I can’t cope with box sets. I don’t mean DVDs, I’m quite happy to sit down at watch 6 episodes of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ – although the time I saw the first 8 episodes of ‘Lost’ in one day was really pushing the sanity envelope – I mean music.
Miles Davis & Gil Evans
I love the music Miles Davis made, I’ve not heard anything that I didn’t like*, but I just don’t know where to start when confronted with the 127 tracks of ‘Miles Davis & Gil Evans Complete Columbia Recordings’, it’s too much.
It includes ‘Sketches Of Spain’, ‘Miles Ahead’, ‘porgy & Bess’ and a load of other stuff. It’s 6 CDs worth of the finished albums, alternative takes, mono version, a bit of studio chatter, versions that seem to be exactly the same except maybe Miles wore a different suit to record them. It’s just silly. I’ve got 10 versions of ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You)’, seriously. And since I’ve got the download version, I don’t have the liner notes and don’t know which version is the version they included on the original album.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I’ve got it – it only cost me £7 on iTunes (price may have changed since) – I just don’t know how to listen to it. I tend to put it on shuffle. What else can I do?
* … Ok, there are some tracks on ‘The Complete Jack Johnson’ boxset that I don’t need to hear twice. Or once. Actually, I wasn’t too keen on ‘Tutu’ either since you ask.
What? Why Bother? 
Thank you for bringing this box set to my attention, will look for it, I love to listen to everything a musician has recorded, gives a better overview. I’ve posted some rock music videos on my blog, feel free to visit.