Desert island albums?

Post by **wilson** » May 18th, 2009, 8:56 pm

In keeping with my recent top ten films thread, I ask you:
You're stranded on a desert island, and you can only have five albums with you. What are they?
And this time, no cheating. No box sets or anything like that. If it's a two-disc album, then you're in luck. And no greatest hits compilations, either (There are ways of getting at least partly around these limitations...be creative).
Hard, I know. But you can do it.
Here are mine:

The Flaming Lips, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"
The Band, "The Last Waltz" (two-disc edition, not deluxe four-disc...that would be at least kind of cheating)
The Grateful Dead, "Europe '72"
Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers, "At the Ryman Auditorium"
Wilco, "Kicking Television"

TomL · Post by **TomL** » May 18th, 2009, 9:50 pm

I'd take Europe '72 as well, along with Wish You Were Here, Kind of Blue, What's Going On and Bringing It All Back Home. Definitely Grievous Angel first off the bench though -- it's always good to have some Emmylou around.

captmojo · Post by **captmojo** » May 18th, 2009, 10:31 pm

Live at the Fillmore East- Allman Bros (just the greatest talents)
Rubber Soul- Los Beatles (just the greatest)
Exile on Main St- Mick & Keith (Rock'n'Roll baby)
Turn of a Friendly Card- Alan Parsons (this has my planned funeral song-Time)
The Division Bell- Floyd minus Roger (every time I listen, I hear something new...
also has one of my favorite lyrics..

"So I open my door to my enemies
And ask could we wipe the slate clean?
But they tell me please go and fuck myself.
You know you just can't win."

rockymtn devil · Post by **rockymtn devil** » May 18th, 2009, 10:37 pm

TomL wrote:I'd take Europe '72 as well, along with Wish You Were Here, Kind of Blue, What's Going On and Bringing It All Back Home. Definitely Grievous Angel first off the bench though -- it's always good to have some Emmylou around.

Grievous Angel over GP? Interesting. Gram was too strung out and lazy for Grevious Angels and, IMO, it shows.

Mine would be:

I'm Wide Awake it's Morning-Bright Eyes (which includes Ms. Harris on several tracks)
Wildflowers-Tom Petty
Okonokos-My Morning Jacket
Heartbreaker-Ryan Adams
Skull & Roses-GD

McGrupp · Post by **McGrupp** » May 18th, 2009, 10:46 pm

Hmmm. Off the top of my head, and subject to major revision...

U2 - Joshua Tree
Radiohead - The Bends
Beatles - White Album
Weezer - Blue Album
Dr. Dre - Chronic 2001

McGrupp · Post by **McGrupp** » May 18th, 2009, 10:47 pm

rockymtn devil wrote: Wildflowers-Tom Petty

Oooh, that's a great one. And would be very soothing on a desert island.

Sue71 · Post by **Sue71** » May 18th, 2009, 10:49 pm

No one's mentioning Jimmy Buffett?

rockymtn devil · Post by **rockymtn devil** » May 18th, 2009, 10:49 pm

McGrupp wrote:
rockymtn devil wrote: Wildflowers-Tom Petty

Oooh, that's a great one. And would be very soothing on a desert island.

And, per your list, The Bends would've been next in line on my list. Best guitar rock album of the 90s.

CameronBornAndBred · Post by **CameronBornAndBred** » May 18th, 2009, 11:15 pm

I'll post mine once I think of them, but first I have to ask, can I expect a rescue? Because if I'm stuck with these great 5 albums, I'm only going to listen to them very infrequently. Nothing like listening to the same thing over and over to make me sick of it.

DevilAlumna · Post by **DevilAlumna** » May 19th, 2009, 2:37 am

Hmm -

"Rattle & Hum" from U2 (though I'd giggle uncontrollably whenever "still haven't found what I'm looking for" came on.)
"Indigo Girls" from ... Indigo Girls
"Les Miserables" Original London Cast Recording
"Greatest Hits" from James Taylor (I know Wilson said no greatest hits albums, but this was released in '76, so it's not like it's a new compilation.)
"Songs in the Attic" from Billy Joel

Shammrog · Post by **Shammrog** » May 19th, 2009, 6:03 am

Metallica! The Black Album!!!

