Recollection [Box set, CD+DVD]

K. D. Lang | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 9, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, CD+DVD
• 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: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B002ZTIIXU
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,080 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Trail of Broken Hearts

2. Constant Craving

3. The Air That I Breathe

4. Helpless

5. You're OK

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Help Me

2. Hush Sweet Lover

3. Beautifully Combined (New Song)

4. Crying (Duet with Roy Orbison)

5. Love for Sale

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Sitting On Top of the World

2. Sexuality

3. Skylark

4. Helpless (KCRW - live from Malibu PAC)

5. Western Stars (KCRW - live from Malibu PAC)

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Constant Craving

2. Just Keep Me Moving

3. Hush Sweet Lover

4. Miss Chatelaine

5. The Mind of Love

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

2010 two CD collection from the singer, songwriter, performer and once-in-a-generation artist who has consistently displayed an extraordinary interpretative range as well as remarkable vocal prowess. This double disc retrospective -- which includes favorites like 'Constant Craving' and 'Smoke Rings,' as well as 10 tracks that never appeared on k.d. lang albums; and interpretations of classic songs like Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and The Hollies 'The Air That I Breathe' -- illustrates how lang got to this significant point in her career, 25 years after the independent release of her debut, A Truly Western Experience. 22 tracks. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb material, excellent remastering... can we have the COMPLETE boxed set now, please?, February 13, 2010

By 

Coltbear - A Music Fan "DJ Steve" (NY/NJ Metro Area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Recollection (Audio CD)

From 1987's "Angel With A Lariat," k.d. lang's first American debut up to this very day when I just finished watching her singing "Hallelujah" at the XXI Olympic Opening Ceremony, I find myself (as you will be asking about your own personal favorites), where is "Pullin' Back The Reins" from "Absolute Torch And Twang?" Where is "Lock, Stock and Teardrops," along with several other classics from "Shadowland?" The gorgeous "Still Thrives This Love" and "Save Me," from "Ingenue" are nowhere to be found, as the astonishingly beautiful "Infinite and Unforeseen" and "If I Were You," from "All You Can Eat" are sorely missing. Instead of the admittedly more dramatic "Theme From Valley of the Dolls" and "Till The Heart Caves In" from "Drag," we get "Smoke Rings," and "The Air That I Breathe," the latter which proves that when Miss lang covers a song as in Dionne Warwick's "Theme From Valley of the Dolls" or the Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe," both definitive versions, she makes them her very own on a par with the originals, a truly rare gift indeed. Unfortunately, there are also a few excellent but neglected tracks from 2000's "Invincible Summer," 2004's "hymns of the 49th parallel," and finally, her stunning return with 2008's "Watershed." While "I Dream Of Spring" and "Thread" were included live on the bonus disc, as was the studio version of "I Dream Of Spring," I found myself longing for "Coming Home," and a few others as well.

The reason I mentioned all of those favorites is because the 3 discs have a LOT more room to accommodate at least some, if not all of my favorites above, or whichever yours might be. Disc 1 clocks in at a mere 47:14; Disc 2 at 48:47 and the live bonus disc at only 42:09. I don't normally time CDs, but when another 100 minutes (!) of music could have been added to this already excellent set from one of my all-time favorite singers, it is hard not to question why many more of our favorites could have been added but were not. The inclusion of a new version of "Hallelujah," with more orchestration was somewhat extraneous in my opinion, adding even potentially more time to Disc 2. Having said that, the songs on the discs in this collection ARE superb, and worth buying for the remastered tracks alone. I have listened to all three discs over and over again already.

There ARE also a few gems to be found here, such as "Golden Slumbers/The End," from the 2006 movie "Happy Feet," as well as Miss lang's contribution of "So In Love," from the 1990 "Red Hot & Blue" AIDS benefit tribute to Cole Porter CD. k.d.'s gorgeous, ethereal duet with fellow Canadian Jane Siberry's "Calling All Angels" is here, which appeared on Jane's 1993 still amazing "When I Was A Boy" CD, as are k.d.'s reverent and beautifully done versions of Siberry's "The Valley" (if only they would have done a harmony vocal on THIS beauty!), and "Love Is Everything" (on the DVD only), both from "hymns of the 49th parallel." Obviously, I'm enamoured of Siberry's writing as Miss lang is. Speaking of writing, MAJOR kudos and props to Ben Mink, as her fellow lyricist and band member since her career began, as well as to the long-time collaborators in her band as well.

