The 100 Best Albums of All Time (Craig Mathieson & Toby Cresswell, Hardie Grant)

Longstanding Australian music journalists John O’Donnell, Craig Mathieson and Toby Cresswell have compiled this collection of The 100 Best Albums of All Time. Album ‘best of’ lists are frequently published, and while there is often little variation between the agreed-upon classics—and this collection includes most of the usual suspects—there are still a few surprises to be found here. The albums are collated in order from one (Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited) to 100 (The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo), with more page space afforded to the top 10. The authors explore the making of each album—what was going on in the lives of the musicians at the time of the recording, where the recording fits in relation to their overall careers—placing each album within a social and historical context. The book also includes interview quotes with some of the key musicians and producers involved. Readers will no doubt have their own favourites, and might disagree with some of the choices here, as is the nature of a reference of this kind, but the authors have been careful to include an eclectic array of musical styles in their final selection. This is a valuable reference for music lovers.

Deborah Crabtree is a Melbourne-based writer and bookseller

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Category: Reviews