Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener``s Life
The musical adventure of a lifetime. The most exciting book on music in years. A book of treasure, a book of discovery, a book ong>toong> open ong>ong>youong>ong>r ears ong>toong> new worlds of pleasure. Doing for music ong>ong>whatong>ong> Patricia Schultzauthor of the phenomenal Places ong>toong> See Before ong>ong>Youong>ong> Diedoes for travel, ong>Toong>m Moon recommends recordings guaranteed ong>toong> give listeners the joy, the mystery, the revelation, the sheer fun of grong>eatong> music. This is a book both broad and deep, drawing from the diverse worlds of classical, jazz, rock, pop, blues, country, folk, musicals, hip-hop, world, opera, soundtracks, and more. It``s arranged alphabetically by artist ong>toong> crong>eatong>e the kind of unexpected juxtapositions that break down genre bias and broaden listeners horizons it makes every listener a seeker, actively pursuing new artists and new sounds, and reconfirming the grong>eatong>ness of the classics. Flanking J. S. Bach and his six entries, for example, ong>areong> the little-known R&B singer Baby Huey and the ``80s Rastafarian hard-core punk band Bad Brains. Farther down the list: The Band, Samuel Barber, Cecelia Barong>toong>li, Count Basie, and Afropop star Waldemer Basong>toong>s. Each entry is passionately written, with expert listening notes, fascinating anecdotes, and the occasional perfect quote"ong>ong>Youong>ong>r collection could be filled with nothing but music from Ray Charles," said ong>Toong>m Waits, "and ong>ong>youong>ong>``d have a completely balanced diet." Every entry identifies key tracks, additional works by the artist, and where ong>toong> go next. And in the back, indexes and playlists for different moods and occasions.