With the holidays upon us, here's a look at the best boxed sets available this season for the music, TV or movie-lover in your life:
MUSIC
THE BEATLES, "THE BEATLES" (6 CDs and 1 Blu-ray or 4 LPs, Apple/Capitol) The 50th anniversary super deluxe edition of "The Beatles," better known as "The White Album," includes a new remastered version, produced by Giles Martin, of the original album, demo versions recorded at George Harrison's home and various outtakes from the recording sessions that show the band's creative process on songs like "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da." The Super Deluxe edition includes glossy photos and a reproduction of the poster that came with the original album, as well as a hardcover book with an introduction from Paul McCartney and handwritten lyrics of the album's songs.
LIST PRICE: $159.98 (CDs/Blu-ray); $84.98 (LPs)
CHIC, "THE CHIC ORGANIZATION 1977-1979" (5 CDs or 6 LPs, Atlantic/Rhino) In just three years, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards didn't just bring disco into the mainstream with hits like "Le Freak" and "I Want Your Love," but they inspired the start of hip-hop with the groove from "Good Times." This set captures that time, including the first three Chic albums, as well as a CD of remixes and alternate versions. Extras include a remastered version of Sister Sledge's debut album, "We Are Family," which Rodgers and Edwards wrote and produced, as well as essays from Toure and Paul Morley.
LIST PRICE: $54.98 (CDs); $124.98 (LPs)
DAVID BOWIE, "LOVING THE ALIEN (1983-1988)" (11 CDs or 15 LPs, Parlophone) The fourth in the series of retrospective box sets collects Bowie's work in the "Let's Dance" era, when he was biggest in America _ including the "Let's Dance," "Tonight," "Never Let Me Down" studio albums and the "Glass Spider" live album. "Never Let Me Down" is offered in its original version and a version rerecorded for this box set by members of his band from the era, including drummer Sterling Campbell and guitarists Reeves Gabrels and David Torn. Extras include two remix CDs, "Re: Call 4" and "Dance," which collect remixes and non-album singles, and a 128-page booklet of rare and previously unpublished photos from Herb Ritts and others, as well as studio notes from producers including Nile Rodgers and Hugh Padgham.
LIST PRICE: $119.98 (CDs); $279.98 (LPs)
TOM PETTY, "AN AMERICAN TREASURE" (4 CDs, Reprise) The 60-track deluxe version includes previously unreleased songs, including a charming demo of "The Apartment Song" with Stevie Nicks, as well as live versions and alternate takes of the late Petty's impressive rock catalog. Extras include a 52-page booklet of rare photographs and a track-by-track liner notes breakdown by journalist Bud Scoppa.
LIST PRICE: $44.99
SOFT CELL, "Keychains & Snowstorms" (9 CDs, 1 DVD, Universal) Look, Soft Cell was way more than just "Tainted Love," but even if that's all Marc Almond and Dave Ball accomplished that would be plenty. This massive retrospective includes synth-pop singles like "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" and "Sex Dwarf," remixes, demos and two live CDs, as well as surprises like the epic 10-minute "Hendrix Medley," which combine the duo's versions of "Hey Joe," "Purple Haze" and "Voodoo Chile." Extras include a 10-by-10-inch box and book featuring photos from the duo's career and a new essay from Simon Price. There's also a CD of two new songs, "Northern Lights" and "Guilty ('Cos I Say You Are)."
LIST PRICE: $124.98 _ Glenn Gamboa
TV
ROBIN WILLIAMS: COMIC GENIUS (22 DVDs, Time Life) This performer could do anything, so this sturdy double-width box has a bit of everything _ Williams' career-spanning five HBO stand-up specials (1978-2009), unseen concerts (Montreal from his last tour), unfiltered USO shows (camcorder tapes!), talk and variety stops (Johnny Carson, Oprah Winfrey, "Saturday Night Live"), top "Mork & Mindy" episodes, "Inside the Actors Studio" visit, early stand-up clips, raw footage. There's also HBO's recent bio-portrait "Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind," plus many extended interviews (Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, son Zak Williams). In-depth featurettes delve into specific aspects of Williams' life and career through smartly woven clips and comments _ his '70s start in the "wild west" comedy scene, his San Francisco spirit, his surefire guest antics (a half-hour must-see that distills Williams' loose-cannon appeal). Topping the box is a 24-page photo booklet that includes joke quotes and intimate tour notes.
LIST PRICE: $200, sold only at RobinWilliams.com
THE SHIELD: COMPLETE SERIES (18 Blu-ray Discs, Mill Creek) Five years after "The Sopranos" blew open adult drama on HBO, "The Shield" did the same for basic cable. FX took a chance on young creator Shawn Ryan, and he delivered a fearless tale of corrupt cops, led by another unlikely name: one-time "Commish" Michael Chiklis, newly slimmed down, buffed up and badder than bad. Now, 10 years after the series' universally acclaimed finale, comes a collectible Digi-book with all 88 episodes (sparkling from a recent 4K restoration), plus new bonus features (added after DVD release) _ cast reunion, writers reunion, restoration featurette, look-back at the show's impact, lots more.
