FIRST PICTURES / Paul Simon: The Complete Albums Collection

Paul Simon‘s Complete Albums Collection box is released this week.

Here’s an exclusive look at this set which contains expanded versions of all Simon’s studio albums. 37 bonus tracks in total, although they’ve all been released before on past individual reissues.

The box itself has a soft almost rubber-like feel to it, very similar to the Michael Jackson Bad box from last year. Like Jackson’s reissue this also contains a hidden magnetic enclosure which secures the contents with a satisfying ‘click’.

This discs come in the familiar ‘vinyl replica’ card wallets. These are fairly basic, as usual, and they don’t feel particularly robust. Sleeve art reproduction is average and a white border encroaches on every sleeve. Certainly don’t expect Japanese mini-LP CD detail, like the embossing and spot varnish on the front of Graceland. Because the sleeves replicate the original vinyl, they do not list the bonus tracks for each album. That detail (and much more) can be found in a 52-page perfect-bound booklet.

Retailing at around the £90 mark, this set feels like decent, if not outstanding value. Any collector who has picked up a Japanese vinyl replica reissues in the past will be dismayed at how poorly the packaging of the individual discs in this set compares to what comes out of the Far East.

These vinyl replica wallets are now firmly Sony’s favoured option when it comes to large multi-disc sets. The much more expensive Johnny Cash Complete Columbia Album Collection packaged its discs identically, but in that set you got 63 CDs for around £180. That’s less than £3 a CD. This Paul Simon box works out at around £6 a CD, so you feel like you should get a bit more for your money.

Despite all this, the very attractive outer box and the quality of the music within is sure to appeal to many fans and we can see Paul Simon’s Complete Album Collection filling many a Christmas stocking.

• • UK Pre-order: Complete Albums Collection
• • USA Pre-order: Complete Album Collection
• • CANADA Pre-order: Complete Album Collection
• • GERMANY Pre-order: Complete Albums Collection

Be careful when removing the glued paper ‘wrap’ from the box (click to enlarge)

• • UK Pre-order: Complete Albums Collection
• • USA Pre-order: Complete Album Collection
• • CANADA Pre-order: Complete Album Collection
• • GERMANY Pre-order: Complete Albums Collection