5 comments about So Many Roads (1965-1995).

1. You have to admire the way this set was put together- trying not to duplicate what Deadheads already own and presenting 5 discs worth of unreleased and rare material. There really is a lot of great music in here and a great variety as well.
   In the extensive liner notes to the set, the compilers admit there's not enough Pigpen in it- WHY DIDN'T THEY PUT MORE PIGPEN SONGS THEN??? This is a great set that could have even greater if they included more early material and more Pigpen. 4.5 Stars- very very good but by their own admission, they could have done better in their choice of material.



2. At the time this was released the Dead were still releasing cd's thru Arista/BMG and what happened was Warner Bros. had just purchased Rhino Records. Warner Brothers had put out a press release that they planned on rereleasing the band's old albums in a box set with bonus material. Phil Lesh who was the band member running day to day operations at that time said no and that he thought it was just another way to rip fans off by selling them the same old stuff with a few meager new tracks. However, the Deadhead community at large wanted a box set. In came David Gans, Blair Jackson, Steve Silberman and originally Dick Lavala(who passed away while trying to get this ready for Christmas 1999). The original idea was to use material that wasn't going to be used for Dick's Picks or Vault releases. Sort of an expanded Fallout From The Phil Zone. All of the performances were taken from David Gans' tapes that he uses to produce the Grateful Dead Hour radio program and not the master vault tapes. In other words they're digital copies of the masters where available. A fight began between Phil and both Bob and Mickey over the vault and finally Phil relented which cleared the way for The Golden Road in time for Christmas in 2001. The band's last Arista/BMG release was in 2004. Since then the band's back catolog has been getting reissueed on Rhino Records. This album will be rereleased in 2010. Since the original release of this album several songs have been released in better quality elsewhere. By the way, the discs that hang together best on here are discs 3 and 4.



3. This is a great box set, get it now while you can, there will be no more. This has the best Eyes of the world that I have ever heard, it is my favorite GD song out. The last song on CD five is So many roads, Jerry sounds tierd and seems to be fading away, it is awsome and heat breaking to hear. A must for any fan.
   Philip, TCBRN, Simpsonville, SC. 2006.



4. I once thought that the Grateful Dead deserved a better epitaph than this. While I saw that it was full of unique musical ideas and moments of greatness, I also felt it was full of extraneous moments that are of interest to obsessives only. After living with the box for a while, though, its internal logic exposed itself. Initially, I hoped for a `greatest hits' collection of sorts and felt some disappointment to discover otherwise. Since a five-disk collection takes some time to digest properly, it wasn't until some time passed that I recognized how much better this collection is than any collection of `best bits'.
   If ever a band could use a box set, it's the Grateful Dead. If ever a band could use a box set that disseminates their career and culls highlights from all time periods, it's the Dead. A box that includes the best tracks from "Aoxomoxoa", "Live Dead", "Workingman's Dead", "American Beauty", "Europe `72" and "From the Mars Hotel", along with highlights from other albums, plus selected versions of live tracks chosen from their endless catalog of live tapes would be a beautiful thing. THAT is what I once thought the Dead deserved. I also believed that is what Deadheads wanted, if only to convince nonbelievers of the inherent greatness of their chosen icons. That isn't at all what this box set provides, but after a few listens, I began to determine the intelligence in its design.
   "So Many Roads" combines historically relevant outtakes, rare studio recordings and the occasional definitive live track, resulting in a collection that is as frustrating as it is fascinating. Disk one of this five CD set summarizes the faults and the highlights. It starts with a healthy amount of early tracks where the Dead resemble an ordinary "Nuggets"-era band; the Chocolate Watchband crossed with a touch of Van Morrison's Them, perhaps. Some are good, some aren't. Bob Weir's screaming punk-like vocals on "You Don't Have to Ask" are simply awful, while the energetic, fresh version of "I Know You Rider" is just as simply incredible. Pigpen's showcase, "The Same Thing," takes time to develop, but transcends all expectations before it finishes. Just as the punk-blues mood sets in, gears shift and suddenly, the disk morphs into the remarkable looseness of a twenty-five minute jam. A rather direct and poignant "Dark Star" transforms into "China Cat Sunflower", and then "The Eleven", with a grace and inquisitiveness that made the 1968-1972 Grateful Dead one of the most interesting bands in the world.
   By disk two, the Dead had already lost most of their youthful impetuousness, replacing it with curiosity, attempting to bind themselves to something intangible, something like infinity. After Pigpen's death, assertive energy was substituted with exploration. With Keith Godchaux on keyboards, it became more and more apparent that the Dead really do sound better if you're stoned. As the timeline proceeds, so does the level of exploration, and casual fans will have difficulty sticking with disk four's collapsing, free-form version of "Playing in the Band." Disk four also makes it rather apparent that the Dead never really improved their vocals much. What did improve, though, was the level of expression that they could muster with their voices. Whiles notes cracked or soared out of tune, the emotional center grew more and more focused.
   Brent Mydland is well -represented in the latter-day work. I once considered this guy to be a bland honky-tonker incapable of serving the Dead's needs, but "So Many Roads" proves otherwise. Besides showcasing his powerful vocal style, it also proves that he had a touch not unlike Billy Payne of Little Feat (if EVER there lived a keyboard who should have played with the Dead in their prime, it's Billy Payne). Disk six is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Momentum is scattered, direction is lost and a sense of impending dread resides over the proceedings, lending each song a sense of destiny that is unshakeable, and often profound.
   While chronologically accurate, "So Many Roads" lacks any sense of coherence that an ordinary fan would crave. People looking for "Blues for Allah" would grow impatient with the band's early harmonica blues-based forays, and vice-versa. But, it is important to note that Deadheads aren't your typical fan base. This box was not created for neophytes but for those who are already convinced. If you want an introduction to the Dead, don't start here. This is where you turn after you have absorbed some of the band's history and legacy. At that point, the relevance of the tracks chosen for "So Many Roads" are more likely to sink in. Hearing Jerry Garcia sing "Days Between" simply won't have the same impact on a newcomer as it will on a connoisseur. "So Many Roads" contains little that is revelatory, because virtually everything that the Grateful Dead have played has already been exploited in some way, but discoveries can still happen virtually anywhere on this collection. Listen to the fluidity of Garcia's guitar on "That's It for the Other One." "Check out the intuitive weave of "Beautiful Jam." Listen to how the band brings "Terrapin Station" to life from its still-born studio version. Remarkable. The more you listen, the more you understand. A- Tom Ryan



5. Don't even know where to start with this 5 disc set. If you're new to the band this is not a bad place to start.
   
   Everything here is beautifully mastered and strong material has been pulled from each period of the band. Even the later stuff sounds great (I generally stick to their older stuff)!
   
