Tracking Angle's 2024 Holiday Gift Guide
You know the drill
Somehow, it’s already the end of November, which means that the holiday season is upon us. “Finding good gifts for picky vinyl obsessives can be hard,” goes our gift guide intro year after year. Thus, Michael Fremer and Malachi Lui (with the consideration of other writers’ most enthusiastic reviews this year) have compiled a list of recommended records, gear, and accessories. All products are independently selected. We hope this helps at least someone.
iFi Zen Phono 3 phono preamp ($249)
The latest iteration of a longtime budget favorite, iFi’s $249 Zen Phono 3 preamp features more loading options than earlier models and still sounds far better than its price suggests. “Whatever the iFi Phono 3 doesn't do is a matter of subtraction not addition,” says Michael Fremer. “Its imaging and staging are well beyond $249… that's how good and transparent and precise this little sucker is.”—Malachi Lui
Pro-Ject T1 EVO turntable ($449-599)
Handmade in Europe with Pro-Ject’s classic 8.6” 1-piece aluminum armtube plus electronic speed change and an Ortofon OM10 MM cartridge, the T1 EVO would be a solid choice for a loved one’s first turntable. Pro-Ject’s budget turntables are super easy to set up, and though seemingly more minimalist than competing products, they have consistently excellent build quality and great sound. The basic T1 EVO costs $449; the version with a built-in phono preamp costs $499, while the T1 EVO BT with aptX HD Bluetooth compatibility is $599.—ML
Because Sound Matters one-step vinyl releases ($100-125)
Warner’s newly revived Because Sound Matters series is a glorious sight. At long last, we get luxurious one-step vinyl reissues of albums that aren’t the same 10 audiophile dinosaurs. This year’s releases were Linkin Park’s first three albums and Green Day’s American Idiot, all sounding better than ever (regardless of the digital steps behind the reissues and the original recordings). If there’s a millennial or Gen Z person in your life who grew up on these albums and is perhaps just starting to get into vinyl, these releases’ sublime sound and packaging will convince them to take the format seriously.—ML
Qobuz gift subscription ($31-117)
Though not the cheapest, most popular, or most convenient streaming service, Qobuz certainly sounds the best; I do believe that their hi-res streaming sounds better (ie, more “correct” to the source) than Apple’s lossless content. Through December 1, Qobuz is offering subscription gift cards at a 10-20% discount for three-, six-, or 12-month plans.—ML
Fluance RT85 turntable ($499)
Fluance has cheaper turntables too, but their product line tops out at the $499 RT85, available with a pre-mounted Ortofon 2M Blue or a Nagaoka MP-110 (Michael Fremer reviewed it with the latter). With an S-shaped aluminum tonearm, acrylic platter, MDF plinth, and an automatic start/stop function, it’s ready out of the box as long as your giftee has a phono preamp (or even better, gift this with the aforementioned iFi Zen Phono 3). “The Nagaoka and Fluance combo is supposed to deliver a ‘warm’ sound, and that’s how it sounded: pleasingly warm,” Fremer wrote. “Most first time consumers will be fully satisfied by how this turntable sounds right out of the box mated with a good phono preamp. It's the kind of analog product that will make new vinyl fans.”—ML
The Beatles - The 1964 US Albums In Mono vinyl box set ($299)
Before the UK Beatles catalog became internationally standard, Americans experienced Beatlemania through the altered tracklists of Capitol Records albums like Meet The Beatles or Beatles ’65. Universal just released The 1964 US Albums In Mono 8LP box set featuring the Capitol (and United Artists) albums released in 1964 or early 1965, cut from the original US master tapes. “The goal here is to give you the experience of what kids experienced when they first heard and bought these Beatles albums, and that's what these records provide,” Fremer said. “These transfers had the musical and sonic ‘flow’ and transparency you're hoping to get.” (Albums also available individually for $30 each.)—ML
Miles Davis - Birth Of The Blue LP ($40)
The December 13 release date means that it’ll ship just in time for Christmas, which makes sense—Birth Of The Blue, Analogue Productions’ new all-analog document of the Kind Of Blue ensemble’s first recording session, is sure to be one of the most hyped audiophile vinyl releases. Fremer assessment based on the test pressing: “It’s not modal music, but the results are of course fascinating, and anyone who’s not heard it will enjoy it, of course.” Hybrid stereo SACD also available as a $35 stocking stuffer.—ML
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Opus ($30+)
Opus captures Ryuichi Sakamoto’s very last performances in a document “as beautiful and bittersweet as one could hope for,” as I said in my review. There’s now a smattering of physical releases from Commmons: 2CD, 4LP, DVD, Blu-ray, and a $900 (!!) vinyl set featuring ultra-deluxe packaging and Sakamoto’s specially blended incense. The most accessible version in the US is the Janus Contemporaries/Criterion Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack; I haven’t gotten it yet, but the film version was more effective than the standalone audio, and the Atmos mix is excellent.—ML
Ramar Jewel record weight (€799)
Do we call it a record weight or a “resonance control concept,” as Ramar describes it? Whatever the case, the Ramar Jewel is supposedly the first asymmetrical resonance control concept with even weight distribution. The company boasts: “The combination of a shaft seal, brass rods, and Sorbothane damping ring minimizes the contact points with the turntable and the record while allowing the energy of unwanted mechanical noise and vibrations from the record player and the record itself to be absorbed and neutralized.” All I can say about that is, much like Ramar’s high-end record brushes recommended last year, the Jewel weight is a beautiful object to look at and handle, and it’s more functional than a display item (will not work on turntables with unusually tall spindles-review coming up). Buyers will also get a truly unique "record stand" with their purchase that will be shown in the review.—ML
33 1/3 book series ($15 each)
