Box set bonanza
Summation of a career, an era -- or simply a paperweight
By Todd Leopold
CNN
 |  The cover of "The Hip-Hop Box," which offers a four-disc history of the genre. |
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(CNN) -- Box sets are the ultimate rock 'n' roll tribute -- or the ultimate doorstop.
Sometimes, a box set can't even begin to do justice to a career or a genre. Bob Dylan's "Biograph" (originally a five-LP box, now three CDs) is a fine introduction, but given that several of Dylan's albums are indispensable, much of the set is redundant (especially now that the live performances on the set have been officially released).
Rhino's '80s set "Like, Omigod!" is both too much and not enough of a good thing, its seven overstuffed discs like a countdown show that makes you wonder, "Why are they playing this?" and "What about this?"
Then there are the boxes that are best appreciated by the fans. For many people, five CDs of Chicago, five CDs of the Temptations or four CDs of Peter, Paul and Mary are too much; a nice, concise single-disc greatest hits is sufficient. (And it's likely only a hard-core Cure fan would want four discs of that group's B-sides.)
Some artists have solved all their problems with the kitchen-sink approach. Both Steely Dan and the Police, to name two, simply released their entire oeuvres in a box and were done with it. (And somehow Rhino, one of the masters of compilation, found four discs' worth of Buffalo Springfield, a band that only put out three LPs in its lifetime. Like CNN, Rhino remains, as far as I know, a division of Time Warner -- though the recent sale of Warner Music may have changed the label's status.)
Two recent releases go for different ends of the spectrum. "The Hip-Hop Box" (Hip-O) attempts to cover 25 years of the ever-varied, and ever-expanding, genre in four discs. On the other hand, "All Good Things: Jerry Garcia Studio Sessions" (Rhino) compiles six discs' worth of the Grateful Dead guitarist's solo albums (of which he only made five) along with bunches of bonus material.
Eye on Entertainment takes a listen.
Eye-opener
The best box sets cover their subjects without overkill -- a quality, admittedly, in the ear of the listener. I could listen to "Nuggets" or the Beach Boys set (OK, maybe not much of disc four) all day, but others would just as soon boil them down to a best-of.
Perhaps the best balance is achieved by sets of various artists. Indeed, for my money, two of the finest are collections of early '60s singles -- K-Tel/Era's "The Brill Building Sound" and Phil Spector's "Back to Mono," both of which efficiently sum up their subjects and play like a great radio station.
"The Hip-Hop Box," which was released April 20, has a few glaring omissions -- only one Public Enemy cut and one Run-DMC song? No Beastie Boys? Where's N.W.A.? -- but as an overview, it does a terrific job. Most of the old-school biggies are here -- "Rapper's Delight," "The Message," "Roxanne Roxanne" (and "Roxanne's Revenge"), "Me So Horny" (remember when that was a cause celebre?), and the set pulls in cuts from everyone from Arrested Development to the Pharcyde, Wu-Tang Clan, Mary J. Blige, Timbaland and 2Pac.
Moreover, the packaging is tremendous, featuring a clever cover of turntables and a well-annotated book of liner notes.
The Garcia set, which also was released April 20, is a completist's dream. All of his albums -- from "Garcia" to "Run for the Roses" -- are here, as well as jam sessions, alternate takes and cover versions. It's not something everyone would want, but if you're a Dead fan with a bookcase full of bootlegs, your record store is waiting.
Now, if only Ray Davies would let Rhino, or Hip-O, or Castle, or Velvel, or somebody put together a top-notch Kinks set, I would be a very happy man.
On screen
Jennifer Garner turns leading woman in "13 Going on 30," a female spin on "Big" in which a 13-year-old girl wishes for adulthood -- and when her wish is granted, finds she's a lot shallower than she'd hoped. With Mark Ruffalo. It opens Friday."Man on Fire" is a remake of a 1987 film that starred Scott Glenn as an ex-CIA agent hired to protect the daughter of a wealthy American (played, incidentally, by the Briton Jonathan Pryce). In the new version, Denzel Washington plays a dissolute ex-CIA agent hired to protect the family of a Mexican industrialist. With Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken and Marc Anthony. Opens Friday.On the tube
"Plainsong," starring Aidan Quinn and Rachel Griffiths, is the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of Kent Haruf's best seller about a father in a faltering relationship, the woman who reaches out to him and the small town in which it all takes place. The program airs at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on CBS.Anyone who's read "Seabiscuit" knows that a jockey's life isn't easy. You may take a spill off a thousand-pound beast, subject your body to absurd diets to make weight and find yourself part of a capricious and insular society. An HBO documentary on the profession, "Jockey," premieres at 8 p.m. ET Monday. (HBO is a division of Time Warner, as is CNN.)Sound waves
Diana Krall's new album, "The Girl in the Other Room" (Verve), comes out Tuesday.Paging readers
Ron Chernow has profiled financial bigwigs from John D. Rockefeller to the House of Morgan. Now he turns his attention to one of American history's first major moneymen, the first secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton, with "Alexander Hamilton" (Penguin). Due Tuesday.Marian Keyes, who has been described by People magazine as "a female Seinfeld with a brogue," comes out with her latest, "The Other Side of the Story" (William Morrow), on Tuesday. The book concerns a cutthroat literary agent who meets her match with her married boss.
