What Albums Must I Have?

So Tony and I had a thread going about a month ago (before I moved to a temporary place where I had no internet and can only check this on weekends) about cohesive albums that got me thinking. I'm young and pretty mutch stopped listening to rock/pop music after highschool untill recently (when I got my empeg). I was just frustrated with listening to the same CD's over and over again (but that's not the point here).

Anyway, I have not had enough exposure to the classic albums and would like to know what albums I am worse off for not having in my collection. I really listen to just about any style, whether it is popular or not so feel free to include anything that you consider a "must have".

Well, let me put it this way: these are the albums I consider an essential part of my collection:

• Holst: The Planets Suite - Berliner Philharmoniker cond. by Herbert von Karajan (Polydor)
• Mike Oldfield - Crises (Virgin Records / Caroline Music)
• Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd Music / CBS)
• Quench - Se-Quench-Ial (Sirius Music / Colossal Records)
• Way Out West - Way Out West (Deconstruction / BMG Entertainment)
  

As an exercise, I found all but Quench on CDNOW. That, I wish you luck for. :-)

Have fun,

Paul

Well, my question is how obscure do you want the suggestions? Do I have to mention Pink Floyd's DSOM, the Beatles' Sergent Peppers, Led Zeppelin IV, or The Doors? Or, to move up through the decades, Depeche Mode's Music for the Masses, Beastie Boys License to Ill, R.E.M.'s Document, the Smiths' Meat is Murder, or pretty much any album by The Police, all go without saying as being great albums. If you like hard rock, NIN's Pretty Hate Machine, Rage Against The Machine's self-titled album, Korn's Got The Life, or Nirvana's Nevermind are all very popular albums. Or Garbage's first album, Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes, or Radiohead's OK Computer.

I mean, I like all those albums, and they are all very popular...and very obvious, and you probably already know if you need these albums or not. Are you looking for the more obscure albums, the ones that everyone and their mother doesn't know about, or are you looking for more examples of the more mainstream popular albums?

Ah, I've always wanted to play this game on the BBS...

"The Desert Island Ten".

For those who don't know this game... You imagine that you're going to spend the rest of your life like Tom Hanks in "Castaway". You've got a CD player and a lifetime's supply of batteries, but only ten albums to listen to. (I know this would never happen, but it's a mind-exercise, so just shut up and play the game.) Which ten would you bring?

My list keeps changing, of course, new albums sometimes make the list. I haven't thought about it hard recently. So this is the off-the-top-of-my-head list at the moment (I reserve the right to drop in here and change my mind at any time):

Ones that will never, ever, ever get knocked off the list, in no particular order:

1. Rush- Moving Pictures
2. Peter Gabriel- So
3. Pink Floyd- The Dark Side of the Moon
4. Tori Amos- Little Earthquakes
5. Dire Straits- Brothers in Arms

The remainder of the list, shuffles occasionally:

6. They Might be Giants- Mink Car (a very recent addition, might I add)
7. Queen- A Night at the Opera
8. Paula Cole- Harbinger

Holy sh*t, I'm running out of room, and there's only one Rush album on the list...

9. Rush- Hemispheres
10. Rush- Power Windows

Aw, crap, the list is done and there's no room for Steve Morse, Pat Metheny, Eric Johnson, B-52's, U2... Grrr...

Okay, not on my Desert Island Ten, but only because it's a short list and it's gotta stop somewhere:

U2- Joshua Tree and/or Unforgettable Fire
The Police- Synchronicity
They Might Be Giants- Flood
Yes- Big Generator
Steve Morse- High Tension Wires and/or Southern Steel
Eric Johnson- Ah Via Musicom
The B-52's- Good Stuff and/or Cosmic Thing
Sheryl Crow- The Globe Sessions
Sting- The Soul Cages
...

See? It's a fun game. I briefly agonized over some of the albums that didn't make the cut... Who's next?

1) The best of Hendrix
2) The best of Lynyrd Skynyrd
3) The best of CCR
4) The best of STP (when it comes out)
5) The best of Pearl Jam (when it comes out)
6) The best of Alice in Chains (when it comes out)
7) Audio Book- How to escape from desert islands, for dummies

That's all I need right now. Thinking up 10 takes too damn long, especially since I think in terms of songs, not albums. The new generation makes their own albums.

Too many options? Not enough?

6) The best of Alice in Chains (when it comes out)

I think this covers that request.

Ten cds what a horrible thought aftergetting used to empeg where you can have a thousand and ten.

To answer the earlier question, I am looking for the obvious albums I have somehow missed and would be shunned if you guys knew I didn't have (although I'm not going to tell you which ones they are as I realized them!). As an example, I have one Pink Floyed album, and it isn't DSOM (although at this moment I have realized my error and will soon be visiting the store).

Although I have a great deal of "best of" albums already, in my minde these don't count as classics because they always (ok, there really are a few exceptions) lack the cohesieveness that the origional albums have.

Believe it or not, I actually have a "Desert Island" playlist on my Empeg (although through this discussion the fight may get a little tougher to see who stays)!

For my part right now here is my list (in no order)
Moving Pictures - Rush
Hold Your Fire - Rush
Roll The Bones - Rush
2112 - Rush
Big Horizon - David Wilcox
Caedmon's Call - Caedmon's Call
Graceland - Paul Simon
Ah Via Musicom - Eric Johnson
Ten - Pearl Jam
Ten Summoners Tales* - Sting

*Note (Soul Cages is on its way in the mail due to our earlier discussion so TSS may soon be off the list if its as good as you say).

This was pretty hard to narrow down to only 10 but here is my list of must haves.

