When it comes to the music lovers on your shopping list, the AllMusic Gift Guide has you covered. Each year, we share our hand-picked recommendations of books, accessories, gadgets, recordings, and more, sure to please even the most discerning audiophile. And best of all, there’s no waiting in line.
Cocaine and Rhinestones: A History of George Jones and Tammy Wynette by Tyler Mahan Coe
The ~500 page book based off of season two of the podcast of the same name recounts the drinking and drugging, adultery and skulduggery, the flailing attempts of two broken people to try to manipulate and commiserate each other to fill the voids in their lives but also climb on top of each other in order to stay alive in the Nashville machine. The book also digs into the birth of the county music industry as well as several side quests on such disparate topics as ice cream, jukeboxes, the manufacture of moonshine, and bullfighting. A more detailed review of the book can be found in this AllMusic article. Somehow it all comes together and offers a well-rounded and well-researched look into the lives of these two country legends and the industry that consumed them.
$24.73 Hardcover on Amazon
Music Action Figures
Looking for oddball stocking stuffers for the music/toy fan in your family? Super7 has a ton of unexpected action figures that may just fit the bill. Bon Scott from AC/DC and Debbie Harry from Blondie represent the rock vocal powerhouses, members of Devo and The Clash fill the punk void, and what hip-hop fan could resist MF Doom (complete with cereal bowl) or ODB in his Shimmy Shimmy Ya gear? The only requirement is you gotta take them out of the packaging and play with them, otherwise the other toys in Andy’s room will think you’re a monster.
Most figures are $20.00 on Super7
Talking Heads: 77 Super Deluxe Edition
From the AllMusic Review: “This year, Rhino Records issued a Super Deluxe Edition of Talking Heads ’77 that, along with a crisply remastered version of the original LP, adds a bonus disc of alternate versions and material that didn’t make the album, including a version of “Psycho Killer” with Arthur Russell on cello. The best reason to get the expanded version, however, is the inclusion of a complete Talking Heads show from an October 1977 appearance at CBGB, which boasts an energy and muscle lacking from the studio tracks. It’s the sound of a band evolving from very good to honestly great, and it’s a must for anyone who prizes the group’s early work.”
$71.39 on Amazon
Cassette Tape Mug
One of the things about growing up in the ’80s was the huge collection of cassette tapes we all amassed. We had wall-mounted racks and zip-up cases, old milk crates and stacks of them on the floor. We rewound and fast-forwarded so many times, and then when your terrible cheap stereo ate the tape, we carefully wound the thin and crinkled brown polyester plastic film back in using a Bic pen. When you wake up feeling old and pour yourself the required cup of coffee, maybe pour it into one of these mugs, proclaiming your passion for the days of the cassette. You can get one with metal bands (including for some reason Accept’s Metal Heart!), classic country tapes, Ska/2-Tone band tapes, plus ones with specific bands like The Kinks, A-Ha, Megadeth, U2, and dozens more.
$27.48 on MTervoDesign
Sennheiser HD 560 S Headphones
Sennheiser makes some of the best consumer headphones out there, and these over-the-ear open-back headphones are top of the line. One interesting thing about the recent Sennheiser models is their use of what they call E.A.R. (Ergonomic Acoustic Refinement) angled driver alignment which recreates the setup of the way hi-fi loudspeakers would be set up in a room. Either way, the sound is crisp and resonant. Also the earpads are comfy. I kinda want to sleep inside them.
$149.95 on Amazon
Cameo from Your Favorite Musicians
People say that experiences are better than physical gifts and man oh man, what could be better than having RiFF RAFF wish you a merry whatever you celebrate. The music fan in your life is bound to enjoy a message from Arlo Guthrie (he could tell your aunt the things you can get at Alice’s Restaurant), or see if Lance Bass says “Bye Bye Bye” when he hangs up. Other notable artists available on Cameo include Ted Nugent (bound to have insights into the current political landscape), Shaggy 2 Dope from Insane Clown Posse (bound to have insights into how magnets work), someone named “Kanye East” (who may be an imposter but only charges $27 per session), Chris Carrabba (maybe he would make you a mixtape) and actual Kenny G. Give the gift that doesn’t take up any room anywhere except in your heart.
A wide variety of prices on Cameo
The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic by Daniel De Visé
A literary highlight this year was reading frequent AllMusic contributor Daniel De Visé’s definitive “The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic.” While book spends the appropriate amount of time on the film, it also goes deep into the music roots of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and how the men in the suits and sunglasses wasn’t just a gimmick, but actually an expression of their genuine love for R&B and blues music. The book is filled with incredible stories and jaw-dropping factoids (listed in part in our book review). The book is available in hardcover with lots of classic photos, but also as an audiobook read by Johnny Heller.
