A little ‘Love’ for music fans on shopping list

It is said that music hath charms to sooth the savage beast. And it’s a good thing, because around the holidays there is no more savage beast than a hard-to-please gift recipient.

No matter how finicky the person, there is always a music CD out there somewhere that will cause him or her to shout out in glee, or at least stop grumbling for a few minutes. It’s just a matter of exploring the many options and finding the appropriate disk.

This holiday season there is the customary wave of new releases designed to be wrapped and presented, and then held onto with the plastic covering intact in case they want to exchange it.

Among the most popular surely will be   the Beatles’ “Love,” the remixes and mashups of original masters by the group’s legendary producer and esteemed “Fifth Beatle,” Sir George Martin. It’s the ideal gift because it contains recognizable songs, yet they’re sufficiently revamped to create new excitement for that Beatles lunatic in your midst.

There aren’t too many other sure-fire bets in the CD gift department that will please those with a wide variety of tastes, but the ones that are available include “Surprise” by Paul Simon (with some help from Brian Eno); “Duets: An American Classic” from Tony Bennett, which includes collaborations with artists as disparate as Tim McGraw, Stevie Wonder, Bono and the Dixie Chicks; “Live at the Fillmore East” by Neil Young, taken from superb live performances in 1970; “Modern Times,” the highly acclaimed latest album by Bob Dylan, and a remastered version of “Living In The Material World” by the late George Harrison with two rare bonus songs.

But after that, you’ll have to do a little homework. You’ll have to gauge the musical proclivities of that target giftee and find the proper niche from which to glean the ideal CD.

In rock, the choices are many. There is the remastered and restored “The Best of the Doors,” featuring all the band’s big hits including “People Are Strange” (perfect for those frantic days at the mall) and “Hello, I Love You.” Bob Seger has a new CD on the shelves called “Face the Promise,” which makes a fine present when paired with a fifth of Jack Daniels.

There is also “Endless Wire” by The Who, its first studio album in almost 25 years; “Sam’s Town” by the Killers, their second disk; “The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance, for those with edgier tastes who like to see Santa tattoed and pierced; and the superb old standby, “Stadium Arcadium” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, although check and make sure your loved one doesn’t already have a copy by now.

In country, look no further than the Dixie Chicks’ “Taking The Long Way”; they’re back, as determined as ever, but just make sure the person you give this to will play it rather than destroy it. Safer bets among the hayseed set include Willie Nelson’s “Songbird”; George Jones and Merle Haggard’s “Kickin’ Out The Footlights … Again”; George Strait’s “It Just Comes Natural,” and Keith Urban’s “Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing.” Chewing tobacco sold separately.

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