25 Years - The Chain
 

My copy of this came yesterday. A lot of the time I don't bother with greatest hits packages but when I saw what was in this I decided it was a must. I'm very impressed. I listened to the first two discs and briefly skimmed through the third one. I've not listened to the fourth yet. There are some nice jams on this.

Anyone else a fan?

I'm with you on usually skipping out on straightforward, generic greatest hits compilations shoved down our throats by record labels. They're so bland. But, when artists and bands come together and hand pick not only hits, but also b-sides and obscurities I'm on board! And that's exactly what one gets with "25 Years - The Chain". I love everything about this boxset right down to the awesome picture filled liner notes. And the tracks are carefully and tastefully picked IMHO. We get all the hits and yet so much more. Alternate cuts, different mixes, live versions, outtakes and new songs to boot. What's not to love? To answer your question, yes! And disc 4 is a great highlight of material from the pre Buckingham-Nicks era of Fleetwood Mac, perfect for fans new and longtime. It's like Fleetwood Mac condensed. :)

I bought the European 2 disc version about fifteen years ago and sort of thought, meh, it's ok. However, when they re-released the 4 disc version and brought it to the UK I snapped it up. I think it's great; there's so much variety on there, and I quite like the fact that there are different versions of some of the standards. Also I remember at the time I bought the first version really liking the two new Christine songs.

I think the 4 CD set has sometime for every type of fan- from casual to hardcore. Casual fans can appreciate such a wide potpourri of Fleetwood Mac music. Hardcore fans enjoy the unreleased songs & alternate mixes of the big hit songs. It's a really well-crafted compilation of music.

Sure is, really drew me in the second I put it on. Lovely stuff!

One interesting thing about this CD is all the mistakes that went un noticed upon its release by the people that put this together. Some songs that are labeled remix are not and many that are not labeled are. The new songs alone make the entire disc worth buying.

As a die-hard fan, I enjoy the album. There are some great hidden gems going on in that package, as you guys have rightly pointed out. As a representation of a lengthy body of work, I find a lot of the choices haven't aged very well. It was a product of the early 90s, and they emphasized that era more than it deserves, especially at the expense of a lot of superior Welch-era stuff.

I like the idea of this release a lot, but it needs some tweaking/updating, for sure.

Love the version of "Beautiful Child" on this, and I think the bridge of "Heart of Stone" makes the entire 4 disc set worth it alone.

Really would have liked some more of the B-sides from the Rumors era that I haven't found other than on vinyl or getting a vinyl ripped version with a bit low sound quality.

I agree 100% with louielouie2000, you have an interesting mix of songs, for everyone.
Personally, I like to see there songs that are not "popular?" at all, like Oh Diane, Warm Ways, Brown Eyes, some Tusk and Mirage songs...
Obviously I love the alternate versions of I'm So Afraid live, Tusk, and Isn't it midnight. Goodbye Angel is simply amazing, and more if we think that we have not lot of Mirage outtakes released...
About the 88-92 songs, I only enjoyed Paper Doll, and In the back of my mind. The rest, no words... :shrug:
And about the fourth disc, well, it's rare. Obviously we have not enough songs, and what is really a crime is that we have only ONE song from Bare Trees, Penguin, Mystery to Me and HAHTF. Considering this, 25 Years:The Chain could have, maybe, a fifth disc...
Regards!

Great set, despite its (or Mick's) idiosyncrasies. It is puzzling that they/he chose to include no demo versions and ultimately very little unreleased material (demos, live tracks). Still, it's an awesome display of the band's breadth and talent.

I believe my time ain't long

I agree. Though I think they emphasized more the commercial factor than an actual era

I actually have two copies of the box set. One of them was missing disc #2, so I bought it again from the UK last year.

I love it, though the randomness of the tracking makes me wonder. I sometimes wish it had been chronilogical or perhaps the Early Years/Pre-Rumours songs not be confined to a disc by itself, all for Hypnotized and Lay It All Down. :cool: