You’re making your list and we’ve made ours: tons of ideas for presents--even for those hardest to please. : From Elton to Boyz to Celine to Dylan, It’s an Album Bull Market
Looking for gift ideas? The list of the most popular CDs is always a place to start. For a little guidance, Calendar’s pop staff surveyed 40 of the nation’s most popular or critically acclaimed albums.
*** LED ZEPPELIN, “Led Zeppelin: BBC Sessions,” Atlantic. Not only do these tracks--some live studio work, others recorded before studio audiences in 1969 and 1971--capture the English band’s vibrant live energy at the peak of its career, they also help illuminate the quartet’s place in rock history.
** 1/2 Smash Mouth, “Fush Yu Mang,” Interscope. This San Jose ska-punk quartet’s debut is surprisingly inventive. Surf, ska, hardcore and a smattering of pop elements ricochet around tunes that celebrate the usual punk themes with some groovy twists--notably the smashing hit single “Walkin’ On the Sun.”
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Albums and other items in Gift Guide are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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