1. Eric Clapton - Unplugged
2. Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Trouble Is
3. James Taylor - JT
4. Pearl Jam - Ten
5. Rush - Moving Pictures
6. Alice In Chains - Unplugged
7. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
8. Genesis - Invisible Touch
9. Toad The Wet Sprocket - Acoustic Dance Party
10. Steppenwolf - Steppenwolf

Okay, nearly all of these can't really count as a "classic" but anyway... In no particular order:

Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Air - Moon Safari
Radiohead - OK Computer
Morcheeba - Who Can You Trust
Morcheeba - Big Calm
The Cranberries - Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
The Cardigans - Gran Turismo
Portishead - Dummy
Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing

I did have "Simon and Garfunkel - The Definitive Simon and Garfunkel" at the end but since I'm not allowed greatest hits albums I've replaced it

- Trevor

FerretBoy:
OK Cool then, I hope my previous list helped then. I would consider all of those to be must haves if you like the genre they are in at all. Though I would say, given your 10 desert island list, our tastes are pretty different.

yz33d:
> Audio Book- How to escape from desert islands, for dummies

ROTFL, very funny.

Ok, we are playing the 10 favorite desert island game now? My list is somewhat different if that is the criteria:

Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
Les Miserables - The Musical - London Cast
Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
Led Zeppelin - II (cause I have played IV to death over the years)
System of a Down - Self Titled
Rammstein - Sehsucht
Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X
Monster Magnet - Powertrip
Garbage - Garbage

Edit: Since compilations are officially banned by Tony, I will add Garbage's self-titled first album to the list.

What is the official criteria for double albums in this game; count as one or two?

Blank ones to use as signaling mirrors.

Heh. An interesting exercise. *Much* harder than the $500K 5-car garage. You have to decide whether a selected song (say Magic Carpet Ride) biases toward pulling a whole album (say, Steppenwolf The Second) into the list (it didn't). I felt like my decision process was biased toward more recent material, so I succumbed to the urge to expand to the "Bomb Shelter 20" (more room down there) and it seemed like that made more room for older favorites (but it was still biased toward the new).

Desert Island 10

Chumbawamba - Tubthumper (1997)
Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball (1995)
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love (1967)
John Prine - The Missing Years (1991)
Keith Jarrett Quartet - My Song (1977)
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left (1969)
Richard and Linda Thompson - Pour Down Like Silver (1975)
School of Fish - School of Fish (1991)
Steve Earle - El Corazon (1997)
Youssou N'Dour - Eyes Open (1992)


Bomb Shelter 20

B-52s - Cosmic Thing (1989)
Bill Evans - The Paris Concert Edition 1 (1984)
Buffalo Springfield - Again (1967)
Butterfield Blues Band - The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw (1967)
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark (1974)
Living Colour - Time's Up (1986)
Peter Gabriel - So (1986)
Sam Phillips - Martinis and Bikinis (1994)
Who - Who's Next (1970)
Youssou N'Dour - JOKO (2000)

I started to put in Al Green's Greatest Hits, but then I decided that "greatest hits" was kind of cheating, desert island-wise, don't you think? If not, I'd have to decide what to do with Al, Etta James Greatest, and Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks....

Jim

(so, how's San Antonio, I wonder?)

Okay here goes my Desert Island Ten. Not sure what the rules are on compilations/greatest hits collections, so I'll avoid those (it would make things easier though!)

Most of these (as might be expected) appear on other peoples' lists. I will avoid my tendency to fill it up with 10 Pink Floyd albums, and try to remember that on a desert island, I'm going to want some variety.

1. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon
2. Rush - Moving Pictures
3. Tori Amos - Under the Pink
4. U2 - Achtung Baby
5. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (how can this not be on anyone's list?!?)
6. Pearl Jam - Ten
7. 10,000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden
8. The Gathering - Mandylion
9. The Cranberries - Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We?
10. Morphine - Cure for Pain

If given another 10 for the "Bomb Shelter 20" I would add on:

11. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes (very difficult to keep off the top 10)
12. Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
13. Pink Floyd - Meddle
14. U2 - The Joshua Tree
15. Rush - Roll The Bones
16. Tool - undertow
17. Suzane Vega - Songs in Red and Gray
18. Nightingale - I
19. Portishead - Dummy
20. 311 - Music

As thinfourth2 pointed out, being an Empeg owner makes this an extremely difficult exercise!!! There are albums I simply couldn't live without that couldn't make the cut here!

I listen to so many types of music that a general top ten list is rather difficult to create (it depends on where you are etc, think Rob Gordon from High Fidelity).

So here are a list of albums that sound good in my car (In no specific order)

Infected Mushroom - Classical Mushroom
The Egg - Travelator
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
Splashdown - Blueshift
Emerson Lake & Palmer - Tarkus
Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
Jean Michel Jarre - Metamorphoses
Da Damn Phreak Noize Phunk - Electric Crate Digger
Underworld - Everything, Everything (Live)
Various Artists - Dementertainment
Orbital - The Middle Of Nowhere
Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album)
The Orb - The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld
The Prodigy - Experience
The Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation
Gary Numan - Pure
System of a Down - Toxicity
Nirvana - Unplugged In New York
Various Artists - Sound of the Hoover Volume 1
Eat Static - B - World

So that's 20 not 10, and there are at least another 20 or so on my must have list, but that's for another day. So the final choice of 10 will be made on the way to the desert island...

Just don't ask for the top 10 songs, OK... =)

Hey ynot_, What is this one:

Nightingale - I

I couldn't find any information on it at all. Considering I own 16 of the 20 albums you have on your list (and am probably going to get Mandylion based on your recommendation because it sounds pretty good), it would probably pay for me to find this one too.

Keep 'em coming guys and gals, I've checked out several albums aleady. I wish Amazon and others would have more clips of songs though, I hate buying albums on recommendations alone 'cause you never know.

Nightingale is a solo project from Dan Swanö, who obtained most of his fame with the Swedish death medal band Edge of Sanity. It's metal-inspired, but really varies from classic rock to goth rock and just has a few metal-esque moments. No real death metal sound to be found on his three albums. Dan plays all the instruments.

Here's a discography with some short reviews of the albums.

