Desert Island Draft Thread

[The Man in Blak 0]

The Olivia%2@\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00Ú\x00\x00<ntrol - Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle

[Steviekick 0]

Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing

 

The album which raised the bar for metalcore. Unfortunately, KsE set it too high, as no other band has come close, themselves as well.

 

Part of that is because vocalist Jesse Leach left the band after this album. His vocals are what it set up, his mix between screaming and clean singing with heartfelt and introspective lyrics.

 

I'm just going to copy and paste All Music's review:

Killswitch Engage's second full-length effort, Alive or Just Breathing, finds the band expanding on the crunchy metalcore sound they established themselves with on their 2000 self-titled debut. This is a pure metal album that seemingly has ignored any fashionable trend and instead relies solely on skill and expertise to sculpt some of meatiest heavy metal since the glory days of Metallica and Slayer. Injected into these chaotic hardcore/death metal hybrid songs is an undeniable sense of melody that flawlessly enhances every track, and instead of turning Killswitch Engage's permanent heavy sound weaker, this melodic accompaniment only goes to make you realize how intense and exhilarating the band is when they explode in an inferno of enraged brutality. Killswitch Engage refreshes your memory by including two old favorites, "Temple From the Within" and the must-hear "Vide Infra." While these have been given a new treatment, each song outdoes the original in sounding much crisper and more lethal; in this situation, the fluid production definitely has helped strengthen the old tunes. The lyrical content is exceptional, as Killswitch Engage don't travel the weary path of death, destruction, and unrepentant negativity, and instead seek to bring the listener to a new level of awareness, delivering the message to treat one another with respect, keep hope alive, and strive to make the world a more civil place to reside in. This is not the typical metal band; with lyrics such as "I believe love will overcome" from the sensational album closer "Rise Inside," it is obvious KSE has more than a blistering double bass and agonizing screams going for them.

[Steviekick 0]

Here are my other two picks....

 

The Doors - The Doors

Simply classic. No explanation necessary.

 

Type O Negative - World Coming Down

Dark morbid fun. My favorite Type O album.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Damn; I missed the boat on the rule change.

 

 

 

17. Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott: Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 - 2000

 

3x Grammy nominated, Double-platinum debut album of Jill Scott. The highest-charting single was "A Long Walk," which hit #43 on the Billboard Top 200, and #9 on the Top R&B.

 

 

Am I correct in understanding that, for the next pick, I'm supposed to just pick my last three albums all at once?

[The Man in Blak 0]

Am I correct in understanding that, for the next pick, I'm supposed to just pick my last three albums all at once?

 

That's correct.

[mw679 0]

 

Joe Bonamassa- Blues Deluxe 2003

 

Continuing my run of blues albums, here is one from one of the best young blues guitartists around today. Joe's first true blues album(his previous releases had a more rock feel to them), he covers some great ones including John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Elmore James and Albert Collins. The title track, was written by Rod Stewart when he was with the Jeff Beck group and Joe does a fantastic job covering it. Definitely one I need to have if I was stranded. Standouts are "Blues Deluxe", "Woke Up Dreaming", "Burning Hell" and "You Upset Me Baby".

[Nighthawk 0]

Ok, so I'm presuming this time I pick one... and then next time I pick three.... so here we go:

 

 

 

Deicide s/t

 

It's brutal as all hell, Glen Benton's a riot and a half... what's not to love? I had to show some props to my hometown Florida metal bands, and Tampa's own Deicide will do nicely.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

My turn, so:

 

David Bowie - Scary Monsters

 

My three favorite Bowie albums got grabbed in the first handful of rounds, but life without a Bowie album is hard to fathom. In addition to all the huge singles, it has one of my favorite anthemic jams, "Teenage Wildlife." Probably one of his 10 best vocal performances, which is saying a lot. The whole album fuses the more experimental sounds he dabbled in on the Berlin albums with a healthy dose of early 80s new wave. A bit familiar, a bit new, and all told really, really good.

[Annabelle 0]

I have four more? here goes

 

mia - kala (2007)

the band - stage fright (1970)

bob dylan - bob dylan live 1966: the royal albert hall concert (1998)

bob dylan - self portrait (1970)

 

i probably listen to self portrait more than any other dylan album. i love it. so romatic so lush so interesting so random. a serious fuck you too everyone. a pastiche of everything that is dylan minus what made dylan, DYLAN. you know?

 

royal albert hall is the greatest live recording ever. the band was never tighter. bob was never more antagonistic nor outrageous. the first half is for late nights. the electric is for running. and patio parties. and everything.

