1001 Albums - Intro to the Review

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die was first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Edited by Robert Dimery, it contains a chronological list of albums chosen by a panel of music critics to be the most important, influential, and best in popular music between the 1950s and the 2000s. It was reissued in 2008 with a revised list, and again in 2011, 2013 and 2016. From first publication the list has been a topic of much debate, with some disagreement regarding albums left out or included; however, it is widely regarded as a very useful starting point for the main musical references of the late 20th century. As the 2005 book is the first and has the most impact, that is the list I've used here.

I've added albums (marked +) which I feel are culturally, aesthetically and/or historically significant enough to be on a list of 1001 albums that anyone interested in music would like to hear, and consequently crossed out albums (marked XX) which I feel are of lesser importance. What I'm keeping in mind while making my additions and subtractions is to give an overview of late 20th (and early 21st) music as represented on albums, and to include artists who are significant, even if they didn't make critically acclaimed music or a critically acclaimed album (perhaps they were mostly known for their singles, such as Chuck Berry, and other early rock musicians). Also to include albums that were significant, even if they were not by one artist, or were compilation albums by a single artist. My taste in music tends to the melodic and the interesting/unexpected, so I tend to favour pop music and quirky albums that are melodic, so stuff like Beaver & Krause's All Good Men, Laurie Anderson's Big Science, and Gong's Flying Teapot will get in while some jazz, heavy metal, country, and mainstream rawk will get dropped. I'm also going back a little further than the original 1950 date to include those artists whose music had an acknowledged profound influence on late 20th century music such as Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams. 

I'm working my way through the list, and also comparing it with other lists.

Albums marked @ are ones I am considering adding to the list
Albums marked ?? are ones I am wondering should be removed

Albums marked $ are ones I agree with
Albums marked + are ones I have added to the list

Albums marked XX are ones I have removed

Albums marked RS are on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums
Albums marked MC are on Mojo's 100 Records That Changed The World
Albums marked CCC are on Robert Christgau's Core Collection (pre-1980 albums)
Albums marked C4 are on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Albums 
Albums marked NM are on NARM The Definitive 200 
Albums marked G50 are on The Guardian 50 Albums That Changed Music 
Albums marked UC are on Uncut's 200 Greatest Albums Of All Time 
Albums marked NME are on NME's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time 

As I'm working my way through, I am feeling that some music styles are over-represented, while others are under represented. Country and Heavy/Hard Rock are over represented, while Pop and early Rock and Roll/RnB is under represented. The omission of artists such as Nat King Cole, Barbara Streisand, Jackie Wilson, Cliff Richard, Eddie Cochran, and Alexis Korner is puzzling, and has been corrected. While several quite minor Country and Heavy Metal artists such as Joe Ely and Venom have been dropped.  

Nu Metal is grossly over-represented. The genre was hugely popular, and is hugely contentious, so it appropriate that it is represented. But one album is sufficient. 

Jazz is big in the Fifties and Sixties, and is interesting in the Seventies at the height of fusion (or jazz-rock), but fades in the Eighties. Funk, hip hop, electronica and acid-jazz take over. Is hip hop the new jazz? Articles which discuss the issue: Jazz Times, Thought Co, Huffington, EarMilk, DifferenceBetween, and  ER.