   Buy this box set!! 50 stars! By the way, you can download it for a ridiculously low price on iTunes.

5 comments about Genesis Archive, Vol. 1: 1967-1975.

1. Released in 1998, this wonderful box set brings together a live performance of The Lamb Lies down on Broadway recorded at the Shrine Auditorium (Jan 24, 1975) with live performances of material from Selling England by the Pound (1973), Foxtrot (1972) and Trespass (1970), various singles, outtakes, early material dating back to 1967 and other rarities. This box set came out at a time when I had not purchased a new Genesis release in well over 15 years, so having all of this great material in one place was quite a thrill.
   
   I was pleased with the electrifying live performance of the Lamb, in spite of Peter's overdubs (which are noticeable at points; particularly on the re-recorded closing track It). One other distinctive feature of the Lamb was Steve's guitar parts, some of which he dubbed in as part of this reissue - they are clear as a bell and passionate. One of the real treats however, was the single edit of Watcher of the Skies. It was new to me and has a very psychedelic sound to it - it is very, very different from the original (from Foxtrot). Although I enjoyed the song selection, I was disappointed that The Silver Song did not make it onto the compilation (Anthony Phillips did release it on his 2008 reissue of The Geese and the Ghost however). While of historical interest to me as a fan of early Genesis, I can't imagine that most folks will like the very early material; most of which was written while the guys were 16 or 17. I do however, find it very charming and Peter's voice was distinctive even at that early stage.
   
   The sound quality of the live material is fantastic. The packaging of the box set is nice and although the 80 page booklet is loaded with informational tidbits and photos, (based on what I have read elsewhere) it is a little frail and does not stand up too well to repeated handling - the pages apparently separate from the spine. My understanding is that Atlantic has corrected this problem, although I avoided the issue entirely by handling the booklet with great care and not cracking the booklet spine.
   
   All in all, this is a fine compilation of material from the "progressive" Peter Gabriel years and would make a welcome addition to the prog rock/Genesis collection.



2. Genesis released its first box set called Genesis Archive 1967-75 in June of 1998.
   This four CD box focused on the band's Peter Gabriel led era. Also, this set is not your average box set of famous songs interspersed with a few unreleased nuggets. Genesis decided to give their fans a 4-CD set which had nothing but previously unreleased material.
   Discs one and two contains a priceless live recording of the band performing their 1974 double album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway in January 1975 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It's a superb performance of this Genesis classic. Admittedly, this concert recording has been doctored somewhat but am not complaining. Lead singer Peter Gabriel had to re-do all of his vocals as the microphone would not come out on certain tracks so some of the songs features a 45 year old Gabriel singing on many of the tracks (his voice got better as he got older IMHO) and guitarist Steve Hackett re-recorded some of his guitar parts as he had a hand injury during these original shows. Lastly, the final track called "It" was remixed with a new vocal track from Gabriel because the original concert tape ran out during the final song. Standouts in the first two discs include The Lamb's title track, "In the Cage", "Back in NYC", "The Chamber of 32 Doors", "The Waiting Room", "The Lamia", "In the Colony of Slippermen", "In the Rapids" and "It". The other tracks were superior to the studio counterpart and proved Genesis were not just a band to witness live but hear live as well.
   Disc 3 continues with more unreleased live tracks, this time recorded at The Rainbow Theater in London in October of 1973. These tracks include "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight", including the highly sought-after live version of the band's 25-minute opus "Supper's Ready" with Gabriel on vocals. Plus, a recording of "Stagnation" recorded on the BBC in 1971 with the Tony Banks on keyboards/Phil Collins on drums and occasional lead vocals/Peter Gabriel on vocals/Steve Hackett on guitar/Mike Rutherford on bass and 12-string guitar lineup. Then we're treated to some great rare A and B sides, including the rare single "Happy the Man" (since released on the 2007 Turn it On Again 2-CD set) and a different version of "Watcher Of The Skies" (a totally different recording from the longer album version), and lastly the thrilling "Twilight Alehouse" which was left off of Nursery Cryme.
   Finally, Disc 4 is consisted of the band's earliest recordings from 1967 to 1970 when original guitarist Anthony Phillips was with the band. Recordings include vintage BBC material and previously unreleased songs plus different versions of tracks that appeared on the band's 1969 debut From Genesis to Revelation (including rough mixes of In the Wilderness. These are fabulous songs, all of them. Standouts include the BBC version of the Trespass track "Dusk", the previously unheard "Shepherd" (featuring a rare co-lead vocal from keyboard player Tony Banks), "Hey!" and "Try A Little Sadness"
   Genesis Archives Vol. 1 1967-75 is a MUST-OWN collection for anyone who digs early Genesis with Peter Gabriel as leader and those who are die-hard Genesis fans.
   RECOMMENDED!



3. What else is there to say about the music as a whole? Well, not much, because for Gabriel-era fans this set is a treasure trove. What I will add is that I believe this to be recorded evidence of Phil Collins at the height of his powers as a percussionist/drummer. His playing on the live Lamb is absolutely electric and wholly inspired. I play this set for friends who only know the Invisible Touch Genesis and for the most part their hipster/too cool for that brains can't cope with the fact that the band kicked a**!



4. This 4 cd pack give us "The lamb lies down on Broadway" Live with a impressive sound quality. I prefer this version than the original.
   The third cd contains real classic in Live version like "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", "Firth of Fifth" and "Supper's Ready" and some others plus other studio cuts.
   The fourth cd is for die hard fan, and contains early demos in the 1966-1970 period. Again, "The lamb.." is simply amazing.



5. I'll give them 5 stars for finally releasing this material, but there are some flaws with this collection that bump it down to a 4 star (4.5 really) rating.
   
   On the plus side:
   Prior to this release, the only official live set from the Gabriel-era Genesis was "Genesis Live", a 1 LP album covering material up to "Foxtrot". The glaring omission was "Supper's Ready". Fans like myself, who consider the stuff with Gabriel to be infinitely superior, had to settle for "Seconds Out" (more like "Sloppy Seconds"), with Phil Collins singing the vocals. Phil Collins did a mostly decent job at covering them, but it wasn't the real deal! This box set corrects this.
   
