Thank you note for baby shower gift

During this gift-giving season, don't forget the tunes.

Music is a great gift, and every year there are compilation sets from every music act from Alabama to ZZ Top.

So, here are some holiday gift-giving suggestions, separated into two lists -- box sets and greatest hits -- with reviews by Deseret Morning News staffers.

BOXED SETS

CHICAGO; "Chicago" (Rhino) ****

With five CDs and one DVD, the Chicago box set is a must for fans. Spanning the band's career from its "Chicago Transit Authority" album to it's "Heart of Chicago II" compilation, the box set gives and keeps on giving. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" "Free," the complete "An Hour in the Shower" suite have been remastered for this set. Newer works, such as "Look Away," "Show me a Sign" and the band's remake of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" are also included. The DVD features the band in concert at the Aerie Crown Theatre in November 1972, as well as some promotional videos for the "Chicago 13" album. -- Scott Iwasaki

THE DOORS; "The Complete Studio Recordings" (Elektra) *** 1/2

This was originally released in 1999 in a cube-shaped box. It has been repackaged and remastered (again) for this year's holiday season. The only complaint: this box set (as with the one in 1999) does not contain "the complete studio recordings." Two original albums "Other Voices" and "Full Circle," which were recorded after Jim Morrison's death in 1971 by the remaining Doors -- guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and drummer John Densmore, are excluded. While this set includes "The Doors," "Strange Days," "Waiting for the Sun," "The Soft Parade," "Morrison Hotel," "L.A. Woman" and a rarities disc that contains demos of "Hyacinth House," "Hello, I Love You" and "Moonlight Drive," just to name a few, it's not complete. It would be nice to hear remastered versions of "The Mosquito," "In the Eye of the Sun" and "Good Rockin.' " -- S.I.

MOTLEY CRUE; "Music to Crash Your Car To Vol. I" ** 1/2

Hard-core Crue fans will wonder where the "Dr. Feelgood" songs are. And what about "Hooligan's Holiday," from the self-titled 1997 album, which featured John Corabi on lead vocals? That's why the "Vol. I" is included in this four-CD set's title. There's another volume in the works. Or at least there should be. Anyway, "Vol. I" includes the first four Crue albums -- "Too Fast for Love," "Shout at the Devil," "Theatre of Pain" and "Girls Girls Girls" -- in their entirety. The first disc also features the original Leathur mix of "Too Fast for Love." There are also demo takes of "City Boy Blues," "Keep Your Eye on the Money," "Shout at the Devil" and "Looks That Kill." This is the box set for Crue fans. But it should have included something from "Dr. Feelgood." -- S.I.

PEARL JAM; "Lost Dogs" (Epic) *** 1/2

While you won't find Pearl Jam hits "Alive," "Jeremy," "Daughter" or "Betterman" on these two discs, you will find the band's rarities. "Yellow Ledbetter" (which seems to be inspired by Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing"), "Last Kiss," "Fatal" and "Hard to Imagine" are finally in an accessible place. No more hunting rare CD shops and paying outrageous sums for one little track. "Lost Dogs" comes complete with liner notes, explaining every note, word and song that appears in this collection. -- S.I.

DIANA ROSS; "Diana" (Motown) ***

This two-disc oddity features two versions of the 1980 "Diana" album and another collection of hits titled "Dance," collected in a nice box that replicates the "Diana" album cover -- remember that startling black-and-white photo of Ross with wet hair, wearing tight jeans and a button-up T-shirt? The "Chic Mix" isn't really all that different from the "Album Mix," but fans will probably be happy just to have it twice. "Dance" includes "Love Hangover," "Your Love Is So Good For Me," "You Were the One" and a 10-minute "medley" of the biggest hits from Ross' years with the Supremes ("Stop! In the Name of Love," "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," etc.). -- Chris Hicks

SLAYER; "Soundtrack to the Apocalypse" (American) *** 1/2

For 20 years, Slayer has preached its apocalyptic gospel. This four-CD box set, which also includes a DVD, has taken the Oakland- based thrash band's heaviest works and put them in one spot. Parents should heed the explicit-warning label here . . . although some of Slayer's fans are parents themselves. The box contains the band's formative works -- "Angel of Death," "Postmortem" and the trademark "Raining Blood." "South of Heaven" and "Seasons in the Abyss" blast their way in the mix, along with rare takes of "Piece by Piece," "Mandatory Suicide" and a couple of early ones, "South of Heaven" and "Raining Blood," which show the band in its rawest. A live disc featuring "Ware Ensemble," "Stain of Mind" and "Hell Awaits" caps this disturbing but fan-friendly collection. -- S.I.

