Here’s how to shop for the music fan in your life, whether they like to watch, listen or look like they’ve got holes in their head.
Boxed sets
Elvis Presley, “The Complete Elvis Presley Masters” (Legacy, $750): This box set, which exhaustively presents every song Presley released in his lifetime in chronological order, is all about the numbers: One custom-designed display case. 30 CDs. 35 hours of music. 103 rarities. 240-page hardcover book. 711 master recordings. 1,000 limited-edition, first-run copies. 6,000-word essay by Peter Guralnick, author of “Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley” and “Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley.” Countless trills.
Various artists, “Matador at 21” (Matador, $35): A six-CD set tracing the loud, slightly out-of-tune history of the hip New York independent label that introduced the world to college radio mainstays Pavement, Liz Phair, Yo La Tengo, Cat Power and Interpol. Among the handpicked, remastered classics there’s a live set from the imprint’s 10th-anniversary party. The linen-bound box also includes 36 custom Matador poker chips. Plus, all the proceeds go to charity.
The Beatles, “1962-1966 (Red)” and “1967-1970 (Blue)” (Capitol, $24.99 each): Forget the avalanche of Beatles music on iTunes. All you need is this pair of the color-coded compilations (previously reissued on CD in 1993) that originally hooked kids who were too young to experience the thrill of the Fab Four the first time around. It should be enough to break any serious Lady Gaga addiction.
DVDs
Beyonce, “I Am … World Tour” (Columbia, $19.98): This rather expensive postcard from Beyonce’s spectacular 2009 world tour features all the hits and dazzling choreography of the stage show, as well as the countless wardrobe changes. But the best part is going backstage and realizing that, despite outward appearances, the high-heeled singer is actually human.
The Rolling Stones, “Ladies and Gentlemen: Deluxe Limited Edition” (Eagle Rock, $99.98): Along with remastered live-concert footage from the band’s “Exile on Main Street” tour in 1972 — available on DVD and Blu-Ray for the first time — this package also includes the “Stones in Exile” documentary about the making of the album, a third disc of unreleased footage from their appearance on the “Dick Cavett Show,” plus a scarf, book and pair of 35mm film cells from the original film.
Michael Jackson, “Vision” (Legacy, $39.98): Avoid all other posthumous cash-in projects at all costs. This is the only package Jackson fans need — a DVD collection containing every one of his eye-popping music videos from the “Off The Wall” era forward, plus the previously unreleased clip for “One More Chance.” There’s a bonus disc that includes a trio of Jackson classics and the always-wonderful Paul McCartney duet, “Say Say Say,” among other rarities.
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