Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of “Weird Al” Yankovic
“Weird Al” Yankovic has helped multiple generations learn how to gleefully poke fun at the pop music of their respective eras throughout his substantial career, which is anthologized in this extensive box set. Packaged in an accordion-shaped case, the set traces his career from the days of “I Love Rocky Road” and “My Bologna” to 2014’s Mandatory Fun and a collection of previously-unreleased tracks. ($299.98 on CD, $399.98 on vinyl)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 50th Anniversary Edition
Your uncle Keith fell in love with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band in 1967 and now that he’s retired, encourage him to settle in with this six-disc deluxe edition featuring remastered and mono versions of the album, outtakes, videos and a 144-page illustrated hardcover book. ($149.98)
Cat DJ Scratching Deck
80 percent of us at AllMusic HQ have cats, and while we understand that most of them would likely be terrible DJs, hopefully they’ll at least find this turntable-inspired cardboard scratching deck to be a preferable option to the corner of the couch. Cats being cats, they’ll probably continue to do whatever they want, but maybe we’ll get some good Instagram content out of it. ($26.99)
Vintage Record Coasters
Several steps up from a stack of cardboard coasters pilfered from your neighborhood dive bar, these coasters recycle the centers of gently retired vinyl LPs from ages past. Each set includes a grab bag of six coasters from a variety of artists, genres and eras, and how often do you really get the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised anymore? ($24)
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon is everywhere and their streaming music service offers tens of millions of songs with new releases from today’s most popular artists. Listen ad-free with unlimited skips or download for offline listening. Prime subscribers get deep discounts on the $9.99/month service, and there’s also a $14.99/month family plan, which allows unlimited streaming for up to six users. (Monthly subscription)
Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time
The cover song has a long-standing tradition in popular music, from Aretha Franklin claiming Otis Redding’s “Respect” as her own to Jimi Hendrix shredding all over Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” and even to Weird Al Yankovic’s manic, loving polka medleys of contemporary hits. Ray Padgett digs into the stories behind these cover tunes in Cover Me, examining how Whitney Houston, the Fugees and Johnny Cash breathed new life into others’ songs. ($15.98)
AllMusic Subscription
If you are a die-hard AllMusic user and value the service we provide, for only $12 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. ($12/year)