1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

February 15, 2009
Music critic, performer, and devotee Moon's reference work contains his own personal list of favorite recordingsalbeit a very well-informed one. His passion for music of all kinds is evident in enthusiastic (and sometimes glib) entries and a passionate introduction as well as in the care he has taken to make the list accessible. The book contains four different indexes (genres, classical and opera composers, classical and opera performers, and a general index), along with playlists for special occasions that have enticing titles such as "Cocktail Hour," "Roadtrip Soundtracks," and "Lazy Sunday Morning." With a few exceptions, the entries describe an album or a recording and consist of two or three paragraphs spanning a page or so, as well as a genre categorization and the release date. Most also identify additional worthwhile works by the same performer or composer, recordings directly related to the entry, and/or recordings that are of interest but less related. In scope, this work covers 21st-century recordings and those made during the last half of the 20th century in a very broad array of genres. Artists, composers, and performances one would expect make the cut, such as the Beatles, Richard Wagner, Miles Davis, and Andrew Lloyd Weber, plus more unexpected names like Goro Yamaguchi, Huun-Huur-Tu, 2Pac, and Tangerine Dream. BOTTOM LINE While not a scholarly work, Moon's list represents a well-informed opinion that many readers will welcome finding in public, school, and academic libraries. Moon hosts an accompanying web site, which features the same list and full entries contained in the book as well as Moon's blog about additional listening suggestions. This begs the question why anyone would buy the book but may explain the very reasonable price. [Check out the free online version at www.1000recordings.com.]Sarah Sutton, Texas A&M Univ. Lib., Corpus Christi

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