 

stage fright is the band album is listen to the most, as well. the beginning of california rock. they shed the americana concept shit that kinda bogs down the brown album. this is their party album. they eventually went too far in this direction with their later music which led to some painful moments. but c'mon, its the band. the shape i'm in? stage fright? sleeping? actually this isn't california rock, its coke rock. pun intended, i guess.

 

mia kala is so rad in every way. this chick appeals to so many people in rap, pop, dance circles. she's one righteous babe. she's like an updated female dylan for the 21st century. too bad she retired. r.i.p.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

If I'm still on my just pick 1, I take...

 

 

 

 

Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache

 

 

I seriously love this whole CD. I actually like Howard on vocals more than Jesse.

[godthedog 0]

cowboy is totally winning this thing.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

I'd put him last or near last.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Keep hating, really. I hear it does wonders.

[Nighthawk 0]

That's not a bad idea if/when we end up voting on this: a little bit of ranking the best and worst.

 

While obviously I prefer my own list, I don't think I would realistically win over Steve or Paul, as their lists are more universal. There's no reason for anyone to dislike any album they've picked.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Paul's actually out for the weekend so, now that the 24 Hour Vitamin X Watch has completed, I can go ahead and post the three picks that he PM'd to me over the weekend. In fact, I'll even write up a little bit about each of them, since we've trended so closely in our picks throughout this whole thing.

 

 

Crash Test Dummies - Jingle All The Way

 

Probably a little obscure, but I can see where you'd want some Christmas songs to keep you company, if you bought into this whole desert island nonsense rather than treating it as a simple metaphor to drive discussion, of course.

 

 

Korn - MTV Unplugged

 

Hmmmmmmm. Maybe Paul knows something that we don't know about that cover of "Creep."

 

 

Weird Al Yankovic - In 3-D

 

You know, it is kind of peculiar that we've lasted this long without somebody picking up some humor into their collection, so pretty savvy pick. I definitely wouldn't have thought of grabbing this one.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Seriously, though, he picks:

 

Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

The Wrens - The Meadowlands

[Darthtiki 0]

White Light, White Heat, White Trash - Social Distortion 1996

 

The first time I heard Social D was this album in the fall of 96 with "I Was Wrong" and is probably one of my favorite discs of theirs.

 

Return of Saturn - No Doubt 2000

 

Moodier than Tragic Kingdom but just as good.

 

Bleed Like Me - Garbage 2005

 

I could run the Garbage table, but as much as I like Beautiful Garbage it's really uneven and this disc is a great possible end to their discography.

 

Mad Brilliant - Ghost of the Robot 2003

 

For my last pick, I figured I would put in on Celeb-led band and James Marsters only release with this band was pretty solid. It was a shame they didn't last longer.

 

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I'm back. Some write-ups on my final three choices:

 

Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets

 

Fuck do I ever love this album. Super-insane glamrock with Eno's trademark fuzzy, layered sound, and in my opinion the strongest of his four big pop albums. The arrangements are unpredictable and the album covers a huge range of sounds, from frenetic, cacophonic rock on "Needle in the Camel's Eye" (oh, and those keyboards at 2 minutes in!) and "Baby's On Fire" to simply one of the most beautiful walls of sound I've ever heard on the title track. His absurd vocal performances on songs like "The Paw-Paw Negro Blowtorch" are also a hoot.

 

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

 

Tough call between a few of their albums, but this one sticks with me the most. Their most sophisticated album, full of great and gorgeous songs. I used to listen to this album all the time the summer after my first year of college, when I worked in my dad's office and spent Thursday nights cleaning up his model homes. "Radio Cure" drifting through unoccupied expanses of high ceilings, tile floors, and snaking custom-home corridors was practically tradition, and one of my most distinct aural memories. This album was made with a bunch of members of the band pissed off at each other, and they really all go for broke in different spots. I don't think they'll ever get back to something that so successfully blends out-there instrumentation with accessible dad-happy rock. Knew I loved it from the first few strums of "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," one of the all-time great confused love songs.

 

The Wrens - The Meadowlands

 

A personal favorite from a band I saw from 3 feet away. Evocative and intimate lyrics, unmatched mood, and a careful mix of despair and delight on tracks like "Hopeless" and "Happy" make this an album I can go back to any day. The Wrens are the one band I love who I really, really, really wish were more popular. Try those songs and "She Sends Kisses" and "Ex-Girl Collection" to get a feel for probably my favorite album of this century so far. Fucked-up guitars and noise and great songwriting that never, ever gets treacly despite its intensely personal and confessional nature. What's not to love?

