The shocking return of the Misfits, an amazing and (mostly posthumously) revered punk rock band from Lodi, N.J., has stepped into high gear with the release of this lavish 104-song, four-disc, coffin-shaped(!) boxed set from Caroline records.

If you know about the Misfits because of Glenn Danzig's ongoing success as a rock frontman, or because you've heard covers of its songs by mainstream bands such as Metallica or Guns & Roses, you're in for a treat since none of those acts can compare with what this band did first and best. If you're already a fully converted fiend, you'll think that you're dreaming when you open the box up and find virtually everything the Misfits ever recorded (with the sad exception of 1982's "Walk Among Us," still under license to Warner Bros.) during its original lifespan from 1977 to 1983.

All the insanely rare singles, outtakes and alternate versions are here, there's a good booklet with (at last!) complete lyrics and a lot of cool pictures (check out the pre-nose job Danzig!), and it's all topped off with the fantastic "Static Age" album recorded in 1978, but never released in proper form until now.

Starting with its first single, "Cough/Cool" (1977), the band was an anomaly in the punk world. Danzig's crooning voice and memorable melodies set it apart from the basic "loud and fast" school that had been established, and its subject matter was a complete departure from the standard alienation/antiauthoritarian lyrics that became the punk cliche almost immediately.

No, the Misfits sang about (and took its image almost exclusively from) horror movies - lousy little B-grade horror movies. In 1978 the members were figuring it out, sporting "devil locks" (hair combed to a point between their eyes) and singing catchy songs about "Teenagers from Mars" and the "Return of the Fly," but by 1979 they had it down; perfecting their music (simple and swift Ramones style melodies with Glenn's spooky end-of-the-world-Elvis baritone vocals and instantly hummable choruses over the top), and graduating to full-on ghoul makeup and outfits. The comic-book lyrics had become almost entirely overrun by zombies and demons, and the band was popular enough that it could start its own "Fiend Club" to keep in touch with its fans. For the next three years the Misfits maintained one of the highest levels of quality ever seen in the punk rock world, and it's this extremely fertile period that makes up the bulk of the set.

Disc one is a combination of two previously released "collection" discs that, until now, were the only accessible sources for many Misfits songs. Clocking in at 26 cuts in 53 minutes, these tracks are mostly taken from the hard to find singles put out by the band on its own Plan 9 label.

Annoyingly enough, the original sequencing of these compilations has been maintained, so there is no sense of chronology present, but it's packed with so many classic songs ("She," "Ghoul's Night Out," "Die Die My Darling," "Children in Heat" and tons more) that it doesn't matter much. With hardly a loser in the bunch, it's a great way to get initiated into the bans's world, and you can always reprogram your disc player.

Disc two starts with the "Legacy of Brutality" album, a compilation Glenn Danzig released in 1986, composed mostly of songs culled from the unreleased "Static Age" project. The "Legacy" versions are different though, because Danzig saw fit to re-record the original (largely superior) guitar and bass tracks before issuing it. I have no idea why he thought this would be a good idea since his bass sound is pretty lame when you compare it to Jerry Only's original takes on the actual "Static Age" album (disc four, with the weird packaging), but there are a few songs on here that don't turn up anywhere else (such as the straight rock-a-billy "American Nightmare") and since the box is clearly designed with obsessive collectors in mind, these versions were a lock-in (and yeah, some people prefer them).

Next up on disc two is the "Evilive" album reissue from 1987, and it's the only real disappointment of the set. The original "Evilive" was a series of live singles released to the Fiend Club members in 1982 and later compiled on a 12-inch for general consumption. It was reissued with extra tracks in 1987 and that should have been just great, except that when it was remixed, a weird squeeking sound appeared because a channel was left open. You'd think that someone would have fixed this for the disc release but the person didn't, so instead what's left is only half listenable.

The performances turned in by the band are pretty lively though, and it all climaxes with a young Henry Rollins (a walking billboard of Misfits tattoos) singing some raspy guest vocals on "We Are 138." Finally we have the band's lowest ebb, 1983's "Earth A.D." This recording finds the Misfits succumbing to the taste of the times by speeding its sound up to a generic blur. The "woah-woah" style, catchy choruses and cool murky guitar sounds were abandoned in favor of thrashy arrangements and only mildly memorable tunes.

Danzig's distinctive vocals were still there, and a couple of songs stand out ("Death Comes Ripping," "Bloodfeast") but the power and uniqueness had been sacrificed for speed. They must've been able to tell what a drag it was because it was the last time the band recorded together; by Halloween of '83, the band was dead and buried. With the "Static Age" album occupying disc four, that leaves the collector-oriented "Sessions" (disc three) to round out the box. Composed almost entirely of alternate recordings of songs represented elsewhere, it should remain an engaging listen for even the casual fan.

Some songs show up in superior forms to the better-known versions, and a few tracks are totally specific to this disc. Hear!: the original '77 single of "She" with electric piano instead of guitar! Hear!: "Spook City U.S.A." done by the full band instead of just Glenn! Hear!... you get the point. Personally, I can't imagine anyone buying this set and not wanting to listen to absolutely everything .