What Prog box sets are actually worthwhile?

Just made this list.

Please let me know if there's anything absolutely outstanding that i missed!

Thank you SOOO much :)

Rush had/have been putting out some quite nice 40th anniversary boxes for their classic albums since about 2016, though the Moving Pictures box has still yet to be announced despite that anniversary having passed last year. Some fans are split on these, as they don't include anything in the way of studio outtakes (because Rush never kept studio outtakes, anything that wasn't going to be on the album was scrapped before it was properly recorded) and the first couple tried to make up for this by inviting other bands to cover songs from each album.  I rather liked the covers, as it was a unique way to show how influential Rush are to many many current artists while also functioning as an alternate version of the track (sort of like the alternate mixes on that Led Zeppelin II bonus LP). But I think the general response was the covers were tacky and fans would rather have full live concerts instead (plus I bet they were a pain in the butt to organize), so the more recent ones have featured complete or nearly complete live shows from the corresponding tour, which are fantastic, just wonderful. These plus all the physical treats in the boxes (especially the very extensive liner notes) have made the Rush 40th anniversary editions very appealing to me, and I hope they keep going through Signals at least.

Muse did a fantastic box set a couple years ago called Origin Of Muse, which includes their first two albums repressed on colored vinyl, and iirc 7 CDs of other recorded material relating to those first two albums, from the tracks comprising their first few EPs and singles, to pretty much every B-side recorded and released during that period, all the way up to a live performance of the whole Origin Of Symmetry album, start to finish, from 2011 for its 10th anniversary. Plus the box/book it all comes in is very nicely designed and is full of full color photos and stories compiled with love and care by the band themselves. A passion project for sure, and something I'm very happy to have in my collection.

I don't have the box for it, but the 4 CD set of The Great Deceiver by King Crimson is just phenomenal listening. There are pretty extensive liner notes in the little CD booklets as well, which are fun to read while listening. Just the absolute best bits (according to Mr. Fripp) of the Crim's 1973 and 1974 live shows, including all of the show from which Providence is taken (not coincidentally, Providence RI 1974). That one is my favorite to revisit, as the instrumental improv on both Journey To The Centre Of The Cosmos and Providence is absolutely top notch, and the renditions of Easy Money, Fracture, LTIAII, and Starless are to die for. Very heavy. Not sure what's in the box that isn't in the jewel case CDs, but whatever it is could only be icing on the cake of live KC at their very best.

I recently acquired the David Bowie Conversation Piece box as well, which includes 5 CDs chronologically documenting the evolution of his 1969 Space Oddity album (two of which are the album itself, one as the original 1969 mix, and the other as a new 2019 stereo mix by the one and only Tony Visconti, with the song Conversation Piece reinserted into the tracklist where it was originally intended by Bowie).  These come in a very nice coffee table sized book with hard slipcase that is a joy to page through and follow along with the CDs as Bowie develops his songs from early demos into a full album. Excellent bits of history and pictures as well, the whole set really speaks to me as a songwriter.

Anyway those are some of my favorites. Sorry for the lengthy read, lol.

Oh I was more just adding to the conversation than trying to nominate things for your list, but glad you enjoyed the suggestions regardless!

Both are beautifully packaged.

Good mention of the wonderous BBD but they have much better box sets than that available. I think all of their albums have been rereleased recently as box sets e.g. this one which I want to get when I have the cash -

I play plenty of the AZ & the HC. The ones I get the most repeat listening from are:-

King Crimson - Great Deceiver

Tangerine Dream - In Search Of Hades

Gong - Love From The Planet Gong