Desert Island Draft Thread

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

As soon as I signed up for this concept I knew 2 things...what my first pick would be...and that the other 19 would be a little harder to come up with.

 

I remember the first time I heard the album (on vinyl no less). I wasn't aware of the band or any of their music. It's rare for me to be into something the first time I here it...but this one grabbed me and never did let go. As time passed and I got deeper into their catalogue, I found that this live album only got better and better. It's helped along by the inclusion of many songs from my favorite of their studio albums (Speaking in tongues) and is fuelled by an added funk that makes a song that you've heard a million times sound brand new again.

 

It would be years until I finally saw the video of the album...which shows on video what I already fealt in the music. This live show is a journey. Beginning with a one man piece of the bands first hit Psycho Killer, and continuing to add pieces and sounds and playing faster, funkier and looser. By the time the band plays Take Me To The River the entire show has transformed from an uneasy looking frontman quietly strumming, into an all out celebration of the power of music.

 

I couldn't pick another album for my #1 pick. It's my favorite album, by my favorite band. Stop Making Sense by The Talking Heads

 

 

Thank God we could pick live albums...

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

You know what's funny...and I ALWAYS do this...

 

I threw a "The" on the front of the band name and got it wrong for the millionth time.

[Steviekick 0]

 

Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction

 

Call it overrated and overplayed, but it's still a landmark album. Appetite is really the album that killed glam metal and the hair bands. While bands like Ratt, Bon Jovi and Poison were writing pop songs about partying and love ballads, Guns put out an album thats gritty and dirty, sounding nothing like their contemporaries. The closest they get is "Sweet Child", but even that has a guitar solo that is light years ahead of anything the other bands were doing. The rest of the album is filled with violence, substance abuse and a general fuck the world mentality. After hearing this album, suddenly Look What The Cat Dragged In just isn't relevant anymore.

 

 

[Ravenbomb 0]

Another querey, do tribute albums count as compilations?

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Another querey, do tribute albums count as compilations?

 

Yes, they count as compilations.

[Darthtiki 0]

What about soundtracks done by one artist

[Nighthawk 0]

Call it overrated and overplayed,

 

Not likely. Totally the best album ever. I would have picked it if you didn't.

 

btw, single artist soundtracks were chosen in the thread this one was based on. I only hope you're not getting ready to pick Batman.

[Copper Feel 0]

I just came back to TSM and was immediately greeted by a rather pleasent private message about this thread. Thank you Steviekick!

 

Without further ado:

 

 

Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (1973)

 

By the time of this, their fifth album, people would have generally known what to expect from a Led Zeppelin release. Sure, you wouldn't ever get the macho blues rock of Led Zeppelin II mixed up with the reflective folk rock on Led Zeppelin III. But nonetheless, their influences were evident. Not on Houses of the Holy.

 

This album can be neatly divided into two separate halves. One half finds the band dipping into musical genres such as funk ("The Crunge") and reggae ("D'yer Ma'ker") whilst also refining their previous sound into something less blues orientated but based more around a solid groove. This is where drummer John Bonham excels, creating excellent foundations for the other members of the band to play around. I should at this point mention "Over the Hills and Far Away". That song is completely awesome and completes an astoundingly good 1-2-3 punch.

 

The other half of the album is an absolute anomaly. From the soaring dreamlike charge of "The Song Remains the Same", to the almost classical sounding (this is going to be a paradox) synthesizer washes of "The Rain Song", to the mellotron based attack of the haunting "No Quarter, these songs must have been complete mind fucks to the youth of 1973. However, heard through today's ears they stand up as excellent compositions.

 

Jimmy Page's guitar is in fine form throughout, but that was par for the course. The non bass based playing of John Paul Jones is what really merits special consideration here. Seriously, "No Quarter" is the most awesome thing ever, and that's largely because of his mellotron!

 

So yeah, great album. I meant to write a lot less, but I'm not very good at summarising an entire record in one fell swoop.

 

[HarleyQuinn 0]

What about soundtracks done by one artist

 

They are good to be selected.

[Steviekick 0]

Call it overrated and overplayed,

 

Not likely. Totally the best album ever. I would have picked it if you didn't.