   The performances are all very good, and they include some of Peter Gabriel's stories in between (more would have been nice!). There is no repetition with "Genesis Live", so they are very complementary and fans will want both.
   
   The collection includes two songs previously not on any album, "Twilight Alehouse" and "Happy the Man". "Happy the Man" doesn't thrill me, but "Twilight Alehouse" is great, and apparently an early concert favorite.
   
   On the minus side:
   Disk 4 is entirely material dating from before "Trespass", before Genesis really found their "classic" style. I am not a fan of their first album "From Genesis to Revelation". To me this CD is of interest only as a curiosity. It is very interesting, for instance, that Peter Gabriel already had that distinctive raspy quality to his voice in 1967, when he was 17 years old! Some of the material is decent, some is rather weak. Still, I won't be playing this disk very often.
   
   Another partial downer is that Gabriel and Hackett re-recorded some of their parts on the live "Lamb..." on the first two disks. In some spots it's quite obvious because, as with any singer, Peter Gabriel's voice changed in the 23 years since. Still this is nitpicking really. It's great to have the complete live performance.
   
   One further bit of nitpicking on the choice of material. I really don't mean to bash on Phil Collins, but do we really need a live version of "More Fool Me"? This song really was filler material. Meanwhile two glaring omissions from the collection are "Cinema Show", and especially "Fountain of Salmacis".
   
   Despite some imperfections, serious fans of the "real" Genesis need this collection. Neophytes should get the 4 classic studio albums, "Nursery Cryme", "Foxtrot", "Selling England by the Pound", and "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" first, and then get this box set plus "Genesis Live". After that they should also get "Trespass" and "Trick of the Tale", which are not as good, but still very worthwhile. Skip the rest, in my (perhaps not so) humble opinion.
   
   One complaint I have is that the booklet, while it has great photos and is fun to read, is very flimsy and is begining to fall apart after one reading. Boo!

5 comments about Hit Me with Your 80's Box!.

1. Good stuff, especially for those of us nostalgic for 80's music. It's a nice three CD collection of some of the best mainstream stuff from the 80's, including some music I had trouble finding elsewhere.



2. I mix 80s dance music and the number of times when mixing that I find myself reaching for either this compilation or its companion, "I Want My 80s Box," is extraordinary. These are two outstanding collections. They are pricey, but worth every penny. For many people, owning these two will be all the 80s music you'll ever need.
   
   Fidelity is outstanding, the tracks are well organized more or less chronologically, and the sequences in which tracks are placed is excellent. The "box" itself in which the 3 CDs come is sturdy, it is easily folded out in part or in whole to access any of the CDs quickly and easily (unlike many multi-CD offerings). Liner notes are extensive and interesting.
   
   This offering is a class act all the way. Highly, highly recommended. 7 stars.



3. This is a great collection of awesome 80's music, but I feel that each disc should have had about three more songs on them. Also, I think the title refers to Pat Benatar's HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT. Strangely enough, the song is nowhere to be found on this set???



4. ...Why does this box set not contain the very song its title is a reference to? If it were to be truly complete, it would contain: HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK, by Ian Dury & The Blockheads.



5. Hit me with your 80's box is great box set for anyone who likes eighties music. While it not as good as "Like, Omigod:The 80's pop culture box" It still will take the listener back to a great time in the music industry.

5 comments about Anthology.

1. John Lennon is shown here in this box set as a true individual that he was. Afforded independence to do what he wanted, one gets a feeling of honesty which one rarely hears from major artist. On the other hand, if your not a complete Lennon nut like myself, I wouldn't buy this set. I would try a "greatest" CD first then if it's to your liking, come back
   and get this Box set. To me, this set was just what the doctor order...I needed a little of Dr. Winston O'Boogie to get me through the "Holidays".



2. I'm more of a "casual fan" like the kind mentioned in Annie Van Auken's review. However, I really enjoyed this set. It's a nice collection of live tracks, alternate takes, and pre-production, stripped-down versions.
   
   Some of the major highlights:
   1. Love (which doesn't have the almost too quiet to hear opening like the album version)
   
   2. Remember (which shows that, even when something has him tickled, John still has a powerful voice despite giggling in parts of the song,
   
   3. John Sinclair and the audio of the quote prior to the song which is on the previous track (Apathy isn't it, and we can do something. Ok, so flower power didn't work, so what. We start again.)
   
   4. Two nice alternate takes on Mind Games.
   
   5. Stranger's Room - which is a wonderful early cut of I'm Losing You
   
   6. The Hank Williams-esque Life Begins at 40, which is very eerie to hear now for obvious reason.
   
   
   These and some superb in home and live recordings of old favorites, including three versions of Imagine, and a nice rendition of Come Together.



3. This album presents the potential purchaser with an imaginary line. Whether or not you should buy ANTHOLOGY really depends upon which side of that line you're on. For completists, LENNON * ANTHOLOGY is a godsend or revelation; for the casual fan, this collection is a jumbled rough-cut head-scratcher. If you don't own all of John's solo albums, you probably won't want this one.
   
   More so than the BEATLES ANTHOLOGY series, this set is replete with fragments, false starts, incomplete demos, slight or off-key vocals and silly chatter. If John was still alive, he never would have released most of this stuff, and with good reason. There's something to be said for specifically detailed Last Wills.
   
   TOTAL RUNNING TIMES --
   DISC ONE (Astor) -- 65:41
   DISC TWO (New York City) -- 65:01
   DISC THREE (The Lost Weekend) -- 63:25
   DISC 4 (Dakota) -- 72:52



4. I've looked at this set for many years, but never could bring myself to pay the premium price for it. I finally gave in and bought it and I'm really glad I did.
   
   It's a fantastic set, both in content and packaging. It's refreshing to hear different versions of the songs we're all used to hearing. And there's plenty of music that I had not heard previously.
   
   Overall, the sound quality is very good, but some songs do suffer the limitation of being home recordings but are still very listenable. I actually prefer John's solo "Real Love" over the doctored up Beatles version.
   
   I could have done without Sean's contributions, but as he was an important part of John's life, I can accept them.
   
