Music Lust

Book excerpt: The MP3 and iPod revolution have changed forever how people listen to music, but choosing what to listen to next remains the dilemma of music lovers everywhere. As music director of KCRW in Santa Monica, CA, and DJ of the influential "Morning Becomes Eclectic” show, Harcourt uncovers the best in new and overlooked music for over half a million listeners every day. In Music Lust, Harcourt does what Nancy Pearl did for books in her national bestseller Book Lust. With more than 80 unique and unusual thematic lists, Harcourt offers a wide-ranging guide to the best in recorded music, from Frank Sinatra to Frank Zappa, Billie Holiday to Billy Bragg, bebop to hip-hop, The White Album to Back in Black, and much, much more. Known as an international tastemaker, Harcourt lends his discerning ear in recommended listening lists such as "Queens of Punk,” "Great Road Music,” and "My Desert Island Discs.” Within each list, key bands and performers are introduced and discussed, and pivotal albums and songs identified. With the diversity of genres represented and Harcourt at the helm, Music Lust’s eclectic access to musicians, themes, and styles is spot-on for this moment in music.