Joni Mitchell

Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting to be Danced  |  (Rhino)

Number of discs: 4 CDs

Presentation: It’s your basic 4-CD set. However, the booklet contains an illuminating, occasionally sharply worded essay by Mitchell.

Approximate percentage of the set that’s new content: Zero.

The Deal: Mitchell initially attempted to boil down her discography to a one-disc anthology of love songs for a ballet. Instead, she came up with this set, arranged achronologically and not solely concerned with romantic love.

Sounds Like: Plenty of sheer brilliance interspersed with a fair amount of WTF.

Highlights: Joni Mitchell’s journey from folk to jazz in the 1970s yielded a collection of music that remains stunning. There are songs here that feel so emotionally revealing that the impeccable craft behind them seems to vanish (“All I Want”). There are sharp, witty stories (“Raised on Robbery”) and devastating character studies (“Shades of Scarlet Conquering”). Her soundscapes are sometimes wintery and impressionistic (“A Strange Boy”) and sometimes near-abstract and terrifying (“The Wolf That Lives in Lindsay”). Mitchell wrote countless memorable melodies during this time, even if it seemed only she could sing them, as she darted across octaves and time signatures with ease. Lyrically, her command of language was practically unparalleled.

Lowlights: Mitchell really wants us to reconsider her much-maligned ’80s albums with this set. In an impressively provocative move, she sequences career nadir “Dancin’ Clown” to appear before one of her most perfect songs, “River.” This box is also a handy illustration of the way her prodigious cigarette habit narrowed and hollowed out her singing voice, though she’s still capable of a nuanced vocal in later years. However, the presence here of somnambulant 2002 orchestral versions of classics like “Amelia” and “The Last Time I Saw Richard,” rather than their original recordings, is kind of inexcusable.

Notes: First, a short rant: In a time when so much rock criticism is devoted to reissues and re-packagings, why has this boxed set received so few reviews? Even Bob Dylan’s shittiest albums get picked over these days. Love Has Many Faces is far from a perfect Joni Mitchell anthology, but it’s a fascinating one, and it deserves much more attention. Moving on…

“Chelsea Morning,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Woodstock,” “Help Me,” “Free Man in Paris” — these are some of Joni Mitchell’s most well-known compositions and they’re nowhere to be found here. This box is possibly too arcane for neophytes. If you’re curious about her, you’re better off starting with a classic album like Blue (1971), Court and Spark (1974) or The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975). But the boxed set has real value, as it makes abundantly clear that Joni Mitchell rightly does not give a fuck about what you or I think.

—Michael Pelusi

Rush 

R40  |  (Anthem/ZOE Vision)

Number of discs: 10 DVDs or 6 Blu-ray discs

Presentation: Pretty standard for a box set. A 9” x 12” hard-cover book with 52 pages of both color and black-and-white photographs that correspond to the shows (or at least the tours) represented on the discs. There’s a one-page forward written by rock journalist Martin Popoff, and the discs themselves are contained in individual pockets at the end of the book.

Approximate percentage of the set that’s new content: Roughly 10%, which is all contained on a bonus disc laid out chronologically, starting with Rush playing a show at a high school shortly after their first record came out in 1974, and ending with their 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Some of this content has been available for a while via bootlegs and YouTube, but here it is, all neatly packaged on one officially released disc.

The Deal: Rush celebrate their 40th year as a band with a box set that plays to their strength — the live show. Every officially released concert video since they returned from their hiatus in 2002, which includes:

• Rush in Rio
• R30
• Snakes & Arrows
• Time Machine
• Clockwork Angels

Additionally, there’s a bonus disc that has random live odds and ends spanning their entire career. These include:

• 1974: Rush performing at the Laura Secord Secondary School in Ontario with original drummer John Rutsey, shortly after their first record was released.
• 1976: Rush at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey, from the All The World’s A Stage tour.
• 1988: Rush performing “Lock and Key,” from the Hold Your Fire tour.
• 1997: Rush performing at Molson Amphitheater, from the Test for Echo tour (partial set that includes “2112” in its entirety).
• 2011: The Time Machine tour end-of-show film, I Still Love You Man, featuring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel.
• 2013: The entire Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony pertaining to Rush, including induction by Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters, live performances and acceptance speeches.

Looks Like: This band has their shit together like few others.

Highlights: Rush in Rio, along with the included tour documentary, The Boys in Brazil, which gives some context to what went into pulling off that particular show. The best overall set list (a highly subjective claim, I know) paired with a ridiculously enthusiastic Brazilian crowd experiencing their first Rush show go head to head with threatening weather and difficult travel logistics to make this the most exciting show of the bunch. Start with the documentary, then watch the show.

Low lights: Some pretty awkward and hard-to-navigate DVD menus, but my remote might just need new batteries.

Notes: Rush used to release a live album and/or concert video after roughly every four studio albums. However, since returning from their five-year hiatus in 2002, they’ve documented every subsequent tour with a fully-produced concert video. Perhaps that’s because it seemed like each of those tours could be their last, or maybe they just realized that the fans’ hunger for Rush merchandise is pretty much insatiable.

