Rating: 
Summary: Some Classic Some Dated
Review: Classic Performances:
Billy Joel -Only the Good Die Young
Ray CHarles -What I say
Joe Cocker vs John Belushi (Belushi Wins!)
Elvis Costello changing the song in Radio Radio
Blue Brothers Soul Man
Etc.
There are a lot.
Even Sinead Oconnor singing War then rips up the picture is includedSo what's missing:
Clash
Prince Party Up
Devo - Jocko Homo
James Taylor -Shower the People ALso, U2's performance is an extra on the 5th disc, in case you cannot find it.
Where is Pearl Jam, BTW?
And George Harrison and Paul Simon singing together?
Rating:
Summary: Here is what is on this set
Review: Contents: Volume 1
Billy Joel Only The Good Die Young 1978, Ray Charles What'd I Say 1975, Carly Simon You're So Vain 1976, Grateful Dead Casey Jones 1978, Simon & Garfunkel The Boxer 1975, Joe Cocker Feelin Alright 1975, Elvis Costello Less Than Zero / Radio Radio 1977, Blues Brothers Soul Man 1978, Patti Smith Gloria 1976, Mick Jagger & Peter Tosh Don't Look Back 1978, The Band The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 1976 Plus Sketches starring John Belushi, Steve Martin, Jane Curtin, Laine Newman, Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, Paul Simon, Bill Murray, Andy Kaufman, Lorne Michaels, Dan Aykroyd and Mick Jagger Volume 2
Tina Turner Better Be Good to Me 1985, James Brown I Got You 1980, Queen Crazy Little Thing Called Love 1982, Randy Newman I Love L.A. 1983, The Go Go's We Got the Beat 1981, Rick James Super Freak 1981, Talking Heads Take Me To The River 1979, Spinal Tap Big Bottom 1984, John Mellencamp Pink Houses 1983, Duran Duran Hungry Like The Wolf 1983 Plus Sketches starring Martin Short, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Ringo Starr, Stevie Wonder, Joe Piscopo and Rich Hall Volume 3
The Bangles Hazy Shade of Winter 1988, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Free Falin' 1989, Paul Simon Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes 1986, Neil Young Rockin' in the Free World 1989, Roy Orbison O Pretty Woman 1987, Pretenders Don't Get Me Wrong 1986, Fine Young Cannibals She Drives Me Crazy 1989, Sting We'll Be Together 1987, Elvis Costello Veronica 1989 Plus Sketches starring Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Aerosmith, Chris Farley, Patrick Swayze, Jon Lovitz, Harry Hall, Mick Jagger, Phil Hartman, Michael Myers, Chris Rock, Sting, Valerie Bertinelli & Eddie Van Halen Volume 4
R.E.M. Losing My Religion 1991, Sinead O'Connor War 1992, Madonna Fever 1993, Aretha Franklin Chain of Fools 1994, Eric Clapton Wonderful Tonight 1990, Nirvana Rape Me 1993, Paul McCartney Hey Jude 1993, En Vogue Free Your Mind 1992, Counting Crows Round Here 1994, Bruce Springsteen Living Proof 1992, Live I Alone 1995 Blind Melon No Rain 1994 Plus Sketches starring Mike Myers, Mick Jagger, Dana Carvey, Madonna, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, James Taylor, Rosie O'Donnell, Kevin Knealon, David Spade, Paul McCartney, Michael Bolton Volume 5
Mariah Carey Butterfly 1997, No Doubt Don't Speak 1996, Alanis Morissette Hand In My Pocket 1995, Spice Girls Wannabe 1997, Garbage Special 1999, Jewel Who Will Save Your Soul 1997, Hanson Mmm Bop 1997, Beck Where It's At 1997, Snoop Doggy Dog Snoop's Upside Upside Your Head 1997, Metallica Fuel 1997, Garth Brooks Two Piña Coladas 1998, Dave Matthews Band What Would You Say 1995, Backstreet Boys All I Have To Give 1999, Ricky Martin Livin' La Vida Loca 1999, Paula Cole I Don't Want To Wait 1998 Plus Sketches starring Matthew Broderick, Will Ferrell, Paula Abdul, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Spacey, Beck, Michael Palin, Garth Brooks, Joshua Jackson there are a few great moments it would have been nice to see again that were not included, but it looks like a pretty nice set.
Rating:
Summary: It's Saturday Night Live!
