Want to make that office Christmas party go with a very certain kind of swing? Check out George Michael's Twentyfive (Sony BMG), his greatest hits collection; or Boney M's The Magic of Boney M (Sony BMG); Abba's Number Ones (Polydor); four reissued Barry Manilow discs - Barry Manilow 1, One Voice, This One's For You and Live (Sony BMG); or perhaps more reliably, a new Guilty Pleasures compilation, sub-titled 'Shameless Blameless Fun', featuring everyone from the Sweet and Toni Basil to the Doobie Brothers and Demis Roussos.
JOHN AND GEORGE
In old blokes' corner (OK: the first one's dead) sit Classics from John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (Universal ), which only features 19 songs - and yes, the Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks' is one of them. Less predictable is Produced By George Martin (EMI), which includes just the one Beatles track ('I Want to Hold Your Hand': a slightly odd choice), alongside hits by Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers and... Celine Dion
DINOSAUR SENIOR
Hoary rock alert! Perception (Rhino) is a six-CD and DVD set featuring all of The Doors' studio LPs plus rare audio and video. And Nine Lives (Rhino) does much the same for Robert Plant over nine discs.
MOOD MUSIC
Finally, two enticing and unusual numbers: Crime Scene USA (Giant Steps) features 30-odd tracks from classic films such as The Maltese Falcon and Mildred Pierce (the glorious Joan Crawford vehicle); and The Fabulous Mae West (Rev-Ola) is a reissue from 1954 with cuts like 'My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)'.