The rules of the game

It's been done before - blogging through a list or book. More specifically, the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die has been the muse for numerous music enthusiasts to publish their album reviews online. While I admit it's not an inherently unique endeavor, I cannot pass up such a challenge. Albums I *must* hear before I die?  If they insist, then I accept.  Less famously 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die is also worth considering.  This list is more eclectic, containing a greater variety across genres including classical.  I'll also be looking at Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  I'm anticipating there will be a lot of duplicates and that's just fine.  I plan on adding a lot of albums of my own interest.

There isn't an album I won't listen to at least once.  I believe everything is worth hearing.  What I hear might become the source of my next obsession, and I am always looking for new music to obsess over, or it might just be worth knowing about - something useful to add to another conversation about music.  That being said there are few things more satisfying than crossing an item off a list.  Normally a list with so many items or so would be daunting and overwhelming to say the least, but with a topic so intriguing, something I would pursue list or no list, I just can't resist.  Although I've already heard a number of these albums, I plan to peruse each book and attempt to recreate my initial fascination with albums and songs I've loved for months, if not years.  If 1001+ albums weren't enough, I also plan to indulge any tangent this list inspires me to take, relay my experiences at live concerts and shows, and discuss any additional albums I find in my lap.  That's where this blog differs.  These albums aren't simply isolated events to briefly consider and dismiss in favor of the next album, instead they will be starting points for new discoveries into the oeuvres of artists and genres previously unknown to me. Hopefully this undertaking will fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of music history and encourage some conversation about some really great music.  So the only rule for this challenge - no rules.  Let's see where this takes us.