Regardless of why, the fact that the five shows are only separated by about 2 years each lends a certain sameness to this collection. Yes, the lights and backdrop videos are a little different each time, and one of the shows is in an outdoor soccer stadium instead of a hockey arena, but Rush has not changed all that much in the past 12 years. In fact, if you were to pop in one of these discs at random, the quickest way to identify which show you’re watching is by looking at Geddy’s backline. (Is he using front-loading clothes dryers, rotisserie chicken roasters, a steampunk sausage-maker, or a rusty popcorn popper?*)

What does separate these five shows are the set lists. With all the stylistic shifts the band has taken over the years, one would probably be hard-pressed to find a Rush fan who enjoys every era of the band equally. Such an enormous catalog of songs to pull from makes it difficult for the band to please everyone with one set list. Yes, they’ve increased the show length to three hours, but that’s still not nearly enough time to cover everything. To make up for this, they seem to be pretty diligent about covering different material on each tour. There’s some crossover, to be sure, but only two songs are played at all five of these shows — and I’m sure even the most casual fan can guess what at least one of them is. The one era that is a little under-represented at these shows is the really early days, and that’s probably because although the voice of Geddy Lee is high, it is no longer that high.

But that brings us to the bonus disc, which most notably has a set from right around the time their first album was released in 1974. Yes, it takes place in high school auditorium in front of a bunch of seated kids in their early teens. Yes, it was filmed for some sort of Canadian version of American Bandstand. And yes, they play two unreleased songs and a Larry Williams cover. But what really makes this set interesting is that they’re playing with original drummer John Rutsey… and he seems to be the de facto frontman! He introduces all the songs. He affably leads the kids in a clap-along to “I’ve Been Runnin.’” Geddy sings, but doesn’t say a word in between songs, and in fact looks quite shy through the whole thing. I’m not sure if it was the unusual nature of this gig or what, but it really presents a different dynamic than anything that came after it.

Jump ahead two years — Geddy’s confidence is apparent and Neil Peart is behind the drum kit at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey. (The theatre had an in-house video recording system, and lots of shows from the mid-’70s to the mid-’80s were filmed there — type “Capitol Theatre Passaic” into YouTube and enjoy.) Among other early cuts, we get a rare version of “Lakeside Park” from Caress of Steel. It’s a short set, though — they were opening for Foghat and Montrose.

Rush wouldn’t be the opening band for too much longer after that, and these days, due to the length of their shows, they don’t have anyone opening for them, either. Yes, they’re still putting out studio albums (and pretty good ones, at that), but for many Rush fans, the live show is where it’s at. For those who haven’t already purchased these discs individually, the R40 set is a worthwhile collection.

* front-loading clothes dryers = Rush in Rio or R30

Rotisserie Chicken Roasters = Snakes & Arrows

Steampunk sausage-maker = Time Machine

Rusty popcorn popper = Clockwork Angels 

—Ed Hogarty

 

Bruce Springsteen

The Album Collection Vol. 1: 1973-1984  |  (Legacy)

Number of discs: 8 CDs

Presentation: This is a thin, heavy brick. Inside, each album is done up like a miniature version of the original LP, just CDs in cardboard slipcases. Simple and appropriate. Also comes with a 60-page mini-booklet full of photos and newspaper clippings from these, Springsteen’s grittiest, most prolific and hardest touring years.

Approximate percentage of the set that’s new content: Zero

The Deal: This set is The Boss’ first seven albums remastered:

• Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
• The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle (1973)
• Born To Run (1975)
• Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978)
• The River (1980) (double-CD)
• Nebraska (1982)
• Born In The U.S.A. (1984)

Sounds Like: The albums you probably already know by heart. People who appreciate remasters will pick on the improved sound quality, but for regular fans like me — and anybody who has most often heard these songs on car radios — these discs will merely sound “great” in the general sense.

Highlights: Lots of hits, lots of beautiful songs about struggle. Chris Christie knows the words, but does he understand them?

Lowlights: I’m actually not complaining here, just surprised: This box set contains no extras. No outtakes, no demos, no tracks scraped from bootlegs. Hard to argue with the move, as the listening experience is all peaks and no curiosities, but it does go against the general trend for this sort of set.

Notes: Born in the U.S.A. really stands out as a strange specimen in the Springsteen catalogue. With its catchy choruses, thunderous beats and memorable piano/synth riffs, it’s remarkably of-its-time. And the time was kind to him: This record has seven freaking hits. Lined up after all the records that came before, Born in the U.S.A. isn’t a giant departure, but its polish is undeniable. To modern ears, he met the pop world halfway just this once and it paid off.

Born in the U.S.A. is fun, but the best stuff is, of course, the downbeat, the desperate and the dirty. Is the stripped-down and heavy-hearted Nebraska his best complete record? With apologies to the E-Street Band — who were left off this record — these gorgeously ragged songs feel like the purest realization of Springsteen’s vision.

—Patrick Rapa

 

George Harrison

The Apple Years 1968-75  |  (Apple)

Number of discs: 7 CDs + 1 DVD

Presentation: It’s a nice looking box, comes with a booklet; shaped sorta like 2009’s The Beatles in Mono.

