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1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (1,000 Before You Die)

1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (1,000 Before You Die)

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Author: Tom Moon
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Category: Book

List Price: $19.95
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Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars 62 reviews
Sales Rank: 1814

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 992
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 1.9

ISBN: 076113963X
Dewey Decimal Number: 016.780266
EAN: 9780761139638
ASIN: 076113963X

Publication Date: August 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 62
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5 out of 5 stars Useful and Fun   November 22, 2008
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Let's agree not to quibble about whether our favorite recordings made it into the list. Just the sheer scope and breadth of this book would make it a useful resource. But Moon goes well beyond scope and provides a means of discovering great music that most of us would be unlikely to discover on our own. So to evaluate this book it is better not to ask 'does it include what I like', but rather 'does it help me find great music to listen to'.

To give you an idea of what this book is like, here are the basic elements:

* 1007 pages

* general index: 65 pages

* classical and opera performers index : 13 pages

* classical and opera composers index : 5 pages

* 'occasions' index, comprising 'cocktail hour', 'get the party started', 'music to inspire reflection', 'romance enhancers', 'cardio workout', 'play this for the kids', 'roadtrip soundtrack AM', 'roadtrip soundtrack PM', 'lazy sunday morning', 'headphone journey', 'superman's earbuds'.

* genres index : 15 pages

Moon also includes a page listing sources of hard-to-find music. In addition you can visit 1000recordings.com, and the Amazon 1000 recordings site.

The 1000 recordings are albums, not individual tracks. Each entry includes a brief review, usually including the historical and musical context and history. The entry also includes the release year, publisher, key tracks, other titles from the same performer, and 'links' to related music.

Big warning here: this book can be a huge time-suck. I've found myself opening the book just to find something to buy at the Amazon MP3 store, and two hours later I'm still browsing.

This book is worth the price, even if you are a very casual music listener (as I am).



3 out of 5 stars Overwhelming   November 20, 2008
To really enjoy this book you must love all kinds of music. This book runs the gamut of musical genres. If you're looking to broaden your musical horizons this book will point you in the right direction. I found that I did not care for the suggestions outside the genres I already like. However, I did discover some new albums and artists to check out in those few genres I like.

1000 recording gives a brief overview of every album it recommends as well as a few other albums that are similar in some way. I didn't like that it listed multiple albums from a single artist - which get ridiculous in the cases of Beethoven, Mozart, the Beatles etc. Everyone is bound to have favorite artists who did not make the cut; mine was Sublime.

Overall, a good book for music lovers but if you like only 1-2 musical genres this book may not be for you since it ambitiously covers all types of music, some far from mainstream.






4 out of 5 stars Great resource for "new" music   November 16, 2008
Very insightful book. While some obvious choices are included, this book points the way to many unexpected or unfamiliar music. A great resource for any music lover.


2 out of 5 stars Only 1000?   November 14, 2008
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

The author makes some good recommendations, but it seems even he was at odds with himself in picking just 1000 recordings. (it's more like 5000 with all the "what to listen to next" rubbish, which clutters the book with too much; complete overload. It really takes away from the integrity of the real classics & it makes it seems as though he was not that sure of his main choices.)

And I'm sorry, I like pop music but I do not think Brittany Spears is essential to listen to; even after I die. Really, whose going to be pulling out a Brittany Spears CD 20 years from now calling it a classic and listing it as essential music like a Beatles album? Hear anyone singing the praises of Tiffany, the late 80s pop sensation? Didn't think so.

Mr. Moon you can't appeal to everyone, your book tries too hard to do so.



5 out of 5 stars How did we do without it?   November 14, 2008
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Now that this book is here, I can't imagine not having it. My copy will be worn out before long. It's a fascinating, quirky, compelling reference piece for lovers of all kinds of music.

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