Play Your Old Stuff

There comes a time in every popular band's life-cycle when it becomes commercially viable to pump out auxiliary material to keep fans spending while awaiting the group's next proper release. Boxed sets, live albums, rarity & b-side collections, deluxe re-issues and collector's editions; these are nothing new. Underoath was not the first band to do it, and this boxed set isn't even the first time Underoath has re-packaged their material, but never before have I seen a cash-grab as half-assed and uninspired as 2011's Play Your Old Stuff. Marketed as a collection of early Underoath albums, Play Your Old Stuff fails at both being 'old stuff', and at providing anything to validate the existence of this set.

As far as containing 'old stuff' from Underoath, the set overlooks their first two out-of-print albums, Act of Depression and Cries of the Past, in favor of their first three offerings on Solid State Records, The Changing of the Times, They're Only Chasing Safety, and Define the Great Line. At the time Play Your Old Stuff was released, the included albums were all less than 10 years old, all three were readily available in digital stores like iTunes and Amazon, while They're Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line were also still in-print as CDs. The only saving grace from this selection of albums was the inclusion of a physical copy of The Changing of the Times, which had gone out-of-print after the departure of founding vocalist Dallas Taylor in 2003.

The set also fails to provide even one bonus or extra to justify its existence. The albums are not remastered or remixed in any way, nor are there any physical collectibles or memorabilia, and the albums are void of any bonus songs or other features. Somewhat more confusing is that the set even fails to include any of the previously released bonus features of the included albums: None of the DVD features from the special editions of They're Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line are present, while the set also lacks the several bonus tracks featured on various editions of They're Only Chasing Safety.

This boxed set is designed for no one. It's no good for completionists, as it lacks material found in other editions of these albums. It's no good for old fans, as it fails to include the early albums they're looking for, and it's no good for newer fans, as it simply collects albums already available to the public. So avoid this set, and spend your money elsewhere. Unless, of course, you're in that small demographic of people that needs to have a physical copy of The Changing of the Times, and is willing to pay the price of three albums to obtain it.