"I" was the third album released, but was a "prequel" in that it occurs chronologically before the first two albums "The Breathing Shadow" and "The Closing Chronicles."

Amazon does, in fact, list "I", that's actually where I purchased it from. Not sure if they actually sell it now or just have it listed for used copies. Try here. Hopefully that link works. They also at one time carried The Closing Chronicles. The Breathing Shadow is harder to find, but it's available (along with the other two) through Black Mark Records' site. There is another Nightingale album called "Alive Again" which will be released in the future, though an exact date isn't announced yet.

If you are really interested I can float you a couple MP3's to give them a listen first. Somehow I doubt you'll find them on the P2P networks.

Desert Island 10:

1. Depeche Mode - Violator
2. Depeche Mode - Ultra
3. Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation
4. Prodigy - Fat of the Land
5. Weezer - Weezer
6. The Smiths - Best of
7. Morrissey - Best of
8. Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion
9. Pennywise - About Time
10. The Sabri Brothers - Greatest

then I decided that "greatest hits" was kind of cheating, desert island-wise, don't you think?

Yes, yes yes! I forgot to mention that rule. Greatest hits albums are cheating, those who have listed them must go back and revise their lists immediately.

I knew that after reading others' lists, that I would see deficiencies in mine. Paul Simon's Graceland is one that should have been in my Bomb Shelter 20.

Youssou N'Dour - Eyes Open (1992)

I think I should get this one, considering how much I liked his collaboration with Peter Gabriel on So and the following tour. /me heads over to the Amazon.com wish list...

Anyway, I think it's cool seeing what people have in common on their lists. Moving Pictures is pretty much a given, that doesn't surprise me. Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel, too. But I'm surprised to see Little Earthquakes pop up as often as it has, I didn't think it was as widely-appreciated as that. And it warms the cockles of my heart to see Cosmic Thing on your list, Jim.

1. Depeche Mode - Violator

I agonized over that one, it didn't make my cut, but it was close.

_Ynot: Curious as to why Little Earthquakes takes second billing to Under The Pink on your list? I mean, they're both good albums, but I would have never even considered Pink on my list. Unless I was somehow allowed to cheat and steal a couple of tunes off of Pink and put them onto Earthquakes.

> Nightingale is a solo project from Dan Swanö...

Thanks yn0t, I will check it out.

*Note (Soul Cages is on its way in the mail due to our earlier discussion so TSS may soon be off the list if its as good as you say).

Important things to note about Soul Cages: It does not grab you immediately with pop hooks. It must be taken in as a whole, and must be listened to multiple times before it can be appreciated. For instance, there is a melodic theme in one of the earliest songs on the album, and the resolution to that theme doesn't happen until near the very end of that album when the theme is reprised. Only when you listen to the album in its entirety do you get the full effect. So before you begin to immediately compare it to TST, give it a few complete listens. It's quite a different album from TST and comes from a different "place".

Also, on first listen, the album seems very depressing. A major theme in the album is death, coping with the loss of a loved one. But after a few listens, you start to hear an undercurrent of joyousness to it (is that a word?). It's gloomy on the surface, but warm and happy underneath. It's hard to explain, and I'm not sure you'll get the same interpretation anyway. I'm just saying give it a chance to grow on you.

Some of the best albums in the world require a growing period. The things that make them so that they're not necessarily immediately accessible are also the things that make them stand up to repeated listenings. The albums I didn't necessarily like at first are often the ones that keep surprising me after the hundredth listen.

> Greatest hits albums are cheating, those who have listed them must go back and revise their lists immediately.

Done. Damn, there goes Yz33d's list right out the window.

> Moving Pictures is pretty much a given, that doesn't surprise me.

Surprised me. I know we had a lot of Rush fans here, but I am surprised by both the quantity and the rabidness. (don't mean that in a bad way)

>Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel, too. But I'm surprised to see Little Earthquakes pop up as often as it has, I didn't think it was as widely-appreciated as that.

The surprised me too. Tori pettered out pretty quickly IMHO, but the first albums are great and I am glad to see it being recognized. If I had gone to twenty albums, some Floyd and Beatles would have made it on (certainly Meddle and Revolver respectively). If you had asked me ten years agol, those two artists would have been my entire list.

Well most people would consider Little Earthquakes to be a better album than Under the Pink, I'm just not one of them. I consider both indispensible to my collection, which is why both make my top 20, but head to head, I would have to grudgingly leave Little Earthquakes behind.

I think in pure artistic value, the albums probably tie, but it should be noted that I'm slightly cheating by choosing UTP, because my copy is the 2-CD version with "More Pink: The B Sides." So I'm getting ten or eleven other great Tori songs in there, including three of my all time favorites, "Sister Janet," "Sugar," and her rendition of "Little Drummer Boy."

Also, one thing to keep in mind here is that albums on a "Desert Island Ten" aren't just there for how much you think of the album artistically, they're also there because of what memories that album brings back, or what moods you want to evoke with the albums. UTP was released during one of the happiest times in my life, and I associate it with a lot of memories of being with good friends and having good times.

But in general, if I ranked all the songs on the two albums 1 to 12 and compared them, I think I'd end up with a tie. The B-Sides really made my decision easy, but whether you allow the B-Sides disc on the desert island is another story.

Tori pettered out pretty quickly IMHO, but the first albums are great and I am glad to see it being recognized.

Actually, I don't think she petered at all, I think Choirgirl and Venus are fantastic, and I actually agonized over whether my list would have Choirgirl or Earthquakes.

Technically, I think Choirgirl is a better album, but there something about the songs on Earthquakes that flows a little better as a collection. And by leaving Choirgirl off my list, it means I don't get "Spark" on my desert island, so it was a painful cut to make.

albums on a "Desert Island Ten" aren't just there for how much you think of the album artistically, they're also there because of what memories that album brings back, or what moods you want to evoke with the albums.

