The Desert Island Thread

[Gord]

Sure, a boring concept. But we have so many folks in the Cafe who have musical insight and talent (yes Frank, I am thinking of you) that I want to start a Desert Island Thread. I realize that this is a "point in time" survey and that in 6 months or 2 years, it will be radically different. My goal is to discover music I don't know or have under-appreciated. So my challenge to the Cafe is to list a minimum of 3, maximum of 10 pieces of music you recommend I listen to. You choose. List albums. List bands. List songs. I don't care. But what I want to know is why you think this artist, album, or specific song is worthy of attention. This is all subjective. There is no right or wrong answer. It is just your suggestion.

I am not prepared to make my specific list, but my initial thought of candidate musicians are:


Black Box Recorder
Chicago
Electric Light Orchestra
The Connells
Wagner - Der Ring
Fischer-Z / John Watts
The Kinks
Emm Gryner
Pink Floyd
Alan Parsons Project


My list is longer, and I need to give it some thought. So tell me. Who do you listen to? And why do you recommend I listen to them?

[Griffon]

In no particular order:

Siouxsie and the Banshees "Nocturne"
Clutch "Clutch"
Loose Marbles "Mush Face Killer"
Pixies "Surfer Rosa"
The Eighties Matchbox B Line Disaster "The Royal Society"
The Rolling Stones "Hot Rocks"
Public Image Limited "Album"
Joy Division "Still"
Johnny Cash "Live at San Quentin"
The Cramps "Psychedelic Jungle"

[demenshea]

Cool... I love these threads that are rife with new tunes for me to experience. Thanks Gord, can we take anyone we want there with us...u know to the island? :eusa_drool:

Both new and old all instilling passion...no particular order

Tom Waits--God's away on business or damn near any Tom Waits!
Conner Oberst or Bright Eyes--brilliant lyricist--Cape Canaveral(find it)
Decemberists--any of their ballads Crane Wife 3 is excellent
Radiohead--anything!
Built to Spill--Carry the zero
Flobots--Present Platypus album--modern protest
Jeff Beck with Rod Steward--Blues Deluxe (the best old skool rock/blues)
Keb Mo--modern old skool blues
7 angels 7 plagues--jhazmynes melody or the afternoon
Jose Gonzalez--new skool tradition guitarist (found on myspace)

Awkkkk...must add Gentle Giant!!

The list could go on and on...i didn't touch all the jazz or classical i love!!

I was a radio disc jockey for 5 years at KBBI radio, Homer Alaska. I got a chance to listen to a ton of music and open my mind to much of what I may not have otherwise listened to. I had two young sons, one of which was the youngest FCC licensed disc jockey in AK. We learned a lot from one another.

[Gord]

Okay, I've taken time to think about the songs on my i-pod that I am seeking out most frequently right now. I know I will violate my own "10 song" rule here!

In no particular order:


Elliott Murphy - Last of The Rock Stars (or Anastasia)
Crash Vegas - Keep It To Myself
Chicago - Introduction (or Beginnings)
Within Temptation - Dark Wings
Robyn Hitchcock - 8 Miles High (phenomenal cover of The Byrds classic hit!)
Ian McCulloch - Proud to Fall (gotta love Echo & The Bunnymen!)
Catie Curtis - Magnolia Street (or I Don't Cry Anymore)
The Lightning Seeds - Pure
The Connells - Slackjawed (or Get A Gun)
Horslips - Letters From Home (or anything off of The Man Who Made America album)
Emm Gryner - Good Riddance (or Summerlong, or East Coast Angel)
Gene Loves Jezebel - The Motion of Love


Of course I could go on to list The Stranglers, The Sex Pistols, Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold, Breeding Ground, Metric, The Psychedelic Furs, The Animals, Fischer-Z (or John Watts), Hoodoo Gurus, or any version of "Throw Your Arms Around Me" (Hunters & Collectors, Doug Anthony All Stars, Pearl Jam, you name it - this is a phenomenal song!).

Of course my list will likely change in a few weeks!

