1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

All your favourites are here: from Marvin Gaye's inspirational WHAT'S GOING ON (1971) to David Bowie's extraordinary concept album THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST . . . plus the newest music from emerging superstars. Explore musical history, from the Beach Boys' pop milestone PET SOUNDS to the garage grunge of Nirvana's NEVERMIND. As well as the acknowledged "classics", there are many unexpected treats, such as Einstürzende Neubauten's power tool-enhanced soundscapes, and Aphex Twin's sonic troublemaking. 1001 ALBUMS YOU MUST HEAR BEFORE YOU DIE pays homage to the many forces at work in the musical world and a multitude of genres - a vast quota of rock and pop, but also slices of rock 'n' roll, jazz, funk, punk, disco, soul, hip hop, experimental, world music, and a wide cross section of dance music.

Detailed descriptions of each album are accompanied by fascinating insights and trivia. Did you know, for example, that the VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO album is credited with inspiring artists from Bowie to Joy Division, and from R.E.M. to The Strokes? Relive the aftermath of Bob Dylan's fateful appearance with an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival with his darkly visionary HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED, recorded in 1965 in an America at war with itself as well as Vietnam. Skip forward to the "Madchester" retro-guitar of The Stone Roses' eponymous album, taking in the best of the rest before, and since. From cult and obscure, to popular and mainstream, the newest 1001 ALBUMS YOU MUST HEAR BEFORE YOU DIE fully encompasses the universal culture of music.