No two books in Continuum's 33 1/3 series are the same, because the publisher consistently encourages its authors to write about albums in different ways: Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy wrote about the Replacements' Let It Be in personal, coming-of-age terms, while Chris Ott wrote about the creation of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures with historical and technological authority, mixed with obvious reverence and empathy for Ian Curtis. More recently, Carl Wilson described how the mass popularity of Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love reflects the nature of our taste, while Kate Schatz wrote what is, essentially, lesbian erotica inspired by PJ Harvey's Rid of Me . Allowing the writers to express their passion in their own way has helped 33 1/3 establish a firm position in the music-writing canon. Reading about music almost always depends on interest and appreciation for not just one artistic undertaking, but two: writing and music. Continuum has, in most cases, combined these masterfully.

33 1/3 Greatest Hits: Volume 1 includes excerpts from the first 20 books, and its table of contents alone illustrates the series' diversity: the Beatles, the Beach Boys, James Brown, the Ramones, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, ABBA, Neil Young, and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd are all represented. Choosing highlights would betray one's personal musical and cultural interests, but to offer just a few: Ott's detailing of the groundbreaking recording techniques used by Martin Hannett during Unknown Pleasures' recording sessions, and particularly his explanation of "digital delay"; Andy Miller's breakneck, heavily footnoted account of the creation of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society; and finally, Jim Fusilli's thoughtful analysis of Brian Wilson's quiet but steady control of Pet Sounds and its reception by the pop-music world.

As editor David Barker acknowledges, taking "something so visceral, so immediate, so downright entertaining" as an album and transferring it into words has created a collection that isn't for everybody. But for anyone with a passion for music, what these writers bring to the series is just as visceral, immediate, and entertaining.

-Tom Roberge