Lebrecht reviews milestones in the history of classical music recording and lists his opinion of the 100 best and 20 worst recordings. From the beginning of the twentieth century, he discusses the roles of conductors, record labels, pertinent changes in the recording industry, and the reasons for its demise. The second section of the book lists the recordings, ranging from 1902 to 2004, with discussion of their relative merit--or poor quality. Lebrecht is assistant editor of the Evening Standard in London, a writer, and presenter of BBC's lebrecht.live. Annotation 2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
