Les 1001 albums qu'il faut avoir écoutés dans sa vie () est un ouvrage de référence américain sur la musique publié en 2006 sous la direction de Robert Dimery. Il a connu plusieurs éditions, chacune proposant un contenu partiellement différent : en 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 et 2016.

L'ouvrage consiste en une liste d'albums sortis entre 1955 et la date de publication de chaque édition. Le livre est rangé par ordre chronologique, en commençant par In the Wee Small Hours de Frank Sinatra. Chaque album est accompagné d'un court texte écrit par un critique de musique célèbre. Les entrées sont accompagnées d'images, de citations et d'informations supplémentaires (comme la durée et le producteur).

Le livre a été traduit en français. Il a été publié en France par l'éditeur Flammarion. Il contient une préface du journaliste musical Michka Assayas, avec une liste complémentaire d'albums français et internationaux non cités dans l'ouvrage..

Genres Bien que la grande majorité des albums de l'ouvrage soit d'inspiration rock et/ou pop, 1001 Albums comporte des entrées de world music, rhythm and blues, rap, blues, hip-hop, country, electronica et jazz. La diversité des albums rock et pop s'étend à des sous-genres tels que le punk, heavy metal, rock alternatif, rock progressif, l'easy listening et le rock 'n' roll des années 1950.

Liste Les différentes éditions du livre font des ajouts et des retraits ; sont mentionnées ici toutes les entrées, ce qui entraine un total supérieur à 1001.

Années 1950

Artiste(s) Titre Année1 Frank Sinatra In the Wee Small Hours 19552 Elvis Presley Elvis Presley 19563 The Louvin Brothers Tragic Songs of Life 19564 Louis Prima The Wildest! 19565 Fats Domino This is Fats 19566 Duke Ellington Ellington at Newport 19567 Frank Sinatra Songs for Swingin' Lovers! 19568 The Crickets The "Chirping" Crickets 19579 Count Basie The Atomic Mr. Basie 195710 Thelonious Monk Brilliant Corners 195711 Sabu Martinez Palo Congo 195712 Miles Davis Birth of the Cool 195713 Little Richard Here's Little Richard 195714 Machito Kenya 195815 Tito Puente & His Orchestra Dance Mania 195816 Billie Holiday Lady in Satin 195817 Ramblin' Jack Elliott Jack Takes the Floor 195818 Sarah Vaughan At Mister Kelly's 195819 Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook 195920 Ray Charles The Genius of Ray Charles 195921 Miles Davis Kind of Blue195922 Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs 195923 Dave Brubeck Time Out 1959