What else are you supposed to HUNT to?!?

TomL · Post by **TomL** » May 19th, 2009, 7:17 am

captmojo wrote:Live at the Fillmore East- Allman Bros (just the greatest talents)

Came very close to making my list also. A couple of years ago the CD player in my car busted so that it does eject, but this is the disc that's stuck in there so I haven't had to bother to get it fixed.

TomL · Post by **TomL** » May 19th, 2009, 7:54 am

rockymtn devil wrote:
TomL wrote:I'd take Europe '72 as well, along with Wish You Were Here, Kind of Blue, What's Going On and Bringing It All Back Home. Definitely Grievous Angel first off the bench though -- it's always good to have some Emmylou around.
Grievous Angel over GP? Interesting. Gram was too strung out and lazy for Grevious Angels and, IMO, it shows.

Yeah, it just means more to me.

rockymtn devil wrote: Mine would be:

Heartbreaker-Ryan Adams
Skull & Roses-GD

Heh. I listened to both of these yesterday. In My Time of Need is so beautiful it hurts. Gram would've love it.

Have you checked out the Internet Archive? Seems like just about every Dead show that hasn't had a commercial release is on there. Some of my favorites...

A Viola Lee Blues rehearsal session from January '66. http://www.archive.org/details/gd66-01- ... sbeok.shnf Fantastic stuff - Pigpen too drunk, everyone else pissed at him - Phil especially, and Jerry very much in charge musically. It's neat hearing the Dead feeling a song out for the first time. Love their early repertoire like...

1/20/68, Eureka California. Wonderfully jazzy flow with Clementine > New Potato Caboose > Born Cross-Eyed > Spanish Jam, plus a little Dark Star teaser.

Just the best. THIS would make my top five if it it were an album, based on my hundreds of listens. http://www.archive.org/details/gd1968-0 ... sbeok.shnf

8/27/72, a benefit show at the Old Renaissance Faire Grounds in Veneta, OR. A blistering hot day with cool tunes and the boys in their prime. I agree with the comments that after Dark Star I'd rather have heard a sweet Morning Dew instead of El Paso, otherwise this show is damn near perfect. http://www.archive.org/details/gd72-08- ... efail.shnf

4/12/78, Cameron Indoor Stadium - http://www.archive.org/details/gd78-04- ... sbeok.shnf Not an obligatory mention here - I just adore the Peggy-O and Loser from this show - those are definitive versions for me. Even the Row Jimmy is great. Sound problems mar the first couple of songs, but Bobby and Phil ragging on the building manager for leaving the house lights up almost makes up for it. And Jerry's apparently coke-fueled US Blues encore is hysterical. There's video of this show on YouTube, BTW.

Sigh. Back to the real world now.

Post by **wilson** » May 19th, 2009, 8:07 am

CameronBornAndBred wrote:I'll post mine once I think of them, but first I have to ask, can I expect a rescue? Because if I'm stuck with these great 5 albums, I'm only going to listen to them very infrequently. Nothing like listening to the same thing over and over to make me sick of it.

I suppose it depends on how optimistic you are. You can certainly hope for a rescue, but there are no guarantees.

Post by **wilson** » May 19th, 2009, 8:08 am

DevilAlumna wrote:Hmm -

"Greatest Hits" from James Taylor (I know Wilson said no greatest hits albums, but this was released in '76, so it's not like it's a new compilation.)

Doesn't matter when it came out; Greatest Hits is ineligible. Find a comparable live album or something, or you walk the plank. ;)

Post by **wilson** » May 19th, 2009, 8:12 am

TomL wrote:
Have you checked out the Internet Archive? Seems like just about every Dead show that hasn't had a commercial release is on there. Some of my favorites...