THE SPINNERS; "The Chrome Collection" (Atlantic/Rhino) *** 1/2

Three CDs covering three decades. It doesn't get much better than this. The Spinners is one of the pioneering doo wop/rhythm and blues groups; it started in the 1960s and took its music to new heights in the '70s and '80s. Included are everything from the group's first charting single "I'll Always Love You" to the last released single, "Right or Wrong." In between, there are little morsels: "Rubberband Man," "Sadie," "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time," "I'm Coming Home." And a 59-page booklet that features rare photos and commentary. -- S.I.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN; "The Essential . . . " (Columbia) *** 1/2

"Light of Day" is missing. So is "Pink Cadillac" and "Thunder Road." But the inclusion of "Jungleland," "The Ghost of Tom Joad," "Blinded By the Light," "Spirit in the Night" and "Dead Man Walkin' " make up for it. This isn't an all-inclusive box set; it's a three-CD collection picked out by "The Boss" himself. The idea, he wrote in the liner notes, was to "present a little bit" of his albums. "Darkness on the Edge of Town," "Nebraska," "Human Touch," "The Rising" and "Mary's Place" are here, and "Born in the U.S.A.," "Hungry Heart" and "Dancing in the Dark." The inclusion of a rarities disc gives fans a chance to hear some experimental works: "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)," "The Big Payback," a live version of "Held Up Without a Gun," "Trapped." -- S.I.

TALKING HEADS; "Once in a Lifetime" (Sire/Warner Bros./Rhino) ***

Try storing this in your CD box-set collection -- a wide, thin box with three CDs and one DVD. The set spans the Talking Heads' 15-year career. Previously unreleased works, such as alternate versions of "Cities," "Drugs" and an outtake of "In Asking Land" have been unearthed for this collection along with the hits "Once in a Lifetime," "Burning Down the House" and "And She Was." However, the different versions of "Uh-Oh," "Love Comes to Town" and "New Feeling" raise the ante. A great set . . . aside from the visual art inside, which depicts an obviously offensive bleeding nude. -- S.I.

VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Rhythm Love & Soul" (Shout!) ***

This three-CD box set is like a little history of rhythm & blues, with the Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose doing "Too Late to Turn Back Now," Isaac Hayes grooving to "Never Can Say Goodbye," Smokey Robinson singing "Being With You" and Barry White narrating "You're the First, the Last, My Everything." Aaron Neville's original "Tell It Like It Is," the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" and Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" are more gems in this little treasure chest. -- S.I.

ZZ TOP; "Chrome, Smoke & B.B.Q." (Warner Bros/Lone Wolf) *** 1/2

The little ol' band from Texas is awarded a long overdue box set with four CDs serving as a musical diary, taking fans from the band's early days as the Moving Sidewalks to the arena rocker it has become today. All the singles -- "Jesus Left Chicago," "Cheap Sunglasses," "Tube Snake Boogie," "I Thank You," "Tush" -- and every hit from the "Eliminator" album are here, as well as "My Head's in Mississippi," "Doubleback" and a remake of "Viva Las Vegas." There's also a 90- page booklet and a little animated flipbook. -- S.I.

GREATEST HITS

AL B. SURE!; "The Very Best of . . . " (Warner Bros./Rhino) * 1/2

Name games are cute. Singer Al Brown made the most of his. He became Al B. Sure! But his name didn't guarantee any long-lasting chart toppers. His breakthrough single "Nite and Day" reached No. 6 on Billboard's Rhythm & Blues charts, but only hit No. 21 on the Singles Charts. He was a teen idol thanks to his other hits, "Off on Your Own (Girl)" and his cover of "Killing Me Softly." This compilation features his major hits, as well as such other charters as "Misunderstanding," "No Matter What You Do" (With Diana Ross), and "Noche Y Dia," the Spanish version of "Nite and Day." -- Scott Iwasaki

ALABAMA, "In The Mood: The Love Songs" and "The American Farewell Tour" (RCA) *** 1/2