[beekstersocal]

here's some fresh stuff
*tantric,,,,,,anything you can find
*lamb of god,,,,,when you tired put this on
*five finger death punch
*three doors down
*simon and garfunkle
*michael shenker group
* aerosmith,,,anything pre 80's
*kotton mouth kings
*corrosion of conformity .
*ufo
good luck

[Rchop]

Mine would be: (in no particular order)

Brooks and Dunn...anything by them, great videos too
Rascal Flats...anything
George Strait...anything
Mercy Me...."All that is within me" CD, great videos too
Adam Cunningham...anything
Third Eye Blind...anything
Blind Melon...anything,too bad they're still not around
Dave Mathews...anything
Pink Floyd...Dark Side of the Moon, yes it does still sound as good without...:033:
Allman Bros...anything pre 1975

[Donson]

In My reneck-closed-consevative mind,I wouldnt listen to a musical if You held Me at gun-point.I am working on My desert island list,and Susan Boyle,I Deamed A Dream is on it....Damn!

[Boxerboy]

Duane Allman's Anthology.

The Go Betweens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ9k5HbNE6o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxjna1OfvK0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI431t7D3QA&feature=related

Hunters...anything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7EjluAK6i0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyiYBajrefY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H2Dl4bfySM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-AqY6LsuCM&feature=related

Lennon.

[Gord]

Duane Allman's Anthology.

Hunters...anything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7EjluAK6i0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyiYBajrefY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H2Dl4bfySM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-AqY6LsuCM&feature=related


+1 on that!!!

[Griffon]

here's some fresh stuff
*tantric,,,,,,anything you can find
*lamb of god,,,,,when you tired put this on
*five finger death punch
*three doors down
*simon and garfunkle
*michael shenker group
* aerosmith,,,anything pre 80's
*kotton mouth kings
*corrosion of conformity .
*ufo
good luck

CoC's "Animosity" is my favorite thing by them! Great stuff!

[Griffon]

In My reneck-closed-consevative mind,I wouldnt listen to a musical if You held Me at gun-point.I am working on My desert island list,and Susan Boyle,I Deamed A Dream is on it....Damn!

Next thing you know, you'll be off the New York to sing on Broadway. I guess it's a plus you have a mustache and look good in leather... :rofl:

[Boxerboy]

+1 on that!!!

yeah, the Go Betweens aren't everyones cuppa, but they were cultish here in Oz in the '80's. Loved them.

[Ed K]

Hey Gord, fun thread!


There's so much good music... but hmmm let's see... Gord's goal: "My goal is to discover music I don't know or have under-appreciated..."


Maybe you have not heard the spicy rock of these guys -

Black Crowes - e. g. "Hard to Handle"


Perhaps a classic oldie but goodie but not so well known...

T-Rex - e. g. Bang A Gong


More likely you've heard the crisp, simple, but powerful sounds belting from this one...

Lenny Kravitz - e. g. Dig-In


But I'd almost bet my KS that you have not heard this sweet female voice, that just melts me...

Gerwin Eisenhauer´s The Gäff Gang Featuring Lisa Wahlandt - e. g. Dindi

[Donson]

:ymca:How did You know Jeremy,I am off to the great White Way,audition for the Village People.They need a Biker!:ymca::ymca::ymca::ymca::ymca:

[Elsie Smith]

Pretty much anything by the three B's:
Bach, Beethoven, Brahms
classical stuff, nothing with words :-)

[Ed K]

Folks... Here's Gerwin Eisenhauer's The Gäff Gang Featuring Lisa Wahlandt - Dindi.

On the website below, grab the brown bar with your mouse, and move it around a bit, to sample different pieces of the song and get the idea of the artist. Enjoy.

http://www.mspot.com/song/Gerwin+Eisenhauer%3Fs+The+G%C3%A4ff+Gang+Featuring +Lisa+Wahlandt/WMG884463102514-1-9/Dindi

The MP3 can be had from Amazon, but you'll hear less of a sample of the song.

[TorqueMonsterMT-01]

Dream Theater (Band)
The Rover - Achilles Last Stand - The Song Remains The Same (Song)
A Change of Seasons (CD)

This live Zeppelin medley is recorded so crisp and clear that you won't believe it is live. On top of that, these musicians are phenomenal.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Molotov (Band)
Chinga Tu Madre (Song)
¿Dónde jugarán las niñas? (CD)

This Mexican hip-hop/guitar rock band is the one that inspired Limp Bizkit and a whole slew of wanna be's. You can't help but sing along and play your air guitar to the driving beat. (Fun to play if you are a musician too.)

""""""""""""""""""""""

Sergei Rachmaninoff (Composer)
Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30, I. Allegro Ma Non Tanto (Piece)
Alexander Brailowsky, Byron Janis & Charles Munch (Performed By)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 (CD)

Even if you are not on a desert island, you can be within seconds simply by closing your eyes and listing to this piece at a fairly high volume.

Do not Rach and drive. This piece will distract you from the real world.

