Pandora's Box [BOX SET]

Aerosmith (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 18, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 1991
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• 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: B000002BVE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,302 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. When I Needed You - Steven Tyler

2. Make It

3. Movin' Out [Alternate Version][#]

4. One Way Street

5. On the Road Again [Rehearsal Pre-Production Jam][#]

6. Mama Kin

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Toys in the Attic

2. Round and Round

3. Krawhitham [#][Instrumental]

4. You See Me Crying

5. Sweet Emotion

6. No More No More

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Kings and Queens [Live][#]

2. Milk Cow Blues

3. I Live in Connecticut [Rehearsal][#]

4. Three Mile Smile

5. Let It Slide [#]

6. Cheese Cake

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Aerosmith were written off by the pop pundits in the early '80s as a drug-ravaged bunch of Rolling Stones clones who would go down in music history as little more than a hard-rock footnote. The band, however, rose from the ashes to become an even mightier hit machine in the '90s, even if they ended up selling their soul to pop über-songstress Diane Warren in the bargain. This three-CD compilation is a marathon tour of their first glorious, casualty-ridden decade and a body of work that proudly wears its influences on its sleeve: Chicago and Delta blues, early R&B, the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, and, of course, the Stones. Virtually all the early hits and concert crowd pleasers are here, along with nearly two dozen rare, unreleased, and live cuts, thoroughly documented with refreshing doses of self-deprecation as it bravely traces the band's arc from Boston bar-band supreme to stadium superstars to seeming dissipation. If there's a gaping hole in the "A" section of your hard-rock library, this is a fine introduction to the Aerosmith that influenced a generation of musicians, stretching from Van Halen to R.E.M. to Guns N' Roses. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aerosmith Rocks, June 23, 2001

By	J. E FELL "boogaloojef" (Carterville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This 3 cd set is one of my most often played rock box sets which I own. It is comprised mostly of material from their classic Columbia years 1972-82. It includes unissued and live material, alternate takes and material from various side and solo projects. Hailing from Boston, Aerosmith was the best hard rock band from the United States during the seventies. They took their influences from the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, the blues, and funk and created a great sassy sound. Steven Tyler's high energy vocals compliment the bluesy riffing of guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford perfectly. Their influence can be heard in such bands as the "Black Crowes", and "Guns & Roses". The set includes such hits as "Dream On", "Sweet Emotion", "Walk This Way", "Back In The Saddle", and others. Rarities include great cover versions of Fleetwood Mac's "Rattlesnake Shake", Otis Rush's "All Your Love", and The Beatles "Helter Skelter". Live cuts from the classic 1976-78 era are also included. Some may be outtakes from the "Live Bootleg" recordings, but the performances sound more inspired than their work on that album. The set also includes a lot of my personal favorites like "Movin' Out", "Mama Kin", "Write Me A Letter", "Rats In The Cellar", "Milkcow Blues", "Cheese Cake", and "Chip Away The Stone". However there are still some cuts which should have been included such as "S.O.S. (Too Bad), "Sick As A Dog", "Lightning Strikes", "Get The Lead Out", "Lick And A Promise", "Get It Up", "Woman Of The World" and Joe Perry's solo version of "Let The Music Do The Talking". That being said, this is a great bargain for those who can not afford all their individual albums. It does a better job of summarizing the band from this period than "Greatest Hits", "Gems", "Live Bootleg", and "Classics Live Vols 1 & 2". It is a shame that except for their live work on this compilation, the live work on their other albums doesn't capture the energy of their concerts. I have seen them a few times and they put on a great show! Maybe sometime they will release a compact disc of their performances at "Texxas Jam", some of which are included here and on the video. If you want a single disc compilation you might try to seek out an import copy of "Greatest Hits" with the 6 bonus cuts.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the best box sets I own!, February 22, 2006

By	Rastaman (Austin, Tx USA) - See all my reviews

This is a great box set. It's the "hodge-podge" format which as you already know it includes live cuts, demos, originals, previously unreleased, etc. ANYONE could enjoy these 3 Aerosmith albums but mostly this is an album for die-hard Aerosmith fans or someone that's already into the band atleast on some level.

Are the newer releases remastered? NO! But the 1991 set sounded great to begin with. Like Led Zeppelin's box set in 1990 it was done right to begin with.

That being a given, this set is quite excellent. It focuses on the first 7 albums from 1973 to 1982. Most of the greatest hits sets out there (2 disc sets) focus on the 1985 - 2001 era such as "Gold" does. O Yeah! The Ultimate Aerosmith set has about 1/3 pre-1985 stuff on it. They dedicate about 1/3 to each decade. If the early stuff is your favorite, then this set is the true gold. There are a couple of single discs (Greatest Hits and Gems) which focus on the 70's, but as some of us know there are edited versions of some songs on Greatest Hits.

If you want to get into the early 70's stuff I suggest getting each album, especially now that those are remastered. And they really are. 20 bit. But if you don't want to buy all six or seven of those, this set is the next best thing and you can get it very inexpensively used/new here on Amazon.com Even if you have all of the 70's albums there are 20 previously unreleased tracks on Pandora's Box. So, there is plenty there for the collector or the new fan of 70's material.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent retrospective, September 28, 2003

By	Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"Pandora's Box" collects more than fifty singles, album tracks, demos, outtakes, live cuts and rarities, including all the best and best-known songs from Aerosmith's 1970 debut until 1982's "Rock And A Hard Place".
Also included is solo material from Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, as well as an early track from Steven Tyler when he fronted a band called Chain Reaction in the '60s ("When I Needed You"), and while this is not a career-spanning box set, it is a really wonderful overview of Aerosmith's best period.

The hits should attract the casual admirer: "Dream On" is here, along with "Walk This Way", "Mama Kin", "Draw The Line", "Sweet Emotion" and many more. And the more obscure selections will surely please the longtime fan: "Rattlesnake Shake", "On The Road Again", the great, raunchy blues "Big Ten-Inch Record", a demo of "Movin' Out", live versions of "Adam's Apple", "Write Me A Letter" and "I Wanna Know Why" are all great, as is the previously unreleased "Let It Slide", an instrumental which was to become the basis for the song "Cheese Cake", and which shows Joe Perry's too-rarely heard prowess on the slide guitar.

And my favorite Aerosmith rocker is here too, penned by sideman Richie Supa (keyboards, occational guitar): "Chip Away At The Stone", complete with one of Joe Perry's best guitar riffs.
The band's cover of John Lennon's "Come Together" is included as well, of course, as is a great, slow rendition of the Otis Rush-classic "All Your Love (I Need Lovin')", and several underrated album tracks like "Seasons Of Wither", "No Surprize", "Three Mile Smile" and "Cheese Cake".

One of the best box sets of the 90s, "Pandora's Box" really delivers the goods for both hardcore fans and more casual listeners who don't want all the band's original albums. Get this fine collection, and the recent two-disc "Young Lust" anthology which draws from 'Smith's 80s and 90s Geffen albums, and you're all set!
4 1/2 stars. An excellent package.