[The Man in Blak 0]

And congrats for somehow stepping on one of my last three picks with Here Come The Warm Jets. Asshole.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Hahahaha. It must have burned you to have to type that out for me.

[mw679 0]

 

AC/DC- T.N.T. 1975

 

Might as well grab this classic with one of my last picks. Contains a lot of the songs found on the American released "High Voltage" album. This is the follow up to the Aussie "High Voltage". Anyway, just a great hard rock album with tracks like, "It's A Long Way To The Top(If You Want To Rock 'N Roll)", "T.N.T.", "Rocker", "Live Wire" and a cover of Chuck Berry's "School Days". This is one album I always go back to listen to.

 

 

 

The White Stripes- Elephant 2003

 

For me, this is the most consistant album of theirs. I love the others but this one is closest to what I thought their sound should be. Nice contrast in heavier tracks("Seven Nation Army", Black Math", "Ball And Biscuit", "The Hardest Button To Button") and more melodic("I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart", "In The Cold, Cold Night", "You Got Her In Your Pocket").A good listen all around.

 

 

 

 

Living Colour- Live From CBGB's 12/19/89 2005

 

Last but not least, I'm taking Living Colour. I figured since I love live music, I need a live album. They are pretty close to their peak at this point, Corey Glover's vocals are great, as is Vernon Reid's guitar playing. Muzz Skillings and Will Calhoun hold down the rhythm section wonderfully. I really like how they open with their biggest hit "Cult Of Personality" and really focus on the material that would later end up on their "Time's Up" album. This also features unreleased songs "Soldiers Blues" and "Little Lies" and a cover of Bad Brains "Sailin' On".

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

Keep hating, really. I hear it does wonders.

 

I'm not hating, I'm just saying where I would rank your album list.

[The Man in Blak 0]

 

Brian Eno - Another Green World

 

So, the story goes that Eno was hit by a car in 1975. Bed-ridden and weakened for months, he had only the sub-audible strains of eighteenth century harp music to subsist upon and, thus, he re-calibrated his perception of sound to match the surroundings. The albums that immediately followed (this one, along with Discreet Music) were a striking departure from the glam-rock science-cum-vampirism that had previously characterized his solo career, so much so that all subsequent returns to those old stomping grounds (Before And After Science, Another Day on Earth) appeared to leave even Eno himself unfamiliar with his previous self.

 

But perhaps another realization informed that shift in tone because, for every re-awakening that emerges forth from Another Green World ("St. Elmo's Fire", "The Big Ship"), there's a darker implication in tow ("In Dark Trees", "Spirits Drifting"). An understanding that, for all that he had accomplished and all of his influence as an artist, the car didn't stop and it might very well be impossible to ever take anything that important for granted again.

 

 

Tom Waits - Frank's Wild Years

 

The last leg of his indispensable 80's output and home to the fractured anti-rock groove of "Hang On St. Christopher", my personal favorite song out of his catalogue. The fact that it's surrounded by a number of his more recognizable tunes - "Way Down In The Hole", "Innocent When You Dream", "Temptation", "Straight To The Top" - only strengthens its case as one of his most under-appreciated records. Philosophical axiom for your consideration: "Never trust a man in a blue trenchcoat, never drive a car when you're dead."

 

 

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock

 

Post-rock. Hate the term all you like, but there's a reason for it; there's not enough energy here, harmonic or otherwise, to qualify it as jazz, not enough backbeat to even consider passing through any inspection as rock. Just a dull ache, methodical, a persistent longing that could very well remained unfulfilled, forever. For Mark Hollis, the tree does not fall in the forest but, instead, bends to the very ground, years of weight eventually dragging it downward so that there is no simple crack, no explosion of timber, no aftermath. Just contemplation...and a subtle reminder along every inch of the way that you're sinking, that you can't move and that, no matter what ray of light may glimpse through the trees, you can't keep it from ending any other way.

[Nighthawk 0]

 

Geto Boys, s/t

 

One of the most perverse, vile, disgusting rap albums ever released, and it's awesome. (Note the parody of Let It Be as the cover) Def American felt the need to put this sticker on it:

Def American Recordings is opposed to censorship. Our manufacturer and distributor, however, do not condone or endorse the content of this recording, which they find violent, sexist, racist, and indecent.

 

 

Eazy E - Eazy Duz It

 

The first, and still the best NWA solo album (if you don't count Chronic... but yes, I am saying this is better than Amerikkka's Most Wanted... take that guys, it's criminal that it hasn't been chosen yet). Some of the funniest dirty rap ever recorded.

