San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
ALL BOXED UP!
Our annual roundup of new CD and vinyl collections features sets from Prince, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, U2, Elton John and more
In the 35 years since the 1985 release of Bob Dylan’s three-cd “Biograph” established box sets as a viable — and very lucrative — product, their popularity has grown exponentially larger. This growth is reflected in the scores of box sets released each year and in the actual size of some of them, at least several of which weigh in at 7 pounds or more this year.
The 2020 crop includes lavish releases by such legends as Prince, Joni Mitchell, U2 and John Lennon. It also includes sets by such long-inactive cult artists as Georgia post-punk pioneers Pylon and the very obscure (then and now) English folk rock band Trees. And it includes at least four Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees — Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and former San Diegan Frank Zappa — who have had at least two box sets apiece come out in 2020.
Our annual guide reviews some of the many releases that came out this year. A number are limited editions and several celebrate the 50th anniversaries of landmark albums. Prices provided are from amazon.com and may vary at other outlets.
Blue Cheer and Led Zeppelin may have beaten Black Sabbath to the punch in the proto-heavy-metal sweepstakes. But the earth-shaking template created and refined by this no-nonsense band from Birmingham, England, sounds just as vital and instructive today. Released in 1970, barely nine months after the quartet’s self-titled debut album, “Paranoid” propelled Black Sabbath to international stardom. It’s a gem of pulverizing, takeno-prisoner guitar riffs, thundering drumming and Ozzy Osbourne’s intense, man-possessed vocals.
Fans who already have the 2016 “Paranoid” box set will find the identical recordings here — the original album, a 1974 quadraphonic version and two 1970 concerts recorded in Belgium and Switzerland. What’s different is that this new release marks the first time this material has been presented in an all-vinyl edition. Also included is a poster, a 40-page book and a replica of the “Paranoid” tour book. Rock completists will be intrigued to note that the first of the two live albums here was recorded at the Montreux Casino, the same Swiss venue that burned to the ground during a 1971 Frank Zappa concert. The members of Deep Purple, who were in attendance, then wrote their signature song, “Smoke on the Water.”
Rhino; five vinyl albums, plus a 40-page book; $134.28