Review: From Lions Gate Home Entertainment and NBC Studios comes this five disc box set spanning 25 years of musical performances and comedy sketches that will make your mouth water. Each disc represents a period of five years: 75-80, 80-85, 85-90, 90-95, and 95-2000. The video looks great! It's obvious that someone has done a superb job of keeping these tapes in pristine condition, especially the material from the 70's. As for the sound, the re-mastered 5.1 is awful. You are going to prefer the stereo mix over the 5.1. It's not even comparable, and I wonder why they even bothered with digital surround. Let me comment briefly on the content. The performances include artists such as Billy Joel, Grateful Dead, The Band, Elvis Costello (when he stops in the middle of Less Than Zero and launches into Radio Radio), Sinead O'Connor, R.E.M, Nirvana, Roy Orbison, Duran Duran, Queen, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Jewel, Garbage, U2, Dave Matthews Band, Beck, Live, and Simon and Garfunkel. I remember seeing most of these bands live on Saturday night, and although you can still catch many of them in re-runs, there is something convenient about popping in the DVD whenever you want to hear something specific. Also, there are interviews with Lorne Michaels, G.E. Smith, etc., that give context to certain artists and performances. And there are also plenty of comedy sketches (some of which are included on other Best Of compilations) from each time period. The sketches are all music-related, ranging from Bill Murray and his night club act to Adam Sandler and the song about his Red Hooded Sweatshirt. The Blues Brothers are here, Andy Kaufman does Elvis, and Aerosmith joins Wayne and Garth on Wayne's World. If you are a huge SNL fan, you will want this one for your collection. If you are a huge music fan, there are some really good performances here. The audio is a bit muddy on a few of the source tapes, but all in all, it sounds really clean. By the way, if you buy DVD's for the extra content, you may wanna skip this. There is no extra content unless you count U2's Elevation on disc five.
Rating: 
Summary: Not enough MUSIC!!!
Review: Great stuff if you enjoy only some of the highlights, The Replacements back in the 80's (you would have to include both songs that night) for one of the best TV moments ever. Of course, that is just the tip of the SNL music iceberg. Just give us more music history next time, cut the other crap!!!
Rating:
Summary: Not complete... but a GREAT start!
Review: I heard about this DVD set and I thought, "WOW! Five full DVDs of SNL performances... it might include every one ever taped." Then I find the set and read the box... ONLY 50 performances!!! What the Hell?!? I buy it anyway, load it up, and am surprised at the quality of the video and audio. The inclusion of all the sketches in between the performances is a nice touch (I actually think it was a better choice to include the sketches than not... they give a great reference point as to what was going on in the world at the time the music was recorded). All-in-all I am happy with the set, except...
1) I wish the additional running commentary was not inserted into the middle of the comedy sketches, interrupting the flow
2) It would have been cool to interview the musicians about their SNL experience, rather than have Lorne and crew commenting
3) The packaging (especially the cardboard box) is crummy. Hopefully, SNL will continue to issue these DVDs and fill in the holes.
Rating:
Summary: Not complete... but a GREAT start!
Review: I heard about this DVD set and I thought, "WOW! Five full DVDs of SNL performances... it might include every one ever taped." Then I find the set and read the box... ONLY 50 performances!!! What the Hell?!? I buy it anyway, load it up, and am surprised at the quality of the video and audio. The inclusion of all the sketches in between the performances is a nice touch (I actually think it was a better choice to include the sketches than not... they give a great reference point as to what was going on in the world at the time the music was recorded). All-in-all I am happy with the set, except...
1) I wish the additional running commentary was not inserted into the middle of the comedy sketches, interrupting the flow
2) It would have been cool to interview the musicians about their SNL experience, rather than have Lorne and crew commenting
3) The packaging (especially the cardboard box) is crummy. Hopefully, SNL will continue to issue these DVDs and fill in the holes.
Rating: 
Summary: Where is DEVO????
Review: I received this dvd set as a gift and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The music is wonderful, the picture quality, the sound, really everything is great. It is a 5-dvd set, each dvd depicting a five year time span. And how could they market this as an SNL product without any comedy? After every two or three musical performances, the SNL people picked out a sketch that is musically oriented and of around the same time period as when the music was played. The dvd also has some of the cast announce which performance is coming up next or what they thought about the sketch that had just been on. Truly a great compilation, showcasing the best of SNL music of the past 25 years. A must have for the truest of fans.
Rating: 
Summary: a good compilation.
Review: I received this dvd set as a gift and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The music is wonderful, the picture quality, the sound, really everything is great. It is a 5-dvd set, each dvd depicting a five year time span. And how could they market this as an SNL product without any comedy? After every two or three musical performances, the SNL people picked out a sketch that is musically oriented and of around the same time period as when the music was played. The dvd also has some of the cast announce which performance is coming up next or what they thought about the sketch that had just been on. Truly a great compilation, showcasing the best of SNL music of the past 25 years. A must have for the truest of fans.
Rating:
Summary: Great Music....slightly annoying presentation.
Review: If i ruled the world, (and don't you think i should?), i would have put together all these great musical performances and a few choice comedy sketchs without any modern commentary from the current old fart incarnations of chevy chase, loren michaels, etc. i especially would not allow their pointless comments to interrupt said comedy sketches. i also would not have put titles with the names and dates of the performances on screen during the songs, because i hate that. But, alas, some other fool is in charge of the world right now! I also would have included Bob Dylan singing "I Believe in You" and Paul Simon and George Harrison's classic duets of "Homeward Bound" and "Here Comes The Sun". But there are some cool things on here. I just thought you would want to know what bugs Me, Al Frankin. (or whoever i am.)
Rating: 
Summary: Garbage
Review: Just a few questions:
What about The Specials?
What about the B-52's?
How about FEAR? (Halloween show, yes you remember...)
And where's Pearl Jam? Think of all the truly groundbreaking musical performances that were on SNL, you know, the one's you saw when you were a kid and said "What the...?" but then you grew to understand that what you had seen was the real deal, forever opening your eyes to REAL music. Don't waste your money on this pile of stank.
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