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It’s holiday shopping time, which means that you might need a gift for that special music fan in your life.
Well, you’ve come to the right place for ideas. The following are some of the season’s top box sets and other such music collectables, all of which would make for cool gifts.
I mainly discuss the hard/physical products in this guide. But, yes, most of these are also available for streaming/downloading at the regular spots.
Here we go:
“R.E.M. at the BBC”
This is a must-have collection for fans of the greatest American rock band of all time. The 8-CD/1-DVD set traces the amazing rise of Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry, from college-radio wunderkinds to multiplatinum, arena-rocking titans, through 20 years of rare and unreleased BBC recordings. Featured live broadcasts include a 1984 club date at Nottingham’s legendary Rock City and a 1999 headlining set from the big Glastonbury festival. This abundance of R.E.M. riches goes for $80, but some will chose to save some money and instead go with the scaled-down “The Best of R.E.M. at the BBC,” available in 2-CD or 2-LP formats for about $25-$30.
(www.remhq.com)
“Nina Simone – The Colpix Singles”
The great jazz/blues/folk vocalist got off to a strong start in her career with the 1958 debut “Little Girl Blue,” which featured her first – and, as hard as it is to believe, only – Billboard top 20 pop hit with “I Loves You, Porgy.” Simone was then quickly signed to the mighty Colpix label, where she’d spend five years (1959-1964) honing her talent and establishing herself among the most important voices of all time. This collection stands as a fascinating spotlight on this early era of Simone’s career, as the vocalist won over fans with her compelling renditions of such standards as “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)” and “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” as well as by crafting her own soon-to-be classics like “Blackbird” and “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl.” Available as a 2-CD set ($24.98) or 1-LP ($21.98).
“Road to Ruin: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition,” Ramones
The excellent Ramones re-issue campaign continues with a 40th anniversary celebration of “Road to Ruin,” which came out in 1978 and featured one of the all-time great punk anthems in “I Wanna Be Sedated.” And now that I’ve brought up that song, of course, it will be stuck in my head for days. But that’s a good thing, as is listening to the rest of the material featured on this 3-CD/1-LP set, boasting two different mixes of “Road to Ruin,” a whole disc of rough mixes, a 1979 concert recording from the Palladium in New York and other cool stuff. This fully loaded version runs $64.98, but there’s also a single-CD offering for $7.98.
“Electric Ladyland” (deluxe edition), Jimi Hendrix Experience
A half century ago, the Jimi Hendrix Experience released its third and final studio effort. It was also the last Hendrix album released during the legendary guitarist’s lifetime. It was, of course, “Electric Ladyland” – and it was truly Hendrix at his electrifying best, thundering through such triumphs as “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” “Crosstown Traffic” and “All Along The Watchtower.” In celebration of its 50th anniversary, “Electric Ladyland” is getting the deluxe edition treatment to the delight of Hendrix fans everywhere. It’s available as a 3-CD/1-Blu-ray set ($59.98) or as a 6-LP/1-Blu-ray set ($109.98), both of which feature a newly remastered version of the original double album with a 5.1 surround sound mix. Another of the many selling points is the never-before-released concert recording “Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live at the Hollywood Bowl 9/14/68.”
“Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead”
Of course, there’s never a shortage of “new” stuff to buy for your favorite Deadhead during the holiday season, given the way this band – which officially called it quits back in the ‘90s – keeps stocking the shelves with archival recordings. But I’m choosing to highlight director Amir Bar-Lev’s insightful and, at times, stunningly beautiful “Long Strange Trip” documentary film (2017). It’s tantamount to a four-hour thrill ride for Deadheads, but it’s also a great trip for the uninitiated who simply want to better understand this great rock ‘n’ roll phenomenon. Available on 2-DVD ($24.98), 1-Blu-ray ($27.98), 3-DVD ($26.98) and 2-Blu-ray ($30.98).
“Ornette Coleman: The Atlantic Years”
My jaw dropped when I saw this glorious vinyl set, containing all six of the pioneering albums that the avant-garde, free-jazz master recorded for Atlantic from 1959 to 1961. That number includes 1959’s “The Shape of Jazz to Come” (widely regarded as one of the most influential and important recordings in jazz history) and 1960’s “Change of the Century” (which Lou Reed once ranked as the best album ever made). It also contains four compilations, featuring more than two hours of session outtakes. This stunning, remastered 10-LP collection is nothing less than the finest reissue set of 2018 and it retails for $174.98.
