Best of the Boxes

Originally I had planned on this being a much bigger post, but, you know, life gets in the way and whatnot. There were some fine box sets, reissues, comp albums, and shit like that in '05, but I want to focus on three items which I think stand out.

First things first: The Fall's Complete Peel Sessions is an absolute must own. By far my favorite box of the year. You get the full range of The Fall in this exhaustive set, which is a major accomplishment considering this band went through more changes than Madonna in her prime. Yes, I just compared The Fall to Madonna, and it is an apt comparison because, seriously, The Fall were and are constantly tinkering with their sound. Madonna mostly tinkers with her hair style and wardrobe, but I think you get the idea. Anyway, this is a must own if you are at all interested in British rock music in the 80s. They were John Peel's favorite band, so they must be good enough for you. Did I mention you should go out and buy this?

Next we have Gilles Peterson Digs America. For those who don't know, Gilles Peterson is a British DJ (yes
another British DJ, what can I say it was a good year for Anglophiles) who is known for, among other things, his giant record collection which he literally keeps in a separate house. This house aint for living, its just for records. If you think you are an obsessive music geek, you should take a step back and calm down, because you're nothin' if you don't have a separate house for all your records. Anyway, this disc is a compilation of obscure jazz and soul music from years gone by which is totally unavailable outside the out of print vinyl market. That means these tracks are rare. Impress your hipster friends by talking about Darondo and saying things like Ellen McIlwaine's original version of "Higher Ground" is easily the best version of that song. You will be a god. This is a very cool comp album.

Finally, the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds three disc set entitled Rarities and B-Sides is a great collection of, you guessed it, rarities and b-sides. I have been listening to this set since the spring, and I only like it more and more. These guys don't get the respect they deserve. So many of the bands that get a lot of press today are really only Nick Cave impersonators. Maybe I'm exaggerating slightly, but they are one of my favorite bands, OK? This is a great set.

There were more awesome releases in a similar vein this year, but I didn't mention them because they are going to be getting or have already gotten a lot of coverage in the music media. I'm thinking of the Talking Heads box, One Kiss Leads To Another (the girl group box), No Direction Home (Dylan), and the Born to Run reissue. All are amazing and worth getting, but those three are under the radar, therefore on Bottle of Bread.

Next time: the best albums of '05.