Gifts for Someone Born in the 1950s: 12 Maps of the Records and Films of Their Twenties
The best gifts for someone born in the 1950s come from the 1970s, the decade they bought records as a teenager and a twenty-something, and that is what my born in the 1950s collection holds: eight discography maps and four film plot maps. Each print draws a band's albums, or a film's plot, as a London Underground style map, with every credited musician or character as a line.
This is the decade when session musicians ran the studio economy, which is why these maps are among the most crowded I draw. Steely Dan alone credits 127 musicians across nine albums.
The Eight Music Maps
- Pink Floyd discography art print: 15 albums, 1967 to 2014, 92 credits, and Nick Mason's unbroken line
- Queen discography art print: 15 Queen albums with the 12 solo records alongside
- David Bowie discography art print: 26 studio albums, 165 credited musicians, held at the V&A David Bowie Centre
- Fleetwood Mac discography art print: 17 albums, 1968 to 2003
- Steely Dan discography art print: nine albums, 1972 to 2003, 127 credited musicians
- ELO discography art print: 15 albums, 1971 to 2019, 56 credited names
- ABBA discography art print: nine albums, 1973 to 2021, all four lines the full width
- Bruce Springsteen discography art print: 21 albums, 1973 to 2022, held at the Bruce Springsteen Archives
The Four Film Plot Maps
- Jaws plot map: 1975, the town plot and the boat plot meeting at one station
- The Shining plot map: 1980, the descent drawn as a route
- Blade Runner plot map: 1982, every character as a line
- James Bond films map: 25 Eon films, 1962 to 2021, from Connery to Craig
Two Maps Held in Public Collections
Two of the eight music maps here have gone somewhere beyond a living room wall. The David Bowie map is held in the permanent collection at the V&A David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse in London. The Bruce Springsteen map is held at the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University, New Jersey, who got in touch in November 2020 and called it "truly amazing".
If the person was born in the 1950s, there is a reasonable chance one of those two is the artist, and either print comes with a story to tell the first guest who asks about it.
70th Birthday Gifts for Music Fans
Anyone born in 1956 turns 70 this year. By a 70th most people have every record they want, and the only thing left to give is a new way of looking at them. These maps are Giclée prints on 230gsm acid-free paper, drawn manually in CAD with no AI at any stage, and the credits on them were entered by hand from the sleeves.
For a 70th I would pick the Fleetwood Mac map. Everyone owns Rumours, and the surprise on the print is that Rumours credits only five musicians, one of the smallest casts on the whole 17-album sheet. The other sixteen albums, and which line-up made which, are the part nobody can keep straight.
| If they... | The map to buy | What they will find on it |
|---|---|---|
| Have argued about who was really in Pink Floyd | Pink Floyd | The argument settled across 15 albums |
| Think Queen stopped in 1991 | Queen | Twelve solo records growing out of the band |
| Read the sleeve notes on Aja | Steely Dan | All 127 credited musicians, named |
| Never changed their mind about ABBA | ABBA | Four lines, 1973 to 2021, never a change of line-up |
| Saw Jaws in a cinema in 1975 | Jaws | The film's architecture, not its poster |
ELO and the Cellist Who May Not Exist
The ELO map runs 15 albums from 1971 to 2019 with 56 credited names, and one of the lines leads to a cellist called Ted Blight whom Jeff Lynne appears to have invented. It also has a station where two Beatles are credited on the same record. Those are the sort of finds that only turn up when you read every sleeve rather than the biography.
Sizes and Framing
Every map in this collection comes in A3 (420 x 297 mm), A2 (594 x 420 mm), and A1 (841 x 594 mm), plus the separate 16 x 12 in, 24 x 18 in, and 36 x 24 in formats for the US, Canada, and Australia. Every size is supplied unframed or ready to hang in a wood frame.
Related Music Maps
The wider guide to the 1970s music maps covers the same era with Blondie, the Ramones, and New Order added. If the person was born at the start of the 1950s and their records are earlier, the born in the 1940s collection has The Beatles, the Stones, and the Beach Boys. For the films, the Jaws plot map explained post is the place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good gift for someone born in the 1950s who loves music?
A discography map of a band from the 1970s, when they were buying records. For someone born in the 1950s that usually means Pink Floyd, Queen, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, ELO, ABBA, or Bruce Springsteen, which is why those eight are in this collection.
How many albums are on the Bowie map?
It carries 26 studio albums, from the 1967 debut to Blackstar in 2016. Toy, released in 2021, and the live albums are not on it. The print holds 165 credited musicians, Bowie included.
What is not on these maps?
Live albums, compilations, and greatest hits sets are not drawn. The Queen map is the exception in this collection: it carries the 12 solo records alongside the 15 Queen albums, and says so on the print. The ELO map includes a soundtrack.
Is the Steely Dan map just the two of them?
No. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are the two long lines, crossed by the rest of the 127 credited musicians over nine albums from 1972 to 2003. It is one of the densest prints I make.
If You Still Cannot Decide
The art print gift card covers any map on the site and lets someone with fifty years of records choose for themselves. If you know they own Rumours, which they do, buy the Fleetwood Mac map and let them count the five names on it.