "Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams)" and the Heartbeats' "Down on My Knees," among others, grace the first disc. Disc two features the Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly to Me" and Billy Ward and His Dominoes' "Deep Purple," just to name a few. On disc three: Dion's "Love Came to Me," the Belmonts' "Come on Little Angel," the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the Drifters' "This Magic Moment" and the Miracles' "You've Really Got a Hold on Me." — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Just Say Sire: The Sire Records Story" (Sire/Rhino) ****
In 1976, Seymour Stein, founder of the fledgling label Sire Records, signed a distribution deal with Warner Bros. To celebrate the nearly 30 years, Sire and Rhino have released a box set of three CDs and one DVD. It was Stein who renamed punk rock, calling it new wave, to get his artists played. And it was Stein who introduced suburbian America to the island pump of Madness' ska ("One Step Beyond"), the rap of Ice-T ("O.G. Original Gangster") and the Americana of k.d. lang ("Constant Craving"). The Ramones ("Blitzkrieg Bop"), the English Beat ("Mirror in the Bathroom"), the Cure ("The Love Cats"), Wilco ("Summer Teeth"), Ministry ("Jesus Build My Hotrod") and Madonna ("Everybody") are also included in this set. The DVD is a history lesson in MTV, with M's "Pop Music," Erasure's "A Little Respect," the Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket," the Barenaked Ladies' "One Week." — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds" (Rhino) ****
This clever, striped, hat-box contains 120 tracks from a load of '50s and '60s-era girl groups. The nice thing about the songs is that they are not the main hit singles from these groups but "overlooked" tunes that may or may not have charted. "The Chiffons' "Nobody Knows What's Goin' On (in My Mind But Me)," Little Eva's "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby," Dee Dee Warwick's "You're No Good," Lesley Gore's "What Am I Gonna Do with You" are just a sample of the four CDs, along with The Pin-Ups "Dream Baby," Connie Francis' "Don't Ever Leave Me" and Petula Clark's "Heart." — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Progressions: 100 Years of Jazz Guitar" (Columbia/Legacy) ****
Trying to cram a century of music history into four CDs is a difficult feat, but Columbia has done it. Add a 148-page booklet with photos and interviews, and you have everything you need for a nice intro to jazz guitars. Included are Vess Ossman's "St. Louis Tickle," Sam Moore's "Chain Gang Blues," Casey Bill Weldon's "Guitar Swing," Charlie Christian and the Benny Goodman Orchestra's "Solo Flight," George Benson's "Clockwise," Pat Metheny's "Bright Size Life," Carlos Santana's "Europa" and Mike Stern's "Fat Time." A one-of-a-kind box set. — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "The Motown Box" (Shout Factory) ***
At first glance, the only group missing from these early works is the Jackson 5. But on closer observation, the songs only groove from 1960-67. The J5 made its debut in 1970. This four-CD set focuses on Motown Records' heyday. The Miracles "Shop Around," Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike," the Tempations' "Get Ready," Gladys Knight & the Pips' "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" are included in their original mix remaster. There are new stereo remixes of Knight's "Steppin' Closer to Your Heart," the Marvelettes' "Forever," Stevie Wonder's "Purple Raindrops," Gaye's "Pretty Little Baby" and the Andante's "(Like a) Nightmare." Maybe another Motown box set could include everyone through the Commodores and Boyz II Men. — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "The '60s Rock Experience" (Shout Factory) ***
A three-CD box set that features the Byrds ("Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Mr. Tambourine Man"), the Mamas & the Papas ("California Dreamin' "), the Kinks ("You Really Got Me"), Sonny & Cher ("The Beat Goes On" and "I Got You Babe") and the Grateful Dead ("Casey Jones") tries to show a cross-section of the 1960s music scene. It actually works. While there is no Doors, Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix, there is Strawberry Alarm Clock ("Incense and Peppermints"), the Turtles ("Happy Together") and the Five Man Electrical Band ("Signs"). While someof these bands may border on one-hit wonders, the music flashes the listener back to a decade full of change. — S.I.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Whatever: The '90s Pop & Culture Box" (Rhino) ***
Taking a cue from the previous " '80s Pop Culture Box," Rhino has collected 130 songs from the 1990s and divided them onto seven CDs. The result is a massive array of metal, grunge, folk-rock, alternative, techno, rhythm & blues, rockabilly, rap and punk. Pantera's "Walk" can be heard with Salt 'n' Pepa's "Whatta Man." "Dee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart" and Michael Penn's "No Myth" can be heard alongside Belly's "Gepetto," and the Flaming Lips' "She Don't Use Jelly." Nearly forgotten singles such as 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up" and the Muff's "Eye to Eye" are here with more popular works such as Cardigans' "Lovefool" and the Reverend Horton Heat's "The Devil's Chasing Me." One danger of putting all these different styles together is inconsistency, but the discs actually flow well. Add the 88-page rundown booklet and the package of unground coffee beans and you get the '90s in a nutshell. — S.I.
HANK WILLIAMS; "Turn Back the Years: the Essential Hank Williams Collection" (Mercury) ****
Before Elvis Presley there was Hank Williams, the singer/songwriter who was the first to combine country and blues. His most important remastered songs are here in this three-CD package. The interesting aspect is that these CDs are theme-driven. All of Williams' honky-tonk flavored tunes are on Disc 1, under the title "Honky Tonkin'." Disc 2 is called "Cold, Cold Heart" and features "Lovesick Blues," "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "I'm So Lonesome I could Die." Disc 3 is "I Saw the Light," with Williams' spirituals, such as "I Saw the Light" and "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul." The box set also features Williams' Luke the Drifter singles "Beyond the Sunset," "I've Been Down that road Before" and "Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals." — S.I.
YES; "The Word Is Live" (Elektra/Rhino) ***
This three-CD live box set isn't just highlights from a single tour; it's composed of highlights from an illustrious career by one of the world's leading and most enduring progressive-rock bands. There are 26 tracks recorded on tours from 1970 through 1988. Consequently, most of the different line-ups of the band are represented — vocalist Jon Anderson; keyboardists Tony Kaye, Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz and Geoff Downes; guitarists Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin, drummers Bill Bruford and Alan White, and lone bassist Chris Squire are heard on the various tracks. The only Yes member not here is guitarist Billy Sherwood, who appeared on the more recent Yes studio albums. The songs are timeless classics: "Astral Traveller," "Yours Is No Disgrace," "I've Seen All Good People," "America," "Siberian Khatru," "Rhythm of Love," "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "The Big Medley" that features "Time and a Word," "Long Distance Runaround," "Survival," "The Fish," "Perpetual Change." — S.I.