Folks who were around from the mid-1960s to the early 2000s might remember how music albums were the hot commodity of the day. If you had a favourite artiste or band, all you had to do was head over to the music store and pick up the album of your choice.

But which of the offerings from the album era were the best? One Malaysian author has come up with a comprehensive list of releases everyone should listen to during their lifetime.

Martin Vengadesan spent decades as a music journalist, and his recent book, “101 Albums You Need to Hear Before I Die”, is a personal compilation of what he considers to be the best music in recent decades. Volume one covers 1929 to 1973.

True to its name, the 355-page book has 101 chapters, some long, some less so – each dedicated to one album of his choosing.

Chapters are chronologically arranged, opening with Bessie Smith’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”, and ending with Bob Marley’s “Catch a Fire”.

Speaking with FMT, Vengadesan revealed he wrote a music-history column from 2002 to 2012, during which time he met artistes such as Phil Collins and Carlos Santana.

As such, this book is also a compilation of his experiences and thoughts on the music industry. “I recommend specific albums as a means of talking about these people,” he said.

As he was born in 1973, most of the artistes featured in the first half of his book were long gone by the time Vengadesan came into the world. Regardless, these chapters provide interesting backstories and trivia behind the albums and their performers.

One example is Sonny Boy Williamson II, a struggling blues musician from the southern United States whose name was stolen from a successful musician from the northern US. For a very long time, no one knew there was a difference between the two – resulting in the identity thief eventually making a name for himself!

Then there’s the curious case of “Gloomy Sunday”, a 1933 Hungarian song notorious for its association with a string of suicides.

“It was apparently very melancholic,” Vengadesan noted. “So later on, copies of the album came out with suicide warnings.”

But why write the book in the first place? Vengadesan explained that he doesn’t want all of his work over the years to go to waste.

“I realised I wanted to take control of my legacy,” he said, “and rewrite it and represent it, because I think I’ve lived an interesting life as a music journalist.”

The first draft of the book, which he began working on during the pandemic, had more than 170 albums, requiring him to prioritise those with more unique stories or personalities. In fact, the only artiste with two chapters dedicated to them is his personal favourite, The Beatles.

As for releases beyond 1973, Vengadesan revealed they will be featured in the sequel. And fans of local music will be delighted to know he hasn’t forgotten this crucial category, as Malaysian music will also be included in volume two!

‘101 Albums You Need to Hear Before I Die’ is available for purchase from Gerakbudaya, Shopee, and other major bookstores.