   Like Johnny Cash's "Personal File" this is an intimate look at the performer; kind of like having him sitting in your living room and playing a private concert just for you.
   
   Yoko often gets criticized for her handling of John's material, but this is a quality offering in every respect and shows us John the Man vs. John the Beatle.
   
   Highly recommended.



5. The only knock on this excellent box set is that there is a little too much chatter. I really don't need to hear Lennon talking. The music does the talking here.
   
   5 stars - excellent amazon purchase.

5 comments about Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live 1975-1985 (Dlx).

1. Live albums. Some artists shine. The live recordings show why they are so popular when they hit the road. Others should run screaming when their record label or their manager suggests a live project! Springsteen is one of the former. He and his band have always had a reputation as a killer live act. Live 1975-1985 shows that their reputation is well deserved.
   
   By the time these cds were released just before Xmas, 1986, Springsteen had made seven records, including one double. This is sixteen sides of music. Each was a classic. There are about forty songs on this live collection. If you subtract five non-Springsteen songs we are left with thirty-five live songs. That would be about two songs for each LP side! Thus, these three discs should contain la crème de la crème. Discs one and two certainly get us off to a great start. The cuts are primarily from concerts heard between 1975 and 1980. Unfortunately, thereafter, for me at least, the set runs out of steam a little as we are given seven songs from Born in the USA - my least favourite of his first seven records. However, all in all, I shouldn't quibble with the song selection. After all, my favourites are not necessarily yours.
   
   The singing and the playing are, as one would expect, first class throughout. Bruce is always in good voice. The E Street Band is as tight as it is in the studio. The balance between vocals and instruments is mixed perfectly. The base and drums rumble deeply, the piano tinkles brightly, the vocals are clear, the guitar solos are crisp. All is in balance. The pacing of the songs, often so screwed up in live performances - too damned fast - is right on. Several songs are actually slowed down to great effect (e.g. Thunder Road).
   
   Live albums are often only for the diehard fans. This set is an exception. If you own no other Springsteen records and you are looking for an introduction this would be a great start. I cannot honestly say that I am a huge Springsteen fan. Although I have nearly all of his releases I do not think about him the way I think about, for instance, Van Morrison or Elvis Costello. Having admitted this, I must also admit that every time I spin a Springsteen record I am surprised by my reaction. I start to listen and expect to enjoy the experience. I end up believing that he is one of the great talents of all time.



2. This album has taken all the best live performances and put them into one album... since they are all live the have woven the tracks from one to the other seamlessly so this album seems like a live concert...
   great album.



3. The BOSS is the best in the BIZ. I love his music and I finally wore out the cassette copy of this music I recieved from my sister back in the early 90's. I am sure I will listen to this CD for decades to come.



4. 
   I ordered the boxed set of Springsteen Live: 1975-85. I had this set on casette years ago when it came out. I literally wore it out.
   This item was delivered to me promptly and I am well on my way to wearing it out....Thank you .....Velma



5. The product arrived in good time and was exactly as described. I wouldn't hesitate to buy again from this vendor.

5 comments about Rare Masters.

1. I loved this album in the late '70s and could not find it. It is a wonderful as then. There are other songs that are very good also. I think it is a GREAT CD !



2. I bought it because it was the only way I knew to get copies of the songs from the old "Friends" album (movie of same name). Don't care for any of the other songs.



3. Almost all of the b-sides and various singles included here on this collection are now available on the expanded reissues of Elton's albums. The real reason to get this is that its (as of this writing)the only place to get the "Friends" soundtrack. No, not the soundtrack to that TV show but to an obscure early 70's movie. Elton and Bernie wrote four new songs that were used in the film (although Bernie supposedly didn't read the script he only skimmed through it to get a feel for the movie). The rest of the album is filled with Paul Buckmaster's soundtrack which adapts various themes from these four songs plus a reprise of the title track. Is it worthwhile buying this just for the "Friends" soundtrack? Yes, if you're a hardcore Elton John fan because his is the only place to get the album now.
   
   If you enjoy Buckmaster's orchestrations on the early Elton John albums, then you'll enjoy every aspect of this album. If you're looking just for the songs that John and Taupin wrote, you'll still enjoy the four full performances and song reprise. Just about any of these songs musically would have fit in well on "Elton John", "Tumbleweed Connection" or "Madman Across the Water" with "Honey Roll" and "Can I Put Yon On" two great lost Elton John rockers. They would have made a fine single if they had been released separately from this album (which I believe one of them was if memory serves).
   
   We also get the singles/b-sides that were added to each Elton John album through "Tumbleweed Connection". "I've Been Loving You"/"Here's To the Next Time", "Lady Samantha"/"All Across the Havens", "It's Me That You Need", "Just Like Strange Rain", "Bad Side of the Moon", Rock & Roll Madonna", "Grey Seal" (an early version of the song from "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road")all demonstrate Elton and Bernie's developing songcraft even if they aren't always the best songs by the duo.
   
   The second disc features an outtake from "Madman Across the Water" (included on "Tumbleweed Connection"), "Into the Old Man's Shoes", "Rock me When He's Gone", "Slave" all of which appear on "Tumbleweed" or "Honkey Chateau". "Skyline Pidgeon" is a piano/vocal re-recording that appeared as a b-side from 1973 and appears along with "Jack Rabbit", "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady)" from "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" (although the latter two were also on the deluxe reissue of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"). "Screw You". "Sick City", "Step Into Christmas" and "Ho! Ho Ho" all appear on "Carbiou" as bonus tracks. "One Day At A Time" and "I Saw Her Standing There" appeared as b-sides and on "Captain Fantastic". "House of Cards", "Planes" and "Sugar on the Floor" all appear on "Rock of the Westies". Only "Let Me Be Your Car" doesn't appear anywhere else as it was written/performed as a demo for Rod Stewart who recorded it for one of his albums.
   
   The two CD set includes an oversized booklet with comments from Bernie about the genesis of each song. The mastering is pretty good overall and is done by Joseph Palmaccio before engineers started applying too much compression to make the music sound "louder" and more contemporary (and squeezing the dynamic range to death hurting the quality of the sounds you hear). I'd get it if you are an Elton John fan before it goes out of print as almost everything here is somewhere else, it's possible this is on the chopping block. So I'd give 4 stars to the best songs here from "Friends" and the stronger tracks from disc 2 with 2-3 stars for the other b-sides on the first disc and the remainder on disc 2 with an overall rating of 3 stars.



