Box of Fire [Box set, Limited Edition]

Aerosmith | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 22, 1994)
• Original Release Date: November 22, 1994
• Number of Discs: 13
• Format: Box set, Limited Edition
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AV8
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,280 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for any Aerosmith fan, September 29, 2002

By 

bixodoido (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Box of Fire (Audio CD)

This set contains all 12 of Aerosmith's early Columbia releases--7 studio albums, 3 live ones, an early Greatest Hits, and the album 'Gems', which I guess is another anthology. For many fans of their newer music, few of these tracks will be recognizable, maybe only a few from the Greatest hits. Still, this is a great way to discover Aerosmith at their height.

Besides the 12 original albums, this set includes a 5-track bonus disc, most notable for its rockin' rendition of 'Sweet Emotion' and the absolutely beautiful version of 'Dream On' (with a symphony!). These are two excellent remakes of a couple of Aerosmith's best songs.

The great thing about this set is that all the old albums appear exactly as they originally did (though they've been remastered). You don't have to worry about song selection because it's all here. So, for anyone wanting to start a good Aerosmith collection, this is the absolute best place to start.

This box set is highly recommended. Don't let the high price tag fool you--it's well worth every penny.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All the great "old" Aerosmith albums. Bulk is cheap...but perhaps overkill too., December 28, 2007

By 

Bill M. "bill_m1" (MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Box of Fire (Audio CD)

A lot of other reviewers here seem clueless as to why this box set was released the way it was. Some history might clear this up.

Aerosmith first signed with Columbia records in 1972. Then in the mid 1980s they cleaned up their drug habits and switched labels to Geffen records. After having quite a successful come-back, they then went back to Columbia records in 1994.

What does this have to do with the box set? Well you have to realize that in the music industry, the release of compilations, box sets, and even just re-releases of older albums is all largely determined by a band's record label. A record label obviously isn't going to make money off of an album put out by another label. This means that when a band releases a lot of albums under one record label but then leaves them for a new label, each label will handle things with their own best interest in mind. For example, the old stuff might get acquired and re-released on (and by) the new label, or the band will try to finish off their old contract by releasing a compilation album, etc.

It's no coincidence then that when Aerosmith joined back with Columbia in 1994, the label decided to re-release all 12 albums that they had done for Aerosmith. In addition to selling them separately, they also decided to put all 12 discs in this box set, "Box of Fire". So this box set simply contains all 12 individual Aerosmith albums that had been released up until then with Columbia records, plus a bonus EP of rarities.

This means you will NOT find anything from the albums Aerosmith did with Geffen. That means nothing from "Done With Mirrors", "Permanent Vacation", "Pump", or "Get a Grip". If you're looking for a compilation of the hit songs from those years, try "Big Ones", which Geffen released in the same year.

But here is what you WILL find in "Box of Fire":

DISCS 1-7: Aerosmith's 7 albums from the 1970s. "Aerosmith", "Get Your Wings", "Toys in the Attic", "Rocks", "Draw the Line", the "Live! Bootleg" live album, and "Night in the Ruts"

DISC 8: "Greatest Hits", a compilation spanning the 1970s albums, released in 1980.

DISC 9: The 1982 album "Rock in a Hard Place". This was made without Joe Perry, and is often considered the black sheep album of Aerosmith's career. Personally, I love it.

DISCS 10-11: "Classics Live!" and "Classics Live! II". These were two live compilation albums that Columbia released while Aerosmith was still making new albums with Geffen. The first is a collection of 1977-1983 recordings, with the bonus non-album track "Major Barbara". Classics II consists of live recordings from the mid-80s after Aerosmith reunited with Joe Perry.

DISC 12: "Gems", another album that Columbia released while Aerosmith was already with Geffen, to cash-in on the band's return of popularity (which again was due to the hits they were releasing from Geffen albums like "Permanent Vacation" and "Pump"). It was released in 1988, and is essentially a "Greatest Hits volume II" from the Columbia years. I remember it being quite popular because it was not only a cheap way for new Aerosmith fans to get some of their older stuff, but it was the only disc on which you could get the studio version of "Chip Away at the Stone", a 1978 single that was never released as a track on a full album before.

DISC 13: This is a bonus EP with five tracks. There's a 1991 edit of "Sweet Emotion", which Columbia used in the music video to promote the "Pandora's Box" box set, yet ANOTHER thing they released while Aerosmith was having success with Geffen records. Also here is the live orchestral version of "Dream On" that the band did for an Mtv special and also released on the "Last Action Hero" soundtrack. The other tree tracks are "Circle Jerk" (the ghost track from "Pandora's Box") and two other songs that you won't find anywhere else.

Some people are complaining about the redundant tracks, or the fact that you could use less discs to fit the same music. Again, this is a re-release of the 12 individual "classic" Aerosmith albums, that were being sold individually anyway, and they're being sold all together here as a collector's set. They're going for completeness.

So who would want to buy this entire box set? Especially since you admittedly have some redundant tracks here with "Greatest Hits", etc.? If you're just a casual fan, then by all means, stick with the much cheaper "Pandora's Box" box set which Columbia released in 1991. On the other hand, if you don't have much Aerosmith on CD, then this is the best way to get all of the old stuff in one purchase at one low price. That was certainly the case for many of us back in 1994, when a lot of us only had Aerosmith on vinyl or cassette and wanted a good CD replacement. Likewise, if you're a die-hard fan who wants a complete collection, including those rarities, then this set is for you too.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Buy If You Don't Already Own These Albums, May 28, 2000

By 

Bill R. Moore (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Box of Fire (Audio CD)

By far the most comprehensive Aerosmith collection available. Box of Fire includes all of the band's Columbia albums with the exception of, of course, Nine Lives, and even adds a 5 cd bonus disc. The discs come remastered and with extensive linear notes. The only drawback to this excellent box set is the price. At around $100, it is too much for most listeners, but for those who are loaded you should definately get this collection, especially if you don't already own these albums. If you do though, you will almost certainly want to pass as there is nothing new here outside the five songs (of which you have probably already heard, and maybe even own, three) and the box itself.