An Endless Source

One of the nice things about the holidays is receiving thoughtful gifts that you may otherwise overlook. There may be books that you'd like to buy, but at the time, they seem to be a luxury, as opposed to an immediate necessity. I received two books this holiday season that will certainly aid in the development of this music project.


One book is 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (as pictured above). There are a whole slew of these books. There are 1001 Paintings, Buildings, Movies, and Books. I'm sure there are others. Although by no means exhaustive, the books are incredibly interesting (and time consuming). With the number of albums of sheer genius out there, there generally are musicians/bands that have slipped through the cracks. Bands you have always wanted to listen to, but for some reason...just haven't. I'll have to admit that I have artists that I know I would love, but just for some reason our paths haven't crossed. Bob Dylan and I have yet to share a love affair, though Frank Sinatra and I are well acquainted. So the book provides a reminder, as well as some quick suggestions, about what music might be missing from your canon.



Another book I received was Daniel J. Levitin's This Is Your Brain On Music: The Science of Human Obsession. I have not started this one yet, but simply flipping through I can tell it will provide me with another perspective on the relationship between the individual and music. Levitin begins his book discussing the pair of headphones his father purchased for him in 1969. Yes, I can tell I'll devour this text and feel a little less alone in the pursuit of musical memories.