Music Ideas for Holiday Shopping

Just because someone may not want to find Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus under their tree this year, that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t want great music to listen to on cold winter nights. While the manufactured kiddie-pop music floods the stores and the Internet, more obscure new releases from classic artists are bound to offer a lot more in the way of talent and musicianship. Even 40-somethings love to crank up some stinging classic guitar, so keep that in mind as you do your holiday shopping this year.

Some new CDs by classic artists include:

The Doobie Brothers- “World Gone Crazy” (new album featuring original members Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons, along with minimal input by Michael McDonald, results in a solid, upbeat sound hearkening back to the early days)

Bruce Springsteen- “The Promise” (release of 21 songs recorded during the “Darkness on the Edge of Town” sessions….awesome!!!)

Eric Clapton- “Crossroads Guitar Festival” (recorded this past June, this package in a treasure trove for blues lovers, featuring Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, BB King, John Mayer, ZZ Top, and Derek Trent. Beware the Vince Gill tracks!!)

Marie Osmond- “I Can Do This” (an inspirational release getting some of the best reviews of her career)

Loreena McKennitt- “Wind That Shakes The Barley” (for those who love a true ancient, gothic sound, Loreena has not put out a bad CD yet…this is true Celtic music, not that horrible “Celtic Thunder” stuff that sounds like a tragic mix of Celene Dion and elevator music).

Anthologies out this holiday season include:

Jefferson Airplane- “Live at the Fillmore/We Have Ignition/Return to the Matrix” (a series of live concerts by what I think was the greatest live band of all time…includes the very first live appearance of Grace Slick!)

Jimi Hendrix- “West Coast Seattle Boy” (a 4-CD and bonus DVD collection)

Also, two of my favorite artists both are releasing holiday CDs this season:

Indigo Girls- “Holly Happy Days” (a mix of original songs and holiday standards)

Annie Lennox- “A Christmas Cornucopia” (a lush, elegant sound, with many tracks accompanied by a full orchestra)

In addition to new releases, there also are some great remastered and expanded versions of classic releases that many people may not know are available in time for the holidays, including:

Nine Inch Nails- “Pretty Hate Machine” (remastered, bonus track)

ABBA- “Gold” (greatest hits re-release with 25 videos)

Supertramp- “Breakfast In America” (two CD edition, bonus tracks)

Heaven 17- “Penthouse and Pavement” (two CDs, DVD, bonus tracks, alternate versions, etc.)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- “Damn The Torpedoes” (two CDs, bonus tracks)

Also, the complete John Lennon discography is being re-released in expanded and remastered editions with additional tracks and liner notes. 1980’s “Double Fantasy” includes an entire disc of stripped down versions of every track from the album and is receiving rave reviews for its quality and unique remastering.

For those with darker tastes, the Depeche Mode and The Cure discographies also have been released in the past couple of years with additional tracks, alternate versions, accompanying DVDs, new liner notes, and more. 1984’s “Black Celebration” from Depeche Mode is put together exceptionally well.