Complete Studio Recordings

This represents the most comprehensive Golden Earring collection to date, and although it is not a "lavish" set, it really is all about the music, and in this box you get every studio album released by the band in their native Holland. As another reviewer pointed out, several USA releases had variations in track listings and/or album titles. It would have been nice to have gate-fold sleeves for the discs which represented gate-fold albums, but at least the cover artwork is true to the Dutch releases, and although the booklet is minimal (more or less a brief summation of each album), it's better than no booklet at all (which many boxes like this fall short on). Whether you're a Golden Earring completest, a casual fan, or someone looking to "experiment", you really cannot go wrong with this collection which is proof they are one of the most underrated rock 'n roll bands of all time! As Goldmine Magazine put it, "Golden Earring are rock 'n roll's best kept secret!" On their debut album in 1965, they wrote all but one song. Not even the Beatles or Stones can claim that! With the sole exception of "Eight Miles High" in 1969, it wasn't until 1995's "Love Sweat" before they recorded another cover tune...everything else was original! And what you'll discover as you trace the band throughout its recording career is they always varied their sound and never stuck with the same formula, nor did they ever "sell out" and adjust their sound to accommodate the record industry. They always did "their thing". It might be for this reason why they never achieved the world-wide success they deserved, but it also may have led to their downfall. Anyway, back to the box. The only real criticism I have is the very fact that "Complete Studio Recordings" is a misnomer as over a full CD worth of studio recordings were sadly omitted from this collection. This could have been a "Golden" opportunity to finally release the rare "Not To Find" (1965 B-side of "Lonely Every Day"), but legal issues could have prevented that. But there is no such excuse for the many other exclusions, most notably: • "I Wonder-Preview-Together We Live and Love" (1967 B-side of "Together We Live, Together We Love") • "Big Tree, Blue Sea" (1974 USA Moontan LP Version, completely different than the 1970 "Wall of Dolls" version) • "Gimme a Break (Rock Version)" (1986 B-Side of "Why Do I") - Oddly enough, the booklet mentions this, but it's not included in the set! • "They Dance" (The 1986 single version was a completely different version than the LP version) • "Say My Prayer (alternate version)" (1989 CD single version was completely different than the LP version) • "Livin' With Me (Ain't That Easy)" (1994 B-Side of "Hold Me Now") • "No One Loved You More Than Me" (Appeared on 2004 CD single of "Albino Moon") Despite these shortcomings, I have to give this set 5 stars since it is the first time many of the Non-LP tracks have appeared on CD, and for the money, it’s very difficult to complain. If what they are saying is true about this being a limited edition, then I agree, get it while you can! All of the recordings sound great!

So if you're a hardcore GE fan, chances are you will buy this and you should. I did. it's all here. the studio stuff that is. i have it all on vinyl and some on previous cds but to have it all in one awesome box was a no brainer. cds are in thick cardboard sleeves but no gatefolds or inner sleeves. so you do miss some artwork. also the booklet is nice but could've been more detailed about each LP like how there were different track listings and artwork and even LP titles for some in different countries. here in the states we had MAD LOVE not CONTRABAND and MOONTAN had different artwork and track list. I just felt it should've been more informative, rather than a short paragraph for each and maybe even some more photos but listening from the beginning? WALL OF DOLLS is when it kicks into gear and doesn't let up. GOLDEN EARRINGS Cds are great but to me a different band. no matter. it's all good! the previous reviewer mentioned the LP HEARING EARRING. that was a collection of songs from SEVEN TEARS and TOGETHER LPs. i assume thats why it was not included in the box. Do we need to discuss all the music here? You know GE rocks your ass from both ends! Anyway aside from the lack of artwork and mediocre booklet, this box is essential. It's numbered and limited so if you're thinking about it don't wait too long and maybe next will be a LIVE box set with DVDs. I hope these guys keep blasting out new stuff. The Hague was kickass man, ok gonna get my fave T 'n A lady and groove on the GE box!

