Not even overfamiliarity can really dull the rest of what’s here. The box set carries a distinct whiff of die-hards only--the mono mix is nice but inessential, the best of the demos have already been released, as has the first of the live shows, while the second was recorded later the same night and sounds virtually identical--but the music at its centre is about as inarguable as you can get.

Revolver’s new details tease out deeper meanings in the songs. Now more prominent, the low-lit backing harmonies on Here, There and Everywhere remake the tune as an old-fashioned rock’n’roll love song; the piano bending out of key on I Want to Tell You mirrors the narrator’s insecurity; and McCartney’s booming walking bass on Taxman illuminates the biting, cynical tone of Harrison’s lyrics. ... Revolver still sounds so vibrant.

London Calling itself stands tall as the band's masterpiece, the showcase for all their musical tastes and inclinations.

It’s all beautifully done, as you might expect. ... Giles Martin’s remix is a vast improvement on the old stereo version--more muscular, with an unexpected emphasis placed on Ringo Starr’s drums--although the original mono mix, also here, is the one with the Beatles’ fingerprints on it.

At its best, Doolittle was almost impossibly thrilling, packed with evidence of why alt-rock shifted in the Pixies’ wake.

In spring 1967, Dylan and the Band were out of step, but ahead of the curve. Now, 47 years on, even the listener overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of what’s on offer here--who doesn’t want to hear the false starts and fragments and gags--might conclude that the highlights are as timeless as rock music in the 60s got.

The jazz and classical groups play separately and sometimes merge, and though conventional themes or sustained pulses are mostly sidelined by the languages of free jazz and contemporary classical music, this epic life's work is a landmark in jazz's rich canon.

It’s revelatory to hear this most intense of bands playing with such ease and fluency, and utterly compelling.

Now, 21 years on, beautifully remastered, Blue Lines still sounds unique.

The result is that this seems not so much an album as a sudden glorious eruption; after eight long years, an urgent desire to be heard.

It’s an album that actually deserves a monolith of a box, and one whose title was supremely well chosen. Physical Graffiti is the sound of a group writing their identity, in huge block capitals of sound, across popular culture.

Despite the hype, it is hard not to be impressed with the new Smile.... The music flows beautifully - no mean feat when it encompasses barbershop singing, acid rock, early pop, Hawaiian chanting and mock-religious plainsong.

The result is genuine alt-country at a time when the term has come to signify little more than middling acoustic rock.

An Americana classic.

Anyone startled by what happened to Pink Floyd in the wake of Waters’ rancorous 80s departure, aghast at the sheer level of screw-you obduracy displayed by all parties, might consider the story The Early Years tells. As it turns out, they were always like that.

Time will tell whether in decades to come, To Pimp a Butterfly is still being spoken of in the same breath as the kind of epochal albums it’s currently being compared to, but for the moment, he’s certainly achieved his aim in impressive style.

The result is perhaps the most straightforwardly beautiful set of songs that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have ever recorded. ... Listening to Ghosteen, it’s very hard indeed not to be taken aback.

What makes it so compelling is the haunting vocal writing. Full of gently lapping lines, close imitation and moments of honeyed homophony, all underpinned by tactful percussion, it is startlingly different from the driving, hard edges of much of Lang's work with the Bang On a Can collective.

From start to finish, it’s a perfect mix of sombreness, playfulness, anger and melancholy, with one moment of great mass communication – Everybody Hurts, a song whose power is undimmed by constant exposure. A stunning live disc repositions Drive as a stomping rock song, and showcases the playful side of the group with covers of Love Is All Around (pre-Four Weddings) and Funtime.

Striking an exquisite balance between brute force, insistent melody and bold experimentation, this is the finest mainstream metal album of 2014 by a huge margin.

He remains one of the most evocative, instantly recognisable voices in contemporary British music.

What's beyond doubt is the quality of the music he made.

They're dangerously close to national-treasure status.

He wanted change but loved America, as shown by this remarkable box set of material recorded for the US government.

David Kennedy’s drumming is riveting, both finicky and louche as he sways through Dilla-time funkiness and math-rock detail. Guitarist Finlay Clark is in some ways a minimalist, repeating pretty riffs or expertly chosen chords, but there’s nothing minimal about his generous playing. .... Most astonishing of all is Jessica Hickie-Kallenbach, singing with more power and confidence than ever before. Her luminously soulful voice is a distinctive instrument, with vibrato that makes whole songs shudder with life.

It’s remarkable for its power, freshness and range.

Whether Damn will have the same epochal impact as To Pimp a Butterfly remains to be seen, but either way it sounds like the work of a supremely confident artist at the top of his game.

For all its bleakness, Rough and Rowdy Ways might well be Bob Dylan’s most consistently brilliant set of songs in years: the die-hards can spend months unravelling the knottier lyrics, but you don’t need a PhD in Dylanology to appreciate its singular quality and power.