Features

Noted audio journalist Ken Kessler’s in-detail 50-year history of Audio Research, sumptuously produced in an LP jacket sized book, is filled with archival product and other photos from the Audio Research library plus new images beautifully presented by designer Henry Nolan. This is the perfect gift for the Audio Research fanatic in your life or among your friends.—MF

Book: William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock ‘n’ Roll by Casey Rae ($19)

Exactly how much did Beat writer William S. Burroughs impact rock’s development and advancement? A lot, as writer, professor, and SiriusXM music licensing director Casey Rae explains in William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock ‘n’ Roll, an extensively researched and deeply informative book documenting Burroughs’ encounters with and influence on David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain, and many other rock legends. It’s a fascinating read whose every page reveals yet another usually unthought-of connection.—ML

Book: How Music Works by David Byrne ($24)

In the history-rich, nearly 400-page How Music Works, David Byrne tracks music’s development through listening trends, technology, performance tactics, venue design, and socioeconomic changes. Whether or not your giftee cares for modern music structures, Byrne (who of course includes anecdotes from his own musical experience) lays out the map for how and why music evolved into its current forms.—ML

LP or CD box set: John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (prices vary)

“The dream is over,” John Lennon sang on his raw, image-rejecting 1970 solo debut Plastic Ono Band’s penultimate track, “God.” Apple/UMe’s 2LP “Ultimate Mixes” or 6CD/2BD “Ultimate Collection” remixed reissues explore the deepest recesses of Lennon’s pivotal and most consequential album. As our Michael Fremer wrote, “Fifty years later, Plastic Ono Band still packs a powerful gut punch. For oldsters who lifted the stylus and got no further than ‘Mother, you had me, but I never had you’ or who made it through to ‘God,’ the final kiss-off where Lennon tells fans to grow up and get a life and then put the album back on the shelf or sold it, now’s the time to listen again to hear how right Lennon was and how wrong and selfish most fans were.”—ML

LPs: Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue, Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage, and Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch (about $20-26 each)

Following the affordable, all-analog Blue Note 80 vinyl series’ success, the legendary label rolled out the identically-produced Classics line. Anyone from the jazz novice to the longtime audiophile in your life will bask in the transparent, audiophile quality of these new reissues, specifically the “introduction trifecta” (in this order) of Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue, Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage, and Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch.—ML

LP: Various Artists - Somewhere Between: Mutant Pop, Electronic Minimalism & Shadow Sounds of Japan 1980-1988 ($32-35)

Earlier this year, Light In The Attic released Somewhere Between, a 45rpm 2LP compilation of 1980s “mutant pop, electronic minimalism, and shadow sounds of Japan.” These selections, existing at city pop and environmental ambient’s meeting point, are memorably melodic yet ethereal and odd. This well-curated set, which for some could reveal a previously unexplored musical universe, also includes liner notes providing crucial context.—ML

LP: Dean Blunt - BLACK METAL 2 ($20-25)

One of his most concise and accessible works, enigmatic London avant-pop icon Dean Blunt’s somewhat abstract yet beautiful BLACK METAL 2 is one of 2021’s best albums. The well-pressed 180g black vinyl disc in all-black packaging even includes an unadvertised bonus track; your gift recipient might at the very least find it an interesting selection to generate intelligent conversation.—ML

LPs: Spiritualized - The Spaceman Reissue Program (costs vary, typically $30 per 2LP album)

This year, Fat Possum reissued Spiritualized’s first four albums (Lazer Guided Melodies, Pure Phase, Ladies & Gentlemen…, and Let It Come Down), cut from the original masters in double LP editions supervised by J Spaceman. I wrote of the $30 half-speed mastered 45rpm LGM, “The sound quality is exquisite; the mastering is tonally well-balanced (though a bit lacking in the low bass range), and the imaging is immersive with precise solidity. Loud sections have plenty of instrument separation, the drums have satisfying depth, and the guitars have appropriate bite. This audiophile-grade reissue is essential for any large, well-rounded record collection.”—ML

(Malachi Lui is an AnalogPlanet contributing editor, music obsessive, avid record collector, and art enthusiast. Follow Malachi on Twitter and Instagram. Michael Fremer is the editor of AnalogPlanet, senior contributing editor for Stereophile, hi-fi expert, and highly experienced record collector. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.)