[Gord]

Pretty much anything by the three B's:
Bach, Beethoven, Brahms
classical stuff, nothing with words :-)

Elsie (and Torque) thanks for adding the classical perspective (although as I recall I did include Wagner's Das Rheingold in my list). Another great classical composer who I swear was the acid king of his day - Hector Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique.

An area of music I really want to explore is 1940s and 1950s jazz and blues. Anyone have any hints on where I should start?

[Griffon]

An area of music I really want to explore is 1940s and 1950s jazz and blues. Anyone have any hints on where I should start?

Ella Fitzgerald. In my mind, nobody can sing "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" after her. She could do no wrong...

Duke Ellington is another great one for the era, and Ella sang with his band for awhile so it should be easy to kill two birds with one stone.

Django Reinhardt was an incredible gypsy jazz guitarist. By the 40's and 50's, he was in a bit of a decline, but just stunning. "Django's Tiger" is his signature song, and one of my favorites.

[Donson]

Wow,Jeremy, I have never heard Djangos Tiger before-that is awesome!:velvt:

[jpenney]

Arcade Fire - Funeral
Pedro The Lion - Achilles' Heel
Black Sabbath - Anything with Ozzy
The Ramones - Anything
Nirvana - In Utero or Bleach
Weezer - Pinkerton
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
St. Vincent - Marry Me
The Cure - Disintegration
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

[Donson]

Black Sabbath!? You are OLD ,JPenny! They destroyed My hearing in 79,Never Say Die,3 feet from those Marshall Stacks!:)

[Ed K]

remember Iron Man? Sweat leaf? etc...

[Gord]

remember Iron Man? Sweat leaf? etc...

Iron Man is one of my favourites. Crazy Train behind it. Listen to Emm Gryner's version of Crazy Train. Spectacularly different. It took me a minute to realize it was Crazy Train she has turned it into this piano ballad.

Personally, I've never been able to figure out the attraction of Arcade Fire. There are so many other better Canadian bands past and present in my mind. I have a soft spot in my heart for Blue Peter, Crash Vegas, The Diodes, and Rough Trade.

And of course anything by the Ramones is a big +1. I am also listening to a lot of Public Image Limited of late and vintage Sex Pistols. I am particularly fond of both the punked out and orchestral versions of EMI (try finding the orchestral version though. Took me quite a while to find a copy).

On the classical side I have started listening to Camille St. Saens.

One album I have to say that I never tire of is Chicago's 1st - Chicago Transit Authority. I remember being 11 year olds or thereabouts - in grade 6 - and hearing it for the first time. Some 40 years later, I still love its layered complexity and textures. I still get shivers listening to Introduction, Beginnings, and Liberation.

I can hardly wait for the pool weather to get here so that on those weekends when I am home and I am between rides I can sit, relax in the sun, with a bevvie and some tuneage. You know, like on a desert island!

[Dirty Doug]

I started looking up little islands in the south pacific then realized I had no idea what you were talking about. Danm it tough being old.

Dirty Doug

[jpenney]

I don't think I'm old. Going by the numbers I'm well below the median age of this forum :-P Besides I couldn't have even seen Ozzy era Sabbath.

Arcade Fire just grabs me. "Funeral" is a very relaxing album and when I'm away from home it's one that I can rely on to soothe me to sleep.

I agree that Canada has a great bunch of bands. Recently I've really enjoyed Stars and The Weakerthans.

[demenshea]

Arcade Fire just grabs me. "Funeral" is a very relaxing album and when I'm away from home it's one that I can rely on to soothe me to sleep.


+1...love this band. A personal fave song from them is Antichrist Television Blues, actually has hints of vintage Springsteen.

Lost of fun suggestions in this thread that are both new and old to me! :eusa_clap:

[TorqueMonsterMT-01]

One album I have to say that I never tire of is Chicago's 1st - Chicago Transit Authority. I remember being 11 year olds or thereabouts - in grade 6 - and hearing it for the first time. Some 40 years later, I still love its layered complexity and textures. I still get shivers listening to Introduction, Beginnings, and Liberation.

Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" reminds me of a thousand 3:30's in the morning that a can't really remember too well........Ahh.....the 70's!!!

[TorqueMonsterMT-01]

By the way, Metallica's recent release "Death Magnetic" has some really good jams. The tracks "Suicide & Redemption" and "Cyanide" are particularly kick-ass.

