Tom Moon knows he's going to get a lot of grief as he travels the country to promote his new book, "1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die" (Workman, $19.95).
While his 1,008-page tome covers everything from rock and jazz to classical and world music, Moon, a critic for National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," knows the guff is going to come in the areas of pop and country.
For example, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, Bette Midler, Celine Dion, Barry Manilow and Christina Aguilera get shut out, but -- gasp -- Britney Spears makes the list.
"Forget about her as a tabloid creature and think about her as a recording artist," Moon said the day before leaving on a nationwide tour that will bring him to Minneapolis on Monday. "When you try and look for great singles that came out after the year 2000, I kept coming back to 'Toxic.' I think that may be the best example of the art of the pop single since 2000."
In country, there's nothing on Moon's list from George Strait, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson or Brad Paisley.
"If you start with George Jones, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley and Willie Nelson singing 'Stardust,' by the time you get to Garth, you'll perhaps see him differently," said Moon, who spent 20 years as a critic at the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I wanted to make sure some of the foundations were covered. We did have Narvel Felts in there. Now there's an underappreciated talent."
Moon, a former gigging saxophonist, spent three years compiling his book. After consulting other lists, fellow critics and artists (including Joni Mitchell and Beck) for recommendations, he listened to more than 3,500 recordings. He thinks his alphabetical compilation reflects scholarship, fun and diversity. He thought about "newbie music listeners" and what should be in a musical time capsule.
Ultimately, though, "the one thing I wanted everything to have is that sort of energy of a peak experience," Moon said.
