Other Boxed Sets of Note (1997)

AC/DC Bonfire (Elektra, $69.98) Built around two wall-shaking concerts and a handful of studio outtakes, this five-CD treat for diehards salutes Bon Scott, AC/DC's Drano-throated vocalist who died in 1980. Though Bonfire could've been titled Variations on Four Chords, it's as down and dirty as rock gets. B — Dan Snierson

JOHN COLTRANE The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings(Impulse!, $54.98) A four-CD set with extended tracks and multiple versions of each song might seem excessive — except when the subject is Coltrane in his prime. On the November 1961 Village Vanguard stint chronicled at length here, the sax titan stretches out in ways cathartic, anarchic, and inspired. A revelation. A — Josef Woodard

BILLY JOEL The Complete Hits Collection: 1973-1997 (Limited Edition) (Columbia, $49.98) Joel's two hits collections, plus a bonus, fans-only disc with live cuts and highlights of his anecdotal, often amusing college lectures. Learn how ''Scenes From an Italian Restaurant'' connects to Abbey Road, how Joel tracked down his father, and who everyone in ''Piano Man'' was. B
— DB

THE MOVE Movements (West Side, $33) Twee and heavy, silly and mordant, the Move sang about things like mental illness and listening to the grass grow. Today, they're remembered chiefly for morphing into ELO, but this three-CD import — which appends assorted arcana to their first three albums — is a treasure trove for Brit-pop enthusiasts in search of exotic kicks. B+
—TS

VARIOUS ARTISTS Rhythm Revue (TVT, $42.99) Three discs of vintage '60s soul, both familiar (''In the Midnight Hour,'' ''Respect,'' ''Rescue Me'') and obscure (Bessie Banks' ''Go Now,'' once covered by the Moody Blues), all compiled by New York deejay Felix Hernandez. Nifty cardboard-binder packaging. B+
— DB

VARIOUS ARTISTS The Riverside Records Story (Riverside, $65) Between 1952 and 1964, Riverside was one of the small-but-tough indie labels helping to guide jazz's evolution. The story is told in fragmented form on this four-CD set, with tracks by label star Thelonious Monk and impressive sounds aplenty from Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Chet Baker, and Wes Montgomery: jazz history in the making. B

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