SOUNDS TO SAVOUR
Must-haves for music lovers
Holiday gift buying for the music fan in the family has changed. Not because of the pandemic, but because the music business isn't what it used to be. Amid all the streaming services, online sales outlets and so forth, the days of box sets and special editions issued just in time for the holidays has been usurped by the 24-7/365 marketing of the digital age. Finding that special something to gift to the music nerd in the family is harder, but not impossible. One of the benefits of digital delivery has been that the cost-cutting in dusting off lost albums and bringing them to market is easier. This means some very cool tunes to hear. Also, as the decade comes to a close, so too does the time to look back at some of the big acts of yesteryear that are due a repackaging/retrospective release. Here are 10 recommendations for gifting this year:
Beastie Boys Music Beastie Boys | Universal Music
The companion piece to director Spike Jonze's multiple Emmy-nominated Beastie Boys Story and the New York Times Best Sellers List-topping Beastie Boys Book collects 20 songs from the trio's 30-plus year career. In what appears to be the year that the hip-hop/rock crew's music is being rolled out to a new generation, this compilation is both more fun than the book and better than the fawning film.
Kool and the Gang Kool and the Gang | Real Gone Records
With the death of band co-founder Ronald Bell, Kool and the Gang is back in the spotlight and that is why a gem like the band's 1970 debut is available again.
Long in demand with collectors and DJS who have sampled the heck out of its tracks, this ninesong album was the band's opening salvo before tunes such as Jungle Boogie and Celebration were mega hits. Strictly instrumentals, the music ranges from the casual laidback vibe of Breeze and Soul to the wickedly in-the-pocket The Gangs Back Again. Essential education for funkateers everywhere.
Buzzcocks Complete United Artists Singles 1977-1980 Buzzcocks | Domino Records
Possibly one of the shortest 24song collections to come out, this seven-inch vinyl box set is going to be in demand when it gets released in early January. Pre-orders are being taken for the package that collects the 12 singles and B-sides that the legendary Manchester group released in its short career. With a 36-page booklet from punk historian Clinton Heylin, original Malcolm- Garrett designed sleeves and really quality remastering, this is a winner. The Buzzcocks were easily one of the best bands to ever come out of the fertile U.K. postpunk scene.
The Best of MIYUMI Project 20 Year Compilation
The MIYUMI Project | FPE Records
Formed in the 1990s as a vehicle to fuse Japanese traditional music and jazz, Japan-born bassist Tatsu Aoki's the MIYUMI Project makes seriously exciting sounds.
Bringing together many of the members of the fertile Chicago improvising scene with Japanese taiko drummers, the nine-cut compilation is a wonderful treat for anyone with an ear for beautiful avant-garde. The twin masterpieces are certainly the 16 minutes of Episode One, which really lets the percussion percolate, and the big, brassy blast of Now.
Charlie Parker:
The Savoy 10-inch LP Collection Charlie Parker | Craft Recordings
Celebrating the centennial of the jazz genius who put bebop in motion.
Parker made these groundbreaking bebop sessions over a four-year period spanning 1944 to 1948 for the Savoy label and they feature such side players as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Lewis, Bud Powell and Max Roach, among others. One of the most explosive musical forms to ever come around, Charlie “Bird” Parker and his contemporaries forged a new, revolutionary improvisational style of jazz that was a complete separation from the popular bigband swing of the times. The 28 tracks that make up this collection have been reissued and repackaged many times over the years, but this package has some of the best sound quality ever produced.
Motörhead Ace of Spades Box Set Motörhead | BMG Records
Who would have thought that Motörhead would be the subject of so many box sets?
This celebration of the 40th anniversary of the biggest album to come from the raging hard rockers not only gives you a half-speed mastered version of the album from the original master tapes that sounds even heavier, it also includes two double-live albums from the Ace Up Your Sleeve tour, a 1980 instrumental EP and a double album of B-sides, outtakes and rare tracks. Toss in the DVD compilation of rare TV appearances and a 1981 live concert and you can be headbanging a very long time.
Elton Jewel Box
Elton John | Universal Music
This is a monster of a collection. With 148 songs spanning the period between 1965 and 2019, Sir Elton John has dug deeply into his and lyricist Bernie Taupin's musical legacy.
There are B-sides, a Deep Cuts disc curated by the musician himself, rarities, the And This Is Me select tracks and much more. What emerges is an artist who has had a huge number of hits, as well as some surprising missteps. Of course, this is all a matter of opinion. Many may find his French language work with France Gall interesting or disco-funking days like Take Me Down To the Ocean quality work.
Trees 50th Anniversary Box Set Trees | Fire Recordings
London folk rockers Trees recorded a series of well-received albums between 1969 and 1972. Riding on the soaring vocals of singer Celia Humphris, the band's sound could be compared favourably to contemporaries such as Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention. But its real ace in the game was guitarist Barry Clarke, who brings searing solos to all of the material on this 37-song, four-disc set. Gnarls Barkley sampled Trees' song Geordie on St. Elsewhere, which gave the music new life.
The Essential Gary Lucas Gary Lucas | Knitting Factory Records
From early days working with Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band and his acclaimed work with the late Jeff Buckley to working with everyone from New York Dolls singer David Johansen to Amanda Palmer and Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison, Gary Lucas is a guitarist's guitar player.
Disc one tackles his work with his avant-rock band Gods and Monsters. Ranging from the folky pop of Coming Clean to No Wave funk of Swamp T'ing, it's a master class in textures and techniques. Disc two compiles solo, rarities and collaborations and there are some truly wonderful tracks such as Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles featuring Nona Hendryx and Rishte featuring singer Najma Akhtar. This is an extremely varied collection.
The White Stripes Greatest Hits The White Stripes | Third Man/ Columbia Records
A really good career overview of the garage-rocking duo that packages a lot of the big hits such as Seven Nation Army and Dead Leave and the Dirty Ground alongside fan faves such as Conquest and I Fought Piranhas. The sound has been improved and the band is due a retrospective to give to that garage-rocker in the family who might only know a teeny bit of what made the band so popular.