Années 1960

Artiste(s) Titre Année24 Joan Baez Joan Baez 196025 Elvis Presley Elvis Is Back! 196026 Miriam Makeba Miriam Makeba 196027 The Everly Brothers A Date with the Everly Brothers 196028 Jimmy Smith Back at the Chicken Shack 196029 Muddy Waters At Newport 1960 196030 Bill Evans Sunday at the Village Vanguard 196131 Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music 196232 Booker T. & the M.G.'s Green Onions 196233 Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd Jazz Samba196234 Ray Price Night Life196335 The Beatles With the Beatles196336 Bob Dylan The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan196337 Phil Spector & Various Artists A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector196338 Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963196339 Charles Mingus The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady196340 James Brown Live at the Apollo 196341 Stan Getz & João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto196442 The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night196443 Jacques Brel Olympia 64196444 Solomon Burke Rock 'n' Soul196445 Dusty Springfield A Girl Called Dusty196446 The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones196447 Buck Owens I've Got a Tiger By the Tail196548 Jerry Lee Lewis Live at the Star Club, Hamburg196549 The Sonics Here Are the Sonics196550 Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home196551 Otis Redding Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul196552 The Beach Boys The Beach Boys Today!196553 John Coltrane A Love Supreme196554 B. B. King Live at the Regal196555 The Beatles Rubber Soul196556 Bert Jansch Bert Jansch196557 The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man196558 Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited196559 The Who My Generation196560 The Beatles Revolver196661 The Beach Boys Pet Sounds196662 Fred Neil Fred Neil196663 The Byrds Fifth Dimension196664 Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde196665 The Monks Black Monk Time196666 The Kinks Face to Face196667 The Mamas and the Papas If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears196668 Paul Revere and the Raiders Midnight Ride196669 The Mothers of Invention Freak Out!196670 The Rolling Stones Aftermath196671 Simon & Garfunkel Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme196672 13th Floor Elevators The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators196673 John Mayall Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton196674 The Yardbirds The Yardbirds196675 Nina Simone Wild Is the Wind196676 Astrud Gilberto Beach Samba196777 Nico Chelsea Girl196778 The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band196779 Country Joe & the Fish Electric Music for the Mind and Body196780 Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield Again196781 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Safe as Milk196782 Moby Grape Moby Grape196783 Love Da Capo196784 The Beau Brummels Triangle196785 The Monkees Headquarters196786 Tim Buckley Goodbye and Hello196787 Love Forever Changes196788 Cream Disraeli Gears196789 Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn196790 The Who The Who Sell Out196791 The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground and Nico196792 Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim196793 The Doors The Doors196794 The Byrds Younger Than Yesterday196795 Young Rascals Groovin'196796 Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow196797 The Kinks Something Else by the Kinks196798 Donovan Sunshine Superman196799 Merle Haggard I'm a Lonesome Fugitive1967100 The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced1967101 The Electric Prunes I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)1967102 Loretta Lynn Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)1967103 The Jimi Hendrix Experience Axis: Bold as Love1967104 Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You 1967105 The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet1968106 Shivkumar Sharma / Brij Bhushan Kabra / Hariprasad Chaurasia Call of the Valley1968107 The Velvet Underground White Light/White Heat1968108 Traffic Traffic1968109 The Incredible String Band The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter1968110 The Kinks The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society1968111 Ravi Shankar The Sounds of India 1968112 Os Mutantes Os Mutantes1968113 The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland1968114 Leonard Cohen Songs of Leonard Cohen1968115 Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison1968116 Laura Nyro Eli and the Thirteenth Confession1968117 Aretha Franklin Lady Soul1968118 Blue Cheer Vincebus Eruptum1968119 The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers1968120 Big Brother and the Holding Company Cheap Thrills1968121 The United States of America The United States of America1968122 Dr. John Gris-Gris1968123 Iron Butterfly In a Gadda da Vida1968124 The Pretty Things S.F. Sorrow1968125 Simon & Garfunkel Bookends1968126 Small Faces Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake1968127 The Band Music from Big Pink1968128 Jeff Beck Truth1968129 Caetano Veloso Caetano Veloso 1968130 Scott Walker Scott 21968131 The Zombies Odessey and Oracle1968132 Van Morrison Astral Weeks1968133 The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo1968134 The Beatles The Beatles (« l'Album blanc »)1968135 The Mothers of Invention We're Only in It for the Money1968136 Neil Young Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere1969137 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica1969138 Creedence Clearwater Revival Bayou Country1969139 Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash1969140 Blood, Sweat and Tears Blood, Sweat and Tears1969141 The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace of Sin1969142 Johnny Cash At San Quentin1969143 Creedence Clearwater Revival Green River1969144 The Beatles Abbey Road1969145 The Who Tommy1969146 Miles Davis In a Silent Way1969147 Bee Gees Odessa1969148 Pentangle Basket of Light1969149 The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed1969150 Nick Drake Five Leaves Left1969151 Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis1969152 Elvis Presley From Elvis in Memphis1969153 The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground1969154 Quicksilver Messenger Service Happy Trails1969155 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin1969156 The Band The Band1969157 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II1969158 MC5 Kick Out the Jams1969159 The Temptations Cloud Nine1969160 Sly & the Family Stone Stand!1969161 Tim Buckley Happy Sad1969162 Chicago The Chicago Transit Authority 1969163 Fairport Convention Unhalfbricking1969164 The Youngbloods Elephant Mountain1969165 Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul1969166 Grateful Dead Live/Dead1969167 The Kinks Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)1969168 King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King1969169 Leonard Cohen Songs from a Room1969170 Fairport Convention Liege & Lief1969171 Scott Walker Scott 41969172 The Stooges The Stooges1969173 Skip Spence Oar1969174 Frank Zappa Hot Rats1969

Années 1970