BOOK REVIEW: 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die – Robert Dimery

Shane | 21 January 2014 | 1 Reply

1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die – Robert Dimery
Allen & Unwin
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
10/10

1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die might be the perfect coffee table book for the music obsessive, affording instant cred to fellow music junkies, and certain to spark debate in it’s choices.

Hours can be spent arguing the merits, for instance, of why there’s an M People song (How Can I Love You More?) present, but nothing from Poison.

Does Neil Diamond deserve a whopping 24 tunes listed, while Whitesnake have only one (Still Of The Night)?

Or why Lynyrd Skynyrd are represented by Saturday Night Special and Sweet Home Alabama, but Freebird is conspicuously absent.

And it’s obvious the editors have never heard of The Phil Collins Rule, else they’d not have included a far-too-generous five songs on top of the justifiably essential In the Air Tonight!

I have, no doubt, stirred some strong opinions already, and at 960 pages, 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die is bound to keep the conversation lively for hours at your next wine, cheese & metal night.