Top Gifts for Music Lovers

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The proliferation of the iPod, peer to peer music software, and online music videos has meant that more traditional methods of appreciating music have gone by the way side. The CD and the DVD have come along only in the last twenty years but they have already been deemed relics by a generation that was born after their introduction to the music market. However, when it comes to holiday time, there is no better gift to give than that of music. CD sets and music DVDs, along with less conventional gifts, allow music lovers to create a physical archive of their favorite music and musical trends that is not possible with MP3s.

The CD box set has become one of the more popular Christmas gifts for music fans, but it can be difficult to find the right one. For artists in jazz, classic rock, and other older genres, there are often several box sets claiming to be the comprehensive record of an artist's highest achievements in the industry. There are a few standards that should be a part of your holiday list this season that are a must have for music fans. An expensive but truly comprehensive offering is Paul Simon's monstrous The Studio Recordings 1972-2000 (Rhino), available for just under $125 through Barnes and Noble. Covering one of the most prolific careers in rock and roll, this collection of studio recordings and extras paints Paul Simon as an artist that is not afraid to experiment. From his more conventional solo recordings just after Simon and Garfunkel broke up through his work with indigenous African musicians, Paul Simon's Studio Recordings is a must have in any serious music collection.

For those looking in a different direction for their loved ones this holiday season, Miles Davis' The Legendary Prestige Quintet Session (Prestige) is a collection without peer for jazz fans and available for under $60 at most music stores. With John Coltrane on tenor saxophone and early television personality Steve Allen providing interludes, Miles Davis peaks and valley approach to jazz is accentuated by some high power personalities from the late age of jazz. This collection combines "Tonight Show" performances and a series of marathon sessions for Davis and his quintet that were done to fulfill a contractual obligation with Prestige. The result is a cross section of a jazz great, with the good, the bad, and the ugly included.

Box sets aren't the only way for music fans to connect with the energy and excitement of the music industry. There a wide variety of DVDs that are insightful and entertaining, ranging from uncensored collections of rock history to satirical looks at the excesses of rock. This latter point is made most clearly by director Christopher Guest's great rock satire This is Spinal Tap, which is available at most video stores for under $15. The fictional band Spinal Tap represents the fall of a genre of rock that included big hair, ridiculous stage props, and songs that talk about how rich rock stars are and how often they get laid. Fortunately, Guest's terrific direction and the wonderful performances of Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer as Spinal Tap's members make the decline of hair rock quite amusing.

There are a number of documentaries that will present the history of rock, for better or worse. The multidisc History of Rock'n'Roll starts with rock's roots in Southern blues and jazz music and takes it through the present day. Michael Wedleigh's famous documentary Woodstock takes us through that famous concert featuring some of rock's greats, including Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. The Kids are Alright documents the rise of The Who to rock stardom in the 1960s and 1970s, including television performances, behind the scenes clips, and interviews with rock contemporaries. All three DVDs are available at most major retailers and Amazon, with prices on all three ranging from $18 to $30 dollars. With these prices, a music DVD from this list is a nice stocking stuffer or last minute gift idea.

Finally, for those music fans who want to dabble in creating music themselves, there is a gift custom made for their needs. The Sony ACID Music Studio 6 software, available on Amazon for about $70, allows amateur musicians a start on their way to producing their own original music. With thousands of music loops and samples to work from, beginning musicians can experiment with their sound. If your burgeoning musician finds that they have created something they like, they can export their music as an MP3 to their portable player, create a CD with their favorite tracks, and save to their computer for further mastering. This relatively inexpensive software (considering competitor software ranges from $200 upward) is a great gift for music dabblers and experimenters who want to practice their craft.