Kris Kristofferson - Original Album Classics (5 CD, 2009/FLAC)

 

CD1 - Kristofferson - 1970

CD2 - Jesus Was a Capricorn - 1972

CD3 - Spooky Lady's Sideshow - 1974

CD4 - Shake Hands With The Devil - 1979

CD5 - The Silver Tongued Devil and I - 1971

VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 11a (1971) [5 CD, 2007/FLAC]

 

The Stranglers - Giants And Gems: An Album Collection (11 CD, 2014)

 

In 2013, the great five-disc Stranglers box set The Old Testament: The U.A. Studio Recordings (1977-1982) from 1992 was reissued, featuring most of the group's best albums plus a bunch of drool-worthy bonuses (demos, B-sides, remixes, and other whatnot). This bulky 11-disc set was released just one year after -- the excuse being that the band's 40th anniversary must be honored -- but the differences are vast, with this one serving a purpose for the hardcore while Old Testament is the clear winner for the more casual listener. Believe that the band was a sham once lead singer Hugh Cornwell left in 1990 and Giants and Gems is a legacy-harming device, since two albums with Baz Warne on vocals (the OK Suite XVI from 2006 and the excellent Giants from 2012) are included. End-to-end fans who think that Baz is ace might still find this set revisionist history, as the band's middle period as a five-piece with the slinky singer Paul Roberts (who acted as if he were fronting INXS and not the scruffy band that recorded "Peaches") is missing, as are the late Hugh Cornwell albums, since classics like Aural Sculpture are owned by Sony. The Old Testament bonus tracks have also gone missing here, as Giants and Gems presents the albums just as they were issued on vinyl with no extras, but including the rarities compilation Off the Beaten Track in this set is a bonus in itself, as are getting the live albums Live (X-Cert) and Live at the Hope & Anchor. Those looking to go past the hits should buy Aural Sculpture and Feline separately, then consider The Old Testament if you want the complete lean and mean Stranglers, or add this one to the shelves for something more exhaustive and Bazzy.

Pink Floyd - A Tree Full Of Secrets [18 CD, 2005]

 

This box set includes everything that any Pink Floyd fan will ever dream, from demos to ultrarare editions, different mixed editions, outtakes from session recordings, and not only from pink floyd catalogue also from each member of the band too !!!, you have the singles, demos, outtakes from Roger Waters, David Gilmour and the ultra rare stuff of Nick Mason and Richard Wright.


Basically, this collection includes all songs not on regular album (compilations, singles, promos, soundtracks...), as well as rare versions from acetates and studio outtakes.

Paul Butterfield - Complete Albums 1965-1980 (14 CD, 2015)

 Paul Butterfield was the first white harmonica player to develop a style original and powerful enough to place him in the pantheon of true blues greats. It's impossible to overestimate the importance of the doors Butterfield opened: before he came to prominence, white American musicians treated the blues with cautious respect, afraid of coming off as inauthentic. Not only did Butterfield clear the way for white musicians to build upon blues tradition (instead of merely replicating it), but his storming sound was a major catalyst in bringing electric Chicago blues to white audiences who'd previously considered acoustic Delta blues the only really genuine article. His initial recordings from the mid-'60s -- featuring the legendary, racially integrated first edition of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band -- were eclectic, groundbreaking offerings that fused electric blues with rock & roll, psychedelia, jazz, and even (on the classic East-West) Indian classical music. As members of that band -- which included Michael Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop -- drifted away, the overall impact of Butterfield's music lessened, even if his amplified harp playing was still beyond reproach. He had largely faded from the scene by the mid-'70s, and fell prey to health problems and drug addiction that sadly claimed his life prematurely. Even so, the enormity of Butterfield's initial impact ensured that his legacy was already secure.

1965 - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (00:38:07)

1966 - East-West / The Butterfield Blues Band (00:44:55)

1968 - The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw / The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (00:45:45)

1968 - In My Own Dream / The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (00:36:30)

1969 - Keep On Moving / The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (00:42:09)

1970 - Live 2CD (Live @ The Troubadour, Los Angeles) / The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (02:17:17)

1971 - Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin' / The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (00:39:03)

1973 - Better Days / Paul Butterfield's Better Days (00:37:24)

1973 - It All Comes Back / Paul Butterfield's Better Days (00:39:05)

1975 - Put It In Your Ear / Paul Butterfield (00:35:38)

1980 - North South / Paul Butterfield (00:35:07)

1995 - The Original Lost Elektra Sessions (00:58:55)

2015 - Live In White Lake, N.Y. 1/18/69 / The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (01:10:17)