Music for Grownups: All Boxed Up

By: Richard Gehr | Source: AARP.org | 2008-12-11

Like a greatest-hits collection on steroids, the CD box set—whether in a box or not—usually delivers bonus features, such as alternate takes, live tracks, and probably a smartly designed booklet along with copious music. Here are some of this season's standout samplers. Why not introduce us to your favorites in the Comments section, below? 

Hank Williams, "The Unreleased Recordings" (Time Life)

In 1951 at the peak of his career, country legend Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys band recorded 143 songs for the Mother’s Best Flour Company. That company sponsored the morning program on a Nashville radio station, which played the records. After years of oblivion and legal battles, the first 54 of these lost gems, which include hymns, folk songs, pop hits, and of course, Williams's timeless originals, are contained in this three-CD treasure trove.

Nina Simone, "To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story" (Legacy)

The jazz singer, the soul rebel, the freewheeling folkie, the pop connoisseur, the Francophile, the angry black activist—all of Nina Simone's artistic personalities are represented in this collection. This musical revelation of a collection, on three CDs and in a 23-minute film, show that Simone’s diverse output is ripe for rediscovery.

Augustus Pablo, "The Mystic World of Augustus Pablo: The Rockers Story" (Shanachie)

Born Herbert Swaby in 1954, Augustus Pablo was a reggae composer, producer, and no-frills melodica master who pioneered a unique "Far East" instrumental sound. This five-CD/DVD collection hits the high points of his too-short solo career (he died at age 46 in 1999) alongside his brilliant production work for now-legendary reggae singers, such as Hugh Mundell, Jacob Miller, and Earl Sixteen.

Philip Glass, "Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective" (Nonesuch)

There's nothing minimalist about this 10-CD set. With 40 years of music by America's preeminent composer, who devoted himself to exploring variations on repetition, the set indulges listeners with the Glass opus. His earliest compositions, such as 1969's "Music in Contrary Motion," the extended works and operas, such as "Einstein on the Beach" (which earned him critical acclaim), and the film music, such as "Koyaanisqatsi" (which made him almost a household name)—all make this a great present for the aficionado.

Franco & Le Tpok Jazz, "FRANCOphonic" (Sterns)

A guitarist with a seductive, quicksilver tone and a bandleader of impeccable taste, the Congolese musician known simply as Franco (born François Luambo Makiadi) delivered much of Africa's most intoxicating dance music until his untimely death from AIDS in 1989 at age 51. This double-CD set and nicely annotated booklet, which is full of rare photos, gives you a fine chance to make the legend's acquaintance.

Various, "Boots, Buckles & Spurs: 50 Songs Celebrate 50 Years of Cowboy Tradition" (Sony Legacy)

This three-CD set celebrates the half-century of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The songs range from a 78-rpm version of Gene Autry's "Back in the Saddle Again" to Michael Martin Murphy's "Born to Buck Bad Luck." "Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," warn Waylon and Willie, while Moe Bandy and Craig Morgan sing the travails of the rodeo clown.

Phish, "At the Roxy" (Jemp)

The Who meets Genesis in the Grateful Dead's backyard. Rock's best-kept musical secret during most of the 1990s, the Vermont quartet known as Phish was the sort of band that could play three nights at a single venue and make the dates feel like a single, epic show. This eight-CD box set proves it by documenting a February 1993 stint (83 songs, no repeats) at Atlanta's Roxy Theatre.

Johnny Cash, "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison (The Legacy Edition)" (Columbia/Legacy)

The triple-disc edition of "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison" includes both of the shows that the Man in Black performed on Jan. 13, 1968, for prisoners in this California facility. While his morning show was released to wide acclaim later that year, Cash also struggled gamely through a noon show while gradually losing his voice. Be sure to check out the unreleased performances by Cash's Folsom guest artists: Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, and June Carter Cash.