When December hits, doesn’t everything feel like it’s in overdrive? The Christmas songs get a little louder in each store you wander into, the group chat at work turns to travel plans as meetings get moved to the new year, and an already maxed-out inbox fills up with “last chance” deals that are anything but. In other words, the holiday season is in full swing, and you had best check the shopping list twice, or maybe even three times. Thankfully, Rock Music Menu is here to help keep things moving along without a meltdown. We’re diving into the next round of our Holiday Gift Guide, offering up ideas for the music lovers in your life to make the whole stretch a little easier, right through the big day and whatever comes after it. Last week, we plugged into some electronics, and now it’s all about the music, the deluxe box sets and expanded editions that show up like clockwork, similar to the Salvation Army bell ringer outside of the Acme each year. From a festive box of singles to underrated LPs from some legendary rock ‘n’ rollers, it’s the Rock Music Menu Holiday Gift Guide: Part Two. The Beatles ‘Anthology’ First released three decades ago, The Beatles’ “Anthology” series redefined what it meant to put out unreleased music. Split into three volumes of two discs each, it contained alternate takes, live tracks, and demos of Fab Four songs from their brief career. Now, all these years later, a fourth volume has dropped, and it’s available as a standalone or as part of an expansive set including remastered versions of the original “Anthology” series. Newly curated by Giles Martin, “Anthology 4” includes 13 previously unreleased demos, session recordings, and other rare pieces of music. It also includes new mixes of “Anthology”-associated hit singles “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, using de-mixed John Lennon vocals. Both new mixes are placed alongside the band’s most recent U.K. No. 1 hit single, 2023’s Grammy-winning “Now and Then,” the last Beatles song. All three singles were created from rudimentary home demos Lennon recorded in the 1970s, later completed with vocal and instrumental parts recorded by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. In total, there are 191 tracks across the deluxe 12-LP 180-gram vinyl and eight-CD box sets. Additionally, the official Beatles store features exclusive editions with different packaging and extras inside. The Rolling Stones: ‘Black and Blue: Super Deluxe Edition’ Receiving mixed reviews upon its 1976 release, “Black and Blue” was the Stones’ 13th studio album and first after guitarist Mick Taylor’s exit. The sessions for the LP doubled as open auditions, with Ronnie Wood, newly free from The Faces, ultimately stepping in as a permanent member, appearing on three tracks before officially joining the band’s U.S. tour. Now, it’s gotten the archival treatment, recognized for being a transitionally important work in the Stones’ catalog with some killer songs in the mix like “Hand of Fate,” “Crazy Mama,” and epic ballads in “Memory Motel” and “Fool to Cry.” The super deluxe edition comes as a five-LP vinyl box or four-CD edition, each with a Blu-ray disc, a 100-page hardback book, and a replica tour poster. There’s also a limited black-and-blue marbled five-LP version, plus various two-disc and single-disc vinyl and CD configurations. A single LP zoetrope edition rounds out the lineup. The “Black and Blue” set includes a six-track disc of previously unreleased recordings, including the Jagger/Richards composition “I Love Ladies,” plus a high-energy take on Shirley Company’s “Shame, Shame, Shame.” Added in are four instrumental jams from the 1975 auditions featuring various guitarists, and a full live concert recording from a six-night residency at London’s Earls Court Exhibition Centre, where they were joined onstage by Ian Stewart, Billy Preston and Ollie Brown, all of whom had contributed to the studio album. The accompanying Blu-ray disc offers a previously unreleased TV broadcast of the Stones’ 1976 show at Les Abattoirs in Paris. Finally, there are exclusive photographs from the album sessions and tour, and a replica poster from the 1976 Paris concert. The Black Crowes: ‘Amorica: 30th Anniversary Box Set’ Another recording that polarized listeners when it came out was the third effort from The Black Crowes, “Amorica.” To celebrate the record’s 30th anniversary, the band has released a deluxe box set, available as a five-LP or three-CD set, which chronicles the evolution of what firmly removed the lazy “Stones wannabes” tag. The deluxe box set features “Tallest,” a studio album of nine newly mixed songs from the mythic unreleased album “Tall,” recorded before “Amorica,” that was initially scrapped by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson. Also included is “The Marie Laveau Sessions,” featuring seven previously unreleased studio recordings from October 1992, recorded at Kingsway Studios in New Orleans on an off day from touring. Additionally incorporated are four live songs recorded for a worldwide live radio broadcast to premiere “Amorica” from AIR Studios in London in October 1994. The “Amorica” album was remastered from the original quarter-inch production master tape and now includes three B-sides in the Taj Mahal cover “Chevrolet,” and new mixes of “Song of the Flesh” and the instrumental “Sunday Night Buttermilk Waltz.” The LP box set contains a fanzine with