Agreed. I think Earthquakes has a stronger hold on me for the exact same reasons that Pink does for you.

Anyone see "High Fidelity" with John Cusack? There's a scene where he's at a crossroads in his life, and he deals with it by reorganizing his record collection. A friend comes to his apartment to discover the boxes of albums strewn about the living room, and asks him how he's reorganizing them... Alphabetically? Chronologically? No... Autobiographically.

whether you allow the B-Sides disc on the desert island is another story.

Yes, it's allowed as long as it's not a greatest hits collection. There are plenty of double-album sets that I would expect to be in people's Desert Island Ten.

Interesting. I think I'd reach for Boys for Pele before From the Choirgirl Hotel.

Actually To Venus and Back would be next. With Choirgirl, I think I'd just be bringing it along for Spark, Cruel, Jackie's Strength, and Black Dove.

I agree with ninti in that Tori's first two albums are more cohesive and album-like, whereas the follow-ups (starting with Boys for Pele) started to become singles that happened to be on the same album. I think the albums went downhill, though the quality of the individual songs may have stayed consistent.

Also, adding a band and more instruments and production to the mix probably turned some people off.

> Actually, I don't think she petered at all...And by leaving Choirgirl off my list, it means I don't get "Spark" on my desert island

Spark is a great song, as is Rasberry Swirl, but to me the album doesn't have the emotional depth and doesn't touch me like pretty much every song on Earthquakes did. I own Boys For Pele and Choirgirl, but I doubt I will ever get another one.

Son, do yourself a favor and get To Venus and Back, if only for the live CD. Even if you don't like Tori's new direction with studio albums, the live tracks on To Venus and Back are almost all from her first two albums.

Son, do yourself a favor and get To Venus and Back, if only for the live CD. Even if you don't like Tori's new direction with studio albums, the live tracks on To Venus and Back are almost all from her first two albums.

So so so true!

The opening of the live CD is just so cool. Just listening to the audience is amazing, you can practically see Tori take the stage when the audience cheers. Then they settle down as she sits at the piano, and there's that "lull" when she's just hitting the downbeat chords before really starting into the song, and then she starts doing the full piano part to the song and the audience just goes nuts when they realize that they've been listening to an extended intro to "Precious Things" this whole time. Gives me goose bumps every time.

Very similar to the intro to "Hotel California" on the "Hell Freezes Over" album, how they kind of ease you into the song, and there's that cool moment when you realize what the song is.

"Some of the best albums in the world require a growing period. The things that make them so that they're not necessarily immediately accessible are also the things that make them stand up to repeated listenings. The albums I didn't necessarily like at first are often the ones that keep surprising me after the hundredth listen. "

Now Tony, you know me as a huge Rush fan, so you should also know that I own at least a few albums that take a few listens before you really "get it" I actually read a few of the reviews on Amazon before ordering "Soul Cages" and I have little doubt that I will like the album.

Of course, how silly of me. Some of the albums on your Desert Island list are already in that category.

"(so, how's San Antonio, I wonder?) "

Well, actually great, except the guy I am staying with has a very slow computer and connection to the internet so I normally don't bother getting online. I am having Empeg BBS withdrawl! This discussion I will put up with the slowness for because I am rapidly finding new stuff that will make my Empeg even better.

Ok, so if "Greatest Hits" albums are considered cheating, I'm then assuming that ripping your favorite songs and creating 10 Mix cd's on 99-min disc's is also going to be cheating? I know that doesn't really fit with the theme of taking 10 "Album's," but that's what *I* would do. Oh, and I'd have to make sure that the cd player that's going to be playing them can recognize 99-min cd's, since I've only seen a few that can.

I think you're missing the point of the game.

"15. Rush - Roll The Bones "

Wow, and I though I was the only one who actually liked this album, much less put it in my top 20. Seems like a lot of the stuff on your list is stuff I like, I think I'll be checking out the rest.

Speaking of these types of albums, what's your take on "Vapor Trails" so far?

Yeah, that's why I said it doesn't fit the theme of picking 10 Albums. I get that the whole point is to narrow it down to what you think are the 10 best albums, even if it means there are only a few songs you really enjoy that make it worth bringing a whole cd. Burning 10 cd's is just what I would actually do if given the choice, it's just too hard to pick only 10 studio albums (and yes, I know that mind exercise is the whole point to playing this game). Especially when I know the cd is only being half used, or in some cases less. That's just wasted space that could have more songs on it.

Also the point is albums that work together to make something greater than just the songs. That's (IMO) why Greatest Hit's shouldn't be on the list (my wife hates that rule).
Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ. . . are all great songs and would elevate any album's status, but together they make for an unstoppable combination. It just seems right to hear Limelight after YYZ.

Speaking of these types of albums, what's your take on "Vapor Trails" so far?

It's going to have to grow on me.

It's as I expected, it's continuing in the same progression that Counterparts and Test for Echo started, leaning more towards an edgier sound which I'm not necessarily enamored of.

I think my biggest problems with TFE and now Vapor Trails is that the sonic palette is too saturated. There's no air around the instruments, it's like a constant wall of sound. The warmth of the instrument sounds from earlier albums is gone.

So far, I think it's a decent album, but the songs and the production haven't "grabbed" me yet. TFE and Counterparts took a while to grow on me, I expect this one will be the same. In the end, I think I'll like it about as much as I liked TFE.

Yeah, pretty much the same for me. A very "Dirty" sound if you will. TFE sounded "sloppy" at first to me, which is a strange sensation comming from Rush, but now it doesn't sound that way at all. This one I'm sure will be the same. I do have to say I love the drum intro at the beginning.

Well, I would caution you against thinking that anything on my list sounds like anything else! But I do recommend everything on my list. What were you planning on checking out that you don't have?