4. I purchased this SOLELY because it was the only way to get a CD version of the soundtrack to the movie "Friends". I own the LP, but searched in vain for a CD re-make. Apparently, there's no market for this in the US because this CD was not released in the US. The geniuses at the record labels strike again. Anyway, it is pricey but worth it!



5. Rare Masters is a very interesting listen for someone like me who is the ultimate Elton John fan. At one point or another, I've owned everything Elton's put out, so it's nice to have this double CD of B-sides and unreleased tracks.
   
   If you're unfamiliar with Elton's albums, there are some better choices to start with. I'd suggest, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Madman Across The Water, Rock of the Westies, or even his latest release, The Captain & The Kid, over Rare Masters. That said, if you've worn grooves in your 20 year old LP versions of the above mentioned you can't go wrong with Rare Masters.

5 comments about Metalogy.

1. This box set arrived on time, in great condition, and is a box set most collectors would want. It's packaged with metal studding around the box for novelty, and the CD's cover all the great tunes you'd want to hear, as well as a few hard to find songs. There is a bonus DVD included which is cool. If you love Priest, this is a must have.



2. METALOGY is a box set of 4 cds and 1 dvd released in 2004, just before the reunion-with-Halford album ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION. The 4 cds feature a total of 64 songs spanning their entire career up to that point, whereas the dvd is concert footage from the 1982 SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE tour. The dvd is one-and-the-same as LIVE VENGEANCE '82, which was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee.
   
   Of the 64 songs on the 4 cds, I would say a whole 2/3 of them are mandatory Priest tunes. Yes, there are a few needless turkeys, like Invader. And, yes, there are some glaring omissions, like The Ripper (although this song does appear on the dvd), Dreamer Deceiver, Burning Up, United, Bullet Train, Cathedral Spires, Hell is Home and Subterfuge, but the collection does make up for it with numerous other essential obscure selections, like Stained Class, Dissident Aggressor, Delivering the Goods, The Rage, Solar Angels, Blood Red skies, Blood Stained and Feed on Me.
   
   METALOGY means "the study of metal," which is a perfect title since Judas Priest have recorded and performed practically every form of metal in their 35-year career. In fact, they created the artform (yes, Black Sabbath is heavy, but Judas Priest is metal).
   
   Let's face it, with all the various forms of metal bands out there today, who has the time or cash to keep up? A safer bet is to just invest in Judas Priest since they encompass practically every metal style throughout their career and do it as-good or (more likely) better than any. METALOGY is a great sampling of the numerous songs in their discography. If the price is too steep, then pick up METAL WORKS '73-'93, which is an excellent 2-cd collection.
   
   Want proof that Judas Priest comprises practically every form of metal? Allow me to list their 16 official studio albums and touch on the many metal styles they feature:
   
   ROCKA ROLLA (1974): Zeppelin-ish rock/metal.
   
   SAD WINGS OF DESTINY (1976): gothic metal.
   
   SIN AFTER SIN (1977): gothic metal.
   
   STAINED CLASS (1978): regular metal and speed metal.
   
   HELL BENT FOR LEATHER (1979): heavy metal.
   
   BRITISH STEEL (1980): heavy metal and pop metal.
   
   POINT OF ENTRY (1981): heavy metal and pop rock/metal.
   
   SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE (1982): heavy metal, power metal, speed metal and pop metal.
   
   DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH (1984): ditto.
   
   TURBO (1986): 80's hair/pop rock.
   
   RAM IT DOWN (1988): hair metal.
   
   PAINKILLER (1990): heavy metal, power metal and speed/thrash metal.
   
   JUGULATOR (1997): brutal death/doom metal and speed/thrash metal.
   
   DEMOLITION (2001): ultra-heavy modern metal.
   
   ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION (2005): heavy metal, power metal, speed metal, doom metal and pop metal.
   
   NOSTRADAMUS (2008): epic heavy metal (concept double album) touching on most past styles with numerous acoustic/symphonic elements.
   
   Really, the only style Priest have never dabbled in is black metal, no doubt because they were never anti-Christian (listen to Metal Messiah or Angel if you doubt this), but they do insert slight aspects of this style in their music here and there.
   
   BOTTOM LINE: This METALOGY box set is "the study of metal" and features a solid 40 mandatory Priest songs (out of 64 on the cds). These numbers are an excellent sampling of the entire spectrum of the metal genre. Plus you get an energetic concert dvd from their 1982 SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE tour, which many claim to be their prime era. I disagree. I believe Judas Priest are in their prime NOW. Their last 5 albums feature some of their all-time best output (PAINKILLER-NOSTRADAMUS).



3. Leather sweat and pure raw energy. Rob, KK, GLEN, AND IAN are true gods of Metal.



4. Awesome collection, remastering is pristine. A nice booklet comes with this box set, explaining the history of this metal god. The extra bonus tracks are really good. When I first listened to Metalogy, I wanted this box set to be all studio tracks and no unrealeased tracks, and definintly no live tracks. As I listened to Metalogy straight through on my discman, I enjoyed the extra unreleased studio tracks and the live stuff. All 65 tracks seemed to blend in beautifully for an incredible listen. There are the negatives with Metalogy, ex: live songs and unreleased bonus tracks or there could have been more tracks, but really this box set has to be listened to in its entirety. You hear Judas Priest in all their illustrious career. The 5th disc is a dvd showing the scarce "Screaming For Vegence Tour" Dec.12th 1982. This dvd is worth the the price of Metalogy alone. When you watch this dvd, you see the Priest in a mystical top form as they were in 1982. Yeah, I know there could have been another 5th or 6th cd of music with Metalogy, you know what, I remedied that situation by getting all the Judas Priest remasters. These remasters have excellent linear notes and bonus tracks of live and unreleased songs, the remastering on each of these remastered series cds in incredibly pristine. If missing songs bother you with Metalogy, just get all the Priest 2001 remasters. Metalogy is great for die hard Judas priest fans, but to me Metalogy is a great introduction to The Metal Gods for new fans or the seasoned Priest fan who wants an extensive Priest greatest hits collection thats more comprehensive than Metal Works, Metal Works '73-'93. A must buy for any metal fan period.



