1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die

The musical adventure of a lifetime. The most exciting book on music in years. A book of treasure, a book of discovery, a book to open your ears to new worlds of pleasure. Doing for music what Patricia Schultz—author of the phenomenal 1,000 Places to See Before You Die—does for travel, Tom Moon recommends 1,000 recordings guaranteed to give listeners the joy, the mystery, the revelation, the sheer fun of great music. This is a book both broad and deep, drawing from the diverse worlds of classical, jazz, rock, pop, blues, country, folk, musicals, hip-hop, world, opera, soundtracks, and more. It's arranged alphabetically by artist to create the kind of unexpected juxtapositions that break down genre bias and broaden listeners’ horizons— it makes every listener a seeker, actively pursuing new artists and new sounds, and reconfirming the greatness of the classics. Flanking J. S. Bach and his six entries, for example, are the little-known R&B singer Baby Huey and the '80s Rastafarian hard-core punk band Bad Brains. Farther down the list: The Band, Samuel Barber, Cecelia Bartoli, Count Basie, and Afropop star Waldemer Bastos. Each entry is passionately written, with expert listening notes, fascinating anecdotes, and the occasional perfect quote—"Your collection could be filled with nothing but music from Ray Charles," said Tom Waits, "and you'd have a completely balanced diet." Every entry identifies key tracks, additional works by the artist, and where to go next. And in the back, indexes and playlists for different moods and occasions.

An inspiring selection of the most iconic songs ever released, covering all the genres for nearly a century of memorable music.

A thick and informative guide to the world of classical music and its stunning recordings, complete with images from CD cases, concert halls, and of the musicians themselves.

Lists "must-see" movies in a chronological arrangement, providing information on director, producer, screenplay writer, music, cast members, and awards, along with a detailed review of each.

With more than one and a half million copies sold worldwide in thirty languages, '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die' celebrates the great and groundbreaking, classic and cult, must-see movies of all time, offering a treasure trove of incisive, witty, and revealing insights. Spanning more than a century of extraordinary cinema, this comprehensive volume brings together the most significant movies from every country and all genres, from action to Western, through animation, comedy, documentary, musical, thriller, noir, short, remance, and sci-fi. Completely revised and updated for 2013, this definitive edition features a fresh new design, 500 original movie posters, and 200 new movie stills. Fifty previously overlooked or recently discovered masterpieces are reviewed for the first time, taking their place alongside the box-office smashes and critically acclaimed films of movie history. Quotes from movie directors and critics, together with little-known facts complement the incisive reviews and vital statistics of each movie to make this the most fact-filled edition ever. So, whether your passion is rom-com or art house, 'The Blue Angel' or 'Blue Velvet', '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die' is bound to become the only film book you will ever turn to.