1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
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| Author | General Editor: Robert Dimery, Preface by Michael Lydon |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Jon Wainright |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Reference work |
| Publisher | Tristan de Lancey; Universe Publishing (first edition) |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 960 p. |
| ISBN | 1-84403-392-9 |
| OCLC | 224890343 |
| 781.64026/6 22 | |
| LC Class | ML156.9 .A18 2006 |
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2013, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd. The book is arranged chronologically, starting with Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours[1] and the most recent edition concluding with The Next Day by David Bowie.
Each entry in the list is accompanied by a short essay written by a music critic. The entries are accompanied by pictures, quotes, and additional information (such as the album's running time and producer). Film soundtracks were excluded unless they consisted fully of original material by a particular artist, which meant that compilations by various artists were also excluded.
Critical reception
In February 2006, Publishers Weekly called the book a "...bookshelf-busting testament to music geeks' mania for lists" and said it "...is about as comprehensive a 'best-of' as any sane person could want." They continued, "For music lovers, it doesn't get much better."[2] The 2006 version had an average rating of 3.92 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com's social cataloging website Goodreads, with 860 ratings as of April 30, 2015.[3] The same 2006 version had an average rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com, with 55 reviews as of April 30, 2015.[4]
Genres
Although most of the book's recommendations are rock and pop albums from the Western world, 1001 Albums also features selections from world music, rhythm and blues, blues, folk, hip hop, country, electronic music, and jazz. The rock and pop albums include such subgenres as punk rock, grindcore, heavy metal, alternative rock, progressive rock, easy listening, thrash metal, grunge and 1950s-style rock and roll. Classical and modern art music are excluded.
Artists
These artists have the most albums in the 2008 edition.[5]
- 8 albums: David Bowie
- 7 albums: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young
- 6 albums: Elvis Costello (and The Attractions), The Rolling Stones, Morrissey (and The Smiths)
- 5 albums: The Byrds, Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop (and The Stooges), Sonic Youth, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, The Who, Radiohead
- 4 albums: Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Stevie Wonder, U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Brian Eno, PJ Harvey, The Kinks, Metallica, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Steely Dan, Talking Heads
- 3 albums: The Doors, The Beach Boys, Kate Bush, Michael Jackson, Kraftwerk, Björk, Queen, Aerosmith, Madonna, Blur, Public Enemy, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Pet Shop Boys, My Bloody Valentine, Nick Drake, Yes, Johnny Cash
Revision
Originally published in 2005, the book was revised in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013 to include newly released albums. The 2010 edition includes 25 albums released from 2005 to 2009, with the same number of albums removed from the first edition to keep the total at 1001.
The cover was also changed, with an image of Blondie's Debbie Harry used in place of the images of Kraftwerk and a child wearing headphones that had previously been used in the EU and US respectively. The cover for the Brazilian and Spanish edition features the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious, the cover for the Norwegian edition features Hank von Helvete of Turbonegro, the cover for the Finnish and the Swedish editions feature David Bowie, and the cover for the Polish edition features Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
The 2011 hardcover edition and subsequent printings up until the sixth printing in 2014 featured the Andy Warhol-designed banana from The Velvet Underground & Nico on the cover, with the Brazilian reissue using Debbie Harry following a publisher poll. The 2013 paperback edition has the cover for Joy Division's debut studio album, Unknown Pleasures. The latest Brazilian cover features a still of The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night.
See also
- 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
- 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die
- 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
References
- ^ Dimery, Robert, ed. (2011). 1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Die. Preface by Michael Lydon. Octopus. p. 22. ISBN 1-84403-714-2; ISBN 978-1-84403-714-8.
- ^ "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". publishersweekly.com. 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
- ^ "Goodreads: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". goodreads.com. 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
- ^ "Amazon.com: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Amazon.com. 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
- ^ "1001 Albums You Must Hear - 2008 Edition". RockList.net. Retrieved 2012-10-08.