100 Albums That Changed Music: And 500 Songs You Need to Hear

Bookstore shelves are chock-a-block with books on best-selling albums. Here is an English import with a nice twist - 100 albums that had a crucial influence on the creation and development of rock 'n' roll music. Since even awful albums can be influential, the result is an entertaining and thought-provoking look back at "albums that changed music." Readers will know they're in for a magical mystery tour when they discover the first album discussed is Woody Guthrie's "Dust Bowl Ballads." Woody Guthrie - rock 'n' roll - huh?! You'll have to read the book to discover why Guthrie is included. In a nutshell that is the book's attraction. Some of the albums and artists found in this book are no-brainers - Bill Haley, Elvis, The Beatles, Sam Cooke, Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bowie, Springsteen, The Clash, etc. But others - "Freak Out" by the Mothers of Invention, "Tim Hardin 2," "Grievous Angel" by Gram Parsons, "Frampton Comes Alive", "Closer" by Joy Division, "Spice" by the Spice Girls(!) - spark your curiosity and make you want to find out why those titles made the list. The book also includes a list of 500 songs "you need to hear" divided into categories such as Leiber & Stoller, The Wall of Sound, Do Ya Like Good Music?, Cosmic, Oh You Pretty Things, Yo!, 21st Century Boys and Girls, etc. so that readers are made aware of, for instance, great songs that were on bad albums. The book packs a lot of information in its 300+ pages! An enjoyable, insightful, educational read.