Approximate percentage of the set that’s new content: Maybe 1 percent, courtesy of a few outtakes, demos, etc. He’s been dead since 2001. What did you expect?

The Deal: This set is pretty self-explanatory, comprising of Harrison’s first six solo albums, including two obscure entries he made before The Beatles broke up. The DVD is mostly just some old promo clips and electronic press kits.

Sounds Like: A few experimental forays, then one big-statement masterpiece, then diminishing returns.

Highlights: Harrison’s solo debut Wonderwall Music (1968) was a soundtrack to an obscure Jane Birkin film, and it’s an often-compelling mix of Indian music and psychedelic pop. The music here goes further afield than similar excursions on Beatles albums. But All Things Must Pass (1970) will forever be the fulcrum of Harrison’s solo career, in which his carefully considered melodies are given an elegiac majesty, thanks to Phil Spector’s Wagnerian production values and a large cast of simpatico musicians.

Lowlights: Electronic Sound (1969) is two long tracks of someone dicking around with a Moog synthesizer. Supposedly, it’s only Harrison half the time, though he took all the credit. It’s one of the strangest, most obscure pieces of Fab Four paraphernalia, and you’ll want to listen to it precisely once. As for Harrison’s three post-All Things albums — Living in the Material World (1973), Dark Horse (1974) and Extra Texture (Read All About It) (1975) — they maybe explain why Lennon and McCartney kept Harrison on such a tight leash in The Beatles.

Notes: So what exactly happened to George Harrison in the mid-’70s? Well, he fell a little too in love with head-nodding, middling tempos, and the sessions players he hired weren’t exactly helping create much variety. But clearly drugs, divorce and legal woes sapped a lot of his energy as well. Harrison’s ravaged vocals on Dark Horse serve as ample evidence.

But at least this box reveals a few gems from this period. B-side “Deep Blue” is a country blues written after the death of Harrison’s mother, and the unadorned, direct emotion gives it a heft that some of the more bloated tracks here lack. “Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long” is sweetly winsome pop. On “Tired of Midnight Blue,” he pulls off a decent Steely Dan pastiche, without his own distinctive voice getting lost.

The strangest track comes last with a re-recording of 1975’s “This Guitar (Can’t Keep from Crying)” that Harrison began with Dave Stewart in 1992. Stewart then finished it after Harrison’s death, as part of Platinum Weird, a collaboration with Kara DioGuardi that the duo bizarrely tried to pass off as a lost ’70s album to general public indifference. At any rate, if you ever wanted to hear DioGuardi — now best known as a former American Idol judge — harmonize with a from-beyond-the-grave George Harrison, The Apple Years has you covered.

—Michael Pelusi

 

See Also:

Various Artists

When I Reach That Heavenly Shore: Unearthly Black Gospel 1926-1936  |  (Tompkins Square)

Classic and forgotten gospel recordings from the 78 rpm era are collected on this sometimes uplifting and sometimes eerie three-disc collection. Bessie Jones, Primitive Baptist Choir of North Carolina, Blind Gussie Nesbit, Eddie Head & His Family and dozens of other artists you’ve probably never heard of are returned to their warbly, scratchy glory. Edward W. Clayborn — the so-called “Guitar Evangelist,” who combines slick bluesy picking with soulful devotion — is freaking amazing.

—Patrick Rapa

 

The Go-Betweens

G Stands For Go-Betweens Vol. 1  |  (Domino)

Only the hardest core fans of this beloved and influential Australian indie rock band will want to plunk down $170 for this set of demos, rarities, singles and such. Still, it’s handsomely packaged and packed to the gills with four vinyl LPs (including the first three studio albums), four CD rarities, a 112-page book, a “silkscreen reproduction of the promotional poster for their debut single, ‘Lee Remick,’” and a reproduction of a press release from the band’s Able Label. Also features one of the coolest/weirdest deal-sweeteners of all time: “The first 600 orders will get a randomly selected book from the late Grant McLennan’s personal literary collection along with a specially-printed bookmark signed by Robert Forster, certifying their veracity. Many of those books themselves were also signed by McLennan as he had a habit inscribing his signature, the date and the city of acquisition in the front pages (though no guarantee that every book will have said inscription... luck of the draw).”

—Patrick Rapa

 Mob Rules

Timekeeper  |  (Steamhammer / SPV)

I must confess to zero knowledge of the Northern German metal scene, so this four-CD set is my first exposure to a band I can only assume is already revered and respected in every bier haus and black forest in Norddeutschland. Now celebrating its 20th year as a band, Mob Rules is, obviously, named for after the Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath album, and rightly so. This is high-drama heavy metal, just like Dio liked it: The riffs stomp, the lyrics read like YA fantasy narration and singer Klaus Dirks sings with might and glory, an uber-demonic falsetto befitting the genre. And dear Satan the solos! How they soar and spiral, like Ornias rocketing toward the sky to eavesdrop on God. I would say they don’t make metal like this anymore, but apparently they do. In Northern Germany. \m/

—Patrick Rapa