Customer Reviews

Brain in a Box: The Science Fiction Collection

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This offering from Rhino Records sets a new standard for graphic design! Really, it's absolutely terrific. Before ever getting around to opening the box, I luxuriated in the marvelously rendered details, the perfect switches and gauges, the tongue-in-cheek labels from the "brainstorm" light to the warning to "replace fluids every 3000 hours." I got more kicks from just reading the box than I've gotten from many novels!

And the box is only the beginning! The 200-page booklet is a sheer delight for fans of 1950s sci-fi B-flicks. Really, you can't appreciate the genius that went into this package until you experience it for yourself! More than a box, it's Art.

Very highly recommended!

The first thing you will notice is the beautiful box. Though not metal (decorated to look as if), it has a really cool hologram on three sides, with all track listings on the back. Decent construction, though some may not like the foam insert inside which holds the 5 discs and book.

The 5 discs are packaged with their own cardboard sleeve that is decorated in a 50's style retro design and categorized by a main theme: T.V., Movie, Lounge, Novelty & Pop. But the best part of the inserts is the small hard cover book included. It is chock full of old B-movie posters and artwork, news/articles, and information/history on 'space' related music over the years. This is truly a gem and adds quite a bit to this collection. You will spend hours marveling over the old retro designs and comic like appearance of all things sci/fi that are within this books covers.

Now why only 4 stars? Well though you will be giddy to hear old show tunes like 'Lost In Space', 'The Outer Limits', and some of the movie themes and lounge, it does lack some heavy hitters. One can argue that Rhino probably had hundreds of tunes to sift through, and they picked what they could for licensing reasons and taste, but while others may enjoy some tunes, others will wonder how this made it into the collection. For me, I was a little let down by the Novelty disc....some songs were actually annoying to me.

The biggest let down, and I realize the issues behind it, were the absence of a few major players: There is no Star Wars theme, no Cantina, no Dune, no Klingon music, a few TV shows that were not represented, but you can't please everybody right?

Otherwise a very good collection...and a stellar book.

With an ultra-cool holographic box that instantly transports you back to the sci-fi B-movie days of the past, "Brain in a Box" also serves as a fairly comprehensive library of all kinds of music relating to science fiction, from movie and TV themes to pop and novelty songs. If I had to introduce someone to sci-fi music, this wouldn't be a bad way to do it. I could easily quibble over what's missing, but I prefer to focus instead on what you DO get: an excellent hardbound book with info and commentary, several tunes I would never have heard otherwise (like "Tiny Space Man"), and the amazing brain storage container that is it all comes in. I do have complaints: the sound quality varies widely (couldn't be helped, I'm sure)

If you're the kind of person that stays up weekends until 4AM just to see a rare '50's sci-fi drive-in movie on the tube, start saving up,you've got to have this. The other reviews point out the superb packaging (I can't imagine anyone bringing out a better graphic design for CDs this year,give the Grammy right now) and the esoteric music, and I fully agree. But I think I've found how to enjoy this set the most:stick all the discs in your 200-CD jukebox and use random play mode. This stuff is the greatest for spicing up your round-the-house listening! Extremely highly recommended (if you're into old sci-fi and unusual music).

First off, the design of this boxed set is outstanding, from the 3-D panels showing a brain in fluid to the CDs and cases themselves, which highlight various grade-Z schlock sci-fi themes. The construction, however, is another story, as the box itself is sloppily made, and the foam padding which houses the CDs is not the ideal method, as it makes re-inserting the CDs without damaging them a bit annoying. The accompanying book is an interesting (if hodge-podge) overview of pop sci-fi culture. As for the music itself, kudos go to Rhino for their excellent compilation, which is head-and-shoulders above other compilations of novelty music, though one can argue that some of the obscure selections should remain obscure. Still, many should enjoy the discs devoted to movie and TV themes; I, for one, was overjoyed to see the inclusion of the theme from The Blob (by Burt Bacharach!) on the Novelty disc.

I have to admit, Rhino continues to impress me time and time again. It would be one thing to collect and repackage tunes from days gone by (like the History of Funk 6-CD anthology), but they do so in a way that leaves you bragging to all your friends: "Look at this BOX SET!"

And indeed, the packaging is as impressive as the 5 cds in contains. A box with holographic brains? Photos of robots? Mad scientists? Cheezy science fiction film stills? And yet, without mocking it, the brain begs for us to revel in our love of this new frontier pondered so much over the last 50 years.

The music ranges from the insanely familiar (The Jetson's Theme song) to the curious buzzing of artists like John Zorn and the appreciation for the silly through, oh, I don't know... Lenord Nemoy? Throw in some rockabilly and theremin solos, really clever cd covers, and a book chock full of historical photos and you've got a classic. You'll want to bring the brain out to meet everyone.