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Post by Kapitan on Aug 11, 2021 14:03:39 GMT
Desert island threads are a dime a dozen. (Actually they're "free a dozen.") But I was thinking about this minor twist on the idea:
If you could choose either: - Any 10 albums (multi-disc sets are fine if they were original albums, but no best-of comps); or - The entire recorded, commercially released catalog of any one artist or band (but only under that one name, e.g. if you chose Paul McCartney you would not get Paul McCartney & Wings; Frank Zappa would not include the Mothers of Invention; etc.)
Which would you choose, and of course, what are the albums or who is the artist/band? Obviously the idea is you'll never have any other music, just this choice, forever.
If you feel like explaining, or talking about what your second choice would've been, that'd be interesting, too.
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Post by kds on Aug 11, 2021 15:19:16 GMT
For the sake of variety, I would take 10 albums from ten different artist. I was tempted to go with the entire Pink Floyd catalog, but I feel like I'd grow tired of just listening to one artist.
So, these aren't necessarily my ten favorite albums, but the ones I'd want with me in a desert island situation.
1. The Who - Quadrophenia - One of my legit top three favorite albums of all time. The fact that it's a double album is a nice bonus.
2. Iron Maiden - Brave New World - My favorite Maiden album of all time, plus it's another kind of long album, and I feel like longer albums, when the length is warranted is a good thing here.
3. David Gilmour - On an Island - Fitting title right? A very good mellow album too.
4. Queen - A Night at the Opera - Even though this seems like an obvious choice, it's actually my third favorite Queen album, behind the first two. But, it's a little more varied, and I feel like in a desert island situation, I'd be less likely to tire of this one.
5. Rainbow - Long Live Rock and Roll - I need a little Ritchie and Ronnie, and while this one is actually my least favorite of the three Rainbow albums they did, again it's more varied, ranging from riff heavy proto speed, to mid paced castle rock epics, to gentle ballads.
6. Pink Floyd - Animals - I could've chose pretty much any Floyd 70s album, but I'm not trying to overthink this, and this is the album I'd want right now.
7. Blue Oyster Cult - Spectres - I think this is the best mix of the more radio friendly BOC with a little bit of the harder edge remaining from their original three albums.
8. Genesis - Selling England By the Pound - This album is actually fairly new to me, having just taken a deep Genesis dive in 2016, so I think I'd enjoy really playing and exploring this album more and more.
9. Jimmy Buffett - Life of the Flip Side - This album is fairly new in general, having just been released last year. Plus, I need a little island rock, right?
10. The Beatles - HELP - Maybe playing the title track repeatedly will be a clue to any passing boat / plane. Plus, it's an album that I don't think I'd get tiring of playing.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 11, 2021 17:31:05 GMT
I was really tempted to go with Queen, the Beatles, or the Beach Boys. (Any selection I'd make would have to include a lot of vocal harmonies and great melodies, so as much as I love Bob Dylan and Frank Zappa and Lou Reed and Prince, it just can't go that direction.)
But I really think that even though I'd have more music if I chose some of those, I'd go the 10-album route, too, for variety. Maybe:
Miles Davis, probably A Kind of Blue. Soothing, beautiful, almost transcendent. Might help me forget I am going to die alone on a desert island!
Beach Boys, Pet Sounds. I mean, duh.
Beatles, Sgt. Pepper. Yep, still my favorite.
Dylan, Blonde on Blonde. Great, also on the longer side!
Queen, A Night at the Opera. Just one of my favorites, a great album I never tire of.
FZ/Mothers, We're Only In It For the Money. Tempted to go with something longer for more meat (no pun on his Uncle Meat intended), but this is my favorite of his.
Herman Dune, Giant. An oddball choice, I know, but what can I say? I adore it. It would bring joy to my desperate situation.
Mozart's Requiem. Beautiful piece of music, plus fitting for when I'm starting to feel like the end is near! Not sure what version.
Prince, Purple Rain. Chock full o' hits. I could have a nice little one-man party.
Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin. I'm not sold on this choice, but it's up there.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 11, 2021 17:50:08 GMT
I'm inclined to choose the first, 10 albums 10 artists, but having just one The Beatles album (and without the singles!!!) would be a major bummer. To be clear, you can pick more than one Beatles album for your 10--they don't have to be 10 different artists, necessarily--but it would just mean fewer lots left for others. (I actually thought about doing more than one Beatles and more than one Beach Boys, but decided against both.)
