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Ideas for the music fan on your gift listLook, I know you’re out there, last-minute holiday shopper that you are. I am one of you, and 1 just want you to know, I feel your pain.If there’s a music fan on your list, there are some potential gifts that you should know about.□The Spin Alternative Record Guide (Vintage, 468 pages, $20), is, like all thingswith the scene that came to be known as “grunge.” He was a fan forever there, at the frontSpin, archly hip, a tour through of the staee snapping blackmusic that has cut one edge or another along the way. Like all record guides, this one’s full of arguable stuff. Madonna, “alternative’? (Bless, them, though for giving Minutemen their due.) But still, for someone like me (who literally sits aroundand whites of Soundgarden, Nirvana, Mudhoney and TAD before anyone else, never knowing anything would come of it. You’ve seen his work on album and singles covers, and it’s fun to watch Peterson’s work grow through the years.and reads these things for plea- One always gets the feeling hesure as opposed to using it as occasional reference) this is a goodie. Albums by each act(ABBA through John Zorn) aregraded by number, and there’s a PasL but getting those CDs freewas as much a part of things as the bands.□You've dealt with it in theTop 100 list of alternative discsin the back, as well as Top 10’s from dozens of contributors,of shrink-wrap and seals is no easy task. Which is what makes Brian McCracken, president ofplus some well-known recording MacTec Products, such a saint.artists. Rap, reggae, world beatHis EZ-CD is a handy-dandy (2and funk, too. Knowing, but fun. and one-half inch) opener that□MTV has published a gorgeous tome chronicling its “Unplugged” series. MTVcuts through the mess with one easy swipe. The blade that cuts is concealed inside a frame, so there’s little risk of injury. And this one won’t break the budget— it’s just $2.99, available atUnplugged (MTV Books Hardcover, 182 pages, $50) is an exhaustive look at the series Towner Records, Musciland. Bet-that spawned an acoustic trend ter still, call lt;800)622-8321and five platinum albums. With and ask for a CD Essential cat-only 50,000 copies in print, the alogue. book is as one might expect of MTV — cutting edge, eye-catching (it’s shaped like the big end of a guitar) — but it’s alsoJSince 1986, DCC CompactClassics has been selecting “classic” recordings, licensingloaded with detail and perspec- master tapes and reissuingtive. Every song ever played on pricey, “definitive” versionsthe first 57 shows is chronicled, that will please collectors,as well as some that were performed but never aired. Producer Alex Coletti turns inaudiophiles and diehard fans. They do CD’s, but some of us still embrace the warmth ofsome funny stories, while jour- vinyl. DCC is currently work-nalist David Hinckley provides perspective. Tons of photos, too.□Screaming Life: A Chron icle of the Seattle Music Scene (Harper Collins, $35)offers a unique view from Charles Peterson, the Seattle photographer who grew uping Elton John’s Greatest Hits, which is a treasure trove of pop gems. It’s prime early Reg, pressed on 180-gram, pure virgin vinyl (which means it’s heavy and durable). They also do gold-coated CDs, and some DCC issues have been loaded with bonus cuts.
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