The 2018 AllMusic Gift Guide: 'The Yacht Rock Book,' Sonos Speakers, and Liz Phair's 'Guyville' Box
Dec. 18, 2018
We close out our annual collection of music-themed gift ideas with Motley Crue Pop Vinyl figures, a Forever Changes box set, a book honoring the women of country music, and more. And if you're still on the hunt, all of this year's previous guides are still available.
The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s, by Greg Prato
AllMusic contributor Greg Prato battens down the origin story of Yacht Rock, featuring interviews with many notable contributors to the genre, including John Oates, Walter Becker, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, and Don Felder. With a forward by Fred Armisen, The Yacht Rock Book gives breezy definition to this hotly-debated category of soft, golden, windswept music. ($15.15)
Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives, by Holly Gleason
2018 raised awareness around the fact that while country music written and recorded by women might be critically lauded and may win CMA awards, it only gets about 1/10th as much radio airplay as their male counterparts do. "Women Walk the Line" adds more fuel to the fire with a collection of country, folk and Americana-themed essays from women writers including Roseanne Cash, Taylor Swift, Deborah Sprague, Grace Potter and Meredith Ochs. ($19.36)
AllMusic Subscription
If you are a die-hard AllMusic user and value the service we provide, for only $16 a year consider giving yourself the gift of a paid subscription. It helps the site keep the lights on, removes the advertisements, and noticeably improves site speed for you, so unlike receiving underwear or a nineteen-pound fruitcake, everybody is happy. ($16/year)
Woodstalk: 3 Days of Peace, Music, and Zombies. Book 1, by Bruce Worden
Author/Illustrator Bruce Worden (Goodnight Keith Moon) re-imagines the Woodstock Music Festival through the eyes of The Zombies (Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, et al) as they are forced to battle a real zombie outbreak. Musical in-jokes wail as Ravi Shankar, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, wide-eyed hippies in a fumbled drug deal and a frazzled Vietnam veteran band together to try to survive 3 days of peace, music and zombies. ($13)
Sonos Original Play:1 Wireless Speaker
Step up your streaming speaker game for any occasion with the Sonos Play:1. It's small, rich in sound, and can also be used for your home theater setup. Not only that, it can be used with Amazon's Alexa and Apple's AirPlay 2 and a plethora of streaming services aside from standard Bluetooth compatibility, so your friends will be able to jump right in with any song at any time. ($149)
Motley Crue Funko Pop! Rocks 4-Pack
We go back to the Pop Vinyl well for adorable, scaled-down versions of the Sunset Strip's other bad boys (we did GNR already), here in their Shout at the Devil-era duds. Remember them in happier, skinnier times, before the vehicular manslaughter, overdoses, and John Corabi. ($42.69)
Love, Forever Changes 50th Anniversary Edition
Love's 1967 album went largely unnoticed upon its release, but over time has it grown to become a celebrated snapshot of the more melancholy elements of the Summer of Love. This reissue contains an alternate stereo mix, a mono mix, and a disc of outtakes, session highlights, single mixes, and backing tracks. ($52.99)
Liz Phair, Girly-Sound to Guyville, the 25th Anniversary
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Liz Phair's debut, Matador Records went all out. Not only by reissuing and remastering Exile in Guyville, but also releasing a limited edition 7-LP set that includes all three of her legendary Girly-Sound cassettes commercially for the first time ever. The set also includes a book containing an oral history of the record, essays by Phair and journalist Ann Powers, and previously unpublished photos. ($66.67)
The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s, by Greg Prato
AllMusic contributor Greg Prato battens down the origin story of Yacht Rock, featuring interviews with many notable contributors to the genre, including John Oates, Walter Becker, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, and Don Felder. With a forward by Fred Armisen, The Yacht Rock Book gives breezy definition to this hotly-debated category of soft, golden, windswept music. ($15.15)
Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives, by Holly Gleason
2018 raised awareness around the fact that while country music written and recorded by women might be critically lauded and may win CMA awards, it only gets about 1/10th as much radio airplay as their male counterparts do. "Women Walk the Line" adds more fuel to the fire with a collection of country, folk and Americana-themed essays from women writers including Roseanne Cash, Taylor Swift, Deborah Sprague, Grace Potter and Meredith Ochs. ($19.36)
AllMusic Subscription
If you are a die-hard AllMusic user and value the service we provide, for only $16 a year consider giving yourself the gift of a paid subscription. It helps the site keep the lights on, removes the advertisements, and noticeably improves site speed for you, so unlike receiving underwear or a nineteen-pound fruitcake, everybody is happy. ($16/year)
Woodstalk: 3 Days of Peace, Music, and Zombies. Book 1, by Bruce Worden
Author/Illustrator Bruce Worden (Goodnight Keith Moon) re-imagines the Woodstock Music Festival through the eyes of The Zombies (Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, et al) as they are forced to battle a real zombie outbreak. Musical in-jokes wail as Ravi Shankar, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, wide-eyed hippies in a fumbled drug deal and a frazzled Vietnam veteran band together to try to survive 3 days of peace, music and zombies. ($13)
Sonos Original Play:1 Wireless Speaker
Step up your streaming speaker game for any occasion with the Sonos Play:1. It's small, rich in sound, and can also be used for your home theater setup. Not only that, it can be used with Amazon's Alexa and Apple's AirPlay 2 and a plethora of streaming services aside from standard Bluetooth compatibility, so your friends will be able to jump right in with any song at any time. ($149)
Motley Crue Funko Pop! Rocks 4-Pack
We go back to the Pop Vinyl well for adorable, scaled-down versions of the Sunset Strip's other bad boys (we did GNR already), here in their Shout at the Devil-era duds. Remember them in happier, skinnier times, before the vehicular manslaughter, overdoses, and John Corabi. ($42.69)
Love, Forever Changes 50th Anniversary Edition
Love's 1967 album went largely unnoticed upon its release, but over time has it grown to become a celebrated snapshot of the more melancholy elements of the Summer of Love. This reissue contains an alternate stereo mix, a mono mix, and a disc of outtakes, session highlights, single mixes, and backing tracks. ($52.99)
Liz Phair, Girly-Sound to Guyville, the 25th Anniversary
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Liz Phair's debut, Matador Records went all out. Not only by reissuing and remastering Exile in Guyville, but also releasing a limited edition 7-LP set that includes all three of her legendary Girly-Sound cassettes commercially for the first time ever. The set also includes a book containing an oral history of the record, essays by Phair and journalist Ann Powers, and previously unpublished photos. ($66.67)