Gary Graff isn’t looking to start an argument, although he concedes his latest book just might provoke one.

Or more than one.

In “501 Essential Albums of the ‘90s: The Music Fan’s Definitive Guide,” the veteran Michigan-based music journalist — collaborating with hand-picked writers, musicians, friends and music industry pros — takes the measure of a decade he describes as an “essential” period for music and the music industry.

It’s a 448-page turner, tuned to an array of music tastes — pop and hip-hop; R&B and country; jazz and metal; grunge and gospel; blues and boy bands. And more.

Compiling the comprehensive book, Graff said, was “a fun and frustrating” exercise that demanded “a lot of discussion” to decide what to leave in and what to leave out.

“There was a lot of debate,” said Graff, whose byline as a freelance writer is familiar to readers of Billboard, MediaNews Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

In the book’s introduction, Graff explains: “The very idea of choosing 501 essential albums from the tens, even hundreds of thousands, released during a given decade is preposterous. Hell, even picking that many from a single year is a tall task.”

There was, he said, a “Gettysburg-worthy bloodletting that went on during the selection process.”

The pleasant result is more than a melodic stroll through memory lane. The $40, hardcover volume curates albums and provides more than 600 images in an ambitious retrospective. With painstaking care, the book organizes each album into years, complemented by album art, artist imagery, release dates and other vital statistics.

Chances are readers will find their favorite albums included. A sampling: “No Fences” by Garth Brooks, “Ten” by Pearl Jam, “Dangerous” by Michael Jackson, “Metallica” by Metallica, “CoolelyHighHarmony” by Boys II Men, “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young, “The Chronic” by Dr. Dre, “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” by the Black Crowes, “Duets” by Frank Sinatra and “In Utero” by Nirvana.

Graff said the ‘90s was selected because it was the music industry’s last decade before being reshaped by evolving tastes and technology that upended the industry. Advances such as Napster and MTV were among the powerful forces in reshaping consumer listening habits.For Graff, the decade was yet another chapter in a lifetime of music appreciation that dates to his early youth in Pittsburgh, with a childhood introduction to ’60s rock and soul.

By “7 or 8 years old,” he said, a favorite song was Steppenwolf’s version of “Born to Be Wild.” Music — and grade school writing experience for a class newsletter — helped set his career course. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1982 where he was president of the Journalism Students Association, Graff worked 13 years for the Detroit Free Press, where he became an authority on the Motor City music scene and beyond.

A resident since 1987 of Oakland County’s Beverly Hills, Graff separated from the Free Press during the newspaper’s 1995 labor strike and extended his work into a variety of publications. Along the way, he has been an author or co-author of a dozen books, including “Alice Cooper at 75,” and “Travelin’ Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger.” He is a co-founder and co-producer of the Emmy-award-winning Detroit Music Awards, created in 1988 to honor Detroit-area musicians. The awards have included performances and appearances by top artists, including Smokey Robinson, Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, Martha Reeves and Grand Funk Railroad.

For collaborators to “501 Essential Albums,” Graff reached into his list of music industry contacts. Among those is Steve Taylor, a professional musician, songwriter and teacher who has known Graff for more than 30 years. Raised in Birmingham and a 1993 graduate of Birmingham Groves High School, the Lake Orion resident plays guitar and teaches at Everest Academy in Clarkston.

The “Essential Albums” initiative is “a very big topic and a great project,” Taylor said, adding with a chuckle, “I can’t believe we are old enough now that we are looking at the ‘90s.”

Taylor’s contributions include assessments of albums by Counting Crows, Tom Petty, Indigo Girls and Toad the Wet Sprocket. In those, he said, he found artists with “something to say and important to me as a musician.”

A reception for “501 Essential Albums” is planned for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at Schuler Books, 7260 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield. Register at events.humanitix.com/90-s-music-night-sbwb.

A reception to celebrate both the new book and a new album by the Steve Taylor Three is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Blind Owl, 511 S. Main, Royal Oak.