The 33 1/3 series books published by Bloomsbury Publishing each focus on a single classic album for about 120 small-format pages. Some are merely glorified fan letters while others are scholarly analysis compiled from existing sources—the latter books are wonderful short reads. I’m currently reading the recent entry on Pulp’s This Is Hardcore, written by Jane Savidge, the head of the PR company that represented Pulp. In the book, Savidge unravels the album’s various contradictions and situates its “end of an era” cultural importance, pulling from the dozens of interviews her firm set up back then for Jarvis Cocker. The 33 1/3 books fit nicely into a stocking, and their short length is great for your friends who might want to learn more about their favorite records, but keep saying they “don’t have time” to read much.—ML
Joni Mitchell - The Asylum Years 1976-1980 6LP box set
I argue in the box set review that this is the most essential Joni Mitchell box in the series. It's musically and lyrically the most sophisticated and has stood the test of time better than some of Mitchell's catalog, that are more "of a time", Blue of course excluded. There are a few other great ones "back there" but the mature Mitchell is more interesting than the precious hippie one. Much of the core rock audience peeled away as Mitchell's music tilted towards jazz. Those fans ought to return with this set both for the music and for the sound, which is superior to the original pressings. The packaging is fine too.—MF
Little Fwend automatic tonearm lifter ($249)
High-performance turntables seldom have an automatic tonearm lift, which is where the Scandinavian-built Little Fwend comes along. Placed between the arm base and the platter, it automatically lifts the tonearm when it reaches the end of a record side. It won’t work on every turntable, but between the Low, High, and Disco MkII models, it’s compatible with most common turntable brands.—ML
John Cale - Paris 1919 deluxe 2LP reissue ($32)
After a tumultuous, musically audacious decade in New York, Cale left the east coast darkness and moved to Los Angeles to become a Warner Brothers A&R man and recording artist. He jumped nose first into the lifestyle, but was clearly homesick for what he'd years earlier left behind in Europe, all of which is expressed in these mostly lushly orchestrated songs, though the thrust relates to, how what happened in Paris 1919 (The Treaty of Versailles), set the stage for much of what Cale felt he and the world was living through as Richard Nixon was re-elected (whew!).
How Chris Thomas (Procol Harum, etc.) came to produce the record, how members of Little Feat added the rhythmic power and how the record flopped and why now is its time are all discussed in the annotation, which adds both context and texture for a younger generation. I spent every day I was on WBCN in the early 1970s promoting this record to no avail and here I am doing it again fifty plus years later!
What do you want from a reissue of a record you've long regarded as perfectly produced and executed? That it sounds as good as the original or (dream on) better? That it's not been squashed to death or remixed and ruined? That it includes worthwhile bonus material and meaningful annotation so that after the first play and read of a record you've treasured for decades you come away with an even greater appreciation for it than you brought to the listen? That's what this reissue delivers.—MF
Jan Garbarek Quartet - Afric Pepperbird ECM Luminessence reissue (approx. $40)
Tracking Angle’s Jan Omdahl is a loyalist to this early Jan Garbarek recording on ECM, having written about it here multiple times (he’s even got a book about it). “The Norwegian quartet sounded like nothing else at the time: a wild and wonderful stew of free jazz, early fusion, post-bop, rock, Norwegian folk and African percussion.” ECM’s Luminessence series recently put out the first vinyl reissue of Afric Pepperbird since the mid-70s, and Omdahl says, “the sound is, in all aspects, very close to the original.”—ML
The Island Book Of Records (two editions, retail price $150 each)
If you have pink label Island records on your mind, this sumptuously illustrated 360+ page coffee table book is a must have. It covers the early days of Chris Blackwell's enterprise and is filled with photos you've never seen and possibly some you have, all laid out in an easy on the eyes style ideal for a "pick it up for a few when you have some time" read. Open it at random and you're sure to come upon a great double truck page. It was on sale for $75 last I looked. The production is "top shelf". Your coffee table will thank you. The second volume covering 1969-70 is due March 18th and can be pre-ordered. The message is clear: the first book covered almost a decade. The second but two years. That was Island's busy time—MF
Tamao Koike - Complete Yen Years CD (about $20)
There’s always that daunting music collector in your life who seems to have basically everything, and thus it’s really hard to find a record they might like but don’t have. Well, here’s one. Late last year, Sony Japan put out an exhaustively complete CD anthology of Tamao Koike, the YMO-adjacent model-turned-synthpop-idol who released exactly one single, recorded a few more songs, and seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. From what I can tell, almost no one bought this CD, so it’s a pretty safe, off-beat gift if your recipient likes perfect synthpop confections. Highlight “Sangokuchi Love Theme” seems to not exist on the Western internet. Since I reviewed the CD, Great Tracks released Tamao - Yen Years Selection on clear pink vinyl, which cuts some of the CD’s redundant alternate versions. Both formats available on CDJapan for $20-30 plus shipping.—ML
Patrick Leonard - It All Comes Down To Mood 2LP ($50)
Wherever I play Patrick's record (and true, I play it everywhere), everyone is awestruck, whether in Warsaw, or D.C. It's a sonic spectacular true, but it's musically satisfying over the long haul. I've been playing it now for more than a year and each play reveals buried treasure. There are love songs, sly cultural commentary, and the always amusing "Anderson and Council", about Pink and Floyd. I'd be singing this record's praises even were I not involved with its production.
