Album of the week - Christmas special

Dec 16 2010

Children will love:

There's plenty to keep toddlers to teenagers happy this Christmas.

For little ones invest in the CBeebies double album Song Time. Packed with 50 tunes from the children's channel, young music fans will love the tracks including the ZingZillas Theme, the Big Barn Farm Theme and Time To Go To Sleep from In The Night Garden. For older children look out for the Disney Girls Sleepover Party. The two-disc album starts with tunes from popular flicks such as Camp Rock, High School Musical as well as tracks from Hannah Montana.

For pop fans:

There are plenty of compilations that will fit perfectly as a gift. The Now That's What I Call Music! series returns with its 77th instalment - expect tunes from Rihanna, Kylie, Usher, Bruno Mars, Adele and Plan B. Elsewhere BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge Volume 5 features pop stars singing both their own tracks, such as The Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition, together with live covers of other artists. Taio Cruz sings Mumford & Sons' Little Lion Man, Tinchy Stryder covers Example's Kickstarts and The Big Pink knock out their version of Beyonce's Sweet Dreams. Along the same lines, Dermot O'Leary Presents The Saturday Sessions features Bat For Lashes, Kasabian and Doves.

For nostalgia junkies:

For synth-pop aficionados buy the Ultimate Pet Shop Boys album which features 19 tracks from their 25-year history and includes West End Girls and Go West. The album also includes a DVD of their 2010 Glastonbury show and BBC TV performances. The recently released Heaven 17 boxset Penthouse And Pavement includes a re-mastered version of the group's 1981 album and a CD of lost demos. Sticking with the 101 brand, for fans of the Sixties there's the 101 Sixties Party Hits which includes many top pop hits including Sonny and Cher's I Got You Babe and Aretha Franklin's Respect.