1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

A few years ago (2005 or so, I think?) I happened upon the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It is exactly what it sounds like. A group of music historians and critics and journalists got together and decided what 1001 albums from 1950 to now are the ones everyone should hear before they die. (Important note: They weren’t necessarily out to find the best albums, just the ones that are the most significant for whatever reason.)

Being in major exploration mode at the time, and having an unlimited Rhapsody subscription, I found a copy of the full list and got to work.

Today, I finished. I listened to every album from start to finish, to the best of my ability. I took a few breaks in there, and when I got down to the final few that were difficult to seek out, the pace slowed. But today, I am done.

What did I learn? I learned that a lot of older music is hard to appreciate without proper context (having the book handy might have helped with that). I learned that Frank Sinatra and Tom Waits are awesome and Joan Baez is not. I learned that people were doing some pretty inventive stuff well before I imagined anyone would have tried. I learned that a lot of the best music in the world takes several listens to enjoy.

But most of all I learned that, when music historians look back in history, these last 50 years are going to mark a very important milestone in the timeline of music. It was recordable and reproducible and, as a result, everyone learned tricks from everyone else all over the world. Ginger Baker (British drummer who played in Cream) collaborated with Fela Kuti, the premiere musician in African pop in the 60s and 70s, whose influence over world music is still heard today.

The point is, music has changed our culture, and every culture, in the past century in ways that it had never before. And as a fan of music, it’s exciting that I’ve gotten a good sampling of the hottest part of that timeline.

Will I ever do a listening project of this magnitude ever again? Probably not. But it was worth it.

Now, someone buy me the book as a trophy, please.