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1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Die (1001 Must Before You Die) (Paperback)

by Robert Dimery (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 960 pages
  • Publisher: Cassell Illustrated (5 Oct 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1844033929
  • ISBN-13: 978-1844033928
  • Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 16.2 x 5.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 147,467 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Reading ALIVE

Facinating...comprehensive guide to just about every record you
could want to own or download


Product Description

If you thought you knew your music this will make you think again. 1001 Albums is more than a simple guide to music, it is a critical list, packed with insights into why each album is significant, the key tracks, the circumstances of its creation, the critical reception in its day, and why it stands the test of time. The text contains fascinating anecdotes that will amaze even the most dedicated muso. Written by top UK and US music journalists, 1001 Albums covers the period from the late '50s, when albums began to be considered as an oeuvre, to 2005 when inspiration drawn from bands of the '60s once again defined the musical landscape. With a focus on rock music and a peppering of hip-hop and R&B, these are the soundtracks of our lives. In short, no other publication crams so much endlessly readable information and insight into one volume.

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide to Further Exploration., 17 May 2007
By William J. Walker "Billyjay" (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
First of all I must say that I have found this book to be useful, informative, maddening, haphazard, brazenly populist, wilfully obscure, engrossing and just plain wrong about lots of things. So why five stars for a work of such gross imperfection? Because ultimately it does what a work like this should do; acts as an excellent aid to exploration and discovery of new (to me) music. Also it is an entertaining and informative read.

I discovered the book by chance as the title caught my eye in a bookshop because I already owned the 1001... film book. I was a little dubious at the expansion of the 'franchise' but when I realised I'd been reading it for over half an hour and still couldn't put it down I figured I'd best make the purchase.

The book has justified its purchase easily as I have been led to discover many albums that I'm sure would have remained unknown to me. It is particularly useful in that it explores a wide range of genres over a large time frame .I have bought many albums as a direct result of their inclusion in the book but more importantly, a great many more as a result of those initial purchases, that aren't in the book(but are just as good or better).

It is important to note that this book covers albums NOT artists and does not include compilation albums. It is an approach I approve of but one that weighs heavily against some important artists(Motown/disco acts for example and indeed artists in popular music prior to the mid-sixties). It also means that on those rare occasions where an artist is better appreciated by way of a "Best of/Greatest Hits" album you may find yourself being pointed towards a release of merely average quality, in order to include an important artist(a perhaps understandable compromise by the editor).
Another thing to be aware of is that this is the work of many(90) different reviewers and thus avoids the failings of the solo-author(too narrow a range, plays favourites, not enough time for one person to listen to/research everything properly etc) only to substitute them for others. At least a couple of times I have read reviews of albums by the same artist which offer slightly conflicting opinions because they are written by different reviewers so there is a lack of that clarity/unity of purpose that can be provided by a single vision.

Finally I feel that the book has received a lot of criticism, some justified, some entirely unfair and misdirected. My own biggest complaints are, over representation of some artists,the usual under representation of female acts(but they've done better than in most such guides),the tendency to not pick the best albums by an artist a lot(but not all) of the time and a tendency to include some albums purely because they were big sellers in a particular genre or in a particular year (particularly in the 80s and 90s).

If there is one thing a book like this confirms, it is that it is not possible to like everything. If you think that nearly every album in this book is someone's favourite(or top ten at least) it doesn't mean that you will appreciate them. Some genres just don't take. On the other hand I have found myself delving deeply into areas that I had only dabbled with before or exploring new areas that I'd been wary of thanks to this book.

In summary I think this book will appeal most to the enthusiastic and inquisitive music fan who can treat this as a useful tool rather than as a 'definitive list of the most important albums' and it would be a very fortunate person indeed who could find nothing of use in this.
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best guide since the peerless NME Book of Rock II, 5 Mar 2006
By J. Patterson (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
A friend and I saw this in a bookshop and flipped it open with the intention of having a dig at the contents: most rock books don't do any more than show the ignorance and narrowness of the compilers. In the event, we turned over every page right to the end. Sure not every entry will please everyone, but the main point is that virtually every great album we could think of -- and our taste is pretty eclectic, from Beefheart to Beethoven, via Arcade Fire and Ray Charles -- is here, including many that we thought "only we knew about". For any one looking to build or expand their collection this book is just fantastic.
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars 1001 stupid titles you must suffer before you dive in, 9 Nov 2005
The stupid title to this book belies what lies between its cliched covers.
Just another hackneyed, generic title to grab the attention of the book-buying masses? Yes, but the gems of music knowledge inside make it worthwhile reading. Good historical context and an enriching blend of obvious classics and under-rated obscurities (ever heard of Moby Grape?) educate and edify, though a bit more of this would not have gone amiss (to avoid this just being one lost list of records).
Author index at the back, Album titles at the front is a nice touch as is an attempt to be bang up to date with some 2005 titles. Well, there's 3 records to consider. 1967 though has about a million....
A good book that will make you buy records.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect 'toilet reading' material!
I guarantee this book will appeal to all but the most jaded or informed music fan. It is a veritable treasure trove of material: most of it familiar, a lot of it less so (or... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kevin O'Keefe

2.0 out of 5 stars Weak joke
As a review I'll just let the numbers speak.

Year 2004 - 4 albums (Frances the mute? -no way, but Richard Hawley - hell yes! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Pawel Zietek

3.0 out of 5 stars Good as far as it goes
This is a very well produced and valuable edition but as so many other reviewers have said, there are some great artists not included. Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. Davey

3.0 out of 5 stars Not 1001 albums I would wish to hear...
The problem for a book like this is that it is quantifying such a vast output from very many years. Yes,there are recordings you know will be there even before you open this... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. Martin K. Toll

4.0 out of 5 stars It's not going to please everyone
Part of the appeal of books like this is flicking through them to make sure your own great taste is represented isn't it? Read more
Published 20 months ago by Jl Adcock

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read,Bar The Odd Inaccuracy
For those who regard music as life,the saying,"there are only two types of music...good music and bad music" has always been true. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2007 by Metal Des

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for a hardcore music fan!
** Please be aware, this book is for music fans with a wide range of music tastes **

This was a fantastic book for me as i'm very open minded with my music tastes... Read more
Published on 7 Jul 2007 by Liam Howard

3.0 out of 5 stars OK,But...
Where's Warren Zevon? You cant find new music in this,good pearls you've never heard,its mostly albums and bands everyone have heard... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2007 by Olsson Anders

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book...
All the classics are here, as well as one or two strange choices (Robbie, Britney?) One album that should definitely have been in is Scoundrel Days by a-ha. Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2006 by amazonian

3.0 out of 5 stars Decide for yourself what albums you "must" listen to...
Early in the 20th century, the likes of F.R. Leavis and T.S. Eliot used to write po-faced literary criticism telling us what we ought to read. Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2006 by Steve

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