5. Ahh......The Priest, one of the godfathers of heavy metal, and a band that was the blueprint for the twin guitar lead attack that perseveres to this day. "Metalogy" is a 4 CD (plus a 5th live DVD) box set from the band that covers their career from the beginning up through the Ripper Owens years at the turn of the millennium. Priests stuff is almost comic book in nature at times, and part of the reason it works is that they never took themselves too seriously. Still, this is serious metal for the heavy rocker. The twin guitar assault of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton plus the bass of Ian Hill (and several different drummers over the years) set the stage for Rob Halford's screaming vocals. Halford was (and still is) one of the great voices in heavy metal and in the latter years Ripper Owens carried on the legacy stamping his own more modern approach onto two studio albums. This is mainly a retrospective without a ton of extras, although there are a few unreleased tracks to be found here and there. The remastered sound, especially of the early material, is outstanding.
   
   Disc one covers the early years when the band had a slight glam bent to them for a short time, but all under the metal banner. Lots of highlights on this one including "Victim Of Changes", their cover of "Diamonds And Rust", "Exciter", "Beyond The Realms Of Death", "Better By You, Better Than Me", "Stained Class" and their first brush with radio airplay, a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Green Manalishi". All great stuff.
   
   Disc two covers the period where the band went from cult status to true metal superstars with the release of albums like "Hell Bent For Leather" and "Screaming For Vengeance". The big hits are here "Breaking The Law", "Heading Out To The Highway", "Living After Midnight"as this disc represents the band's high water mark commercially. Great album cuts are also included, "Evening Star", Grinder", Desert Plains", "The Hellion / Electric Eye" all classic priest.
   
   Disc Three for me sees the material dip a bit in quality. Albums such as "Defenders Of The Faith" and "Turbo" were good, but not quite up to what they had been doing. The disc starts off with more material from "Screaming For Vengeance" including the bands biggest hit "You've Got Another Thing Coming". After that things get a bit more haphazard but highlights include "Freewheel Burning" "Night Comes Down", "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll", Turbo Lover" and the closest thing Priest has ever done to a ballad "Out In The Cold".
   
   Disc Four finds the band at its heaviest. The albums "Ram It Down" and "Painkiller" was scorching metal in every sense of the word. Halford and company take on contemporaries like Metalica at their own game and it mostly succeeds. The guitars are blazing, the drums heavy, and Halford at his screaming best. The last half of the CD cover the two albums made after Halford's departure with former Priest tribute band singer Tim "Ripper" Owens at the helm. The band tried to move to a more modern sound in the vein of something more like Pantera might produce. The songs are great, but somewhat put off the bands older fans who wanted more of a classic metal sound. The last track "Feed On Me" has owns sounding almost like Ronnie James Dio. The material on disc four is solid and although the band was not selling albums at the same rate as they had been, artistically these were strong times for them.
   
   The box also contains a DVD of the band recorded on their "Defenders Of The Faith" tour in 1982. I happened to see that tour and it brought back some great memories.
   
   This is really a great overview of the band and is pretty much everything one would need up until the re-union with Halford in 2004. This box is highly recommended for Priest fans.

5 comments about Music Box.

1. Fantastic. I love this stuff. Why? Because you can't take life seriously when you are listening to The Monkees box set. The newer stuff on here I don't like, you can keep it. I don't think these guys realized it at the time, that they had industry powerhouses cranking out some great music... yeah, there are some clunkers, but who cares.. still worth getting.



2. In 1991,Rhino Records released a Monkees box set called "Listen To The Band"-Ten years later,this anthology was released-Supposedly,it contained a lot more songs that the previous collection didn't have-While I was never a huge fan of "The Monkees" TV series,the music itself was a different story-The top songwriters of the time such as Carole King & Neil Diamond were brought in to create songs for this prefabricated group-There is also a massive booklet that describes the history of the group-If you're a fan of 60's music,this one belongs in your collection.



3. I am an original Monkees fan. My friends and I knew all the songs and all the episodes and had numerous discussions about which one was the cutest. We were 11 or 12 years old, the perfect age for the kind of music and antics The Monkees brought to the TV screen. Every song I remember and then some is included in this collection. It is packaged really well; though it won't fit on a small shelf with your other CDs, it looks great as a coffee table book.
   
   One of my favorite songs that I haven't found on any other collection is "I'm Going to Buy Me a Dog," and it's on this one. I highly recommend this set to anyone who was in love with The Monkees in 1966-1968.



4. I hope I can change this review soon, But as of now I am very unhappy! With CD # 4 missing and damage to the "Music Box" CD holder I am most displeased.



5. If you are a Monkee fan then this is a must.
   
   There are 4 CD's with a fabulous presentation book, with info on the songs.
   
   The music is a great history on the band.

5 comments about Box of Scorpions.

1. Very happy with my purchase, and have ordered 2 other products since and have been very satisfied with all my purchases....



2. Scorpions have changed the way people look at heavy metal. Led by Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker, their music fueled the late-'70s/1980s heavy metal scene.
   
   Hip-O/Mercury's 'Box of Scorpions' collects every aspect of their career. From their 1970s years on RCA, to their 1980s years on Mercury, to their 1990s years on Sanctuary, they are all covered here. And, every single hit from every single era is here. 'In Trance,' 'Rock You Like A Hurricane,' 'No One Like You,' 'Can't Live Without You,' 'Another Piece of Meat' and 'Winds of Change' all appear on this set.
   
   And, I give Hip-O tons of credit for remastering this. The sound quality is simply incredible!
   
   Overall, if you are just a casual fan looking for a complete set without buying the studio records (Their RCA records are getting harder and harder to find), than this set is perfect for you.
   
   Highly recommended for any Scorpions fan. ENJOY!!!



3. After reading several of the positive and negative reviews of this compilation I have a different way of reviewing this "box set". Some were critical of the fact that it isn't really a "box", some were critical of the song selection, or the mastering (which is important), and some were saying that it is okay for the casual Scorpions fan but not the serious fan because of the lack of extras or B sides. But for an older, serious fan of the Scorpions like me who had most of the albums on vinyl and who doesn't want to deal with that format anymore, this is a great way to get a comprehensive set of Scorpions music on CD without having to replace all the LP's with CD's. I know that having the individual CD's is great because most of the songs that didn't make the top 40 or top 10 are some of the best songs available from any group but for $40 this is a great collection. Just remember to have fun with it and enjoy the music!!



