I recently received the book 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die as a gift from my wife. The book is written by music critic Tom Moon. Moon's musical selections span genres, from rock to classical and opera to folk.
I enjoy reading it because even though I'm familiar with alot of music, there are still many albums that I have no clue about. For that matter there are many genres that I'm less than familiar with. I look forward to digging into some of the classical recordings.
Anytime you look at lists like this you notice albums they missed. Sure they had Elvis Costello represented, but not my favorite "King of America." I think I have three different versions of that CD. I also think not including Peter Case is an oversight, especially his album "Blue Guitar." I would have also included something from T Bone Burnett, Vigilantes of Love's "Audible Sigh," Over the Rhine's "Good Dog Bad Dog," and Kings X's "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska."
But I'm impressed by how many he included that I thought would be missed. It was great to see Sam Phillip's "Fan Dance," and Arrested Development's "Three Years, Five Months and Two Days in the Life of..." That album is a must have for fan's of thoughtful hip hop. As I got ready to write this I flipped through again and noticed Graham Parker's CD "Squeezing Out Sparks/Live Sparks," another favorite of mine.
This book is well worth checking out. Even though it was released this year it is very recent in scope and includes the most recent CD from The Mars Volta, which was released in early 2008.
2 comments:
SO GLAD TO FIND YOU HERE. _king of america_ also meant a whole lot to me. changed everything, in some sense. and peter case...i want everyone to catch up to him.
Thanks David
I remember hearing King of America in college. One of my floormates played it on a regular rotation, with the door to his room open. I wish I could thank him now. I have to do a radio show tomorrow morning and now I want to make sure I bring it.
I agree on Peter Case. We've had him twice at Trinity House and those were among my favorite concerts. I remember seeing him at Rick's American Cafe in East Lansing (1987 or 88) and I was hooked. When I do lectures about American music, for high school englisg classes, I try to make sure to include his tunes.
Say hi to Sarah. Hope you're both well and that you have a blessed Advent, Christmas and New Year.
Bill
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