Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

If there is a prize for the most self-evident use of a lyric in relation to naming a complete album collections, then Deacon Blue must have surely known they would be absolutely victorious when the discussion arose of how to catch the attention of the fan and persuade them to set aside their money from wages day as they unveiled the title of the ginormous box set; You Can Have It All – The Complete Albums Collection. 

To suggest that the box set release is hefty is an understatement, for as the forensic like mind realises that it is an all-encompassing exposure of one of Britain’s most loved bands flows over the listener, as the day taken out to relive moments of a life as if spent focused on the output as a whole, as if you were watching a person’s existence condensed to an entire day’s investigation and their highlights and how they overcame adversity, then hefty is akin to being asked to concentrate fully on the tragedies and comedies of Shakespeare in one glorious day.

Of course, the box set does not have be devoured in such a small period time, it deserves to be savoured as if one was invited to a five-star restaurant every night for a month, the menu seemingly endless and varied, never stale, always a pleasure to see the various dishes served up by a team of chefs who have been part of the establishment for several decades. However, there is an instinct to open the clamshell like packaging and know that you can actually have it all, there are no restrictions, no limits…you can have your cake, eat it, and then order a crème brulee to follow if you wish.

For You Can Have It All – The Complete Albums Collection is the full experience, from the majesty of discovery of Raintown and When The World Knows Your Name and their abundant chart friendly singles, and beyond into the fifth decade of their time as City Of Love and Running On The Tide Of Love, and as forgotten extras such as Riches emerge unscathed, undaunted, and full of praise for the records that bookend a career as one of the outstanding groups of their time and genre.

To be in the presence of such a box set is to feel involved, to feel every breathe taken, to feel the pulse quicken as the songs were worked upon with scrutiny and development afforded unlimited creativity and realism, is to know love, and if you can truly have it all, then nothing other than love is needed to see you conquer the world.

A magnificently arranged, unfiltered display of the forever, a wide-eyed, honour bound limitless, conscious endeavour of dreams given life. Deacon Blue excel themselves with this giant collection of work.

Ian D. Hall