You’ve heard of Donald Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill? This writer would rather talk about big, beautiful box sets. Here (listed alphabetically, by artist) are 21 of popular music’s most spectacular gargantuan anthologies, each featuring 10 or more discs. Mildred Bailey, The Complete Columbia Recordings of Mildred Bailey (2000, 10 CDs). You’re probably wondering who the […]
Grateful Dead – Enjoying the Ride 60-CD 60th Anniversary Release Spring 2025 is a busy time for Deadheads. First off, Dave’s Picks subscribers are poised to receive their quarter two release, #54 Baltimore Civic Center 3-26-73 (along with the highly coveted subscriber’s bonus disc). Also, pre-orders are still under way for the massive 60 CD […]
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Dennis McNally The Last Great Dream I’m usually fairly critical about books like this because each author paints with a broad brush. Some make it look more glamorous than it truly was. I’ve read dozens of detailed & comprehensive publications. But many of those are only good for the die-hard aficionado, the dedicated reader, curiously […]
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Top Picks of 2024: Dave Nowels Self-Indulgence When I first began writing this year-end wrap up, I wasn’t feeling exceptionally well, and found myself struggling to maintain a semblance of optimism about life in general, much less the state of music in 2024. I’d gotten sick the Saturday before, some type of chest and head […]
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Music Reviews: A ‘Girl Group’ Anthology, Grateful Dead’s Expanded ‘From the Mars Hotel,’ Frank Zappa & the Mothers’ ‘Whisky a Go Go 1968,’ and More A Joe Meek “Girl Group’ Anthology Unearths Some Gems The late rock and pop producer Joe Meek, who is widely regarded as England’s answer to Phil Spector, masterminded many British […]
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Grateful Dead’s Expanded ‘Wake of the Flood,’ plus Benny Goodman, Mac Curtis, Adam Palma, Be, and Ed Sweeney The Grateful Dead’s reissue program continues with a 50th-anniversary edition of Wake of the Flood, the group’s sixth studio album (following three live LPs). The self-produced record, which originally came out in October 1973, evidenced several notable […]
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The Grateful Dead’s new archival box set, Here Comes Sunshine released this past Friday, June 30th via Rhino Records. Seemingly acknowledging the unspoken part, Legacy Manager and Audio Archivist, David Lemieux now refers to the box set release as an annual affair. One he indicates essentially, though unofficially, begun in 2011 with the widely successful […]
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If you’re a Grateful Dead fan, you may already own recordings of at least part of its 1972 European tour’s last concert, which happened at London’s Lyceum Theatre on May 26th of that year. The group’s Europe ’72album includes four of the show’s songs; and you can find two more on Steppin’ Out with the […]
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