You know, I actually had a mind to put Roll the Bones on my top 10, but I wanted to stay with one artist per entry in the top 10 (for variety when stranded on a desert island.) To tell you the truth I find myself listening to it more than Moving Pictures nowadays. I know that most Rush diehards don't care much for the album, though most will secretly admit liking Dreamline. In the end, I didn't want to start a religious war by putting Roll the Bones ahead of any of the more critically acclaimed Rush albums.

I actually didn't get into Rush until after Roll the Bones was released, though my first Rush album was tfabris' favorite, Exit... Stage Left. Then I got Moving Pictures and then Roll the Bones, Counterparts, and Chronicles, and eventually Test for Echo and Different Stages. Not even near having a complete Rush collection, but I plan to fill in the blanks as finances permit.

I just happen to think that every song on the album is a winner, and most of them hold their own with Rush's best work from the 70's and 80's. Most people rank Counterparts ahead of Roll The Bones when speaking of Rush's later works, but I would disagree. I do like Counterparts, but the only stand-out tracks for me are Cold Fire, Animate, and Nobody's Hero. Though none are really bad, it's not as consistent an album as Roll The Bones IMHO.

"In the end, I didn't want to start a religious war by putting Roll the Bones ahead of any of the more critically acclaimed Rush albums. "

Heh, this is the reason my list wasn't in order, although I've said before Roll the Bones is my favorite Rush album. Another problem I have is (I'll finally admit it) RTB was my first introduction to Rush, so I'm not actually sure if I think its a better album or if it has some emotional attatchment. I do think that every song on it is great and the tone is very unique. I haven't heard anything else that even remotly sounds like this album (except Presto, which I like, but put far below most other Rush albums).

"What were you planning on checking out that you don't have? "

Well as I mentioned before "Dark Side of The Moon", but also Tori Amos since it keeps popping up around here, and 10,000 Maniacs (I have "In My Tribe", which would proably go into my top 20), as well as Tool, which someone had mentioned to me in another thread. I have "The Division Bell" and it would also fit in my top 20, but I'm sort of sheephish to admit it because its the only Pink Floyd album I own and I was sure there were others I should have gotten first.

though most will secretly admit liking Dreamline.

Not secretly. I think it's one of the best songs they ever recorded. And Roll the Bones is a great song, and I love Bravado and Ghost of a Chance. Four fantastic songs on that album.

I just could do without the rest of them, that's all.

Greetings!

Desert Island 10... From these... With no compilations, custom or purchased. Tough conditions. Does a double album count as two??? I am assuming it does NOT in this list, since they are all in double jewel cases anyway. I marked the ones I would leave behind if they were counted as two instead of one. Otherwise, in no particular order:

Blue Man Group: Audio
- As long as I can have a good set of headphones or a good subwoofer. I would leave this if I had to... (If I couldn't carry the extra disk, I probably wouldn't have the headphones / sub either...)

Broadside Electric: 10th Anniversary Concert
- This is actually a live album I recorded to CD for them from a soundboard tape. Copies were made for the band and their families, but it was never released. Of course, I kept a copy for myself... Joe, you know the one...

Echolyn: As The World
- Wow!

Horslips: The Book Of Invasions
- Prog meets Celtic meets Orchestral. Imagine the Moody Blues "Days Of Future Passed" as Celtic Prog.

Jethro Tull: Thick As A Brick
- A somewhat unusual choice, but then again... I would leave this if I had to (double albums)...

Marillion: The Thieving Magpie, live double album
- A great collection of songs, great performace. If double albums count as two disks, I would still take DISK 2: Misplaced Childhood live!

Phish: Gamehendge
- Another live album from tape. Since Phish allows live recordings of their shows, I was able to make this into a CD from someone who had an early tape. Not the best sound quality, but a great set!

Pink Floyd: Dark Side Of The Moon
- One of the first CDs I ever bought.

Renaissance: Live at Carnegie Hall
- double album, I know, but where else can you find such range, power and a grand performance!

Rush: Exit - Stage Left
- An earlier live album, but with some great tracks on it.

I think the way it works is double and even triple albums are legal as long as they're albums and not compilations or box sets. I don't think it would have been fair if I brought my "Shine On" box set from Pink Floyd and tried to pass it off as one of my 10 "albums." But when one piece of work spans multiple discs, you gotta allow it. "Albums" are media-agnostic.

What a lot of great albums in that list! Makes a nice change from all that American rock

I think you have 6 out of my top 10 there. Guess I should come up with a list tomorrow!

Rob

Does a double album count as two?

Counts as one as long as it's not a compilation album. For instance, "The Wall" is a single work that happens to span two discs.

Jethro Tull: Thick As A Brick
- A somewhat unusual choice, but then again...

Damn, I knew I'd left something important off of my list. This is not an unusual choice at all, I would expect it to be on many people's lists. One of the true all-time classics.

Greetings!

Very cool. 10! The Jethro Tull was a choice between Thick As A Brick and Passion Play, but TAAB won the day. Still, a lot is missing. There were a lot of items I wish I could have packed, but you can never tell when you are going to be stranded on a desert island...

Two interesting variations to the theme:

a) If you could create one mix disk, and have only that disk available on a desert island, what songs would be on it? (Note: standard 74 minute audio format CD only)

b) If you were stuck on a desert island, and could only have one other person stuck there with you (real, historic or fictional), who would it be?

If you were stuck on a desert island, and could only have one other person stuck there with you (real, historic or fictional), who would it be?

And... a variation on your variation.

If you could take one year off your allotted life expectancy, and give it to another person (real, historic or fictional), with the idea of making the world a better place for the maximum number of people, to whom would you give it? And would you do it?

Hint: My choice died in 1791 at the age of 34...

tanstaafl.

Let's do another little variation on this game/mind-exercise. The year is 2006, the Illuminati have taken control of the world economy and have implemented an insanely high tax on any harddrives over 1 gigabyte. They have also made it illegal for any one person to own more than one hd. So, you have a one gigabyte empeg, which songs would you put on it? (let's keep the track limit at 100) Who's first?