an interview with the Robinson brothers chronicling the evolution of the record, a 20 inch by 30-inch poster, bumper sticker and slip mat. The Jimi Hendrix Experience: ‘Bold as Love’ “Bold as Love,” a new box set based on The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s sophomore release “Axis: Bold as Love,” encompasses Hendrix’s effort to craft a definitive follow-up to the 1967 smash debut “Are You Experienced.” Like its predecessor, and buoyed by soon-to-be classics like “Little Wing,” “Spanish Castle Magic,” and “Castles Made of Sand,” it, too, became a bestseller. Produced by Janie Hendrix, original Experience recording engineer Eddie Kramer and John McDermott, the expansive collection is available as either a five-LP or four-CD set, each with a Blu-ray. It includes the original stereo and mono mixes of “Axis: Bold as Love” remastered from the original mixes created by Hendrix; the album’s producer, Chas Chandler; and Kramer. It also contains an additional 40 alternative versions, unreleased studio takes, demos, live tracks, and television appearances from the album’s development and recording period, 28 of which have never before seen the light of day. Frank Sinatra: ‘Long Ago, Far Away’ This five LP set features some of the rarest, most sought-after Frank Sinatra recordings in history, consisting of elusive live and radio broadcasts recorded between 1943 and 1951. Brimming with previously unreleased, and largely unheard, performances, the music, lavish booklet with liner notes and rare photos, beautifully portrays the iconic singer at the precise moment of his ascent as one of 20th-century America’s greatest entertainers. Included in “Long Ago, Far Away” is Sinatra’s 1945 performance at the Philadelphia Convention Hall, his three Hollywood Bowl appearances of the 1940s, special radio recordings made for the armed forces, and a French radio broadcast of his Paramount Theater engagement with jazz pianist Joe Bushkin in the early 1950s. The recordings have been meticulously restored and remastered from the original recordings for top sonic quality and fidelity, making for a historically vital part of the Sinatra legacy. “Long Ago, Far Away” is pressed on multi-color vinyl and limited to just 2,000 copies. It’s only available direct from singmarket.com. Dio: “A Decade of Dio: 1983-1993” Following a pair of studio LPs with Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio left the forefathers of heavy metal in 1982 and formed his namesake outfit, going on to release 10 studio albums over the next two decades. “A Decade of Dio: 1983-1993” brings together the group’s first six records, with remastered audio from 2016. The set includes the group’s platinum-selling debut, 1983’s “Holy Diver,” featuring the hit title track and classic “Rainbow in the Dark,” and the next year’s “The Last in Line,” which also went platinum and included the single “Mystery,” as well as “We Rock,” a song the band often played to close its shows. The headbanging continued in 1985 with “Sacred Heart,” which achieved gold certification and introduced fans to the concert staple “Rock ’n’ Roll Children.” Dio’s fourth studio album, 1987’s “Dream Evil,” included the singles “I Could Have Been a Dreamer” and “All the Fools Sailed Away.” Come the ’90s, the group released two more studio albums. “Lock Up the Wolves” arrived in 1990 and featured the single “Hey Angel” and, following a brief reunion with Sabbath in 1992, Dio returned with “Strange Highways” in 1993. The six-LP box set on 140-gram splatter vinyl is limited to 3,000 units with a Rhino.com exclusive featuring a bonus 7-inch of the nonalbum tracks “Evil Eyes (Original Version)” b/w “Time to Burn” limited to 1,000 copies. Various Artists: ‘Classic Holiday Singles Box Set’ Just in time for indulging in too much eggnog around the fire are some of the most iconic Christmas songs of all time available on collectible 7-inch color vinyl in a new limited-edition box set, perfect for vinyl enthusiasts and holiday music lovers alike. The ultimate soundtrack to the season, the “Classic Holiday Singles Box Set,” brings together 28 timeless songs from across the Christmas canon on 14 color vinyl 45s. From the unmistakable crooning of Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole to the infectious, youthful energy of Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee, Chuck Berry and The Jackson 5, each track is instantly recognizable. Then there are the sunshine harmonies of The Beach Boys, the jazzy sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, and even Santa himself, Burl Ives, are represented. Also included are Elton John’s joyful holiday classic “Step into Christmas” and holiday hits from not one but two Beatles — John Lennon with Yoko Ono, and Paul McCartney — on their respective smash hits “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” and “Wonderful Christmastime.” The records are available as a complete set in a vintage-inspired candy cane red and white striped carrying case or individually. Each 7-inch features a beloved holiday hit on the A-side and another festive favorite on the B-side. All are housed in beautifully designed sleeves that capture the magic and nostalgia of the season. Vinyl of the Week will return in January. To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to [email protected]. Also, check out his website at thechroniclesofmc.com. ...read more read less