There is also one new song, "Beautifully Combined" (2:41), though brief in length, the lyrics (as usual), are excellent. There are also duets of k.d. with Tony Bennett on "Moonglow," and her memorably famous duet with Roy Orbison on "Crying." The first song, "You're The One" from Roy's 1992 "King of Hearts" album could easily have been included here, as it's practically a duet with Roy as well.

Getting to the REALLY good stuff, the 3rd live bonus disc (tracks 4 thru 11 are live from KCRW, from the Malibu PAC, all recorded on October 12, 2008), and they are also worth the price of this version of "Recollections." The first three studio tracks are excellent choices - nice to see "Skylark," from "Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil" here! On the remaining live tracks, instead of fades on each, I thought the applause could have been mixed to provide more continuity and the feeling of being at the live show. However, Miss lang and her band REALLY shine on the live tracks, especially on "Wash Me Clean," where at the end, she sings, "cleanse my tarnished dreams," then holds "dreams" for what seems like an eternity, but is actually 16 seconds of pure, vocal heaven. It's also great to hear her long-time collaborators in the band cut loose on a terrific, upbeat version of "I Dream Of Spring."

The DVD is excellent, by the way, with the 11 videos ranging from cool, fun, campy, kitchy, sensuous, poignant ("Crying" duet with Roy Orbison), and the last two songs, "Hallelujah" and "Helpless," live from the 2005 Juno Awards. The remastered songs, live CD, DVD, booklet and very well thought out, elegant packaging all combine to make this the definite version of "Recollection" to own.

The only two things I'm really disappointed about is that I've never been to one of Miss lang's concerts, and after hearing her sing "The Right To Love," which ends the live CD and I'm sure (or would hope), is a concert staple for her, I am saddened that I will probably never get to hear those poignant lyrics and the incredible jazz piano accompaniment with her soaring and passionate vocals in person. The second is that Miss lang is one of the most deserving, finest artists/vocalists EVER, and truly deserves to have a more thorough, comprehensive and complete boxed set, with a lot more of her timeless, older material remastered (it's time... it HAS been over 20 years!), as well as more rarities, CD-single mixes and many guest vocals on other albums, soundtracks and compilations she has done. It would be spectacular to have all of those remastered in one boxed set, wouldn't it?

Some of these include "A Kiss To Build A Dream On," from the 2005 compilation "Timeless"; her duets with Tony Bennett, "What A Wonderful World" and "Dream A Little Dream Of Me," from their 2002 duet album of the same name, and two personal favorites, Carter Burwell conducting an achingly beautiful intro and accompaniment to Miss lang's superb version of "Secret Love," (never before released on any CD, from the end credits of the outstanding 2001 DVD documentary, "The Celluloid Closet"), the other being her heavenly duet on the title track of Bruce Roberts' 1995 CD, "Intimacy," to name only a few more. I'm aware that in some cases there are licensing issues, but in ANY case, the fans suffer, as we would gladly buy an extended, complete boxed-set containing all of the above and more.

While I will admit this technically IS an excellent "boxed set" for starters, it would have been great to see "Recollections" reach the full potential this set was truly capable of. And that's a compliment of the highest order. That, along with the extensive variety of songs in Miss lang's repertoire, and those yet to come (not to mention the incredibly remarkable way she sings them), combined with each new (single CD) release of hers :-) , all prove where she is concerned, it just doesn't get any better. To bring so much joy to so many with the power or subtlety of a lyric, sometimes both in one, is truly an amazing gift.

Last, but certainly not least, I'll be waiting patiently to hopefully be the first of k.d. lang's countless fans to own a copy of that EXPANDED boxed set! :-)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars k. d. lang: An American Treasure, February 23, 2010

By 

Kevin Pepper "JedeyeNite" (Elkmont, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Recollection (Audio CD)

This box set is a fantastic review of lang's recording history. If you are debating between buying the 2-disc and the 4-disc set, I will try to point out why you may want to invest in the 4-disc set.

k. d. lang has evolved from country, to pop, to true diva status. Any fan of k. d. will agree that it's the voice that keeps drawing us back for more. I have been a fan for many years, and I have to admit that just like any other musician, she may have had a couple of hiccups along the way, but the last several years we have heard her embrace her vocal style and deliver some absolute masterpieces. I don't even have to hear a sample of any new albums now before buying them.