 

I think its one of the best ever as well, but it always seems to get some flack from someone.

[Guest Michael Myers Resplendent]

By "someone" you mean me, don't you.

[Copper Feel 0]

I don't like Appetite for Destruction either, if it's any consolation.

[Steviekick 0]

Please don't think I'm singling you out. It always seem that in any group discussion of what the best albums are ever, there is always at least one person in the group to vehemently disagrees.

[Henry Spencer 0]

 

Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand

 

To me, the most complete, concise, and emotionally satisfying pop album I've ever heard. It's gracefully sequenced, so that each song is fully impactful both by itself and as part of a larger musical whole. The songs are incredibly diverse (this is almost the White Album of the nineties, except half as long), somehow sounding like the Beatles, Wire, early Pink Floyd, the Byrds, and the Who at various different points. It's incredibly consistent, though, with Hot Freaks being the only somewhat sore spot on the album. I love the way the album ends: as if Pollard has nothing more to show you in this strange world he's invited you into, and simply lets the tape run for a few seconds of hiss before shutting it off. Perfection from the very beginning to the end, and it even contains my favorite song (Smothered In Hugs), which I am required to listen to at least once a week.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

 

 

One of, if not my favorite album of all time. I cannot start listening to it without listening to the whole thing. Every song on the CD is great. Time passes by extremely quickly when it's playing and the CD's over before you notice.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Well damn, TheOriginalOrangeGoblin got me for my Number 1 pick:

 

 

I consider this to be one of the top 5 R&B albums of all time, and the record that put Prince on the map...

[Darthtiki 0]

well there went one of my later round picks

[Darthtiki 0]

twice as nice

[Nighthawk 0]

 

The Clash - London Calling

 

As conceptualized and executed, an essentially perfect album. A double album, no less. Extensively ambitious in scope, with the use of multiple genre styles and ideology, it holds together rather than collapsing under it's own weight like so many others, and remains excellent, inspiring and relevant today. London Calling marked the point of expansion for not only The Clash and punk music, but largely for rock in general. One of the greatest and most satisfying albums ever released.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Sorry for the delay - still doing overtime at work.

 

 

The Beatles - Revolver

 

Picking from the ridiculous assortment of albums available was hard enough, but it's even harder to write something meaningful when your album is made by the Beatles. Believe me, I know that Everybody Is Tired Of The Beatles and, frankly, I completely understand the counter-cultural backlash that has been left in the wake of tribute after tribute after nauseating tribute; The Beatles are unfortunately saddled with an overwrought, overbearing legacy that goes a long way towards undermining the brilliance and absolute brevity of their greatest work.

 

So, rest easy: Revolver did not invent music, nor did it reveal new and previously untouched horizons of artistic concept (or, perhaps, even conceit). It's simply a damn good album by a damn good band, impossible in breadth but still immediate, featuring great moments for all four Beatles amidst a variety of remarkable and memorable songs. Twenty albums to two, Revolver is my pick.

[mw679 0]

 

Led Zeppelin- I

 

Ok, here's an album that, the first time I heard it, I was just floored listening to it. This is what a debut should sound like, powerful, bluesy, rockin' all at the same time. From the start of Good Times, Bad Times until the finish of How Many More Times, this album packs quite a punch. Also, Pages' production is so good the album really doesn't sound "old" or "aged", it still has a fresh sound that just kicks you in the gut. Plant's voice is insane, JPJ's bass and organ playing are fantastic and Bonzo, well, Bonzo's drumming is legendary(I actually think he got better as time went on, but he still was great on the debut) Overall, this is still my fave Zep album, which is why I use my first pick in the draft on it.

[Darthtiki 0]

 

Version 2.0 - Garbage 1998

 

The reason I picked this was first off, I've gone through about 4 copies of this disc in 10 years. Each song on the album is enjoyable in its own right. Shirley Manson's vocals are top notch. The album runs the gamut from synth-poppy goodness with "Special", "When I Grow Up" and "I Think I'm Paranoid" to fast paced techno infused cuts like "Hammering in my Head" "Temptation Waits" and "Push It" as well as moody trip-hop ballads in "The Trick is to Keep Breathing" and "You Look So Fine". The album, if reissued for a 10th Anniversary edition would be made even better with some of the single B-sides that were on par, if not better than some of the songs that made the final cut such as "Deadwood", "Can't Seem to Make You Mine", "Afterglow" and "Lick the Pavement".

