101 Albums You Need To Hear Before I Die

Great music is about so much more than just the end product. Very often the stories behind the songs and their creators can be as scintillating as the music itself. This book is about more than just 101 slabs of music you are being advised to listen to. It's about the also-rans and stars that burned out too fast. As a music journalist for many years, the author managed to meet many of his idols - and they provided interesting insights as well as moments of humour. In the first of two volumes, we look at the timeless stories the musicians were telling, and just why they deserve to live forever.

The ultimate compendium of a half-century of music provides a highly readable list of the best, the most important, and the most influential pop albums from 1955 through today. Each entry comes with an authoritative description of the album's importance and influence.

101 Irish Records is an absorbing introduction into the world of Irish music by a huge range of artists. Ireland has a rich history of music and never before have the best 101 been highlighted in this way. This wonderfully browseable book contains the work of Ireland's most gifted songwriters. Each entry includes notes on the historical and cultural significance of the album or song; critical analysis; and also features quotes and comments from the bands and singers.

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.

It wasn't just clothes and hair that changed as the 1960s progressed - social awareness crept into youth culture and music ceased to be simply about dancing. A counter-culture gradually emerged, and rock 'n' roll was its defining feature. Pop music broadened beyond the traditional guitar-bass-drum format and started to experiment with new sounds. Musicianship reached unsurpassable levels, and for a brief, glorious time, genuinely experimental music coincided with the popular taste. The explosion of imagination and ambition that characterised the psychedelic movement of the late 1960s stretched the possibilities of the pop song to their limits. Never before or since were so many classic albums made in such a short time. Psychedelia is the most colourful, detailed and authoritative guide to these albums ever published. One hundred of them are evaluated here, using contemporary reviews, rare photographs and interviews, accompanied by a plethora of iconic images and reproductions of cover artwork.

The story behind rockmusics most famous record covers as told by some of music business' most profilic rockstars.