There are some box sets I can certainly do without. Who needs the entire collection of a group you do not like--no matter how good it is. So with that in mind, I will share some of my personal favorites.
1. Miles Davis - The Complete Plugged Nickel Sessions, Mosaic Records. I actually own all of the Mosaic box sets of Miles Davis. I can recommend all of them very highly, but I figured I needed to pick one. I happen to like where Miles Davis was at this time in terms of his style. The one amazing thing about all of Mosaic's collections are the liner notes. They are just about worth the price of the collection. On top of that you get all the out takes and can listen to different renditions beyond what was released originally.
2. Patricia Barber - Companion, Mobile Fidelity 45 RPM. Black Magic Woman--wow--don't need to say much more. Now this is not the highest fidelity album of hers, but it is very good for a live album.
3. Beethoven's 9 symphonies - Kemperer, RCA. How many box sets of the 9 symphonies do I own? I'm not answering that. This one is my favorite, probably due to the 6th and 9th. There are other box sets that I think are better on other symphonies. So for individuals you can do better, but if you want to hear the interpretation of all 9 by the same conductor/orchestra, this in my view is the best one.
4. Led Zeppelin - Classic Records 45 RPM. This is a great box set. If you like Led Zeppelin I think it's hard to pass this one up.
Okay, I've tried to cover 4 of my favorites in different genres. One that I did not mention was Starker's Bach solo cello. It is one of my favorites, but I've mentioned it in previous newsletters.
Hope you enjoy these.
