1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

In the book's introduction, general editor Robert Dimery notes that the selections were also intended to bring attention to gifted songwriters. Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello and Nick Cave are named as examples. The release dates are chosen from the date the album first released in the artist's home country, and the version is the first one released. In most cases, bonus tracks added for later versions are ignored. The editors also attempted to ensure that each album profiled was still available for purchase. Soundtracks that were not original material from a particular artist were also excluded.[4]

The 2005 edition starts with Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours,[4] and ends with Get Behind Me Satan by the White Stripes.[5] As the book has been reissued several times, some albums are removed in each edition to make space for more recent albums.

The 2013 edition ends with The Next Day by David Bowie.[6]

The 2016 edition ends with Blackstar, also by David Bowie.

The 2017 edition ends with Microshift by Hookworms.[7]

In February 2006, Publishers Weekly called the book a "bookshelf-busting testament to music geeks' mania for lists" and said it was "about as comprehensive a 'best-of' as any sane person could want". The reviewer added: "For music lovers, it doesn't get much better."[8] As of July 24, 2020, the 2006 edition had an average rating of 3.96 stars out of 5 with 1,754 ratings on Amazon.com's social cataloging website Goodreads[9] and 4.6 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com.[10]

Most of the book's recommendations are rock and pop albums from the Western world. 1001 Albums also features selections from world music, rhythm and blues, blues, folk, hip hop, country, electronic music, and jazz. The rock and pop albums include such subgenres as punk rock, grindcore, heavy metal, alternative rock, progressive rock, easy listening, thrash metal, grunge and rockabilly. Classical and modern art music are excluded.[3]

David Bowie has the most appearances in the 2017 list.

These artists have the most albums in the 2017 edition.

• 9 albums: David Bowie.
• 7 albums: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young.
• 6 albums: Morrissey (and The Smiths), Elvis Costello (and The Attractions), The Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel/Paul Simon.
• 5 albums: The Byrds, Brian Eno (and David Byrne), Leonard Cohen, Peter Gabriel (and Genesis), Iggy Pop (and The Stooges), Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed (and The Velvet Underground), Sonic Youth, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, The Who.
• 4 albums: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Miles Davis, P.J. Harvey, The Kinks, Metallica, Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, R.E.M., Steely Dan, Talking Heads, U2, Paul Weller and (The Jam, The Style Council), Stevie Wonder.
• 3 albums: Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Björk, Black Sabbath, Blur, Tim Buckley, Kate Bush, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Cure, Deep Purple, Dexys Midnight Runners, The Doors, Nick Drake, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Fall, Madonna, Marvin Gaye, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Michael Jackson, Kraftwerk, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Van Morrison, My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana, Parliament/Funkadelic, Pet Shop Boys, Pixies, Elvis Presley, Prince (and The Revolution), Public Enemy, Queen, Roxy Music, Frank Sinatra, Kanye West, Wilco, Yes, Frank Zappa.

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• 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die website