Category: Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1999–2000)
It’s been a 10-year slog through the list of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (edited by Robert Dimery), and I’m just now getting around to 1999–2000. The total album count is 1,083 albums, for those of you keeping track at home. The list of must-hear albums gets exceedingly thin around the turn…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1997–1998)
If this is your first exposure to my journey through 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not, I highly, no, strongly recommend that you browse the introduction before reading any further. However, I know that many of you aren’t going to click away from this page right now, and frankly, I don’t blame…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1995–1996)
I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I started this Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not project. If this post is your introduction to the gambit, here’s a quick rundown of the timeline: In 2015, I took it upon myself to listen to every album in the book, 1001 Albums You Must…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1973–1974)
Progressive rock and art rock dominated the landscape in 1973–1974. Southern rock and reggae were among the up-and-coming genres. The four horsemen of the rock apocalypse were Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones. And don’t forget about glam rock! Ultimately, I’m here to help you decide if these records are worth…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1971–1972)
In terms of must-hear albums, 1971–1972 featured the emergence of jazz fusion and art rock, and the continued development of progressive rock. We’ll hear some cool progressive soul and R&B from Stevie Wonder. Meanwhile, record labels are pushing artists to release two, sometimes three albums per calendar year. Several double-dipping artists will be discussed below.…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1969–1970)
All hell broke loose in the late-’60s and early-’70s, and despite (or maybe because of) the chaos, we have boatloads of albums you must hear before you die. Equally important, we’re now seeing a phalanx of splinter genres reaching maturity: psychedelic, folk rock, country rock, heavy metal, hard rock, acid rock, jazz fusion, jazz rock,…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1993–1994)
It started as a joke in late 2014. A friend had a copy of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (third edition, 2010, edited by Robert Dimery). Flipping through the pages, I muttered and scoffed. “Oh, come on! You do not have to hear Jamiroquai before you die.” My friend countered, “You should…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1991–1992)
There was one morning I woke up in 1992 and I felt like I’d been asleep for a couple of years. Right here, right now, 1992, I think the 1001 Albums list should end and start over. The book and list should be split into two volumes: Analog Era (1956–1992) and Digital Age (1993–present). My point is very simple.…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1989–1990)
Comparatively speaking, we’re going to breeze through this period. There’s a revolution of sorts on the horizon. At this point, recording artists are either making records that sell, or they aren’t making records. There will be fewer suggested alternatives simply because the unofficial 1001 AYMHBYD list contains most of the must-hear records. You could almost…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1987–1988)
If 1985-1986 was a dead zone for Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, then 1987–1988 is a black hole. Mainstream popular music was more about hairspray and pastel colors than artistic achievement. It was Michael Jackson’s Bad. But was it all bad? Didn’t certain alternative and indie bands make several must-hear albums? Weren’t a…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1985–1986)
1985–86 is a disappointing period of must-hear albums. As I perused the unofficial list of selections from this period, half the time I was thinking, “Christ, nobody should have to listen to that.” 1001 Albums Rating Key: Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1985) Note: Suggested alternatives are from the same year as…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1983–1984)
The 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list gets weird and stingy in 1983–1984. The panel ignored more than a handful of must-hear albums, and it’s hard to say why. I have one theory, but it doesn’t answer every contingency. At any rate, it feels like there are more Suggested Alternatives than usual,…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1981–1982)
Every so often, it’s important to stop, take a look around, stare out the window for a while, change the channel, and get up and stretch your legs. The last four years in popular music (1977–1980) have witnessed multiple sea changes. And the must-hear album train keeps chugging. In 1981, the disco backlash reached critical…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1979–1980)
1979-1980 is the first period of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not, in which I had heard every record before writing the associated essay. In some cases, I was listening to the album for only the second time, but there were no surprises, only disappointments and hasty generalizations. On the other hand,…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1977–1978)
Rock music is about to get interesting. I’m excited. Good stuff is about to happen. Plenty of albums you must hear coming down the pipe. The 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list was very generous in 1977–1978. They give us roughly 64 albums from the period. In contrast, we only get 37…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1975–1976)
Comparatively speaking, 1975–1976 is a dead zone for Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. There are almost as many Suggested Alternatives as legitimate selections. Overall, ’75 has more good stuff happening—not by a wide margin—but it’s a shady part of town, and we’re going to roll through most of the stop signs in the…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1967–1968)
The news of the day in 1967 was emerging from a haze of marijuana smoke as a battalion of up-and-coming artists with a series of must-hear albums. The marriage of drugs and music was consummated in culture. Thus, we enter the true dawn, the aurora of psychedelic rock. The super-cool kids have been using recreational…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1955–1966)
Welcome to the first installment of the Albums You Must Hear…Or Not series. To learn about the history and execution of the project, please refer to the introduction. Music appreciation is highly personal and exclusively subjective, like 90% of all things in the material world. The official 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…