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“Music is a personal thing – some would say a spiritual part of life and hopefully somewhere in the pages ahead is music that you will embrace and keep with you for years to come.”

Dan Hegarty’s second book, Buried Treasure, Volume 2, continues his quest to delve into the near and distant past, unearthing albums that didn’t receive the acclaim they deserve. The book is an immensely comprehensive project, pulling together contributions from hundreds of artists. Hegarty’s analysis of each album is complimented by thoughts from the artists themselves. The dual perspective approach – one personal and intimate, the other professional and objective – works extremely well. The artists’ perspectives are especially interesting for music buffs who are interested in the creative process.

Each album analysis is accompanied by full-colour cover art, many of which are extraordinarily beautiful and provide a visual break on each page. Underneath the art is the tracklist, and it’s this rigid format, adhered to strictly, that provides the book with a unity and ties together the huge amount of voices and opinions. This organised restraint is one of Buried Treasure’s strongest points.

The book also features articles on record labels and bands as varied as God is an Astronaut, and Mansun (who Paul Draper describes as “the Britpop Sex Pistols”) and features contributions about overlooked albums by musicians and members of the music industry. Buried Treasure, Volume 2 is an ambitious, well organised, fascinating project that brings not only overlooked albums to the fore, but also serves as a snapshot into the minds of diverse figures in the music industry. From radio presenters to solo artists, bands to record label owners, this book is a medley of people passionate about music telling you why – and it works wonderfully.