Ravi Shankar, who in essence almost singlehandedly brought Eastern “raga” music to the American shores and wound up influencing scores of famous musicians and bands, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles to name two, passed away in San Diego, CA, on December 11, 2012, reports The New York Times. He was 92. Shankar had suffered from heart ailments and underwent heart valve replacement surgery it was reported in a statement released by Shankar’s family.

Excelling on the sitar, an eclectic string instrument in which neighboring strings on the neck in essence resonate when a melody string is played, gave off a sound that was instantaneously connected with Shankar’s style and musical language. Shankar played like an extension of his personality, soft spoken, well mannered, respectful, yet with an attitude and a verve almost akin to a Jimi Hendrix.

Lots of sonic platters of joy are ready to be served up this holiday season, and what better gift to give someone than the universal appeal of music? During this festive time, when credit card debts mount up, layaway plans become way too unmanageable, and the stress of owing money takes charge over one’s soul and wallet as the new year turns, it’s still worth the feeling one gets when one sees someone’s eyes light up when they tear the wrapping paper off a gift, positively effused with sincere delight at its contents. We all still do it, we all get by, we grumble as the new year rolls in, but it’s all worth it; gifts are cool, no doubt, gifts never go out of style, and the end result of giving someone a gift makes it all worth it. Music was no exception this year. There were some great collections for one to gnaw on, collections which run every genre and will turn even the most hard hardened curmudgeon of a Scrooge into the softest teddy bear imaginable, even if it’s only for one holiday. My holiday box set picks are below, this one goes to eleven:

August 12th was Vinyl Record Day, marked by the date Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, so it’s become a day to celebrate the old time traditions of sonic yesteryear, and spin your favorite tunes on those old 33 1/3, 45, and 78 sized spherical objects made out of wax called “records.” And I’m here to give you my Top 12 favorite vinyl records of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, along with a bunch of honorable mentions, but before we get to that, let’s talk a little bit about this thing called “vinyl.”

Up until the mid 1980s, when CDs started to become the musical norm in how one listened to their music proper, records were the norm of the people; not just a communally popular way to hear songs, but it became a giant subculture of the fabric of life, a hobby, a key element in creating parties, in creating gatherings and get-togethers, a source of fun competition in who would have more records than whom and who would have the rare cool records, in essence, vinyl hoarding was a collector’s and layman’s dream for decades upon decades.

With its outer cardboard casings known as “sleeves,” bands and musicians of all musical genres were able to express themselves not only in the music they created, but by the art that was presented on the front and back covers, which spawned an entire new artistic medium in a sense. In a way, every day should still be a Vinyl Record Day in some regard, and as the way music is bought and downloaded these days, in binary coded “bitted and byted” digital forms, not only has the way of the vinyl passed in essence, but also all the visual accoutrements that came with it. It has become a relic of the past like a rotary telephone or a CB radio, a dinosaur’s regime, which ultimately is hence even a more urgent reason to preserve the memory and image of the record alive in the 21st century.

Last night’s Saturday Night Live apparently marked Kristen Wiig‘s final episode as a regular cast member, and with a little help from host Mick Jagger, the comedian got an emotional, musical send-off from her fellow cast members and SNL producer Lorne Michaels.

The last skit of the episode showed the Rolling Stones frontman speaking at a high school graduation, where he calls up Wiig for a special farewell, congratulating her after “7 years.” As the Stones tune “She’s A Rainbow” begins to play, Wiig takes off her cap and gown, and her cast members one-by-one take the stage to dance with her. With the help of one of the musical guests, Arcade Fire, the cast and guests all sing “Ruby Tuesday,” with Wiig teary-eyed as people like former cast member Amy Poehler and her Bridesmaids co-star Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm came on stage.

You can watch the farewell here below.

Coming hot on the heels of the 40th anniversary of one of rock and roll’s all time greatest records, The Rolling Stones‘ Exile on Main Street, is the news that a dramatic movie highlighting the making of the record is at the inception of production for the silver screen.

The Playlist reports this week that Virgin Produced Productions, headed by mogul Richard Branson, has acquired the rights to Robert Greenfield’s concise tome Exile on Main Street: A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones and plans to make a feature film about the making of this seminal record, with all of the drama and wild tales of rock and roll excess that went with that making of the 2-album set.