[Rchop]

Black Sabbath!? You are OLD ,JPenny! They destroyed My hearing in 79,Never Say Die,3 feet from those Marshall Stacks!:)

One of the first concerts I attended was Black Sabbath during the Ironman days in early 1972. It was at the Tucson community center and the opening group was "Yes". After watching Rick Wakeman play all those different keyboards at one time, Ozzy was no longer my favorite rock star. I moved to the SF bay area the next year and went to many memorable concerts thanks to Bill Graham and the many wonderful venues around the bay.:ylsuper:

That was a special time for music then IMHO

[jpenney]

For all the "heavy" bands and genres that came after, no band is heavy like Sabbath. Actually I find the opposite, the more processed and aggressive the sounds of instruments have become, the flatter and less heavy aggressive music has become.

The whole triggered, clicky drum samples; mid-scooped guitars; mid-scooped bass sound is anti-heavy in my book. Then they take each compressed-all-to-hell instrument and squash it with their brick wall limiter and call the resulting distorted, arftifacted mess "heavy".

The wide dynamics and low-mid "mud" make albums heavy and punchy.

Another good example of heavy is Rage Against The Machine's self titled album. Very spacious in arrangement and each instrument sounds a) like it is that instrument and b) distinct from the other instruments. You would never confuse a hard hit on the bass with a click of the kick drum and the lower registers of the guitar aren't so bass heavy that you lose the bass. All of the instruments are living in their own sonic space.

[Moose]

Wilco, tracks 1 - 12. I don't even know the song titles.

[Donson]

I saw Sabbath onNever Say Die tour about 2 weeks before Ozzy was kicked to the curb.Later in Salt Lake I saw Sabbath with Dio on vocals,Heaven And Hell-Incredible! To this day,one of the best I have ever seen.Any Sab should buy the DVD,The Last Supper-a reunion tour with interviews between songs 12 on a scale of 10! The love that the 4 Guys share for each other is very evident. Drummer Bill ward talks openly about His Drug and alcohol use."when I drink,when I use,I go to hospital,I was being consumed" For their first album,they were paid $2,500 apiece,while the record company sold millions.The money came along with a briefcase fullof cocaine,and "rivers of Women" The four teens from Birmingham were at the beginning of a hard road.

[jpenney]

... $2,500 apiece ... a briefcase fullof cocaine, and "rivers of Women" ...

Umm, this is a problem? ;)

[TorqueMonsterMT-01]

Couldn't agree more on "heavy" discussion. As a bass player I love Sabbath. "Fairies Wear Boots" and "Warning" come to mind as my favorite songs to play.

[Donson]

I never get tired of watching Geezer Butler play bass.He is actually a guitar player."I just follow TonY"He says.Yeah.:eusa_clap:

[Griffon]

The great thing about the Sabbath sound, is that there are so many good band following in their footsteps...

The Sword
Clutch
Mastodon
Electric Wizard
Kyuss
Cathedral

I could go on and on, but I loves me some sludge!

[JCsman]

Ahhh, Sabbath. I suspect a substantial part of my hearing loss can be traced back to them.

And Ozzy circa 1984......good times

http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/thesmokinggun.com/graphics/packageart/mugshots/ozzy.jpg

[Gord]

Ahhh, Sabbath. I suspect a substantial part of my hearing loss can be traced back to them.

And Ozzy circa 1984......good times

http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/thesmokinggun.com/graphics/packageart/mugshots/ozzy.jpg

Ozzy was once a chinless geek of the St. Louis Blues? Who woulda thought?

[Deans BMW]

Lets see, the southing sounds of, oh say, George Winston, Enya, Yanni, Frank Sinatra and the like, Dave Brubeck.

[Griffon]

Ahhh, Sabbath. I suspect a substantial part of my hearing loss can be traced back to them.

And Ozzy circa 1984......good times

http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/thesmokinggun.com/graphics/packageart/mugshots/ozzy.jpg

That;s what, Bark At the Moon era? High quality...

[Donson]

My tastes these days are more like,Orbison,Cash,Bluegrass,and of course Hank Williams Senior!:):)

[Griffon]

My tastes these days are more like,Orbison,Cash,Bluegrass,and of course Hank Williams Senior!:):)

That's an important part of my regular listening as well Don.

A friend of mine, and fellow Triumph rider is in a really great band. They do bluegrass covers of classic rock tunes. Truly a thing to behold.:eusa_clap:

[demenshea]

Dresden Dolls....I nearly forgot. Girly music...:)

See video here (http://demenshea.com/blog/?p=1332).

