1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
I've been thinking of the 1000 Recordings as my music project for the last year and five months, but it has also been my reading project! I started listening to the music in June of 2013, and just listened to my final album yesterday. Along the way, I encountered MUCH music that I had never heard before, and as I did, I read the commentary by Tom Moon (and often branched off into more research of my own.) Sometimes I agreed with his choices for the list, often I did NOT, but always I was challenged and enriched by a project that has broadened my musical horizons and given me so much pleasure at the same time. I give this book five stars not because it is a perfect encapsulation of the best music in the world, but because to even attempt such a list is a worthy endeavor. What's represented here - rock, pop, jazz, opera, symphony, reggae, blues, folk, country, techno, hip-hop, rap, gospel, musical theater, international music of great variety - may be only one man's opinion of what is the best of the best. But as such, it is at the very least a jumping off place for THIS person to begin to form her own views about what makes great music great. Thanks to music streaming sites, I've been able to rocket through the book and the music in less than a year and a half. Thanks to this book, I'm only beginning my journey to explore in more depth what music is out there! This book is an excellent resource. I've now acquired about 700-800 of the albums mentioned in the book, and so far the author was accurate in his judgement most of the time, in my opinion. Bascially, it acts as a great starting, continuation, or ending point for any music collection, and represents a wide variety of music (bit heavy on the afro-cuban), with many further suggestions and explanations of each selection - which are generally a delight to read.
What do You think about 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die (2008)?
Amazing book. Something to dip in and out of for many years. Buy this one.
—Failsuke
Great book to have if you need to find something new to listen to.
—chels
