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The mothership has landed. Music books seem like a thriving industry these days, with biographies sprouting up on every conceivable artist, whether written by academic experts or a superstar's younger brother. Drifting through the shelves at Borders or Barnes & Noble can be a bit overwhelming, even when you know what you're looking for. Who knew there's a tome on the outtakes of a distinguished jazz album from the ‘50s, or a collection of every review ever written about the Velvet Underground in the ‘60s? The list goes on, and hopefully there are enough readers to keep publishing companies afloat long enough so everyone can write about everything--sooner or later.
For a very long time, music journalist Tom Moon has been collecting songs and albums we should all discover. It's been no easy task; ask anyone who's tried to find Moon for four years. But, at last, 1,000 Records To Hear Before You Die has arrived, and it couldn't come a second too soon. Finally we have an authoritative reference to keep us busy, maybe for the rest of our lives. As a longtime writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Rolling Stone, among others, as well as a commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Moon has been exposed to every style of music imaginable. Even better, his background as a professional player allows him the knowledge to really know what he's listening to. That unique combination of talents gives everything he writes a certain edge of trust. As all the different artists start to unfold, it's obvious we're in the fine hands of someone who not only can talk about music, but also play it.
Approaching a compendium about a thousand of anything can feel like a daunting prospect, as in where do you actually start? Going from ABBA to ZZ Top, naturally, the mind begins to boggle at all the entries, until you realize 1,000 Recordings is much more like a hip encyclopedia on a subject you want to know everything about, than a book to read from start to finish. Once you find that freedom, the pages open up into a wonderful waterfall of words on sounds.
The first instinct is to see if your own personal favorites are included, and then react in joy if they are, or horror if they're not. There it is: the 13th Floor Elevators' Easter Everywhere album. Yes! The writer is an obvious genius. Or how could Tom Moon not realize Jefferson Airplane's After Bathing At Baxter's is one of the most amazing sonic accomplishments of the ‘60s, or any other decade? Shame! But, really, that's the beauty of music. Unlike sports, there is no winner at the end of this game. Listening is what it's all about, and when that happens, there are no losers.
Once the pages have been trolled to spot long-loved gems or note missing masterpieces, the true educational accomplishment of the book sets in. Because no matter how many years you've devoted to chasing the holy sound, no one knows it all. To find out about song after song, composer after composer and artist after artist you haven't really heard is the finest offering there is. From Sol Ho'opi'I to Henri Dutilleux and countless others, it's all inside these pages just waiting to be unearthed. And as an added little lagniappe, there is an extensive section at the end of extra recordings that didn't quite make the cut, genre listings that are mind-boggling in scope and, best of all, collections of songs to fit special occasions, like Music To Inspire Reflection or Romance Enhancers, things you can actually do with these incredible recorded treasures.
No matter what shape your listening habits are in, 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die will increase the heartbeat as you inhabit these pages. It's like visiting the best record store in the world, one where all the finest music is available. The book's subtitle, "A Listener's Life List" says it all. Tom Moon has given us the good fortune to tap his soul and find out where to go next, and that is the greatest gift of all.
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