"Boom Box" is a limited-edition box set released by American rock band No Doubt on November 25, 2003, through Interscope Records. The set compiles four distinct albums: The Singles 1992–2003, The Videos 1992–2003, Everything in Time, and Live in the Tragic Kingdom. Each of these collections also had separate releases on their own, with The Singles 1992–2003 dropping alongside the box set, Everything in Time being released as a standalone CD on October 12, 2004, and The Videos 1992–2003 as a DVD on May 4, 2004. Additionally, Live in the Tragic Kingdom, which was originally released on VHS in 1997, was reissued on DVD on June 13, 2006.
No Doubt's Boom Box marks a significant point in their career. The band had released five studio albums before going into a hiatus in 2003, during which time lead singer Gwen Stefani pursued a solo project. The box set includes a mix of the band’s hits, B-sides, rare tracks, music videos, and live performances from their Tragic Kingdom tour. This set came out at the peak of No Doubt’s success after the release of Rock Steady (2001) and the beginning of Stefani's solo career. The band's hiatus began in April 2003, with Stefani focusing on her solo work, leading to Boom Box as a comprehensive retrospective of their career.
The Singles 1992–2003 is a greatest hits collection from No Doubt's major albums, covering their music from No Doubt (1992) through Rock Steady (2001). It spans 11 years of their career, although tracks from their independent album The Beacon Street Collection (1995) were excluded.
The Videos 1992–2003 is a DVD that compiles all of No Doubt's music videos, including the popular tracks from The Singles 1992–2003. It also features a video for their cover of "Oi to the World," originally by the punk band The Vandals.
Everything in Time is a CD that features B-sides, rare tracks, and remixes, most of which were recorded during the sessions for Return of Saturn (2000). This compilation includes remixes of "Rock Steady" and other bonus material from the band's later albums.
Live in the Tragic Kingdom is a DVD featuring a live concert filmed during the Tragic Kingdom tour, showcasing hits like "Just a Girl," "Spiderwebs," and "Don't Speak," along with cover songs.
The music in Boom Box reflects No Doubt's shift in style over the years. While Tragic Kingdom (1995) is heavily represented, especially through its singles, the box set also showcases the band’s transition toward more pop and dancehall influences with later albums like Return of Saturn (2000) and Rock Steady (2001). The early, more ska-punk style of their debut No Doubt and The Beacon Street Collection is represented by only a few tracks, notably "Trapped in a Box."
The Everything in Time collection delves deeper into the band's rarities, with material largely stemming from the Return of Saturn sessions. The set’s shift towards a more mature sound in the later albums is apparent, with Gwen Stefani’s lyrical focus on personal themes such as femininity, relationships, and self-exploration.
Although Boom Box didn’t receive significant critical coverage because it wasn’t a studio album, the individual releases it contained were generally well-received. The Singles 1992–2003 charted highly, peaking at number 2 in the US and number 5 in the UK, while Everything in Time charted at number 182 on the US Billboard 200.
This box set represents No Doubt's legacy at the time, capturing both the breadth of their career and the cultural impact they had in the 1990s and early 2000s.