4. This is the most comprehensive of any of the best of collections out there, even the newest "Platinum Collection", which did well on the newer stuff "Animal Instinct", which was a vastly underrated CD, but everything is way better on the "Scorps Box Of". I have to say, though, the remastering is 24 bit and good on this one, but I think when the band switched over to Capital Records to release the "Platinum Collection" it must have also remixed or something, because the sound quality on THAT, especially the bass response is just UNREAL (awesome). The best remaster but not the best collection. Too many softies on Disc 3 (reminds of their new Humanity Volume 1, which is going for the world politics approach again), but we don't have as much of that on this Scorpions Box.
   
   I can't give this collection an affirmitive five stars only because it missed a few key tracks like "Hey You" and from Animal Magnetism, "Falling in Love" and "Only a Man". Someone may disagree and I think most critics do, but "Animal Magnetism" was actually overall just as good an album as the U.S. chart-breaking "Blackout", which came out a year later. The good thing is this includes some tracks that will likely never be seen on a compilation like this again: "Don't Make No Promises (Your Body Can't Keep)" and "Twentieth Century Man"- both excellent songs and a surprise to me; finally some representation from the mighty "Animal Magnetism" album! Let's not forget this collection includes "Don't Believe Her" from "Crazy World" and also "We'll Burn the Sky" the od to Jimi Hendrix from his former girlfriend, who then went on to date Ulrich Roth. Lots of passion and some memorable guitar riffs. Good stuff.



5. The "Box Of Scorpions" 3-disc set is probably the best of the many Scorpions compilations that have been released to date. Credit must be given to the folks at Universal Music for getting it done right with this set.
   
   Here's what makes this set pretty decent compared to the other Scorpions packages:
   
   1. A fair representation of tracks from the entire era of Scorpions music, including tracks from albums released under the RCA label. (Not to complain, but it would have been nice to see "It All Depends" here).
   
   2. A number of tracks that have not appeared on other sets, such as "Don't Make No Promises", "20th Century Man" and "Mysterious". It's good to see different tracks other that the same ones that appear over and over again.
   
   3. Three discs as opposed to two or one. Let's face it, any compilation of the Scorpions that does not contain at least 3 discs or maybe 4 just doesn't do justice to the band or its fans. The Scorpions have been around too long to have one-disc CDs being released with their hits. These small compilations will not contain all of their best stuff.
   
   If you are new to the Scorpions or a long-time fan, do yourself a favor and pick up this set. It has the best of what the Scorpions are all about and you won't be disappointed.

5 comments about The Aeroplane Flies High.

1. I love this boxset. True, its based around the singles released from the album, but at the same time its all the extra's that come with it that make it so much more of an experiance, the book art and the b sides make it a nice (and now quite rare treat) for many SP fans, before their sound became truley lob-sided sounds with machina and machina II... let us not forget the horribleattempt of Corgan's Mary Star of the Sea and Zeitgeist
   
   Get this if you a fan that discovered the true gem of their early 90's (and earlier) sound. it is a collectable and worth the pennies you spend on it.



2. Unlike Nirvana and Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins never had all the angst about success that the aforementioned bands had. Sure, they had angst. It was the mid 1990s and it was grunge. Most bands had angst. But Billy was smart enough to market it. For Billy, he wanted to be a rock star, and that's what he got to be.
   
   And not only that, he was the most prolific songwriter of the whole grunge movement. I have assembled my own Pumpkins' B-Side/Rarities CD-R collection, which is a full five 80 minute cds, comprised entirely of material that was released officially but never released on their six studio albums. This box set is a testament to his prolific writing. What's also a testament to Corgan is just how GOOD all these B-sides are. He's kinda like Dylan in that Corgan's outtakes, at least in this period, is just phenomenal.
   
   For their third album, MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS, the band turned in one of the most ambitious (and some say indulgent) albums rock ever saw. It was a double album with a two hour running time (long even for a double album), and Corgan and Company did everything from folk, dreamy pop, jazz, heavy medal, hard rock, and new wave. Listening to Corgan was somewhat akin to listening to an amalgamation of David Bowie, Husker Du, and a good number of 1970s rock bands. For my money, MELLON COLLIE is a flat-out masterpiece, easily the best album the band ever did, and on par with Soundgarden's BADMOTERFINGER, Alice in Chains' DIRT, Pearl Jam's TEN, Mudhoney's, and even the critical darling Nirvana's NEVERMIND. In my view, MELLON COLLIE really is my generation's version of Pink Floyd's THE WALL. It's that good.
   
   But here's the amazing thing. After the band released the double album in 1995, they released this box set just a little over a year from MELLON COLLIE. As good as MELLON COLLIE is, and even given its rather abnormal length, listening to this sounds like the band actually cut quite a bit of incredibly entertaining material here. In fact, they could have followed MELLON COLLIE up with a new album in 1996 or 1997, and it would have been just as big a hit as their magnum opus.
   
   But the band didn't do that. You see, Corgan, kinda like Ryan Adams (though that comparison may be a bit unfair to Corgan), is very much about the rock star image, and AEROPLANE FLIES HIGH is designed just as much for the retro throwback to 1960s and 1970s record releases and that era's rock culture as it is to release new material.
   
   Rather than assembling a second album (or, as I like to think of this box set, a third disc to MELLON COLLIE), Billy supplemented each of the five singles drawn from MC with 4 to 6 new songs, gave each disc its own kind of mini-album continuity, and released it in a rather cumbersome box set. All told, there's about one hundred and forty minutes of music here, longer than the original album, which is already something of a monstrosity when it comes to length.
   
   Each disc follows its own flow.
   
   Disc 1, the "Bullet with Butterfly" single, has the lead track, a great mellow acoustic number sung by James Iha and D'arcy and then several covers.
   
   Disc 2, the 1979 single, is the rock/pop EP, and has some of the best songs on the entire set.
   
   Disc 3, the "Zero" single, is the more hard rock and metal EP. The single has the only really bad song here, the twenty three minute "Pasticho Medley". Esentially, the song (if you can call it that) is a bunch of roughly edited snippits of all these unfinished songs and recordings the band made during the album sessions. In fact, the medley is rather jarring to listen too, as it feels like Corgan was going to make an epic instrumental of all his unreleased songs, but rather than write interconnecting instrumental parts and transitions, all this music just butts up against each other. I've listened to AEROPLANE for a long time, and I only made it thru "Medley" once. Trust me, life's to short to listen to it any more than that, and even once is questionable.
   