Oh yeah, and technically (though I hadn't thought about it when I started the thread), I did say "entire recorded, commercially released catalog," so that would imply singles. They were commercially released! So maybe that helps sway you.
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Post by jk on Aug 11, 2021 18:37:42 GMT
I'm inclined to choose the first, 10 albums 10 artists, but having just one The Beatles album (and without the singles!!!) would be a major bummer. I've got to think about it. But if I went with their whole catalogue I'd miss Pet Sounds, O&O, Ram and many other favorites... damn that's difficult. I'll be back laterSo will I. Nice idea, Cap'n.
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Post by carllove on Aug 11, 2021 20:04:50 GMT
This is HARD! I mean - I never thought I could live without 20/20 or Friends, but I need a little variety, so here goes:
1. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds 2. The Beatles - Abbey Road 3. Yes - Close to the Edge 4. Jeff Buckley - Grace 5. Portishead - Dummy 6. Toad the Wet Sprocket - Fear 7. Soundgarden - Superunknown 8. The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed 9. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here 10. The Beach Boys - Sunflower
Hopefully there are some headphones on that island. The list does seem to be missing some dance tunes. I was pretty close to adding some Kanye West, but that would be more because the music would be good for hut building and fire wood gathering, not because Graduation makes my top 10 (Maybe 25 though). Just because of this list I listened to Dummy again. Hadn't heard it in awhile. Yep - as great as I remembered. I suppose you can kind of dance to a few of the songs on that album.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 12, 2021 0:27:46 GMT
1. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys 2. A Hard Day's Night by The Beatles 3. L.A. Woman by The Doors 4. The Doors by The Doors
5. Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan 6. Kimono My House by Sparks 7. Rattus Norvegicus by The Stranglers 8. Go Girl Crazy by The Dictators 9. Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson 10. Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music by Perry Como
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Post by jk on Aug 12, 2021 8:21:58 GMT
I wouldn't describe this as "just another" desert island thread! The conditions are pretty strict. Normally I would have chosen the complete works of either the Boys or the Fabs, but not when the solo albums aren't included. It also means I would have to choose between, say, the Mothers' WOIIFTM and its companion piece, Zappa's Lumpy Gravy. So it's down to the ten albums. Nothing over-familiar, nothing downing... not easy, folks. And, I'd say, a fair percentage of instrumental music. Each album should really offer a dimension none of the others have. Let's say it's coming along -- maybe later today. Interesting choices so far. Wish You Were Here, Selling England... and Grace are three I might consider if the list were longer.
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Post by jk on Aug 12, 2021 11:17:01 GMT
Here you go: If I Could Only Remember My Name (David Crosby). Not just for nostalgic reasons (it was our soundtrack when I first moved to NL) but also because the personnel includes so many West Coast names. And, because I think it's a great album that bears untold repeated listens. THRaKaTTaK (King Crimson). I was introduced to this somewhat forbidding * live instrumental set* by my saxophonist colleague and have been fascinated by it ever since. The Beta Band. This curiously flawed self-titled album is too colourful and has too much variety to not take with me! Since I Left You (The Avalanches). Another even more kaleidoscopic album made up of hundreds of vinyl samples. Screamadelica (Primal Scream). It was this or Spiritualized's LAGWAFIS but the latter is perhaps too heavy for a life spent alone and the Primal Scream album has more variety and a warmer ambience. Mark Hollis. Another self-titled album by the man behind Talk Talk. I think its sparse textures would fit well with the surroundings, more so than that band's Spirit of Eden or even Laughing Stock. Sketches of Spain (Miles Davis). One of a glut of "ambient" albums I bought after reading Mark Prendergast's * book on the subject*. In a way, this one covers Zappa and Beefheart, as SoS was a major influence on them both. Anthology. The Best of Steve Miller. Incredible variety and consistently inspired music. Indeed, not a dud in sight. Requiem (Gabriel Fauré). Ideally, in the luminous version I have on LP conducted by René Leibowitz. L.A. (Light Album). Yes, my Beach Boys album is perhaps an odd choice. But everyone shines on it and there are enough musical styles on board to keep me amused and amazed.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 12, 2021 11:23:35 GMT
THRaKaTTaK (King Crimson). I was introduced to this somewhat forbidding * live instrumental set* by my saxophonist colleague and have been fascinated by it ever since. Sketches of Spain (Miles Davis). One of a glut of "ambient" albums I bought after reading Mark Prendergast's * book on the subject*. In a way, this one covers Zappa and Beefheart, as SoS was a major influence on them both. Requiem (Gabriel Fauré). Ideally, in the luminous version I have on LP conducted by René Leibowitz. Got to admit, the first one left in the quote above is one I got when I started picking up Crimson albums in the late 90s, but I don't think I've listened to it since then. I ought to try it again.