$18.62 Hardcover on Amazon
Brass Monkey Misunderstood Songs Party Game
Whether it’s “There’s a bathroom on the right” or “‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy” there is no shortage of misheard lyrics. This game features 300 cards, each featuring a uniquely incorrect lyrics to a song. Two to eight players can play in a competitive mode or a more casual mode (we’re assuming this one means pants-off). Who knows, maybe you’ve got two chickens to paralyze or you believe sweet dreams are made of cheese. There’s only one way to find out.
$18.51 on Amazon
Record Doormat
Walk right in, sit right down. Baby let your hair hang down. Although, actually, can you wipe your feet first? We just had the floors redone and it looks like you’ve been walking through a construction site. Is that blood? Maybe don’t come in at all. And let your hair hang some other direction, creep. This doormat may not be able to turn hippies away from your house, but it does look like a record. It has a non-skid backing to protect your newly refinished floors, is low profile so the door should just pass right over it, and you can put in it the washing machine if some jerk does get mud on it.
$26.99 on Amazon
60 Songs That Explain the ’90s by Rob Harvilla
Music critic-turned-podcaster Rob Harvilla felt as though he was kidding himself when he dreamed of creating a series of song analysis pieces he wanted to call “90 Songs that Explain the 90s” but in the end, he got a little self-conscious and decided 60 songs would be all the public would tolerate. In the end, his show hit 60 songs and extended to 90, then to 120 but that’s it. This hilarious and irreverent approach to counting is carried over into his writing, were he waxes poetic about metal, rap, pop, R&B and country songs that exemplifed the decade. With witty asides and actually deep introspection, Harvilla captures the music of the 90s, in a unique voice that is both authoritative and hilarious.
$17.60 Hardcover on Amazon
Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years 1976-1980
From the AllMusic Review: “In November 2023 Rhino released Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975). The Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) is its direct sequel, offering hours of unreleased live and studio material over 98 tracks in the form of outtakes, alternate takes, and live performances, alongside a striking bevy of jazz and rock players including Larry Carlton, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, and Don Alias. It is presented across six compact discs with gorgeous artwork and rare photos, a 36-page booklet with a laudatory appreciation from Meryl Streep, and a continuation of Mitchell’s conversation with Cameron Crowe from earlier volumes. The vinyl set contains four LPs, curated by Mitchell from her personal favorites.”
$57.11 on Amazon
VU Meter T-Shirt
The golden hum of the recording studio has a particular warmth to it. Vintage electronics and stale coffee sit side by side near the mixing board (but don’t ignore the taped-on sign that says “NO DRINKS” because it is there for a reason). As the band warms up to bang out their demo, the tape op gets the Ampex tapes spooled up and the engineer places the mics. The guitarist (already out of tune) clangs out a D minor way too soon, and the VU meter crashes into the red. The producer slides down the fader and lights the first of many cigarettes of the day. Here is a t-shirt that captures this moment.
$18.69 on Amazon
World Infestation: The Ratt Story by Greg Prato
Frequent AllMusic contributor Greg Prato’s 2024 book World Infestation: The Ratt Story recounts the L.A. band’s entire tale – from their beginnings as a band slugging it out on the Sunset Strip alongside such stiff competition as Mötley Crüe and Metallica, to scoring hit singles (“Round and Round,” “Lay It Down,” “You’re in Love”) and albums (Out of the Cellar, Invasion of Your Privacy, Dancing Undercover), creating their own unique look and sound (dubbed “fashion rock”), dealing with adversity, and how their music has reached a new audience in recent years.
$22.99 Hardcover on Amazon
Teenage Engineering OP–Z Synth
Teenage Engineering makes some of the sleekest and stylish electronic equipment around, from musical devices to computer audio components and bluetooth speakers. We don’t understand half of what they make, but want all of it. OP–Z is a portable 16-track multimedia synthesizer and sequencer with a range of sample and synthesis based sounds. sequence music, visuals, lights and more, all from your OP–Z. iOS and android companion app available.
$429.00 on Teenage Engineering
Cassette Walkman Brick Building Set
Big kids need toys too, and if somebody on your list is of a certain age, they can still recall those soft/scratchy orange earpads on their first cassette Walkman. This L̶E̶G̶O̶ ENJBRICK rendition of the S̶o̶n̶y̶ W̶a̶l̶k̶m̶a̶n̶ Music Walker is just as plastic as the real thing, and even opens and closes to pop the “tape” in. The only question is, what do you listen to while putting this set together? Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull? “Brick” by Ben Folds Five? The album Brick by legendary ’70s disco funk act Brick? Or the 2008 EP Brick by relatively unknown metal band Brick? Unhalfbricking? Brick by Brick?
$11.99 on Amazon
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$12.00 on AllMusic