Hint: My choice died in 1791 at the age of 34...

Mozart?

The year is 2006, the Illuminati have taken control of the world economy and have implemented an insanely high tax on any harddrives over 1 gigabyte

You mean the RIAA have taken over the world, don't you?

100 tracks.. that's a long list to wite.. But I've always wanted to do it... I kinda like the idea of both lists, one for albums and one for tracks... Maybe if I'm bored at work tomorrow...

You mean the RIAA have taken over the world, don't you?

Same thing.

Why do you think the big record companies are so opposed to independent labels? It's because then they have no chance to insert the subliminal messages that they use to control us (those of us who don't use fluoride toothpaste, anyway).

Well, my question is how obscure do you want the suggestions? Do I have to mention Pink Floyd's DSOM, the Beatles' Sergent Peppers, Led Zeppelin IV, or The Doors?

Obscurity, of course, is relative. No-one on either side of the Atlantic needs to be reminded about Dark Side Of The Moon or Sergeant Pepper, but not all bands were promoted both in the US and UK. Did the Stone Roses make it in the US? What about James? Who, conversely, are the US bands that Brits will never have heard of?

Anyway,

1. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses, by a mile from:
2. James, Goldmother
3. The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld
4. The Happy Mondays, Pills 'n' Thrills 'n' Bellyaches
5. New Order, Substance, which is maybe not allowed because it's a Greatest Hits, but all New Order's best work is IMO on the twelve-inches collected here, not on the album versions.
6. Portishead, Dummy
7. Orbital, Diversions
8. Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here, (Crazy Diamond wins it for me against Dark Side Of The Moon)
9. The Beatles, Sergeant Pepper

Okay, that's only nine, but beyond there it starts getting into the territory of albums like The Chemical Brothers' Surrender, where the brilliant tracks are packaged up with a few merely OK ones.

Peter

P.S. Anyone buying CDs on the basis of compensating the artists for their work should bear in mind that, due to a spectacular piece of predatory contract-writing, the Stone Roses do not receive any money from CD sales of The Stone Roses.

P.S. Anyone buying CDs on the basis of compensating the artists for their work should bear in mind that, due to a spectacular piece of predatory contract-writing, the Stone Roses do not receive any money from CD sales of The Stone Roses.

Wow, that pretty much redefines "raw deal!" How did they manage that? Were they high when they signed their contract? I know that type of thing happens all the time with big record companies, but to receive absolutely NO money? That's insane!

Wow, that pretty much redefines "raw deal!" How did they manage that? Were they high when they signed their contract? I know that type of thing happens all the time with big record companies, but to receive absolutely NO money?

I don't know how they or their manager managed that. They did, AFAICT, get royalties for vinyl or cassette copies. In 1988, though, even if CDs hadn't yet taken over the world, they were clearly going to. The Stone Roses has by now sold about three million copies on CD.

That's insane!

Yes. Even though the Roses eventually signed to a new label, the insanity of the Silvertone deal was the major force behind their breakup, and even now the resulting sense among the four band members (except perhaps Mani) that the Roses era was a painful time better forgotten, keeps them from contemplating a reunion which, as Mani said, the world is waiting for.

Peter

Did the Stone Roses make it in the US? What about James?

Yes (I think) and yes (I'm sure). James actually got some fairly mainstream airplay with Laid.

Jim

those who have listed them must go back and revise their lists immediately.

Whew! Glad I made the right call!! (I agree re: multi-album sets qualifying so long as they are really a single release...)

- Eyes Open (1992)

This only beat N'Dour's JOKO into the top 10 because of one song I could not live without -- Yo Li Li (Fulani Groove). The newer JOKO is a bit slicker and I might even like it better overall. Not sure.

I was lucky to see N'Dour twice in very pretty small venues when he toured to support Eyes Open. At that time the band was 14 people + N'Dour jammed onto a tiny little stage. It was incomparable. Looks like the "Super Etoile" configuration is now down to 9 members + N'Dour. I am keeping my eye open for West Coast appearances. They may be at WOMAD/US in August and could have some dates along with that trip. I may go to WOMAD, but the sets tend to be shorter, not like this 12-4AM NYC appearance .

The thing that always keeps Gabriel's So on top of my lists is Manu Katche's percussion. Now there's someone I want to see someday.

And it warms the cockles of my heart...

It's my job, man. It's my job.

(Cosmic Thing rules. Fantastic sailing soundtrack for larger crew on sunny days with winds 10-15. I only blame the B-52s CT for forcing me to dance with my favorite niece at a wedding and totally screwing up my back. Small price, I guess).

Jim

Okay, here goes...

1. Face To Face - Don't Turn Away
2. Hot Water Music - Fuel for the Hate Game
3. Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit
4. NOFX - White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean
5. Avail - 4am Friday
6. Bad Religion - All Ages (sort of a best of... but it counts!)
7. Crimpshrine - Sound of a New World Being Born
8. Minor Threat - Complete Discography
9. Operation Ivy - Energy
10. Tool - Undertow

Bah, this is impossible to cut to 10... so here's the rest that i just couldn't take off...

Screeching Weasel - Anthem for a New Tomorrow
Small Brown Bike - Collection
U2 - Joshua Tree
NIN - Pretty Hate Machine
Beastie Boys - Pauls Boutique
Metallica - ...And Justice For All
Fugazi - 13 songs

... and i'm sure i'll think of more later that i'd shoot myself for forgetting if i was on the island...

100 tracks.. that's a long list to write.. But I've always wanted to do it...

You guys might find this interesting. Here at MUSICMATCH, we have our internet radio product (Radio MX). Besides the custom radio stations, we have pre-programmed radio stations of all kinds. Everything from Alternative Rock to Big Band to Country.

In order to create a station, the radio team requires a minimum of 500 tracks in the playlist. There's some variation, but most hover around 500 tracks.

