The year of 2023 has been a very historic one for the Seattle-based Rock band Candlebox. A year in which the original lineup released a great live record called Live at The Neptune Theatre, the current lineup of the band also put out their new album The Long Goodbye on August 25th, but have also been on a farewell tour in the process. Yes, that is right, founding Vocalist Kevin Martin made the bold decision that this will be Candlebox’s last hoorah. A bittersweet goodbye, need not fret, because who knows how ‘long’ this goodbye will last.
Anyway, it is a good time to celebrate the history of Candlebox, plus their impact on the ‘90s era of Hard Rock and beyond. That is why it is exciting to see that Rhino has put all their ducks in a row to offer fans The Maverick Years box set. Released on September 22nd, the set offers newly remastered versions of 1993’s epic debut, Candlebox, plus the exceptional follow up records, 1995’s Lucy, as well as 1998’s Happy Pills. All presented as double LPs, the set also includes a single album of unreleased outtakes, and demos.
A lot of material to take in, the clear standout aspect of this set is that it includes Lucy for the first time ever on vinyl. Furthermore, it also gives you four unreleased bonus tracks from the Lucy period. Something that makes it worthwhile within itself, everything else put into the set just are added bonuses. That includes the extra LP with all the extra material you probably have never heard from Candlebox ever before. If you are curious this extra LP includes a demo of “Happy Pills,” the unreleased “Dream,” plus alternative mixes of other songs.
Which leaves us to what is the actual sound of each album. In short, the albums all sound stellar remastered and pressed to vinyl. In fact, listening to this set on a high-quality system will even lead you to discover aspects of these songs you may have never noticed before.
In all, this set is an essential addition to a Candlebox fan’s collection. Highlighting the band’s first era of music, it also leaves you wonder what might have been had Maverick Records had not begun to falter. A label run by Madonna, among a few others, inevitably Maverick did fold in 2009… but Candlebox returned in 2008 for fifteen more incredible years. All in the past now, thanks to Rhino for giving us a chance to reflect on this epic era of Candlebox with such quality. That is why Cryptic Rock gives The Maverick Years 7LP Collector’s Set 5 out of 5 stars.
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