The December holidays are the time to give gifts, but we know that finding the perfect gift can be a challenge at times. When it comes to the music lovers on your shopping list, the AllMusic Gift Guide is for you. Every year, AllMusic staff share their hand-picked recommendations on books, accessories, gadgets, recordings and more that will please even the most discerning audiophile. And best of all: there are no queues. Check out the AllMusic Gift Guide now!
Music is Questlove's story
Drummer, DJ, producer, member of The Roots and bestselling author Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson offers a range of personal and historical reflections in "Music is History". The book delves deep into the last 50 years of popular music, with a specific focus on black identity and how his love of pop culture has fed his passions in his life. ($ 25.49)
Sonos Roam
Roam is the latest addition to the Sonos lineup and the first to offer Bluetooth connectivity when you actually want to use it on the go. It also continues to support Wi-Fi audio and work within the larger Sonos ecosystem, so no matter where you are, you've got all of your basics covered. (from $ 226.89)
Let It Be Super Deluxe Vinyl The Beatles
The super deluxe edition of Let It Be contains a wealth of riches, most notably the official release of Get Back, as well as two outtakes and one remix disc. Beatlemania returns with Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back – a documentary series that revisits the original footage shot by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in 1969, and this elaborate box set provides the soundtrack. ($ 125.03 on vinyl)
Booze & Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks by André and Tenaya Darlington
This nostalgic, vintage-look release is a one-part record guide and one-part recipe book that combine classic listening with the perfect cocktail theme for the album. Low End Theory from A Tribe Called Quest is paired with a swanky sidecar, while the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers are served with a Jack & Coke (and Coors). Below! ($ 21.71)
miniature
Always wanted Mark McGrath to wish your stepmother a Happy Kwanzaa? Or would you like the Kid from Kid & # 39; N Play to tell your little sister to be safe on her road trip? Those crazy ideas used to be just a fantasy, but now the power of the internet lets you pay pretty much anyone who wants to do something faster than Smokey Robinson can say "CHA-NOOK-AH" whatever that is. (anywhere between $ 1 and $ 1,500, depending on how dope the person perceives themselves to be.)
Recycled record bottle opener
Tired of a last-minute gift idea? Do you need a stocking filler? White elephant in the office as a gift? These cool bottle openers are cut from real LP records and mounted on a sturdy stainless steel base. ($ 12.00)
Hip-hop (and other things) by Shea Serrano
The hilarious and irreverent writer for The Ringer, Shea Serrano, who wrote bestselling books on basketball and movies, turns to his love of hip-hop in this series of essays. Illustrated with Arturo Torres & # 39; beautiful streetwise artwork illuminates Serrano rap beefs, asks potentially unanswerable questions, and offers more charts and graphs than a statistics textbook. ($ 20.07)
Vinyl moon subscription
Ten fresh songs every month, independently curated and pressed into an honest record. Each monthly box contains a uniquely designed record and sleeve showcasing art by great visual artists. ($ 372 for one year)
Monolith M565C Planar Magnetic Over-Ear Headphones
These stylish, classic looking headphones have a closed design to better isolate the music and have large, comfortable ear cushions that go over the ear. Aside from making Monolith look sharp, Monolith has redesigned and redesigned the planar driver to be better than the previously existing planar driver (thank goodness!). ($ 169.99)
Nöthin & # 39; But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of the Hard Rock Explosion of the 80s by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beajuour
The authors Bienstock and Beajuour talked to us this year about their informative and often hilarious book Nöthin & # 39; But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the & # 39; 80s Hard Rock Explosion. Attend the Aqua Net and Mascara Days by Mötley Crüe, Poison and Guns N & # 39; Roses with this 560-page time machine and check out her additional insights in our interview The Ups and Downs of the Hard Rock Scene of the 80s As told by music videos on the AllMusic Blog. ($ 21.49)
Rolling Stone, the music trivia game where legends are made
In this quiz game, two teams compete against each other to answer quick questions and even sing, hum or describe songs for the questions at hand. The game highlights over 150 famous artists from the 1960s to the present day, so every player should be able to find genres and eras that they can be an expert on. ($ 19.99)
AllMusic subscription
By the time you're reading this, you are likely already a regular AllMusic reader. AllMusic has always been a free resource, but it's not free to wait. If you want to not only lend us your eyeballs and your time, but also want to help directly, you can sign up for an annual subscription to AllMusic. In return, we will remove advertisements for you so that you can move around the website more easily. ($ 12.00)
King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King by Daniel de Visé
