Listen to This

Ever wonder what albums your favourite recording artist listens to and loves Now in this one-of-a-kind reference book more than 100 artists from the worlds of pop, rock, folk, jazz, country, and blues offer their opinions on what moves them to tears of joy or just spends a lot of time on their turntables.

This diverting pop-culture book may have no practical utility, but it is fascinating. It documents the listening tastes of more than 100 rock, jazz, country, and other musicians whom Reder and Baxter asked to name their favorite artists and recordings. Some of the respondents, such as Willie Nelson and Wilson Pickett, will be familiar to even casual music listeners, but most were chosen, it seems, for artistic merit rather than fame, hence alt-rockers Thurston Moore and Lou Barlow, Senegal's Youssou N'Dour, and Brazil's Gilberto Gil are all here. Most interesting are the surprises among the choices. Who would have thought that reggae singer Lucky Dube was a Foreigner fan, or that rapper Chuck D would risk his "street cred" by admitting soft spots for the Hollies and Glen Campbell? Eminently browsable, Reder and Baxter's survey provides insight into musicians' tastes and plenty of listening suggestions for adventurous fans to follow up on. Which is somewhat useful, after all. Gordon Flagg

In a book for those open to new adventures in music, 101 musicians (jazz, bluegrass, gospel, blues, rock, folkAall but classical and "world") discuss music they listen to and that has influenced them. Based on interviews conducted by music journalists Reder and Baxter, entries contain a career overview, an annotated list of the subject's favorites (including songs, recordings, and live performances), and a discussion of his or her own recordings. A master list of suggested recordings contains recommendations for artists mentioned by a large number of the musicians interviewed. Occassional lapses into "hip" lingo are mitigated by otherwise sensitive writing and the variety of interesting, diverse music the musicians listen to (with many surprises). An appendix lists companies selling many of the recordings mentioned, so the book can work superbly as a selection tool for anyone. Recommended for public, academic, and music libraries.AWilliam Kenz, Moorhead State Univ. Lib., MN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.