This box set contains 4 CDs

This release by Galaxie 500 could certainly be considered a boxed set, but in actuality it is much more.First, each of their albums are presented here exactly as they were released to the public, with the exception of the cover artwork, which in the set, matches the perfect slip cover designed to hold this collection as a package. This is one of the few boxed sets I own that actually traces the time line exactly as it flowed, rather then grabbing songs from one album and mixing them with songs from another. Secondly, along with the original releases, is a disc of material that did not find its way onto any of those albums, and should not be missed under any circumstances. Third, we are given one of the most concise booklets I have ever come across. Within it’s pages you will find the original liner notes, dates and places of the bands performances, recording techniques, band and member history, some great images of concert posters and pictures of the band from photo shoots, to shots of them in concert. Fourth, there are four CD’s to this set, all are presented in a small, substantial box, designed to hold these discs, so there is no clumsy “Long Box” to deal with. And finally, the artwork for the box is impeccable, it is exactly what one would hope for and a true representation of the character of the band.Ah, but the music, no matter how good the packaging, in the end, it’s the music that matters first and last. Since the breakup of The Velvet Underground, I have been waiting patiently for this band to find its way into my world. My first experience with Galaxie 500 was the song “Don’t Let Our Youth Go To Waste,” and believe me, I was at the very first show I could find. Their music is as strange and wonderful as anything I have ever had the privilege of hearing. It’s a combination of hauntingly simple ballads, to high volume fuzz guitar, with everything else in the world mixed in. These songs are dense, lush and textured ... yet exist in a world the colour of falling autumn leaves and the setting sun. The main point is that every tune is designed by its nature to spirit you away, to a world that rests somewhere in the back of your mind, a place you are totally aware of, yet visit far too seldom. I can only imagine the joy of living in that world full time and writing such marvelous childlike songs.Along with the fuzz guitar there is an essential droning in the background that is balanced by the almost off key singing. One of the primary instruments used to hold all of this in check is the Bass, where it is lightly touched, but only enough to suggest a movement of deep resonance that flows through your body and out the tips of your fingers. I want to say that there is a disconnect going on here, obviously a tribute to John Cale, but they have taken it a step further, to the point where the music all dissolves back into itself.The music is definitely surreal, and when one is given enough breathing room to listen to the lyrics, they are equally as striking and as skillfully written as anything Bob Dylan wrote for his surreal release “Blonde On Blonde.” There is no way I can impress on you the number of levels this music is working on ... that I will have to leave for you to discover.Welcome to the most beautiful spot in the universe ... Galaxie 500.