A Viola Lee Blues rehearsal session from January '66. http://www.archive.org/details/gd66-01- ... sbeok.shnf Fantastic stuff - Pigpen too drunk, everyone else pissed at him - Phil especially, and Jerry very much in charge musically. It's neat hearing the Dead feeling a song out for the first time. Love their early repertoire like...

1/20/68, Eureka California. Wonderfully jazzy flow with Clementine > New Potato Caboose > Born Cross-Eyed > Spanish Jam, plus a little Dark Star teaser. Just the best. THIS would make my top five if it it were an album, based on my hundreds of listens. http://www.archive.org/details/gd1968-0 ... sbeok.shnf

8/27/72, a benefit show at the Old Renaissance Faire Grounds in Veneta, OR. A blistering hot day with cool tunes and the boys in their prime. I agree with the comments that after Dark Star I'd rather have heard a sweet Morning Dew instead of El Paso, otherwise this show is damn near perfect. http://www.archive.org/details/gd72-08- ... efail.shnf

4/12/78, Cameron Indoor Stadium - http://www.archive.org/details/gd78-04- ... sbeok.shnf Not an obligatory mention here - I just adore the Peggy-O and Loser from this show - those are definitive versions for me. Even the Row Jimmy is great. Sound problems mar the first couple of songs, but Bobby and Phil ragging on the building manager for leaving the house lights up almost makes up for it. And Jerry's apparently coke-fueled US Blues encore is hysterical. There's video of this show on YouTube, BTW.

Sigh. Back to the real world now.

Man, I could talk about Dead shows all damn day. I took a house course (1/2 credit) on the Dead during my sophomore year at Duke. As years go, I'm partial to '72 and '76. You're right about the "unreleased" shows, but a lot of the ones that have been commercially released are damn good, too. Dick's Picks 10, for example, is still in steady rotation for me, 8 years after I bought it.
Good call on the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore too, guys...that one's #6 for me.

Post by **wilson** » May 19th, 2009, 8:15 am

Shammrog wrote:Metallica! The Black Album!!!

What else are you supposed to HUNT to?!?

Hah, this is also a great call and a hell of an album.

rockymtn devil · Post by **rockymtn devil** » May 19th, 2009, 7:49 pm

TomL wrote:
rockymtn devil wrote:
TomL wrote:I'd take Europe '72 as well, along with Wish You Were Here, Kind of Blue, What's Going On and Bringing It All Back Home. Definitely Grievous Angel first off the bench though -- it's always good to have some Emmylou around.
Grievous Angel over GP? Interesting. Gram was too strung out and lazy for Grevious Angels and, IMO, it shows.
Yeah, it just means more to me.

rockymtn devil wrote: Mine would be:

Heartbreaker-Ryan Adams
Skull & Roses-GD
Heh. I listened to both of these yesterday. In My Time of Need is so beautiful it hurts. Gram would've love it.

The archive is fantastic. Any musical website in which you can literally get lost for months is well worth a visit. I agree with Wilson that '72 was a special time for the Dead. It was the last stand for the best GD lineup.

As for the Parsons work, I fully understand. Have you read "20,000 Roads"? I enjoyed it infinitely better than "Hickory Wind" as it was a more balanced look at the good and the bad without questioning the significant impact he made on pop music. A very close family friend played with Gram and was, arguably, the most spurned by his antics. For years he refused to discuss Gram or play any of the songs they wrote or performed together. Recently, though, he's come around to being indifferent and has confessed that he really likes those songs and feels it's time to get over the dislike. I couldn't be happier

Post by **wilson** » May 19th, 2009, 8:42 pm

rockymtn devil wrote:
The archive is fantastic. Any musical website in which you can literally get lost for months is well worth a visit.

What's the link for that again? I haven't been there in ages (could be dangerous...).

rockymtn devil · Post by **rockymtn devil** » May 19th, 2009, 9:01 pm

wilson wrote:
rockymtn devil wrote:
The archive is fantastic. Any musical website in which you can literally get lost for months is well worth a visit.
What's the link for that again? I haven't been there in ages (could be dangerous...).

http://www.archive.org/details/GratefulDead

All sorts of bands are here, but the Dead are definitely the best represented.

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