Selected reviews of box sets:

"Pure Genius — The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959)" by Ray Charles; Atlantic/Rhino

"Pure Genius" requires eight discs to capture the range of Ray Charles' skill as a singer, pianist, saxophonist, writer, arranger and producer. Charles was still only in his 20s in the 1950s when he pioneered soul music, played dazzling jazz, sang the blues like few before or since and swung even on the most hoary tunes ("My Bonnie," "Swanee River Rock"). By the end of the decade, he was branching out into country, too ("I'm Moving On").

The 164-track collection includes a disc of demos and rehearsal outtakes — at one point, Charles coaches saxman David "Fathead" Newman on how to play a specific note — and a DVD featuring a previously unreleased performance by Charles' group at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival. Also included is an 80-page hardcover book with liner notes.

A lot of the material duplicates Rhino's 1991 boxed set of '50s recordings, but that three-CD package focused on R&B tunes. This more comprehensive collection reflects Charles' refusal to acknowledge musical boundaries — and makes one wish the industry had room for such a performer today.

— Steven Wine

"MY LIVES" BILLY JOEL; COLUMBIA

"My Lives" is a sweeping five-disc (four CD, one concert DVD) assembly of music spanning Billy Joel's four-decade career — from his bar-band days with The Lost Souls in the 1960s to the classic works he has embraced in recent years.

There is plenty here to excite listeners familiar with Joel, such as previously unreleased demos and alternate versions of his popular songs. There's a good sampling of live performances of some of his well-known songs, especially his early hits and compositions that never hit it big on Top 40 radio (there's no "Uptown Girl" or "Just the Way You Are" here, thank you). Instead, we're treated to beloved pieces such as "Zanzibar," "Goodnight Saigon," "Los Angelenos" and, yes, "New York State of Mind."

There also is the chance to hear Joel performing some of his favorite non-Joel songs such as "Shout," "When You Wish Upon a Star," and "All Shook Up."

— Michelle Morgante