Box sets can be a daunting undertaking, as much for the listener as those organizing and compiling the material.

Pirate Radio (Warner Brothers/Rhino/Sire) by the Pretenders, a chronological (thank you!) five-disc (four CDs, one DVD) set, does an admirable job of presenting Chrissie Hynde and company in a flattering light. Walking the fine line between being killer and overkill, Pirate Radio tunes in the hits (from “Brass In Pocket” through “Human”), a healthy dose of worthy album tracks and numerous previously unreleased live, alternate, demo and sundry other tracks. While none of the later material has any of the urgency and spunk of the early work, this is a pleasing retrospective and one that was a long time coming.

Although there was never a “Canadian invasion” like the “British invasion” of the 1960s, Canadian bands have long had a presence in pop music. One of the most popular Canadian bands, The Guess Who, had a popular string of hits in the ’60s and ’70s. Some of them can be found on The Best of The Guess Who (RCA/Legacy). In fact, the first seven tracks on the disc, from “These Eyes” through “Hand Me Down World” (from the 1968-1970 period) are essential to the soundtrack of the era. This extended-edition reissue contains three bonus tracks, none of which include my personal favorite late-career Guess Who single “Star Baby.”

At around the same time The Guess Who were fashioning their brand of power pop, Black Sabbath was creating the monster that would become heavy metal. With a lineup that included Ozzy Osbourne and Tommy Iommi, the blues-based British metal that became Sabbath’s trademark would go on to inspire and influence countless other head-bangers for generations to come. Greatest Hits 1970-1978 (Rhino/Warner Brothers), including “War Pigs,” “Paranoid” and “Iron Man,” to mention a few, focuses on the band’s most highly regarded period and, aside from the metallic aftertaste, is sure to inspire more than a few fists being thrust into the air.

Living Colour put a fresh new coat of paint on metal when they debuted in the late 1980s. The combination of guitarist Vernon Reid and vocalist Corey Glover was like an urban Black Sabbath. In fact, Living Colour put the black into Black Sabbath. Even more impressive, Living Colour managed to have a few hits, including “Cult of Personality,” “Glamour Boys,” “Solace of You” and more. Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour (Epic/Legacy) assembles 17 of these tracks in one place.

Emerging from the crumbs of Camper Van Beethoven (who have since regrouped and released a CD in 2004) Cracker, led by David Lowery, had their own string of hits during the 1990s. Key among them are “Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now),” “Get Off This,” “Low” and “I Hate My Generation.” Those aforementioned tunes and 11 more make up Get On With It: The Best of Cracker (Virgin).

Traditional Irish folk musicians The Chieftains gained an air of hipness when, in the 1990s, they began to collaborate with a number of cutting-edge musicians of the era. Recordings with artists such as Emmylou Harris, Sinead O’Connor, Sting, Marianne Faithfull, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Elvis Costello and several others called attention to The Chieftains’ plentiful musical gifts. The second disc of The Essential Chieftains (RCA Victor/Legacy) contains a number of those collaborations, while the first disc of the set is primarily The Chieftains themselves.

Like The Chieftains, Los Lobos was also a purveyor of traditional music. Long before Ricky Martin or Los Lonely Boys attempted to make Latin music appealing to mainstream music buyers, East L.A. band Los Lobos was busy doing something similar.

As single-disc collections go, Wolf Tracks: The Best of Los Lobos (Rhino/Warner Brothers), does an admirable job of tracing the band’s trajectory, beginning more than 20 years ago and continuing today. In addition to the Richie Valens songs Los Lobos recorded for the biopic La Bamba, which helped turn the spotlight on them, original hits such as “Will The Wolf Survive?,” “One Time One Night,” “Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)” and “Kiko and The Lavender Moon” show how Los Lobos became leaders of their pack.