Overall, I think the late 60's to the late 70's is my sweet spot for albums. I found great music from all the years covered (1955-2005), but my list of records to buy is longest in that '67-'77 era. I was surprised how much I now dislike 80's music; that's the decade I was in high school and buying records and tapes for the first time. I guess nostalgia can't trump poor quality.
Another enjoyable (and quicker) read is Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Although there is some overlap, there are many records recommended by RS that do not appear in the 1001... book. (Link at the bottom.)
Now I'm looking forward to reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die.
I've paged through this book, and there appears to be a lot of bands in there that didn't appear in either publication. This should be fun.
I'll end this post with a brief discussion about a song that didn't make anyone's song/album-you-must-hear list, but mine. I bought "The New Spirit of Capitol" LP at a Good Will in the late 90's for 59 cents. It's a great sampler record from 1970 with 13 different artists on it (including Linda Ronstadt, Bob Seger, Pink Floyd, Grand Funk Railroad, and Mississippi Fred McDowell).
For me, the best track on this LP is The Steve Miller Band's "Little Girl". First of all, I had no idea that Steve Miller began recording music back in 1966. Secondly, a lot of his early stuff was psychedelic, and sounded nothing like his 70's hits (think "The Joker"). But "Little Girl" was a hint of the radio-friendly hits to come.
I'll put a link at the bottom for this song, but if you are listening to it through tiny computer speakers or ear buds, you might not fully appreciate the rumbling bass line that opens, or the fun vocal and guitar interplay at 1:08. Still, it's worth a listen.
Here's a link to the Rolling Stone's online list: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
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