Now, think of your favorite genre...I bet you think it would be pretty easy to find the 500 tracks that really define that genre. Let me tell you, it isn't.

I built the Film Scores station (just launched this week). The first 100-200 were easy to get. Star Wars, Superman, Star Trek, anything by Bernard Herrman, lots of Danny Elfman, etc. I even got to 300 with not too much problem. But man, I really started running out of things. That's when I started to do research into the station. I was amazed at how much film music I had never heard but could not be left out. Max Steiner, Elmer Bernstein, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, etc.

Anyways, you should try this sometime. You'll be surprised with what you come up with.

What's the reasoning for the "500" number?

It's an arbitrary number we picked, based on how long a user might listen to a station. We don't want tracks to begin repeating. Also, a user will tend to listen to the same station for multiple days. This, combined with the fact that they can skip songs (up to a point), 500 seemed like a good number.

We have some stations around 300. Specialty stations have as low as 100. But, those are things like Christmas radio, which people won't listen to too much.

The Film Scores station launched with just over 300 tracks. We're still acquiring the rest. But, my list goes to 514 right now.

I have a heap more electronica albums kicking around, which could have made the list, but I wanted a bit of variety!

Almost made the list...
Kraftwerk - The Mix (My first electronic album. I only have it on Tape though)
Juno Reactor - Beyond the Infinite
Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
Underworld - Second Toughest in the Infants
Underworld - Beaucoup Fish
(Bit of a theme there, I cheated in my other list, cause Everything, Everything is a sort of compilation... The DVD is pretty good too)

Orbital - In Sides
Orbital - Snivilisation
Orbital - Satan Live (Only 3 tracks. Recorded at V96 I believe)
The Chemical Brothers - Surrender
LeftField - Leftism
Leftfield - Rhythm and Stealth
And most of the Reactivate Series, especially Reactivate 10

So there's another 12 for the non-rockers to check out, (Not that I have a problem with that Canadian Rock group in a hurry... =)

White trash two heebs and a bean
- truly a great album

I totally forgot to include Punk In Drublic as one of my choice
that album is badass.

Not in order and probably not correct, but I must sleep soon...

1. Pink Floyd - The Wall
The gapless version as played in a repeating loop on the empeg. How it was meant to be heard...

2. Rush - Signals/Grace Under Pressure (I can't--er, won't decide)
Too hard to select though, I suppose if someone absolutely forced me I would choose, eh, both.

3. Beethoven - Pastoral No. 6
So that during my time in the sun on this island, I would have opportunity to make-believe I was off in the most fantastic of rural settings.

4. The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik
Given a high percentage of these tunes are more explicit than I would prefer, the "repeat playability" of this album is amazingly high.

5. Larry Norman - Only Visiting This Planet
I wish we'd all been ready. Chills.

6. Rogers & Hammerstein - The Sound of Music Soundtrack
A the quintessential album of my youth. I used to beg my mother to play the album again and again for me on our old Phillips player.

7. The Doors - LA Woman
Jim lives here if no where else...

8. 77's - Tom Tom Blues, Drowning With Land in Sight, Pray Naked
Can not choose one. Someone else will have to make that decision for me.

9. Daniel Amos - Shotgun Angel
While some would call this a country album and definitely not typical of their current stuff, I don't have to, but I find this is album to holds up well to over 20 years of listening.

10. Bruce Cockburn - Stealing Fire
So raw and yet lush. Every time I am entranced.

Curses for making us choose.

Backups:
Peter Gabriel - So
Like Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms, So, this is an album that bespeaks fine CD production.

Van Morrison - Hymns To The Silence
I love this collection.

The Police - Ghost In The Machine
One of my first concerts. If it wasn't for the French in GITM, Synchronicity pulls a very close second.

U2 - Achtung Baby/War
How to choose Passion or Artistic Direction?

Depeche Mode - Violator and The Cure - Wish
Should be played back to back. Outstanding.

Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily
Holds together well and captivates me.

Santana - Supernatural
Wow. I mean, really. Wow.

Supertramp - Brother Where You Bound
This album is so good. It is a shame it never made it into broader distribution.

Swirling Eddies - Outdoor Elvis
Almost a best of collection but there aren't really enough albums out for them to have a best of. I find myself listening to this one repeatedly more than any of their others.

Pink Floyd - The Wall
The gapless version as played in a repeating loop

In a repeating loop? That album messes with my head quite enough if I only listen to it once...

Peter

U2

Desert Island 10-

Silverchair - Frogstomp
Metallica & The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra - S&M
Pearl Jam - Ten
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
Almighty - Powertrippin'
Rush - Moving Pictures
Holst - Planets Suite
Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd - Division Bell

and a further group for the Bomb Shelter

Metallica - The Black Album
Van Halen - Right Here, Right Now (Live)
Dave Lee Roth - anything at all
any early Tesla
Zao - Liberate Ne Te Inferis (to scare off cannibals)
Therapy? - that album with Screamager etc on it

okay, I'm losing it now

Hey, Jazzwire, have you heard of Severed Heads?

I have to say: I love the way everyone says "Yeah, I listen to all sorts of music" and then 90% of them end up talking only about classic rock and metal. And what happened to the 'all sorts of music'? Did we forget ballads? Electro? Baroque? Ska? Hip-hop? Jazz? Drum and Bass? Oh, yeah, those other 'all sorts of music' :-)

Have fun,

Paul

Nope, not heard of them before, I'll have to take a look later... =)

I have at least a few tracks from all those other listed types of music on my empeg, but I had to trim the list somewhere. =)

On a side note, I've got to comment that Way Out West's remix of PVD's For an Angel is -very- dj friendly and that bassline is wicked!

I just discovered it last week..

Something to cover each and all of my Turner-esque mood swings. In no particular order. I could never pick favorites.

