Listen to This!: Leading Musicians Recommend Their Favorite Artists and Recordings

I bought this book from the authors at a recent & fantastic David Grisman/Bela Fleck show. That night I didn't turn off the reading light til very late--one thing leads to another with this guide to the roots of great music. It's amazing how many musicians are influenced by Miles and by Bill Monroe. We are so lucky to live in this time of blending, eclectic music, with so much choice. Clearly a labor of love, this book plays one of my favorite games: who influenced my musical heroes. And the range of musicians they connected with is astounding. It was obvious the musisicans got into the process and put a lot of energy into thinking about what albums were on their turntables, 8 tracks, cassestte and CD players. From two members of the Grateful Dead to John Lee Hooker, the authors really connected with the best to find out who they thought really had the good stuff. This book is a lot of fun; it's one of those books you can just open anywhere, and whooosh, you are on a fun journey. Highly recommended for anyone who cares about music.

Be warned: This book could cost serious music lovers some serious cash. Loaded with reccomendations from musicians from so many genres there is something for everyone. Clever in it's lay out and an overall interesting read, allowing you to "walk inside the ear" of legends like Greg Allman to up-and-comers like Jeff Tweedy (Wilco). Plus, the master list of recordings and an appendix with some great web sights for finding the thousands and thousands of recordings listed in the book make the whole collection a great cross between reference and absorbing non-fiction.If your CD collection knows no bounds, buy this one now!