   Disc 4, the "Tonight, Tonight" single, focuses more on the ballad, dreamy pop sound, and has one of their all-time definitive songs ("Rotten Apples").
   
   Disc 5, the "Thirty Three" single, is the most wide ranging in sound, featuring winding guitar epics to rather experimental cover choices.
   
   Now, lets look at THE AEROPLANE FLIES HIGH had the band chose to release this as a regular album. First off, dispense with the already released songs. That knocks out about twenty minutes. Then knock off the utterly disposable "Pasticho Medley". That's roughly forty five minutes gone. Then delete all the covers. After this musical exorcism, you're left with roughly seventy five to eighty minutes of original music. And it's some of the best music of the Pumpkin's career.
   
   You don't get better music in the grunge genre than "Set the Rays to Jerry", "Ugly", "Pennies", "Believe", "God", "Medallia of the Grey Skies", and the rest. I fully believe had they released the music in a more user-friendly format, the resulting album would be as highly regarded as SIAMESE DREAM and MELLON COLLIE, and as it is, of all their B-sides AEROPLANE sounds most like MELLON COLLIE, enough to be a third disc of that album. While I've never been a fan of the title cut (gets a little monotous for my taste, and strangely enough they cut almost a minute off it on ROTTEN APPLES), "The Aeroplane Flies High" certainly does have an epic guitar feel to it, and would have fit in well with MELLON COLLIE.
   
   And of course, we have one of the Pumpkin's best songs, the aforementioned "Rotten Apples". The song's so good they even named their greatest hits package. It's one of my top five favorite songs of not only the Smashing Pumpkins catalogue but the whole grunge scene indeed. What the hell Corgan was thinking (for you know he is the band, as evidenced by ZIETGIST) when he cut the song from MELLON COLLIE I'll never know.
   
   As evidenced by how popular the band was in 1996, when Virgin Records released the set it sold tremendously well. A limited edition release, the box reached #42 on the Billboard charts, and sold 300,000 units (1.5 million discs in all), generating a platinum disc for the band. Originally intended to be limited to 200,000 copies, Virgin Records produced more after the original run sold out due to overwhelming and unexpected demand
   
   Overall, the set has some of the Pumpkin's best songs here, and this is the closest thing we have to the great lost Pumpkins album. Well, this, and the Reel Time demos they cut before GISH.
   
   EDITION NOTIES: This set is now unfortunately out of print, and has been since 1996. You'll have to buy it used or ebay it.
   
   *For the smart consumer, you should know this box set curiously omits one officially released recording from the MELLON COLLIE era. This is the instrumental "Infinite Sadness", available now on their Rarities/B-Sides digital downloads. The song was originally released on the vastly reconfigured MELLON COLLIE vinyl album, which also included the "Tonight, Tonight" reprise found here.



3. Contrary to another review on this page, if you are a fan of The Smashing Pumpkins, you are going to love this set. Although I am quite a big Pumpkins fan, I think even non-hardcore fans will like it. Wheather you like the sorrowful splendor of Adore, the more up-beat feeling of Siamese Dream, or just the pure beauty of Mellon Collie, you're going to love this set because it has it all. There's even a bit of almost heavy metal-ness in the song 'Pastichio Medley' which is just 25 minutes of guitar riffs piled into one track. I know how bad that sounds now, but think of it like this: the riffs are like those catchy openings of songs like 'Today', 'Thirty-Three', and 'Here Is No Why', and they sound surprisingly good end-to-end.
   
   The tracks on this set still have that famous Smashing Pumpkins feel to them; I don't find them any less enjoyable than the songs on Mellon Collie or Adore. In fact, a lot of my favorite songs are on here. There's such a great variety: there are beautiful covers songs of The Carrs and The Cure, songs featuring mainly D'arcy and James on vocals, angry songs, sad songs, happy songs....oh, I could go on and on. I have to point out that D'arcy's voice is absolutely amazing on 'Dreaming', as is James's on 'The Boy'. Listen to the samples; I think you'll like what you hear.
   
   And then there's the cost factor. I actually bought mine here on Amazon for $40. It was not new, but was still in mint condition. Listen to the song samples, and if you like them and you can find it for a reasonable price, just go for it. Believe me, you will not regret it. This is truely a beautiful piece of art that I am very passionate about, and I hope you fall in love with it as much as I have.



4. Smashing Pumpkins......enough said!! NOW BUY EVERYTHING SMASHING PUMPKINS!!! you will NOT regret it!



5. Okay, first off, yes this is for hardcore Pumpkin fans. But then again, if you're NOT a dihard Pumpkin fan, what are you doing here?
   
   You've heard it all before, blah blah, this is just really a compilation of B-Sides. B-sides not meaning poorly-written songs, just very quickly recorded.
   
   So, that leaves them with a very raw, unfinished and unpolished sound. I personally love the feel you get out of it. I can imagine some people absolutely hating it.
   
   Many people consider The Aeroplane Flies High five singles from Mellon Collie. This is sort of true... Really, averaging around six tracks per CD they're more like EP's than singles. Also, for instance, with Tonight Tonight there were two versions of the single, each with different tracks. The Aeroplane Flies High combines all the tracks together.
   
   One person's review, I believe, complains saying that there are too many CD's and they could have easily fit them all on two cd's instead of five. Now, that's totally true, but there's something MAJOR that makes this box-set really all worth it. Each EP is true to their A-Side. For instance, with Zero all the B-sides are all hard-rock tracks, like "God" and "Mouths of Babes", with 33 you get more quiet subdued tracks like "The Last Song" and "The Bells". This means each EP sounds very well done, rather than just a jumble of tracks everywhere.
   
   It's important to know that if you're ever going to consider buying this you REALLY need to like Billy's voice. Since these weren't given much time Billy didn't bother re-recording parts where he sounds exceptionally awefull. Of course, for me, since for whatever reason I love Billy's horrible whiney voice, it's a treat.
   
   The biggest problem you'll have is not really deciding on whether you'll get it, or even getting the money for it, it's reall all dependant on HOW you'll get it. I reccomend either here, eBay, or Half.com. You'll HAVE to buy it used, so be careful you get all the CD's and everything's in good condition. If you're lucky, you can land a price around $40, if you're unlucky, expect around $70. So, plan around those two numbers.