[1MPH]

Dresden Dolls....I nearly forgot. Girly music...:)

See video here (http://demenshea.com/blog/?p=1332).


Catchy tune.

I liked her eyebrows.

[Donson]

:eusa_clap:Very interesting,and somehow,disturbing....Alice Cooper-Woman Machine "She"ll do it all,just change Her tubes":eusa_clap:

[demenshea]

For those that prefer vintage Black Sabbath...

Dresden Dolls cover War Pigs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DkQvez3Ip8).

Jack i thought those eyebrows were quite creative...i must say, i've never seen anything like that!

[DarthRider]

I just found this thread (thanks Gord-O, she's a good one!) and I'm still mulling it over for an artist/song list, but here's something...

As much as I love music, I'm equally enthralled by song lyrics. I just love a nicely turned lyric or phrase and sometimes they stick with me.

Here's a new favorite I just heard today.
The song is "Wanted Man" by Johnny Cash, from the soundtrack of "Little Haus & Big Halsey". It was a rotter of a movie, no wonder I didn't remember it the first time!
"I've had all that I wanted of a lot of things I've had,
And a lot more than I needed of some things that turned out bad."
I guess we can all relate that to something in our own lives!

Here's an old fave...from "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon. (We miss you Warren...)
"Little old lady got mutilated late last night...
Werewolves of London again."
Yeah I know, I'm weird. I just love alliteration!

Anybody have a favorite lyric...?

[Griffon]

Here's a new favorite I just heard today.
The song is "Wanted Man" by Johnny Cash, from the soundtrack of "Little Haus & Big Halsey". It was a rotter of a movie, no wonder I didn't remember it the first time!
"I've had all that I wanted of a lot of things I've had,
And a lot more than I needed of some things that turned out bad."
I guess we can all relate that to something in our own lives!

Anybody have a favorite lyric...?

That's one of my favorites, actually.

Here's another, from Gilbert & Sullivan, which I think is appropriate given the widespread lying and stealing. Quoted from "I Am A Pirate King":

But many a king on a first-class throne,
If he wants to call his crown his own,
Must manage somehow to get through
More dirty work than ever I do!

[JCsman]

This short bit seems (to me) to fit the mixed bag-o-nuts that I love about the Cafe:

Nothing with kings, nothing with crowns;
Bring on the lovers, liars and clowns!


"Comedy Tonight", from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

[Ed K]

One of the first concerts I attended was Black Sabbath during the Ironman days in early 1972. It was at the Tucson community center and the opening group was "Yes". That was a special time for music then IMHO

"Yes" was definitely an all time rock great, with very unique vocals, instrumentals, and style...

But if you liked "Yes", I would bet "Supertramp" was also at the top of your list for an another very innovative and unique rock sound. Remember: "Right, Right, you bloodie well right....?"

It was a very innovative time for music.

[JCsman]

Well, since Gord challenged us to new/unknown to him, I held back.

But, while a wide range of music was listed (I'm exploring some I didn't know from the lists above - thanks guys and gals) there seems to be a fairly large hole in there... A hole big enough to hold, say Detroit. Or should I say Motown?

For heaven's sake.....is no one else a fan of (e.g.) the Temptations or Aretha Franklin?

As in; Ain't to Proud to Beg or Chain of Fools... hard to beat to my ears.



(Of course, as I type this Beethoven's 9th is coming out of iTunes. Go figure. My musical tastes are - like much of my mind - unfocused.)

Also - and many of these are because of a personal connection for me:
Otis Redding - Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
Emmy Lou Harris - Two More Bottles of Wine (and a bunch of her other stuff)
Travelin' Wilburys - End of the Line
Stevie Ray Vaughan - lots of his
Cream - OK, I'm old.
Bill Withers - Ain't no Sunshine
Bob Segar - Lots, but I really like - Real Mean Bottle - don't ask
Fats Domino - Blue Monday
Six Pence None the Wiser - Angels We have Heard on High (sweet little voice, and I'm a sucker for Christmas and the related songs)
Marc Cohn - Walking in Memphis

[DarthRider]

For Bil...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG-ww7JsnOA

[JCsman]

Thanks, Dave. I play that one a lot.

May none of us occupy the empty chair for a long, long time.

[DarthRider]

May none of us occupy the empty chair for a long, long time.

Right on, Bro!

[Donson]

You could say that I am a Orbison fan.My sailboat is named Wind Surfer,after arather obscure song by Roy.Whenever I firstRaise the main and start gliding across the waves,I raise a cold beer,and say"heres to You Roy".The best sailing music.Period.