ABOUT BOX EDITIONS
Or why I don’t like them anymore (but still desire them)

O, Dear Box! A beautiful paradox!
You cost so much, take so much space
But I can’t live without you.

THAT’S NOT MUCH of a poem, but it precisely describes the issue. The issue of the so-called BOX editions.

⌈ box noun (CONTAINER)
A1 [ C ]
a square or rectangular container with stiff sides and sometimes a lid:
a cardboard box
a cigar box
a matchbox
⸜ dictionary.CAMBRIDGE.org, accessed: 25.11.2022 ⌋

Cambridge Dictionary definition gives the physical parameters of the box. It's just a rectangular box one can use to pack something in it. Simple thing, right? So why do I still use the English "box" and not "pudełko"? Well, because in the music or collectors’ world the Polish translation does not work. If I used the latter, there is a good chance that no one would understand what I mean and that we would still have to rely on the English term.

⸜ Waglewski Fish Emade box Duchy, ludzie, zwierzęta, Mystic Production MYSTCD396 (2020)

In the music publishing industry, a box is almost always a special release. Such an edition actually takes the form of a box, usually the size of which is related to the media it contains - LP or CD. The box is usually more ornate than the CD itself, but it almost always features the cover artwork. Understood in this way, the box in music would be similar to what it is in the world of computer games:

⌈ ⌈ Box – sales version of computer hardware and software. This is the boxed version, also called a "full" one. Box version products are usually equipped with cardboard packaging (hence the English name), additional cables and software, as well as multimedia applications and games.
⸜ pl.WIKIPEDIA.org, accessed: 25.11.2022 ⌋ ⌋

Interestingly, video games use the term "box version", which is not the case in the world of music. The reason may simply be the incomparably greater popularity of games among young people, and they "determine", to some extent, the rules of the „game language”. Due to the frequent use of the Polish version of the name box, it entered the spoken language. But to the point. Music boxes have different "saturation" levels and different purposes. Speaking of "saturation" I mean the number of elements that make up a given release, and about goals the reason to release them in the first place. Let's start with the former.

Interestingly, video games use the term "box version", which is not the case in the world of music. The reason may simply be the incomparably greater popularity of games among young people, and they "determine", to some extent, the rules of the „game language”. Due to the frequent use of the Polish version of the name box, it entered the spoken language. But to the point. Music boxes have different "saturation" levels and different purposes. Speaking of "saturation" I mean the number of elements that make up a given release, and about goals the reason to release them in the first place. Let's start with the former.

⸜ Led Zeppelin box release of II, Atlantic | Swan Song/Warner Music Group 8122796437 (1969/2014) • photo press mat. Warner Music Group

Much more impressive were the Led Zeppelin reissues from 2014. They are called the Super Deluxe Edition Box and they were also limited, although in this case limited to 30,000 copies. Whether it is still a limited edition is debatable, but it was promoted by the publisher, and a unique number was placed on the back of the packaging to confirm it.

These were really "rich" versions. In large boxes measuring 335 x 335mm and 45mm thick, there are two (or four) LPs, two CDs with basic and additional material, a thick book related to a specific title, numbered lithographs, reprints of original promotional materials and photos. In the box there was also a small card with a code that allowed you to download music material in the form of hi-res 96 kHz, 24 bit files (live tracks in 48 kHz, 24 bits).

As it turns out, it can be even better. For the 20th anniversary of the original release of the album Achtung Baby by U2, it was released in a remastered form in several versions, the richest of which was called Uber Deluxe Edition. In order not to miss anything, I will refer to the table of contents posted on the Super Deluxe Edition portal:

• Gatefold wallet containing 6 CD audio discs (the album, follow-up Zooropa, remixes and reworkings from Achtung Baby sessions)
• Gatefold wallet containing 4 DVD discs (including From the Sky Down, Zoo TV: Live From Sydney, videos and bonus material).
• Album vinyl on 180gsm black vinyl in wide spine sleeve with 2 x inner bags
• 5×7” clear vinyl in original sleeves housed in a slipcase
• 84 page hardback book
• 16 page 12×12 oversized booklet
• Bono’s trademark ‘The Fly’ sunglasses
• 4 x enamel badges
• Propaganda magazine
• 16 art prints in wallet
• Sticker sheet
• Exclusive numbered lithograth

More → SUPERDELUXEEDITION.com.

⸜An Uber Box for U2 Achtung Baby, IslandRecords/Mercury | Interscope Records 2779370 (1991/2011) • photo press mat. Interscope Records

A separate category of boxes are those containing several discs. With a grain of salt, they could be called "collective packaging". Usually, there are no additional, previously unreleased materials - although there are exceptions - and in the box we will find albums from a given period of the musician's career or discs recorded for a given label.

Labels are eager to use this solution because it allows them to re-sell older material and remind you of a given artist. The most beautiful boxes of this type are issued by the Japanese company Union Disk, the owner of a network of record stores. They are produced under license and look as good as the best mini LP releases from this country. Interestingly, these are empty boxes, without discs that you have to collect yourself. A specific box is intended for one specific release. Counterfeit products are produced in China without a license. However, a large part of them is as well made as those from Japan.

And now - because I'm a collector with completelist syndrome, I collect music in the richest versions possible. When they come to me packed in big boxes I am really very happy. I open them with dignity and solemnity. I go through all these gadgets, then pack everything into a box and put it on the shelf. After that, I don't reach for it for a long time. It's often the case that I don't even finish reading the materials that are in them, putting it off until "later", for when I have time or when I'm in the right mood. Needless to say, these declarations usually end there.

That's why I haven't been buying boxes for some time. I came to the conclusion that I hardly listen to the discs that are in them. If I have a title separately in the classic edition - I listen to it often, but taking the disc out of the box is too time-consuming for me. I say this after self-analysis of my behavior, because I don't think in these terms every day, and I simply "forget" that there is music in all these beautiful, polished boxes. And that's what bothers me the most.

⸜ Two examples of Union Disc boxes from Japan – with one and two „drawers”

So I have decided to keep to buying basic CD releases, possibly with extra discs, but not box sets. The exception may be releases similar to those with which I started the description, in small boxes. Yes, the boxes are fantastic and yes, they tempt me. Well prepared, they are a kind of works of applied art. Therefore, they are used not only to distribute music, but also to distribute emotions related to the visual side of record releases. They are perfect at it.

In my case, however, they do not fulfill the basic role, which for record releases is encouraging a music lover to reach for the album. It may be different for you, but for me it is. This does not mean that I advise against buying boxes, it is absolutely not my point. They're really fun and they're really cool. My only point is that the very idea of a "box" makes it difficult to enjoy the music content. Therefore, the solution may be to remove the base release/album from it and put it on a shelf, or to buy a separate, regular release.

Taking all of it into account, the box will be perfect as a gift. And let me leave you with this thought, and with the best Christmas and New Year's wishes. The year 2022 was one of the most difficult in my life and probably also in yours. The bestial war in Ukraine, inflation, unbelievable increases in energy and fuel prices are just a few of the most important blows that have affected us all. However, as I wrote in the March editorial So it’s War! earlier this year, if we want to get out from under it, we must live as we did before, only "more".

The editors of HIGH FIDELITY wish you all, dear readers, strength, peace and music. And as for music, let it be the best music and its best releases!

WOJCIECH PACUŁA
Chief editor