So, what's in the 4-disc set???? The first 2 discs are the same as in the standard collection. While I believe the songs sound great, I was surprised to see some titles missing from the set. I just can't think of a k. d. lang concert without thinking of the song, "Big Boned Gal". Although there are some songs that I would like to have had included in this set, I was happy with the first two discs. The third disc is what separates this set from the standard edition. The live numbers on this disc are absolutely FABULOUS!!! There are times when I can close my eyes and think that I'm hearing a cross between Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald. The live tracks on disc three are truly the star of this collection. Her voice invokes an era of smoke-filled rooms with cocktails flowing. The extra DVD has a collection of her videos ans some live performances. OK, ok, k.d. never produced a video comparable to Thriller, but the real star of her videos is that silky voice. I was really amazed at how well these videos sound. Constant Craving sounds better than ever, and it is one of the better videos on this collection. The true star of the video collection is the live performances. I've never seen her live myself, but I hope to be able to catch her in my area some time.

Bottom Line: Is this set worth the extra dough over the standard 2-disc set??? If you are a lang fan, then the answer would be a definite YES!!!!! The extra items on the third CD are woth the few extra dollars alone. The packaging is also very nice. Each disc comes in a little cardboard jacket resembling an old LP jacket. There is also a booklet that includes all the lyrics for every song in the collection. Just think of the DVD videos as an extra little bonus. k.d. lang has become one of my favorite singing artists, and I am quite happy with my new 4-disc recollection set!!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Where Are Your Songs Kathryn?", February 25, 2010

By 

Pussywillow - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Recollection (Audio CD)

k.d. lang has a beautiful voice. What the producers of Recollection seemingly forgot is that she is also a superb songwriter. Filling 50% of an already abbreviated collection with covers and padding the rest with obscure soundtrack contributions and duets skews the perception of just how k.d. lang spent her commercial peak in the 1990s and early 2000s on Sire/Warner Bros. Records.

The release of Reintarnation in 2006, representing her earlier, "punk cowgirl" era, allowed for this second retrospective to focus on the expanse of her singles output beginning with 1992's "Constant Craving", when k.d. became a visible and outspoken pop culture icon possessing an exceptional singing voice and accomplished songwriting skills.

Perhaps now all involved would rather forget that the better part of a decade was then spent courting pop radio and the higher reaches of the charts with deserving but ultimately under performing singles. Regardless, the fact remains that the excellent albums Ingenue, Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, All You Can Eat, Drag and Invincible Summer were heavily promoted to the pop public with many of the best songs from these releases serviced as singles to radio stations, video networks and clubs.

Yes, "Constant Craving," "Miss Chatelaine," "Summerfling" and "You're OK" are included on Recollection. "Sexuality" also appears, though inexplicably only on the rarities disc of the Deluxe Version. But where are the rest of her original pop singles?

"If I Were You," "The Consequences Of Falling," "Anywhere But Here," "Lifted By Love," "The Mind Of Love (Where Is Your Head Kathryn?)," "Just Keep Me Moving," "Simple" and others are shut out in favor of 2 versions of "Hallelujah", a live duet with Tony Bennett and six other soundtrack or 'various artists' contributions... most of which certainly belonged instead on the rarities disc.

With the surplus of cover recordings included on Recollection, what exactly are we to recall? k.d., the "song stylist"? That is only a small --and perhaps the least interesting-- facet of this particular artist.

A more ideal collection would have consisted of one lengthier disc (16+ songs) of original singles, plus the great new recording "Beautifully Combined"; a second disc including covers and other album highlights; a third disc of TRUE rarities collecting the aforementioned soundtrack and VA cuts; and finally a COMPLETE, chronological DVD video collection.

As it stands, the k.d. lang I and many others have enjoyed for 20 years is barely visible on Recollection.