 

 

GG Allin - Freaks, Faggots, Drunks and Junkies

 

Well, I had to take this, as I have a tattoo of the cover. Much like how Gene opened the draft, when I'm in the mood for GG, nothing else will do. Critics note: ""Allin's entire output ranks as perhaps the worst music ever recorded; this is its clearest expression"

 

I can't describe this better than GG's self-penned liner notes:

 

I live in NH cause it's cheap. But it fuckin, stinks with conservative pigs and lame bands, ect. I don't socialize to much any more 'cause nobody wants to associate with me. I'm not welcome because I've fucked over so called people and trashed parties, fighting & breaking bottles over heads. I'm an ugly scum + I don't care. I don't fuckin' care if people know if I had sex with my brother or my dog. Nobody controls me + never will. If you think I'm bullshit, why don't you come to NH and see for yourself. Visit my one room that smells like a piss factory + smells of dope and whisky. I'm not thanking any fucker, just myself. Those who talk the dogshit about me really just want to be me. But you never fuckin' will.

 

Everything I have fits in a trunk + I don't bathe often or change my clothes. I hang out with Jim Beam and I do not record for popularity, I do it for myself only. Because it is my life.

 

Until they put me in a box 6 feet under, I'll continue to fuckin' do it my way.

 

If parts of this record sound fucked up, that's because we were. If you want perfection, go buy someone else's record.

 

Thanks to no fucking body but me.

[godthedog 0]

wow...that's seriously something i would've written at 12 if i sat down and imagined myself to be a rock star and wrote it all down. this explains so much about you.

[Nighthawk 0]

No it isn't!

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Okay, let's close it out:

 

 

 

18. Hikaru Utada - First Love - 1999

 

First Love is the second album released by Hikaru Utada, released in 1999, and the most successful to date. It’s considered to be her first “official” release, since 1) it’s her first Japanese-language album, 2) it's the first album released under her real name, and 3) her first release (an English-language album that she released in the US and Japan under the pseudonym “Cubic U”) totally tanked. A number-one hit in Japan and worldwide, this album sold over two million copies the first week it came out; overall it sold over seven million copies in Japan and over ten million worldwide.

 

While better selling than Distance, First Love wasn’t nearly as dominant at the top of the charts: There were four hit singles from this album, but only one of them hit Number One on the charts ( Movin’ On Without You ). The other three singles from the album ( Automatic , Time Will Tell and First Love ) topped out at 4, 2 and 2, respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

19. Christina Aguilera – Stripped – 2002

 

Aguilera’s second studio album, sold ten million copies worldwide, and certified platinum in eighteen different countries. It featured five hit singles, including Beautiful, which was awarded a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2004. My personal favorite song on the album, Get Mine, Get Yours, was not released as a single. Like with Hikki, I think that Christina’s voice is spectacular, and her albums are always well produced, in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

20. Kool & The Gang – Ladies’ Night – 1979

 

Ladies’ Night marked the beginning of Kool & The Gang’s transition from funk to mainstream pop. I don’t have a lot to say about this album, other than the fact that I like it… It actually came down to a coin toss between this and Jon B’s Cool Relax for my twentieth pick, so it’s not like I had my mind made up, but I do really like this album. Ladies’ Night and Too Hot are classics.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

 

19. Christina Aguilera – Stripped – 2002

 

Aguilera’s second studio album, sold ten million copies worldwide, and certified platinum in eighteen different countries. It featured five hit singles, including Beautiful, which was awarded a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2004. My personal favorite song on the album, Get Mine, Get Yours, was not released as a single. Like with Hikki, I think that Christina’s voice is spectacular, and her albums are always well produced, in my opinion.

 

 

This and The Chronic are the only albums you picked that I've heard.

 

And is this draft really going to go by without any of you picking a Pavement record?

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I thought about it, but kind of had many aspects of their sound/feeling covered by several albums I like better.

[The Man in Blak 0]

I like Slanted & Enchanted and I considered taking it as a part of my final three, but it just didn't match my needs at that part of the draft. I wasn't taking it over Eno or Ol' Tom and I had already taken a fair deal of indie rock to that point anyway...so it was hard to rationalize taking it instead of Laughing Stock, which I probably could have taken 15 rounds ago, if I were picking on my personal preference alone.

 

That being said, somebody could probably swoop in at the tail end of this draft and, using nothing but the leftovers, still put together a killer list of 20 albums. There's an absurd amount of stuff hanging around out there.