I just received a copy of =931001 Albums You Must Hear Before You
Die,=94 (Robert Dimery, ed, Universe, 2005) representing the mutual
effort of about 75 writers and critics. It=92s a beautifully printed,
if understandibly somewhat heavy, tome with great reproductions of
covers and track lists and it makes an honest effort to justify the
inclusion of each album. Because it doesn=92t attempt to limit itself
to a single genre, it probably won=92t create the same level of heated
arguments as Dave Marsh=92s =93Heart Of Rock And Soul=94 routinely does,
bu=
t
there is plenty of thought provoking stuff in there. The contributors
are largely English and Australian, so there=92s a broader scope than we
get from the Marsh book, too.
They=92ve eliminated any =93Best Of=94 compilations, and all =93Various
Artists=94 efforts, too. Unless a soundtrack is clearly a unified work
by a single artist (Superfly, Shaft) it doesn=92t make the cut either.
The book avoids trying to rank the albums in order of merit. Instead,
it goes chronologically by year, beginning with a single entry for
1955. Once you get past 1963, the number of entries for each year
expands enormously, which I guess is an accurate reflection of the
growing im****tance of the LP over the single.
Because of the relatively few entries before 1964, and the relative
lack of rock/pop/r&b among even that small sample, I am listing
everything here up through the cusp years in a single post.
Additions, deletions, commendations, protests and general noisemaking
are invited.
1955
Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours
1956
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
Louvin Brothers - Tragic Songs Of Life
Louis Prima - The Wildest
Fats Domino - This Is Fats
Duke Ellington - Ellington At New****t
Frank Sinatra - Songs For Swingin' Lovers
1957
Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets
Count Basie - The Atomic Mr. Basie
Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
Sabu - Palo Congo
Miles Davis - Birth Of The Cool
Machito - Kenya
Little Richard - Here's Little Richard
1958
Tito Puente & His Orchestra - Dance Mania Vol 1
Billie Holliday - Lady In Satin
Jack Elliott - Jack Takes The Floor
Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan At Mr. Kelly's
1959
Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Gershwin Song Book
Ray Charles - The Genius of Ray Charles
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
Marty Robbins - Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
1960
Joan Baez - Joan Baez
Elvis Presley - Elvis Is Back
Miriam Makeba - Miriam Makeba
Everly Brothers - A Date With The Everly Brothers
Jimmy Smith - Back At The Chicken Shack
Muddy Waters - Muddy Waters At New****t
1961
Bill Evans - Sunday At The Village Vanguard
1962
Ray Charles - Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music
Booker T & The M.G.s - Green Onions
Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd - Jazz Samba
Ray Price - Night Life
1963
Beatles - With The Beatles
Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift For You
Sam Cooke - Live At The Harlem Square Club
Charles Mingus - Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
James Brown - Live At The Apollo
Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
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