All:
As far as I am aware, there hasn't been a thread like this here, so I thought I'd start it.
I did a Desert Island discs series on my
blog, and it forced me to think pretty hard, so I thought I'd post here and get your picks as well. I only picked ten discs, and although I left out LOTS of my favorites, if I were forced to take 10 discs for the desert island journey, these are it:
(Keep in mind that this was written on a blog that cosists of software, and social computing engineers, so I do explain a bit more than most here will need explaining
)
My first Desert Island pick is Radiohead's
The Bends.The Bends is the definitive Radiohead disc in my opinion. I like lots of their other stuff, but nothing nearly as much as The Bends.
If you're not familiar with Radiohead,
The Bends is an excellent place to start. This is one of those discs that takes you on a trip to a different place, and the album is very well laid out.
The sound quality could be better, but honestly I think some of the compression, and artifacts are intentional, and they sort of bring the theme of the album out further toward the listener.
Favorite tracks on this include Fake Plastic Trees, and Just. But it's very hard to just listen to those tracks. This is one of those discs.
My next pick has to be
Dozin' At The Knick from the Grateful Dead.
I only got into the Dead back in High School, and this is a band that does have to grow on you. In fact, if you aren't currently listening to them, and wonder what the hype is about, I can recommend a good one from them called
One From The Vault that was actually recorded a few hours after I was born.
My favorite era of the Grateful Dead's stuff is the early 90's. This is a three disc set, which I know is not fair, but if I have to take only a single disc from it, give me disc 3. With one of the best Stella Blue's I know of, the definitive version of Wheel, and a haunting Black Peter, this is a great disc. Even if one skips Brent's heartbreaking rendition of I Will Take You Home, and the Brokedown Palace, this disc is amaaaazing.
Other highlights include a great Hell in a Bucket, which you can hear in my music section here on Wallop, and When I Paint My Masterpiece. I always love hearing the Dead interpret Dylan's stuff.
This disc is a must have!
Next on my very short list is John Rutter's
Requiem.
As Requiems go, I can't say that I like many of them, but Rutter's is the best in my opinion. John Rutter is a man of many talents. Composing, and conducting are two of those, and when you hear
Requiem, you'll realize how talented this man is.
There are a few versions of this, and my favorite is the Reference Recordings version. This one is conducted by Timothy Seelig, and is every bit as good as the Cambridge one conducted by Rutter himself. Keith Johnson makes amazing recordings, and he is not one to record dull music just so it can sound good. I recommend the Turtle Creek stuff from Reference Recordings as well, but this one goes with me to the island!
This composition bleeds emotion. It was played at some of the 9/11 memorials, and even at the Reagan funeral.
Again, it's a disc that compels the listener to sit through the entire thing. As with most requiems, this one starts with lamenting sadness, and ends with thundering joy. Rutter is genius, and on this disc, you get a couple of bonus tracks, such as a fine Gaelic Blessing from the Turtle Creek guys that is a perfect way to close this disc.
My next pick is one that I would not be able to live without. It's
The Pizza Tapes with Jerry Garcia, Tony Rice, and David Grisman. I don't care if you don't like Jerry, Tony, AND David, you'll like this disc.
There is more talent on this disc than you can shake a stick at. Tony Rice is unquestionably the best flatpicker in the world. Sure, there are faster flatpickers, but just barely, and NONE have the tonal, and rhythimic musicality that only comes from many years of playing.
On this disc, Tony is playing Clarence White's Martin pre-war D-28 with an old crappy Gretsch neck. You see Clarence got the Martin when he was a teenager, and it survived a BB gun hit, and some worse things until the neck broke off. His parents couldn't afford to have it repaired to original, so this guitar shop had an old Gretsch neck that was cheap and he put it on for Clarence's folks. This neck is too long, has too many frets, and has the dots in the wrong place. But it's a piece of history, and is probably worth a couple hundred thousand dollars.
Anyway I digress.
This disc was circulated around bootleg taping circles for years. It's called
The Pizza Tapes because it was believed to have been stolen from David's house by a pizza delivery guy. Finally David recovered it, and mastered it perfectly, as he always does. This is an amazing insight into a jam session between these three greats.
The guys are so different, and that's what makes this disc great. Jerry has that unstructured, fat style, whereas Grisman is very disciplined, and orthodox. Tony just has a super strong hand, and can mix jazz chords with old bluegrass and folk tunes, and make the most beautiful music.
