It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and so our thoughts turn to presents. I am blessed with a family that knows what I like and gets me the most wonderful rock music christmas gifts.
So here are six gift ideas for the rock music lover in your life. I have listed them in rough order of cost, starting with the most expensive and working down. There are no ads or commissions here so feel free to click on the links for more.
Table of Contents
Rock Art Prints
Classic album covers have long been considered art, and now you can hang it on the wall. Many artists and photgraphers have their own online stores allowing you to purchase limited edition, signed prints. I have received number of Marillion rock art prints as Christmas gifts, direct from the designer Mark Wilkinson which look brilliant.
There are also dedicated galleries like Hypergallery for album/music prints including work from Storm Thorgerson (Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin) and Sir Peter Blake (Sgt Pepper.) There is a useful directory of artists/bands so you can skip to their favourite act and see what they’ve got.
Costs for Rock Art can start around £100 for the Marillion prints, up to a few thousand from Hypergallery depending on the artist/rock star, size of print and quantity.
You can also buy rock star photographs from legendary Rock photographers like Henry Diltz. The Morrison Hotel Gallery is the best place for these rock photographs offering some truly iconic images with provenance from the photographers themselves. This Keith Richards picture is number one on my list!
I don’t think Morrison Hotel Gallery is UK based yet so you will need to get it shipped from the US which will take time and consideration for taxes etc. but it’s worth a look.You can also keep an eye on the London auction houses that regularly have rock auctions. There have been high profile auctions this year like Mark Knopfler’s Guitars and the property of Pattie Boyd, both at Christies whilst the Popular Culture department at Bonhams regularly have rock and pop auctions.
Books
There are numerous rock books to choose from so your almost spoiled for choice. From Rock Star (auto) biographies like Bono’s Surrender, Dave Grohl’s Storyteller to stories behind the music. I am loving this book ‘my family and other rock stars’ which was an early Christmas gift this year!
I love these ‘All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track’ breaks down the stories behind albums and songs from their favourite artists. Some of the books are better than others, with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen leading the pack. The Prince book wasn’t so detailed focusing more on the later stuff not the classic albums but it’s still a great gift.
Records
Vinyl records have seen a big resurgence in the past decade, inspiring new collections and rediscovery of old favourites. Whilst you can buy brand new pressings of old, and new records there is a joy in discovering an older pressing or just buying back those cherished records you ebayed a decade ago!
You can buy new records on Amazon or you can speak to your friendly local independent record dealer who will be happy to guide you on a purchase. Many of them will have a social media presence and some will have an online store. Either way, you will be able to speak to a human for guidance.
You can also buy directly on Discogs. If you aren’t familiar with Discogs it is a place to store and grade your record collection, and to discover and buy vinyl. For each artist and album it can give you details of pressings – when it was first released and if was re-released at later dates (each pressing has a code) so you can choose an original Hotel California pressing and then find a seller that has a copy.
Many record dealers sell on Discogs and prices will vary based on quality of the record and of the packaging where a Mint copy is worth the most and a bashed up copy (good) is cheaper. Every record sold on Discogs will state the condition clearly. Shipping seems expensive until you realise they will ship a number of albums in the same cost so it pays to add a few records to the basket.
A rare first copy of Abbey Road could cost over £100 although there are plenty of great albums for £20 – £30.
Band Merchandise
Most bands these days have their own ‘Merch’ store where you can buy records, mugs, t-shirts and more. Just Google your favourite artist and head to the store page to see what they have.
There is also an official Abbey Road gift shop (online and next to the London studio) that has both artist themed gifts (I bought my daughter the Yellow Submarine hot water bottle) as well as Abbey Road themed gifts.
The Rolling Stones have taken merch to the next level with numerous collaborations like Theory and Brain Dead and their own RS9 store on London’s Carnaby Street. This too is online selling band t-shirts, sweatshirts even a Christmas jumper. You can buy a Rolling Stones Christmas Bauble, Dog Collar or a door mat. In store you can buy glassware and decanters with the Rolling Stones logo for many hundreds of pounds!
The stock regularly changes so you can get something that is a little different. Mick Jagger also has his own, small, online store. Official Store
Album Cover Jigsaws
If album covers can be art, then it makes sense they can be jigsaws. Jigsaws, log fires and vinyl have always been a Christmas tradition in our household so discovering music related puzzles meant I could combine my passions.
Until recently a company called Rocksaws was the place to go. They had a wide range of album covers to piece together, including my favourites The Division Bell and ‘Backs’ from Pink Floyd and Queen’s a Night at the Opera which was super tough! It doesn’t look like they are still trading but you can find them on ebay.
Plastic Head look to have a few Beatles puzzles including Abbey Road and Yellow Submarine.
Now if Yellow Submarine is your thing, or your eyesight isn’t too great for jigsaws (me on both counts) then you could always get the music lover some Lego.
Lego
There is an official Lego kit for the Yellow Submarine, which was a joy to build and now sits proudly on my record shelf.
Although it has been retired from the Lego store, you can find some boxes on Amazon or ebay just check the prices!
Lego have also produced an official red Fender® Stratocaster™ complete with amp and guitar stand. Or you can make the Rolling Stones logo with plenty of red bricks. This 3D Lego art came with a curated Rolling Stones playlist to accompany you on the build.
From my experience these lego kits will keep the music lover engaged for longer than an hour!
Socks
Nothing says Christmas more than a pair of socks and there are now plenty of Music related sockage to choose from.
Happy Socks have been the leader in official collaborations with collections from The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and David Bowie which has kept me in socks for many years. The socks are great quality and the designs feel fun and ‘cool’. Even the boxes for these sock bundles look cool. Their latest collaboration is with Elton John or you can seek out those other acts elsewhere.
Sock Affairs also have some official collaborations including Pink Floyd Official Pink Floyd Packand the Police I like these Synchroncity socks that match the album cover. The London Sock Exchange have a box set of Queen socks that look pretty cool.
Last Minute Gifts for the Rock Music Lover
And don’t worry if you have left it too late, you can still get an gift card for music streaming services including Apple Music, Spotify and Prime from Amazon from most supermarkets/stores and petrol/gas stations. Alternatively you can support independent artists with Bandcamp Gift Cards which can be emailed.
So there is your gift guide for 2024, hopefully there is something here for the rock music lover in your life.
Maybe you’ve found some other rock music related gifts? I’d love to know what you found, so please do leave a comment!
