1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
Author	Robert Dimery (general editor)
Cover artist	Jon Wainright
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Reference work
Publisher	Tristan de Lancey; Universe Publishing (first edition)
Publication date	2005
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	960 p.
ISBN	1-84403-392-9
OCLC	224890343
Dewey Decimal	781.64026/6 22
LC Class	ML156.9 .A18 2006

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the 1001 Before You Die series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics to be the most important, influential, and best in popular music between the 1950s and the 2010s.^[1] The book is edited by Robert Dimery, an English writer and editor who had previously worked for magazines such as Time Out and Vogue.^[2]

Each entry in the book's roughly chronological list of albums is accompanied by a short essay written by a music critic, along with pictures, quotes, and additional information (such as the album's running time and producer). Compilations of various artists, and most film soundtracks, are excluded.^[3]

Selection and sorting methodology[]

In the book's introduction, general editor Robert Dimery notes that the selections were also intended to bring attention to gifted songwriters. Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello and Nick Cave are named as examples. The release dates are chosen from the date the album first released in the artist's home country, and the version is the first one released. In most cases, bonus tracks added for later versions are ignored. The editors also attempted to ensure that each album profiled was still available for purchase. Soundtracks that were not original material from a particular artist were also excluded.^[4]

Editions[]

The 2005 edition starts with Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours,^[4] and ends with Get Behind Me Satan by the White Stripes.^[5] As the book has been reissued several times, some albums are removed in each edition to make space for more recent albums.

The 2013 edition ends with The Next Day by David Bowie.^[6]

The 2016 edition ends with Blackstar, also by David Bowie.

The 2018 edition ends with Microshift by Hookworms.^[7]

Critical reception[]

In February 2006, Publishers Weekly called the book a "bookshelf-busting testament to music geeks' mania for lists" and said it was "about as comprehensive a 'best-of' as any sane person could want". The reviewer added: "For music lovers, it doesn't get much better."^[8] As of July 24, 2020, the 2006 edition had an average rating of 3.96 stars out of 5 with 1,754 ratings on Amazon.com's social cataloging website Goodreads^[9] and 4.6 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com.^[10]

Genres[]

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 rockabilly. Classical and modern art music are excluded.^[3]

Artists[]

Neil Young has the most appearances in the 2017 list.

These artists have the most albums in the 2017 edition.

9 albums: John Lennon (2 solo albums and 7 The Beatles albums), David Bowie.
8 albums: Paul McCartney (1 solo and 7 The Beatles albums), George Harrison (1 solo album and 7 The Beatles albums).
7 albums: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno (4 solo albums, 2 Roxy Music albums and 1 collaborative album with David Byrne; he was also involved with producing 7 additional albums listed in the book: 3 Talking Heads albums, 3 U2 albums and 1 Devo album), Neil Young, Morrissey (4 solo albums and 3 The Smiths albums).
6 albums: Elvis Costello (3 solo albums and 3 The Attractions albums), The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon (3 solo albums and 3 Simon and Garfunkel albums).
5 albums: The Byrds, Peter Gabriel (3 solo albums and 2 Genesis albums), Iggy Pop (2 solo albums and 3 The Stooges albums), Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed (2 solo albums and 3 The Velvet Underground albums), Sonic Youth, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, The Who.
4 albums: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, P.J. Harvey, The Kinks, Metallica, Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, R.E.M., Steely Dan, Talking Heads, U2, Paul Weller (1 solo album, 2 The Jam albums and 1 The Style Council album), Stevie Wonder.
3 albums: Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Björk, Black Sabbath, Blur, Tim Buckley, Kate Bush, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Cure, Deep Purple, Dexys Midnight Runners, The Doors, Nick Drake, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Fall, Madonna, Marvin Gaye, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Michael Jackson, Kraftwerk, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Van Morrison, My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana, Parliament/Funkadelic, Pet Shop Boys, Pixies, Elvis Presley, Prince (2 solo albums and 1 The Revolution album), Public Enemy, Queen, Roxy Music, Frank Sinatra, Kanye West, Wilco, Yes, Frank Zappa.

References[]

^ "Publisher description for 1001 albums you must hear before you die / [edited by] Robert Dimery". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^ Hachette https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/robert-dimery/
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Dimery, Robert (June 10, 2016). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2016 ed.). Octopus Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-84403-890-9. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Dimery, Robert (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.
^ Register op Muzieklijstjes https://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/1001albumsyoumusthear.htm
^ Quarkmonkey https://www.1001albums.co.uk/the-2016-edition-is-here/
^ New Zealand Herald https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-1001-album-debate/S77ZJNSUQZWNKZ56XGQCCF6PFU/
^ "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. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
^ "Amazon.com: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2020-07-24.

External links[]

[1] "Publisher description for 1001 albums you must hear before you die / [edited by] Robert Dimery". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 4, 2016.

[2] Hachette https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/robert-dimery/

[OctopusPublishing-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b Dimery, Robert (June 10, 2016). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2016 ed.). Octopus Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-84403-890-9. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.

[DimeryLydon2010-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Dimery, Robert (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.

[5] Register op Muzieklijstjes https://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/1001albumsyoumusthear.htm

[6] Quarkmonkey https://www.1001albums.co.uk/the-2016-edition-is-here/

[7] New Zealand Herald https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-1001-album-debate/S77ZJNSUQZWNKZ56XGQCCF6PFU/

[8] "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". publishersweekly.com. 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2015-04-30.

[9] "Goodreads: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". goodreads.com. Retrieved 2020-07-24.

[10] "Amazon.com: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2020-07-24.

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