The latter two are wonderful choices. Love them both. Didn't realize either FZ or Captain did, though.
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Post by jk on Aug 12, 2021 11:39:23 GMT
THRaKaTTaK (King Crimson). I was introduced to this somewhat forbidding * live instrumental set* by my saxophonist colleague and have been fascinated by it ever since. Sketches of Spain (Miles Davis). One of a glut of "ambient" albums I bought after reading Mark Prendergast's * book on the subject*. In a way, this one covers Zappa and Beefheart, as SoS was a major influence on them both. Requiem (Gabriel Fauré). Ideally, in the luminous version I have on LP conducted by René Leibowitz. Got to admit, the first one left in the quote above is one I got when I started picking up Crimson albums in the late 90s, but I don't think I've listened to it since then. I ought to try it again.
The latter two are wonderful choices. Love them both. Didn't realize either FZ or Captain did, though.
It seems Don's dad did a bread run and the teenage Don and Frank often helped out. Afterwards, they would retire to Don's bedroom and consume the left-over buns while listening to music. One favourite of theirs was Sketches. In Zappa's case, you can hear the influence of, say, "Will O' The Wisp" melodically in so much of his music. As for Beefheart, "Sugar 'N Spikes" quotes a part of Miles's "Concierto de Aranjuez" that wasn't in Rodrigo's original composition! It occurs twice, here at 0:26 and 1:53:
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 12, 2021 11:45:39 GMT
I knew about the bread runs, but not that Miles was ever among the albums listened to. Frank only ever mentioned rhythm 'n' blues records, as far as I've read.
Very interesting, though. And funny, with Frank especially. He often claimed not to like jazz, and he mocked it endlessly. But he also employed probably almost as many jazz musicians as rock ones.
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Post by jk on Aug 12, 2021 11:50:23 GMT
I knew about the bread runs, but not that Miles was ever among the albums listened to. Frank only ever mentioned rhythm 'n' blues records, as far as I've read.
Very interesting, though. And funny, with Frank especially. He often claimed not to like jazz, and he mocked it endlessly. But he also employed probably almost as many jazz musicians as rock ones.
Ha, yes. I'd say Make a Jazz Noise Here is a pretty good example of both instances.
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Post by jk on Aug 12, 2021 11:59:00 GMT
I knew about the bread runs, but not that Miles was ever among the albums listened to. Frank only ever mentioned rhythm 'n' blues records, as far as I've read.
Very interesting, though. And funny, with Frank especially. He often claimed not to like jazz, and he mocked it endlessly. But he also employed probably almost as many jazz musicians as rock ones.
This is from Mike Barnes's book on Beefheart (page 95, I believe, I'm too lazy to reach up and check): "'Sugar 'N Spikes' half-conceals another one of Van Vliet's favourite tunes. It starts off on an agitated Delta blues rhythm but the mood swiftly changes as the singing guitar lines shadow the vocals in the chorus. This section is constructed around a melody lifted directly from Miles Davis and Gil Evans's version of Joaqu’n Rodrigo's 'Concierto De Aranjuez' from Sketches Of Spain (1959), an album he and Zappa used to listen to as teenagers. The lyrics, however, take the listener back to his homeland. A tale is told of a man in a cold-water flat with 'No H on my faucet' and 'no bed for my mouse.' But the lyrics are wry and humorous and the music melodic, with a later instrumental 'Aranjuez' chorus disrupted by French suddenly rushing off in a flurry of free-time playing."
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 12, 2021 11:59:57 GMT
The band from that '88 tour (represented on Make a Jazz Noise Here) was phenomenal. It's a shame they imploded. Frank never toured again.
Going back, really starting with his work on Hot Rats with Ian Underwood, John Guerin, Max Bennett, and Jean-Luc Ponty, he brought in a lot of jazz (or at least fusion) players. The Grand Wazoo is a fabulous album that could only be considered jazz fusion, and is full of jazz players. Yet that sense of humor of his... He famously said in the early '70s, "jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny." ( There is a book about Frank's relationship to jazz. I've never read it but ought to.)
Of course he also spoke ill of doo-wop, and he obviously loved that, too. Strange (but brilliant) man...
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