12-17-05 Show Notes
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On this show, Jim and Greg bring you their annual gift-giving guide; this year they focus on box sets.

Segment 1:

Cash: The Legend

One of many numerous Johnny Cash box sets, Cash: The Legend was released in time for the hoopla surrounding the Cash biopic, Walk the Line. Jim first points out that he doesn’t like the way the set is organized. He loves the first disc, but is not sure about the rest of the choices. Greg, the show’s resident Cash expert, thinks this box set is better than most, but is still flawed. It lacks many of Cash’s Sun recordings, as well as his most recent work with super-producer Rick Rubin. This is a “Burn it” for both critics. Jim’s “Buy it” picks for Cash fans are Love, God, Murder and Unearthed. Greg gets to pick the song this time around, and, much to Jim’s dismay, chooses “The Wanderer,” a track written by U2

Ray Charles, Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959)

Ray Charles is another deceased musician who has recently been brought back to life in the media. Last year, Charles was profiled in his own biopic, Ray, and this year his music was featured in a song that was number one for most of 2005—Kanye West’s “Gold Digger.” This current box set is a 6 disc overview of Charles’ early period. Charles was signed to Atlantic Records by Ahmet Ertegun in the 1950s, and according to Greg, these Atlantic recordings came to be what we now know as R&B music. The music, originally produced by Jerry Wexler, will appeal to the soul aficionado, but neither Jim and Greg can recommend this set as a “Buy It” for a casual listener. The song Greg chooses is Charles’ original 1954 performance of “I’ve Got a Woman”, as opposed to Jamie Foxx’s rendition you hear on “Gold Digger.”

Talking Heads Brick

The Talking Heads, a band that came out of the New York punk scene in the 1970s, present their music in this one-stop shop set. Brick contains all of the Talking Heads recordings re-mastered in 5.1 Digital Surround Sound by the band’s keyboardist, Jerry Harrison. Jim is impressed with the comprehensiveness of this set, but admits that he doesn’t even own a surround sound system. Greg was also hoping for more outtakes and rarities, explaining that the set’s introduction, written by hipster author Dave Eggers, does not make it worth the $150 price.

One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Groups Sounds Lost and Found

Jim and Greg give this box set their vote for best packaging. The four discs of girl group songs are contained in a highly girly hat box. However, while this is an exciting set to un-wrap, according to our hosts, the song collection is disappointing. The reason for this is largely because Rhino Records was unable to get the rights to songs produced by Phil Spector, the man Jim calls the architect of this genre. Spector gave his signature “Wall of Sound” effect to The Beatles and girl groups like The Ronettes featuring Spector’s then-wife Ronnie Bennett. Lost and Found only has a one obscure Ronettes track, however, and none of the major hits from The Shirelles or The Chiffons. Rather, it is packed with “second-tier” groups like The Honeys and The Goodees. In addition, it includes solo artists like Mary Wells, Cher , Dolly Parton, and even super-waif Twiggy, who were all trying to cash in, unsuccessfully, on the girl group sound.

A Musical History by The Band

This box set from classic folk-rock group is one of the most comprehensive sets featured on the show. It contains 5 CDs with more than one hundred songs, as well as a DVD and a book. Greg suspects that the release of this set is lead singer Robbie Robertson’s attempt to set the record straight on The Band’s history. The many disputes over songwriting credits have been made quite public by some recent biographies, as well as Martin Scorsese concert film The Last Waltz. This set follows the long chronology of this group from its initial incarnation as The Hawks to their role as touring band for Bob Dylan on the 1966 Electric Tour. It also features tracks from The Basement Tapes, a famous bootleg of songs Dylan and The Band recorded while living in Woodstock, New York. Jim and Greg are both really impressed with how packed this set is, and are careful to point out that although Robertson has painted himself as the “auteur” of the group, The Band had many great vocalists including Richard Manuel and Levon Helm, who was also the group’s drummer. Pressed to come up with another singing drummer, Jim can only think of Genesis’ Phil Collins.