There's a lot to love about this set, but it's not without flaws. I have only been through about half the discs so far because there is just so much material here! As far as breadth of material, no other set offers as much. The Red Bullet Years was the previous record holder, but it lacked all of the unpublished B-sides and rarities. This set has virtually anything you would ever want to hear from GE except the Naked albums (which are highly recommended by the way). I'm not sure anyone but the diehard fan would really need this set. For those who like GE, but don't need everything they ever made, there is no shortage of compilation albums. The 50th anniversary set looked pretty decent until I saw that it lacked The Vanilla Queen and Candy's Going Bad. That's a pretty big oversight, but you could always just buy Moontan by itself. Let's get to the really important stuff: no, this is absolutely not the same remastered material as the 2001 remasters. Some albums are exactly the same, others not. I threw several albums up on Wavepad and compared then side by side. I'm sure it was pulled from the same source, but there was a fair amount of compression added to both versions. The weird thing is, some of the albums sound better and some sound worse. I put up 3 versions of Cut, a standard 2001 release, the 2001 remaster, and this version. The standard version is flat and could have used some EQ work. The 2001 remaster is best version by far. The version in this collection is awful. The signal is clipped slightly in both remasters, but this one has the midrange boosted horribly. It actually muddies the vocals to the point that I have trouble understanding the words. I looked at three versions of Moontan also. The original CD pressing I have is very flat and lifeless. The 2001 remaster is the one to have. This version suffers the same overcompensation in the midrange. It makes some frequencies harsh and annoying. I viewed most of the other 80s albums on Wavepad and none of them had the same level of bad compression. It appears that Moontan and Cut got the worst treatment. The other 80s albums sound pretty good. I can't remember where the compression treatment stopped, but I think everything after Paradise in Distress was left alone and not EQed to death. That's a good thing because the albums already sound good. T 'n A and The Hague are sonically great albums without any compression or clipping. I haven't heard many of the 60s albums, but I wasn't impressed with Eight Miles High. It sounded fine for its age, but without a proper remastering from the original master tapes, this is probably as good as it's going to get. If you already have a large GE collection, there is no reason to get this. Just buy the albums you are missing. If you have the 2001 remasters, that material is either the same or better than what is on here. I probably would not buy this if I had to do it over again. It deserves maybe 3.5 stars.

I thought for sure I would love their peak era (Moontan through Cut), and probably not care much for the rest. I love all of it though! Their 1960's output (with a different lead singer) is also excellent, although much more pop-oriented than their peak era. Then we have their peak era (roughly defined as "Radar Love" in 1973 through "Twilight Zone" in 1982). Which is their peak and will blow minds who only know the band through these two monster hits. Check out other songs like "Vanilla Queen," "Candy's Gone Bad," and "When the Lady Smiles" for a hint at what this band is all about. Their post-fame (at least in the USA) era encompasses 35 years and counting now, but they are still cranking out great boogie and mainstream rock as of 2012 (the date of their latest studio album). Golden Earring has been around for over 50 years, and still going strong. They have the same core lineup in 2017 as they had in 1970, which may be a longevity record for any band ever. They really are THAT good, and the only thought involved with this box set is whether you want to spend $130 for the whole thing, or maybe try a sampler for $15 like "The Continuing Story of Radar Love" to wet your feet first. I was surprised beyond belief once I started listening to this box set though, I can't recommend it highly enough.

What a great band. The 60's the 70's the 80's the 90's the 00's and still going in 2017. Not many bands can even come close for longevity in a recording career alone. Plus all the touring, music styles, & shifts. Great playing, writing, singing, and all the time being a band that always sounded like Golden Earring no matter what sonic direction they took. If you like 70's hard rock guitar you can't do much better. If your a 80's rock fan again it's all here every classic ablum. The 90's album are just as strong. And the new albums are as great as anything they have ever done! And lets not forget The 60's albums from 65- 69 you get to hear a young Dutch pop band grow into a hard rocking progressive force ready to conquer the world. The remastered sound is killer. All 26 official albums in LP style sleeves. Plus 3 CDs of non lp tracks rarities and b sides. Plus nice booklet with facts about each CD. Only thing missing for me was it would of been nice to have the Moontan version of "Big Tree, Blue Sea" included. Other than that well worth the price for me for the 70's lp 's alone. May Golden Earring ring out forever!

Hello Golden Earring fans (i know you're out there) This box set is definitely worth it. 29 cd's, each in their own cardboard sleeve recreating the original album cover, and a nice booklet detailing each. Then there's the music; all of their studio albums, and three discs of non-album tracks. what more could you want?! You get to hear them from the beginning in 1965, all the way to 2015's EP, "The Hague". I did have most of these discs, but "lost" quite a few of them over the years, and replacing them would have been very costly. Also, i never had their earliest work. Now, problem solved. All the music, and a great box set to boot. Did i mention the three bonus cd's contain some really good tracks i;d never heard, plus one song, "I Need Love" (in my G.E. top 5) that was only on the American release of "Contraband" (the LP "Mad Love") you fellow G.E. geeks know what i'm talking about. So. do yourself a favor and get this set while they last. Also, i see the price went down since i bought mine. (darn) oh well, would be worth it at twice the price

This is Absolutely Incredible! This Amazing band has never gotten enough credit in The U.S.! The set comes in a nice box, & when you lift the cover, it contains all 25 full Albums, their 50th Anniversary EP & 3 discs of B-Sides & other non-album tracks, the 1st of which is from their early days before dropping the s from Earrings in mini-sleeves that have the original album covers, as well as a book that gives a brief synopsis & history of each album & a list of where every non-album track was released. The sound quality is as good as anything released in 2017 & are a huge improvement over the individual album Remasters. Ift's a little expensive, but if you're a Fan of Golden Earring or just Great Classic/Hard Rock, it's a Must Have!

Hi, I love the box set, so many songs I never heard before on albums that are still hard to find. One glaring omission: the 8:13 version of “Big Tree, Blue Sea” off the American and UK versions of ‘Moontan’ the best version of that song. I’m bummed it’s not there. Also, to the person who posted ‘Hearing Earring’. That was a compilation of Previously released material.