LIST PRICE: $230
DETECTORISTS: COMPLETE SERIES (5 DVDs, Acorn) Already beloved as Ricky Gervais' right-hand man in the original "The Office" (and also seen in "Game of Thrones" and "Almost Human"), familiar supporting actor Mackenzie Crook recently starred in this sublime British half-hour character comedy (2014-17) _ for which he also wrote and directed all 19 episodes. Crook and Toby Jones ("Wayward Pines") play the title BFFs whose ordinary small-town lives take shape around their metal-seeking activities. It's a quietly rewarding gem, with real-world humor, foibles and metal-club meetings that have corralled cult followings on streamer Acorn TV and on PBS stations. The set's packaging may be a bit too clever, as discs fit awkwardly into cardboard slots in a fold-up square shape that finally slides into a clear plastic sleeve bound to stick out on your shelf. But its color snapshots of series characters and artifacts lovingly capture the comedy's misfit charm.
LIST PRICE: $80
RESCUE ME: COMPLETE SERIES (16 Blu-ray Discs, Mill Creek) Denis Leary's FX series dramatizing the post-9/11 lives of New York City firefighters finally hits high-def, with its evocative location filming and outrageous adult situations and humor. The packaging is sharp. All seven seasons (2004-2011) are compactly housed in a pair of thick plastic Blu-ray flipper cases. Over that is a paper slipcase, covered by a clear plastic sleeve to keep things looking crisp. Season-set extras are retained here _ creators' raucous pilot commentary and incisive look-back chat, real FDNY guys speak, set/location tours, many more featurettes, gag reel. (Note, however, that one bonus listed on final disc was ultimately not included.)
LIST PRICE: $150
ERNIE KOVACS: THE CENTENNIAL EDITION (9 DVDS, Shout) There's never enough fun from "television's original genius," so why not collect it all? This super-set brings together previous releases of the innovative Kovacs' many mind-bending, rule-breaking forays in video play. Through the 1950s until his 1962 death, the mustachioed ex-DJ, actor and humorist hosted freewheeling morning and evening shows of crazed comic bits; made prime-time specials experimenting with camera shots, editing, music and sound effects; crafted nonsensical game shows around delirious sketches; and even hatched a western pilot co-starring silent-era genius Buster Keaton. How many TV pioneers are known for creative commercials like Kovacs' visually ironic spots for Dutch Masters cigars? Watch 'em in wonder.
LIST PRICE: $70 _ Diane Werts
MOVIES
INGMAR BERGMAN'S CINEMA: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION (30 Blu-ray Discs, Criterion) On the 100-year anniversary of the Swedish director's birth comes this 39-film collection of his theatrical films and television works. The set is arranged as a kind of film festival, with "opening night," "centerpiece" and "closing night" films, and comes with a 240-page book of essays and roughly 30 hours of supplemental features. Titles include "The Seventh Seal," "Persona" and other well-known works but also Bergman's early output from the 1940s and 1950s.
LIST PRICE: $299
THE BEST OF THE THREE STOOGES (13 or 26 DVDs, Time Life) Stooges fans can pick from two versions of this sprawling collection. The first offers nyuks aplenty with every Columbia Pictures short released from 1934 to 1945 _ that's 87 movies from the trio's golden years. Not enough material, you say? Why, you oughta go for the second option, a 26-disc collection with all 190 Columbia Shorts through 1959 _ a veritable Encyclopedia Stoogeannica. Both sets include cartoons, feature films and a 9-part documentary on the performers' families, "Hey Moe, Hey Dad!"
LIST PRICE: $99.95 for 13 DVD discs or $199.95 for 26 DVD discs. Available from timelife.com _ Rafer Guzman
UNIVERSAL CLASSIC MONSTERS: COMPLETE 30-FILM COLLECTION (DVD and Blu-ray, Universal) The Hollywood originals are all collected here in even-eerier HD _ Boris Karloff's "Frankenstein" and "The Mummy," Bela Lugosi's "Dracula," Claude Rains' "The Invisible Man," Lon Chaney Jr.'s "The Wolf Man," and "Creature From the Black Lagoon," along with their sequels ("Bride" and "Son" of Frankenstein!), spinoffs ("Dracula's Daughter") and spoofs (three Abbott & Costello monster-coms). There's also Rains' forgettable '40s version of "Phantom of the Opera," maybe because it's in color. But it was actually Universal's blunt black-and-white that helped its fright flicks endure, with remastered HD making them yet more chillingly immediate. The seven creature cases boxed here have also been available individually, while the primary titles plus "Bride" were previously compiled in 2012's eight-disc Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection. Bonus features retained from those earlier releases cover the gamut _ making-of, actor and creator profiles, archive material and commentaries. Plus 46-page booklet with movie histories, profiles, legacy essay.
LIST PRICE: $150 Blu-ray/$120 DVD
_ Diane Werts
