1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
Even understanding and accepting that such books exist largely to frustrate the critics whose opinions werent polled, um, no. You dont have to hear all these. 1001 Albums segregates its choices by decade, accompanying most with album artwork and an essay of varying length, though never very long. Apparently the choices were made by editor Robert Dimery, and a cast of international critics, most of whom Im unfamiliar with. That, and the focus on albums (and not various artist titles, either; for that matter, Mudhoneys Superfuzz Bigmuff is an EP, not an album), will explain…well, the general weirdness in which theres a Ramblin Jack Elliott title (Jack Takes The Floor) among the, ahem, 23 anoited from the 1950s. Nothing against Ramblin Jack, but what happened to Hank Williams and Kitty Wells and Muddy Waters and…
On the other hand, letting the book fall randomly open, youve got to be entertained, at least, by a spread listing titles from the Dictators, Neu!, Led Zeppelin, and Keith Jarrett. Neu!, since I didnt know either, were a Krautrock group. You dont gotta hear that, Im sure of it.