The historian Daniel de Visé provides the first complete and authoritative biography of this blues legend. King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King offers a rich glimpse into King's upbringing, influences, challenges and legacies. In addition to publishing this book, the author gave us his personal list of Six Underappreciated B.B. King LPs only available on AllMusic. ($ 22.26)
Apple AirTag
Key lost? Can't find your backpack? Where is that confused dog?!? When you are deeply immersed in the Apple ecosystem, AirTags will help you remember where you thoughtlessly left your belongings. ($ 29.00)
Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds
The Sony WF-1000XM4 may not have a name that is as easy to remember as the fruit computer competitor's corresponding wireless earbuds, but there are many good reasons to recommend them. With amazing sound quality, critically acclaimed noise cancellation, long battery life, and the ability to pair with a wide variety of devices, you really can't be beat. ($ 248.00)
The text: 1956 to today by Paul McCartney
You may never have heard of him, but Paul McCartney has been in a band called The Beatles as well as a group called Wings and (if that's not enough) has had a long solo career too. This two volume set beautifully illustrates over 150 lyrics and the stories behind the songs that have become the standard here, there and everywhere, even including (relatively) lesser known songs like "Eat at Home" and "Temporary Secretary". ($ 98.99)
DropMix music game system
This electronic board game from Harmonix (the company behind Rock Band) encourages users to lay cards to create song mixes. Different modes allow for different ways to play and tracks from real musicians you've heard of (Bruno Mars, Childish Gambino, Disturbed, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Sam Hunt, Sia, The Weeknd) are in the building blocks of the game. ($ 89.99)
JBL Charge 5 – Portable Bluetooth Speaker
JBL makes this solid and sturdy 40 watt portable bluetooth speaker that plugs in and stays charged (even allows other mobile devices to be charged directly). The cool advantage of this special device is the ability to couple multiple speakers together to use them in stereo via the free JBL Portable app or in multiple rooms in mono "party mode". ($ 179.95)
Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton
The illustrated book of the year, this weighty tome, is filled to the brim with personal anecdotes, great photos and revelations behind the music about Dolly's life, loves, regrets and victories. The book contains lyrics to 175 of their most popular songs – along with the personal memories and inspiration behind them. ($ 30.57)
NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System
With so many of us working from home last year, our dusty routers were overwhelmed with online meetings, virtual schools, and increased streaming of videos and music. End frustration on multiple levels by plugging in the Orbi WiFi system. With the main unit on one floor and the satellite unit upstairs in the office, everyone comes out of the window with a minimum of yelling. ($ 329.99)
Dave Grohl: The storyteller from Dave Grohl
If you've seen any musical documentary in the past two decades, you've heard a story by Dave Grohl. Now the man himself tells his stories of the tour as an 18-year-old, recording with Nirvana, reading bedtime stories with Joan Jett and meeting Sir Paul McCartney. We have all known Grohl as a narrator for a long time and now someone on your vacation list can experience him as a writer. ($ 18.40)
LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster
This incredibly detailed LEGO set allows children of all ages to build their dream guitar (in red or black) and put together a replica of a '65 Princeton reverb amplifier. The strings are individually strung, the whammy bar is actually hammering, and the bezels on the amp are removed to reveal the motherboard, reverb tank, and speaker. ($ 99.99)
Ticket stub diary
Holy Moly, it really feels like the world is opening up again and bands are really starting to tour. This ticket stub journal is way better than that dusty shoebox you have under your bed. Put the ticket stubs in this journal and make notes of the setlist, who you went with and how long the encore lasted. Much nicer than an Excel spreadsheet. ($ 14.19)
Music genius playing cards
This stocking filler introduces some of the most creative and influential artists in the music industry. While it's just a playing card game at its core, the musicians are broken down by genre (pop artists are as Hearts, Rock & # 39; n & # 39; Roll is Spades, Folk & Country are Diamonds and Soul, Blues & R&B are Clubs ) are a clever twist, and the original artwork captures the essence of the theme (the clever placement of David Bowie and Björk as wild cards). ($ 9.89)
Coasters for records
Made from labels cut from the center of real vinyl records, these hi-fi home furnishings are going to be a hit with any music lover. The panes are sealed so that moisture does not seep to the surface. ($ 18.00)
Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres by Kelefa Sanneh
This book takes an unconventional approach by looking at the history of pop music over the past fifty years through the major genres that have shaped and dominated it: rock, R&B, country, punk, hip-hop, dance music, and pop. ($ 24.99)
