The physical product may be dying a slow death in music, but there will always a market for Special Edition box sets and the always-enticing supplemental goodies that accompany them. With all the back-catalog collections flooding the market these days, much like Greatest Hits packages it's hard to know what's worth picking up and what's simply a repackaged cash grab by the label. To settle the debate, we sifted through the musical madness and compiled the nine Best Box Sets of 2009, in case the music geek in your life still hasn't been crossed off the gift list.
The Beatles: Stereo Box Set
Not to be confused with the Mono Box Set, The Beatles Stereo Box Set contains all 13 legendary studio albums plus a completely remastered Past Masters disc, packaged in three panel digi-paks. It also includes a DVD of 13 mini documentaries on the band, which would be absolutely ludicrous... if it weren't the Beatles we were talking about. The DVD features narration from all four Beatles as well as producer George Martin discussing each of the individual albums. There are sound excerpts from various songs, accompanied by still photos, clips of television appearances, footage from inside recording sessions, film footage from their final photo session and material from the five Beatles films A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be. No true Beatles maniac can live without it.
AC/DC: Backtracks
Leave it to AC/DC to put out one of the coolest, most creative box sets in the history of music. What other set do you know of that comes inside a working guitar amp? Three CD's, two DVD's, one LP, a 164-page hardcover book and various other goodies span the entirety of AC/DC's career in dazzling fashion.
Limited to 50,000 pieces, the deluxe collector's edition of Backtracks includes a CD of studio rarities, two CDs of live rarities, the legendary "Live at the Circus Krone" DVD and a 12" long-playing album, struck in 180 gram vinyl, of rare studio tracks. Also included is "Family Jewels Disc 3," a DVD showcasing the group's music videos, live performances, and promotional clips from 1992-2009. That doesn't even begin to describe the fan-frenzy condiments, including original tour posters, buttons, lithographs and more.
Death Row - The Ultimate Death Row Box Set
With the release of the “Ultimate Death Row Collection,” a collaboration of platinum selling hits from the legendary roster of Death Row artists, rap legends Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Dr. Dre join 50-Cent and Alicia Keys on an expansive set that covers a cornerstone period in the history of music.
The three-disc set features 60 tracks from Death Row artists packaged with a DVD of videos, unreleased footage and a limited addition Death Row T-Shirt. The box set boasts 20 unreleased tracks from Snoop Dogg, Danny Boy, Kurupt, Dogg Pound, OFTB, The Lady of Rage, Crooked I and more. Above the archival collection of classics, this box set is a reminder that more hip-hop could benefit from some box-set special-release treatment.
