1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die

Damn, looks like Christgau beat me to it on this book, Rock & Roll &: Robert Christgau. Anyway, 1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die by Tom Moon, is definitely one for the reference shelves. And my reference section could use some new stuff. The last great book of lists I read was probably Heartaches by the Numbers by David Cantwell and Bill Friskics-Warren. That came out in 2003. Moon's book, though has it on that one and the Rolling Stone Record Guides or the just released Pitchfork 500, in that it's a solo venture. And you want genres! Moon isn't content with just covering the Rock era (or Jazz), nope, he goes off and hits you with Opera and Classical as well. The last two aren't my specialty, although I have Classical stuff in my collection. And I have a feeling that Rock fans who come across the book will likely skip that stuff more so than the Jazz entries.
Christgau is right that Moon is weak on Black vocal groups and Disco and newer artists. And he's certainly right that books like these will put a dent in your pocket. I've just finished Dave Thompson's I Hate New Music, and even that book has some catalog entries that intrigued me. These books prove my point. No matter how much you think you've heard in your lifetime, you haven't heard nothin' (as Stevie Wonder almost said). Of all the entries the one that had me kicking myself for continuing to skip it for many years was the one and only release by Willis Alan Ramsey, who is an Americana legend but makes most of his money from writing "Muskrat Love". Moon convinced me to pick up a copy which I bought online used for under $8.
So, all of us will argue over who should be here. I was hoping for an entry for Keith Whitley, Randy Travis, Spinners or Donna Summer who only gets an entry for "I Feel Love" or the Supremes who also only get an entry for a single. But I give Moon props for remembering Donny Hathaway and Minnie Riperton.
I have to admit while reading the book that for a few seconds I had ideas to do my own 1000. Tom Hull's list is here. But to be honest, it takes me a whole month to narrow my Nashville Scene and Village Voice Paz & Jop ballots to 10 entries. A 1000? Come back here in a few years.