EW ’s
gift guide 2007
boxing for the holidays
BUY THE BOX, AND YOU’RE SET By Chuck Adams
W
hy oh why do we love us our
box sets? Perhaps because
they are big gifts in small
packages? For this, we must duly give
thanks to the techno-wizards behind data
compression and CD/DVD technology.
Sure, their products are easily rendered
skip-prone if not kept in an airless envi-
ronment, but they have taken the once
cumbersome burden of tapes, VHS and
vinyl box sets (typically weighing in at
over a gazillion pounds) and condensed
them into paper thin volumes. Good or
bad, this has just spurned the box setters to
cram as much into one “set” as possible
(e.g. Janus’ Essential Art House Films, a
stack of 50 films for a lit-
tle over $750).
Also, giving a box set
says a lot about the giver.
While not technically a
“box set,” The Smashing
Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie
and the Infinite Sadness
double album was one of
the most memorable gifts I
received from a sibling
back in 1995. After crack-
ing open the jewel case, I
remember thinking two
things: “My brother cares about my musical
taste” and then, upon seeing the two discs
inside, “My brother isn’t a cheapskate.”
Twelve years on, here is a roundup of the
season’s highly anticipated releases.
The Brit Box: UK Indie, Shoegaze,
and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last
Millennium (Rhino, $64.98)
It’s fitting that the four-disc time cap-
sule Brit Box kicks off with The Smiths’
“How Soon Is Now?” Because obviously
such speculation as to “time” and “millen-
nium” and “now” are beside the point
when collecting some of the more defini-
tive songs recorded by Brits between 1985
and 2000. No, this is not the col-
lection in which to find The
Beatles mixing blood with the
Rolling
Stones
and
the
Psychedelic Furs. This is the
anthology to give to anyone who
came of age (musically) in the
Thatcher-Major-Blair Dynasty.
With tracks from criminally neg-
lected Inspiral Carpets, Ned’s
Atomic Dustbin and Kula Shaker
to more mainstream cuts from
The Cure, New Order, Oasis and
Cornershop, The Brit Box packs
in enough candy and curios to satisfy just
about any Gen X music aficionado with a
lick of nostalgia in his or her heart.
EXTRAS: Packaging is designed like a
“traditional English phone booth illumi-
nated with a battery-powered flickering
light bulb.” TARGET MARKET : Gen
Xers; fans of music history; people who
wear pea coats.
Radiohead, In Rainbows discbox,
includes two CDs, two vinyl records,
digital photographs and artwork
(www.inrainbows.com, approx. $82)
Half the reason I bought Radiohead
albums was the lovely packag-
ing and artwork by
Stanley
Massage Center
• Hanukkah Candles,
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• Holiday Chocolate
& Stocking Stuffers
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Walk-Ins Welcome!
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Joke &
novelty items
• Cheeses From
Around the World
OPEN THROUGH
DECEMBER 28
Mon-Sat 10am-6pm • Sun 12-5pm
240 SW WASHINGTON
Instructional
DVD’s & books
Clown accessories
Qualtex balloons
in downtown Corvallis next to The Beanery
233 W 7th * Downtown Eugene
541-754-6338
541-683-3059
www.tealartistcoop.com
Tues-Sat 11am-6pm
HOLIDAY RECEPTION FRIDAY, DEC. 7 6-8PM
Park for Harvey’s at Olsen’s Auto
just past Hunky Dory!
A percentage of holiday sales will be
donated to the Chintimini Wildlife Center
Eugene Weekly’s Gift Guide 2007
c
vironment
Magic sets for
young & old
• Vitamins and
Natural Body Care
Products
•
iet,
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• Champagne, Wine,
& Seasonal Beers
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One coupon per customer, one-time use only, off er good for your fi rst massage at BodyJaz only
• Specialty, Organic
& Gourmet Foods
• Storewide Specials
& Everyday Low Prices
Donwood and Thom Yorke. Now I’m sitting
here listening to a legally purchased burned
copy of their latest, In Rainbows, and I’ve got
nothing to look at. Half the joy is gone. But I
salivate at the thought of this discbox, prima-
rily because it comes in a vinyl edition. (Sure,
$82 is big bucks to spend, but try finding
Radiohead’s past albums on vinyl for less
than $40, and those are used.) EXTRAS:
Eight songs not on the digital download.
That’s practically a new LP! TARGET
MARKET: Vinyl-edition collectors; people
who bought the iPhone as soon as it was
released; college students; financial analysts;
wolves in sheep’s clothing.
We also have Gift Certificates