Highlights on this disc include. . Well actually, I know I have already said this, but the entire disc is superb! But if I had a nice pair of headphones, and I turned on Gershwin's Summertime on this disc, I would try and wave off the rescue helicopter until the song was over!Here's that Martin. And Tony.This was taken during the session.
Next pick is Mr. Clapton with
24 Nights.
Back in the
Journeyman era of 1990, Mr. Clapton did 24 consecutive, SOLD OUT nights at the Royal Albert Hall. Had I not been a kid, and making $40 a week bagging groceries, I would have been there myself.
This is the hallmark Clapton disc. I am admittedly a sucker for live music, and live recordings, and if I was not, I might be tempted to pick Journeyman for my Desert Island experience. That is until I play the Old Love from 24 Nights and the solo Clapton does has me in a hypnotic state. Therefore, I must pick
24 Nights.
There is something for every Clapton fan here. There is the
Journeyman Clapton, the blues Clapton, and even the classical Clapton with a small orchestra helping Eric through on a mesmerizing Edge of Darkness.
Be sure to give this a listen. Get the DVD too, but not in place of the CD. The DVD for some insane reason cuts some parts off some songs. And it's the wrong place to cut.
For example, one must have REM on a desert island. The problem is, there is so much good REM, and there is not a single disc with all of it on there. The recent
In Time release of the greatest post-
Green hits is not bad, but there are some duds on there. I would mix that with the greatest pre-
Green hits of my choosing, and I guess I'd have to count that as one, even though it's not fair. But hey. . It's my list. . LOL!
On to some final picks.
The Final Cut from Pink Floyd is one I have to take. As dark, and depressing as it is, this disc is a true opera of sorts that tells a wartime story from the perspective of a soldier's son who sometimes puts himself in his father's shoes, and comes close to the edge of suicide. It comes to a climactic end with Two Suns In The Sunset, an eerie song which has visions of nuclear holocaust and death, but is actually quite soothing. It's a masterful disc in my opinion. It's hard to believe someone could take a story like that, and make it so nice and pretty, and make you feel sad, and have closure at the same time.
I know the real Pink Floyd fans persecute this album, and say it's horrible, and one of the worst. I think it's their best. And again, it's MY list.
Phish is a band that I have been into for a number of years. Some don't like them, and some like them too much. Having been to may shows, I would say they are absolutely better live, than in the studio. Which is why my next pick is a live show that is available from Livephish.com.
It's
the 3/1/2003 Greensboro, NC show. This was just after Phish came off their two year hiatus, and we all thought it was going to be the LAST tour. And we were pretty much right. Except for a brief fall holiday run, that was it for Phish. For 12 or so years, I had been seeing Phish, and I can honestly say that this was the best show I have ever seen them perform.
The show spans their career, and has all the great songs. Not all the "hits" b/c some of the hits kinda sucked, but this is all of the truly masterful tunes. And the sound quality on this release is fantastic. It's like being there. I should know b/c I was there.
Smashing Pumpkins are one of the only great bands to come out of the nineties. I know some will say that they were around in the eighties, but not in any real national capacity. Their best is
Siamese Dream and it's going with me to the island. If I could only take a single song from SP, it would be a song called Mayonaise. Odd title for sure, but what an incredible song this is. Even if you don't like the Pumpkins, this song is really good, and it is a true work of art.
I saw Smashing Pumpkins on their last tour in a theater that only holds a thousand or so people. What an amazing band they are (were). When they played Mayonaise I could have jumped from the balcony I was so excited! Good thing I was sitting on the ground level.
If you find that you like SP, pick up
Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness. It is truly one of the best albums that came out in the nineties, and is one of my all time favorites, even though there isn't room for it in my DI picks.
Back in the day there was a band called Love. I didn't know it until a year or two ago, but they've been around for a long time. Their album
Forever Changes is one that Brad introduced me to, and it's one that would be in my Desert Island picks. I struggle between taking this one, or
Pet Sounds from the Beach Boys, but in the end, I already have enough depressing music in my bag, and the Love album is a different kind of trip.
Very good music with fantastic arrangement including some great horn work, a string section that will amaze you, and lyrics that are as masterful as any.
Well. . That's 10. And although there are discs that I will miss, and be sad that I had to leave behind, like Metallica's
And Justice For All, (Don't laugh unless you've heard it) They Might Be Giants'
Apollo 18, and several others that are close to my heart, I would be fine for quite some time with these picks.
It's hard as heck to pick ten discs, knowing you can't have any others.
I encourage you to try it. It really gets you thinking.
