From the newest Ting Tings to the oldest kids on the box set, Tony Clayton-Leahas something to get everybody listening this yuletide
ALBUMS
Forget the bog-standard releases - why not wait for the Limited Deluxe Editions? Already passing our way are repackaged albums from The Ting Tings( We Started Nothing, plus a DVD that includes all the videos/making-ofs); Duffy( Rockferry, plus an extra CD of seven new tracks); and Glasvegas(the self-titled debut album, plus a six-track special Christmas mini-album, A Snowflake fell (and It Felt Like a Kiss)).
These are all overshadowed by the four-CD bookend packaging and content of Heart and Souland Retro. The former collects virtually everything that Joy Divisionrecorded and released between 1977 and 1980; the latter sees New Order's somewhat more commercial glory days divided across discs curated by Miranda Sawyer (Pop), John McCready (Fan), Mike Pickering (Club) and Bobby Gillespie (Live). Each box set is exceptionally well designed (as you would expect) and the respective booklets drip with detail.
Another doozie of a box-set is The Kinks' Picture Book, a six-disc trawl through the original Britpop band's quite extraordinary career. Letting down the side from the 1970s onwards, there are at least three CDs here (focusing largely on the band's 1960s output) that warrant the oft-used word "classic". For the Kinks' Kristmas trainspotter, there are 18 unreleased tracks.
DVDs
There is no shortage of music DVDs out there; some have incredibly shoddy production values (we won't go near those), while others marry quality execution with good content. The likes of Northern Soul's 200 Greatest Floorfillersoffers a canny mix of each, although whether you'll be able to manage a five-disc set of 200 (yes, 200) performances in one sitting (or, indeed, dancing) will possibly depend on whether or not you're an aficionado of the genre.
Less demanding (and far more enjoyable, perhaps, if you're an indie/rock kinda person) is the latest in the From the Basementseries (recently shown on Sky), which features subtle, intimate live performances from the likes of White Stripes, Beck, Neil Hannon, PJ Harvey, Super Furry Animals, Laura Marling, Jarvis Cocker, Radiohead (and a solo Thom Yorke), Eels, Damien Rice and Sonic Youth. For new school rock fans, Panic at the Disco. Live in Chicagois a good bet, as it shows the US punk/pop act in fine fettle in front of a large crowd of partisan fans; extras include a tour documentary, music videos, photo gallery and more. If you're an old school rock fan, then maybe The Police: Certifiableis more your thing, seeing as it covers all the hits in a technically faultless filming of their 2007 River Plate Stadium concert. A bonus selling point is the option to download the on-tour documentary Better Than Therapy.
Altogether quirkier is Christmas on Mars: a Fantastical Film Freakout featuring the Flaming Lips. The directorial debut of FL's frontman Wayne Coyne, the movie is equal parts amateur-auteur and trippy, and comes with a BBC Radiophonic-like soundtrack for that extra special B-movie appeal.
BOOKS
Like music DVDs, music-related books are plentiful around Christmas, which is why we're planning to skirt the obvious and direct you to one of the better of 2008's independently-published books: To the Light, by Irish singer- songwriter Johnny Duhan, who relates his life story through journal extracts and song lyrics. Honest (almost scarifyingly so) and open-hearted, it's unlikely you'll read a more satisfying book this year.
Altogether more absurd is Dancing in the Darknessby Frankie Poullain, former bass player with UK glam-metal band The Darkness. Edited and illustrated by (it says here) Poullain's Polish cleaner Ania Majchrzak, the book is a laugh-a-page account of the spectacular rise and the equally seismic fall of The Darkness.
If it's something slightly less humorous and more academic you're after, then Tuned Out - Traditional Music and Identity in Northern Ireland, by Fintan Vallely, might suit.
If none of the above ring any sleigh bells, then there is always the choice of purchasing, at a ridiculously competitive price, Rockaganda: Essential Irish Rock Quotes. Lovingly compiled by, er, me, it features words from the good, the wise and Sinéad O'Connor.
GIFTS
If the music person in your life has their unfair share of CDs, DVDs and books, then you could try one of the following:
• Corporate Hospitality and VIP packages for Oasisat Slane Castle next June (www.corporate.ie). The VIP Garden Package costs €285 per person and includes reserved car parking, grandstand ticket, a good view of the stage and access to eat/drink areas. For the full whammy of €550 you get the Slane Castle Hospitality Package, which includes the aforementioned as well as complimentary dinner/bar and other non-rock 'n' roll fripperies.
• Of course, you'll need something in which to bring your purchases home. Hurry, hurry, then, for the fab new Glasvegas tote bag, which comes in two simple but highly adaptable, no-nonsense colours: black and white.
