On Vinyl: Boxed Sets You Can’t Miss
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In addition to all the great single-album vinyl offerings at Barnes & Noble, there are a lot of great vinyl boxed sets to add to your collections. Boxed sets are a great value, in that they compile whole chunks of an artist’s career, as well as rare tracks and B-sides that are hard to find elsewhere. They usually include exclusive extras, too, such as bonus CDs or LPs, photo albums, posters and artwork, and other goodies. Check out these fully loaded boxed sets from Third Man Records, David Bowie, Motörhead, and more!
{{ product: 0813547021588 }}Third Man Box Set, by Jack White
Jack White’s record label, Third Man Records, has released some pretty great music since its founding in 2001, and this boxed set of 7-inch records continues that trend. Featuring double-sided records by Jack White, PUJOL, Michael Kiwanuka, the Alabama Shakes, rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis, and hilarious non-musician Conan O’Brien, this box set is an eclectic sampling of Third Man’s catalog and general aesthetic. The music here is what you’d expect from White’s label—basic, catchy, radio-friendly rock music with just enough grit to be interesting, but not off-putting—and Conan’s contribution is an improvised retelling of Frankenstein titled “And They Call Me Mad?”, with an interview by Jack White on the B-side.
Beneath The Skin, by Of Monsters and Men
Icelandic indie-folk band Of Monsters and Men are known for upbeat songs, shout-a-long choruses, and lyrics that reference animals, but Beneath The Skin is something of a departure from that. This album has a darker atmosphere with a more somber tone, and the compositions here are more expansive and cinematic. Overall, the band’s sound is maturing in a noticeable and powerful way, as evidenced by the gorgeous “Hunger,” and the opening track, “Crystals,” shows that they can still have fun, too. Best of all, this album is a Barnes & Noble exclusive boxed set that includes two 12” LPs of the album, a 10” LP of bonus tracks, handwritten lyric prints, randomly selected photos of the band taken during the recording process, and a fold-out poster.
Five Years 1969-1973, by David Bowie
David Bowie’s long, storied career as a pop musician is notable for his innovation in the recording studio, the intellectual ambition of his music, and the evolution of his public image from androgynous space alien to effortlessly cool rock ‘n roll statesman. To celebrate his many achievements, he is releasing a series of boxed sets collecting his recorded output thus far, and the first one is set to drop this September. Five Years is a whopping 10-album set, with six original studio albums and two live performances, as well as a two-disc compilation of non-album singles and B-sides. The set also includes an unreleased single edit of “All The Madmen” and the original version of “Holy Holy,” both of which are nearly impossible to find outside of this set.
Bad Magic, by Motörhead
Motörhead is not just an incredible rock ‘n roll band, they are a testament to human durability. Their singer/bassist Lemmy is pushing 70 and stricken with diabetes and heart problems from years of living on the road, and yet he’s still writing albums and touring. Needless to say, his gravelly voice sounds even more weathered on his band’s 22nd studio album, but that’s actually perfect for Motörhead’s loud, intense, uncompromising brand of heavy metal-infused rock. Every track here is a winner, especially their cover of “Sympathy for the Devil,” which was basically written about Lemmy before anyone knew who he was. The deluxe boxed set version of this album includes the LP itself, a CD, and a poster, plus back and sleeve patches.
Complete Columbia Album Collection, by Simon & Garfunkel
A lot of bands can claim to be the heart or soul of the 1960s folk movement, but only one group can say they were the intellect: Simon & Garfunkel. Their combination of intelligent, highly-articulate lyrics (composed primarily by Simon) and clear, scalpel-sharp vocal melodies (driven by Garfunkel) made them one of the most popular and revered folk duos of all time. The Complete Columbia Album Collection compiles Simon & Garfunkel’s first five studio albums (Wednesday Morning 3 AM; Sounds of Silence; Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme; Bookends; and Bridge Over Troubled Water) and their 1972 greatest hits album. Picking out favorite tracks from such an impressive collection would be impossible, but most of their songs, like “America” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” mean as much in 2015 as they did when they were originally written.
Box Set, by Burning Witch
Vinyl junkies outside the stoner/doom metal community may not be familiar with Burning Witch, but they occupy an interesting space in their subgenre. Slower and heavier than many of their contemporaries, with lots of empty space in their songs and lyrics that even the metal community considered dark and sour, Burning Witch released four albums before breaking up in 1998 to pursue other projects, including Goatsnake and Sunn O))). These four albums are collected in this boxed set, which also comes with a 40-page photo book and a DVD of previously unreleased live performances. Be prepared for plodding tempos, weird song structures, droning, downtuned guitars, and vocals that range from howls to pained shrieks. If you love Black Sabbath but want to hear what a slower, angrier version of them would sound like, look no further than Burning Witch.