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I sort of surprised myself choosing this one right out the gate:

 

Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

 

An incomparable effort and, in my opinion, far and away the best thing he ever did. Too much warmth, fun, and sadness to really even encapsulate in a paragraph or two. The album is his longest and still his most astonishingly consistent, and the high water point where his folk and rock explorations meet. As it progresses, the first notes of each track makes me think it's my favorite on the whole thing, until the next one starts. I put "One of Must Know (Sooner or Later)" on more mix CDs than I can remember, and I always stop whatever I'm doing to listen when "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" comes on. I guess the best way to put it is this: in thinking out this first pick, it became more of a priority on my end-of-the-world list than several albums that I thought would have ranked higher on my personal best-ever list. Maybe it's time to rethink #1.

 

And I didn't realize Banky was up next until just now. He's probably going to e-kill me.

[Annabelle 0]

you worthless cunt

 

i select the band's music from big pink.

 

 

more on it later

 

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I had thought about pulling it back but I already had written the paragraph. Let's still be friends.

[Copper Feel 0]

There are two Dylan albums that I prefer to Blonde on Blonde, but they will probably be gone by the time I get to them. Good choice anyway.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Hmm.

 

The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed (1967)

 

Strange choice for a first choice, but if I was stuck on a desert island, I'd probably be pretty depressed. The Moody Blues' signature album would probably cheer me up, get in touch with the natural surroundings, and search for hallucinogens in the meantime, with hits such as "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights in White Satin". It's only about 42 minutes, and there's a lot of filler on there, but that's balanced out by the fact that it feels like watching a movie for me, and I really enjoy it. I get a lot of visualization out of it.

 

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F# A# (Infinity)

 

It's only three tracks, but it lasts an hour. I couldn't pick right away which Godspeed album I wanted, so I picked the one with East Hastings on it, since the progression leading up to its intense middle section is awesome. I mean, stranded all alone, I'd probably want a lot of time to visualize, contemplate, and be stimulated by the music. I could type more, but I'm pretty exhausted right now. I'll save it for when my collection is whole, but right now, I'm pretty happy with my two choices.

[Copper Feel 0]

I object to your accepting a second choice in the first round. I would have just picked my 20 favourite albums right away if I knew that was allowed.

 

edit: Oh, right. That's probably how "serpentine" rules work.

[Annabelle 0]

the band music from big pink - 1968

 

the first great album from a group of mysterious gold rush prospectors. or dylans backing band. whoever they were, the album was so disconnected from what was going on at the time. psychedelia and all that summer of love shit was going on, but the band didn't care. 5 men. equal parts experimenting, singing, songwriting, conceptualizing, and revolutionizing. they, and them alone, brought country-rock into fashion. the band would never truly be a band again. a band in the sense that everyone was an equal partner. we got to see every members strength on this album. everyone sang (minus garth). everyone played on every song. even garth got his own solo. this is the truest music of its time. turn off the lights, lit a candle, put the vinyl on the platter, plug in your headphones, and enjoy the splendor that is music from big pink.

[Annabelle 0]

2nd pick

 

bob dylan highway 61 revisited 1965

 

everytime i listen to it i come closer to saying it is his landmark. lyrically, it is. like a rolling stone was the first 7 minute single but it was also the first "diss" song ever. in fact, the whole album is so mean spirited we see dylan at his most venomous. blonde on blonde saw dylan in love. highway 61 sees his in absolute distaste with everyone around him. the courseness of going electric spilt into the lyrics. no one was safe. no oen fucked with bob at this time. who is ballad of a thin man about? is it about some reporter? really? or queen jane approximately? how about god stricking "abe" down? musically, its the rawest album he ever made. tombstone blues possibly a preface to some early punk rock? no one wants to live on desolation row. but thats where dylan was when he made this album. brilliant. self-assured. nearly unmatched.