dreamin' of a CD-box-set with all those 80's albums, remastered sound quality, bonus tracks, production notes...
I have to admit the idea of this proposed 'latter-day-warts-and-all MCA/Elektra Odds and Sods labels' box-set doesn't hold much appeal for me. However it was put together, there would be certain to be a great deal missing, and it would inevitably lack the 'flow' and cohesiveness that comes across in the nominally 'complete' Sun and Mercury collections previously issued by Bear Family. What followed during the years 1978 to 1995 is too much of a 'mishmash' to make a satisfactory box-set.
Even if you could achieve the impossible and get a license to include everything recorded in this era, where would one draw the line in respect of the various collaborations such as "Survivors", "Class of '55", "Four Legends etc... presumably just take any and all bits that feature JLL to whatever extent and leave aside the rest? The aforementioned albums are essentially 'stand alone' projects and should be respected as such. I happen to think that "Four Legends" is a very good, and enjoyable album, but I wouldn't particularly want to listen to the 'Lewis' bits in isolation lumped together half way through a CD which then seagues in to "Class of '55".
If Bear Family want to something useful they might concentrate on a series of
individual CDs (or 2CDs as appropriate) covering the 'hard-to-find' or 'not-yet-on-CD' stuff like 'Las Vegas', 'Church', "Four Legends", Caribou / Kilroy...
Number one priority, however, should be a vinyl LP of CD-7 from 'The Locust Years' box-set - or, better still, a 2LP serving uo that and it's 'missing' companion show in its entirety (which logic suggests might well exist somewhere!)
Andrew