#1 Future Sound of London - Accelerator
#2 The Prodigy - Experience
#3 Propagandhi - How to Clean Everything
#4 Underworld - dubnobasswithmyheadman, second toughest in the infants, pearl's girl, ok fine just everything everything (their last live cd)
#5 Fugazi - Repeater
#6 Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
#7 The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Question The Answers
#8 Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother
#9 The Roots - Come Alive
#10 DJ Shadow - Preemptive Strike

#6 Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary

Word up. What a vastly underrated album. Sadly there's no room for it in my top 10 but I think I could fit it into my bomb shelter 20.

Should I get any of the newer SDRE stuff? I have LP2 but there's only one or two songs worth listening to on there... Haven't ventured into any of their recent material just yet.

ah hah! NOFX! white trash 2 heebs and a bean was a great album, but if i were to pick one NOFX cd for my desert island top 10 it would be punk in drublic. that album was so great.

have you heard the decline? if not, check it out. 18 minutes of punk rock epic.

btw, nice to see someone else out there has the same first name as me pretty uncommon..

> Yeah, I listen to all sorts of music" and then 90% of them end up talking only about classic rock and metal

Well, we do only get to choose 10 albums for this exercise. I have Frank Sinatra, Ice Cube, Enya, and Shostakovich on my Empeg and listen to them, but they don't make my desert island list...

In a repeating loop? That album messes with my head quite enough if I only listen to it once...

There's more to it than that...

The very end of side four has, faintly, if you listen closely, just before it cuts out at the end, a voice saying: "Isn't this where..."

And the very beginning of side one, has the remainder of the sentence: "...we came in?"

Had to think about this one for a while... Anyway, the albums I wouldn't like to be without are (in no particular order, and limiting myself to one per artist):

1) Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
2) John Cale - Fragments Of A Rainy Season
3) Tom Waits - Bone Machine
4) Lou Reed - New York
5) Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
6) Giant Sand - Selections Circa 1990 - 2000
7) Radiohead - OK Computer
8) Steely Dan - Aja
9) Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
10) U2 - Joshua Tree

Fighting for space (frequent listens and recent interests) would be:
John Cale - Paris 1919, Fear
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here, Animals
Tom Waits - Raindogs, Closing Time
Laurie Anderson - Bright Red, Strange Angels, Life On A String
Radiohead - The Bends, Amnesiac
Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible, Everything Must Go
Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps, Ragged Glory, Zuma
Lou Reed - Transformer, Perfect Night, Berlin
The Band - Music From Big Pink, The Band
Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill, Pretzel Logic
Giant Sand - Centre Of The Universe, Glum, Chore Of Enchantment
Wynton Marsalis Septet - "In This House, On This Morning"
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain

(and probably many, many more...)

I thnk this list probably mirrors the order in which I loaded my empeg...
Bryan.

I have Frank Sinatra, Ice Cube, Enya, and Shostakovich on my Empeg and listen to them, but they don't make my desert island list...

I struggled with this. I mean, you want to have some variety on that island, right? Still, my few bits of classical didn't make it in until the "State Police 30"*

Then I start looking at possible subs like:

Shostakovich 11th Symphony (Stokowski) - if only for the 1st movement.
Cowboy Junkies - 200 More Miles
Lou Reed - Rock N Roll Animal (if for nothing but Intro/Sweet Jane)
Soundtrack - Until The End of The World (are soundtracks legal??)
Golden Palominos - This Is How It Feels
Sibelius - Symphony No. 2

I saw the mention of Cockburn's "Stealing Fire"...I could be tempted.....but I've already inflated (diluted?) the exercise. All I can say is that I have *no* plans, thankfully, to get stuck on a desert island.

Jim

(*State Police 30: this is where the cops show up to warn of approaching flood/hurricane/refinery fire and tell you that you have 30 minutes to grab what you can and go with the National Guard)

Lessee ... this is a first pass, not in any order, and not necessarily my penultimate list IMNSHO:

Radiohead: OK Computer
Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes
Bjork: Post
Tool: Lateralus
Frank Zappa: Lather
Rush: Exit ... Stage Left
Kevin Gilbert: Thud
Mike Keneally: hat.
Solti: The Planets
Chess (London Original Cast Recording)

Soundtrack - Until The End of The World

Ooo, now that's a great soundtrack! I think it definitely deserves a listen. It's got a cool feeling/mood to it. Not a bad mix of artists, either.

See.. i started with all sorts of stuff, drum and bass, classical, hip hop, jazz... etc... Then when i thought about the albums that really meant something to me that will always be classics in my head... those just dissappeared. I listen to every sort of music there is... but i think most people have a core set or type of music they grew up with that really stick with them. So just because our favorites don't encompass the entire music spectrum, doesn't mean we don't listen to all sorts of music.

#3... DOH! There's one i forgot. Definitely has to be on my bomb shelter list. Nice diverse list. All great stuff.

And yeah, the Decline is epic for sure. Nice to meet you Loren. =]

State Police 30?
hahahaha

More and more i'm thinking the regulars on here are quite like the characters from High Fidelity. All unapreciated music scholars

so who has their ass hanging out of their pants like the oh-so-esoteric jack black?

Ooo, now that's a great soundtrack!

I like other Wenders movies and soundtracks (like Wings of Desire), but, curiously, I really didn't like the movie that produced my all-time favorite soundtrack! UTEofW was too damned long and overly ponderous. What a soundtrack, though. Among other things, U2's title cut is their best song since "I Will Follow" IMNSHO.

I suppose I do wonder if I'd love the soundtrack as much if I didn't see the movie, though. Helps to have a little apocalyptic Wenders imagery parked in the recesses of the brain when listening to Nick Cave et al!

Jim

All unapreciated music scholars..... like the oh-so-esoteric jack black?

But the real Jack Black can play! Me, I'm just a groupie. Sniff!

Jim

(Just saw "About a Boy" , BTW. Reasonably faithful to Hornby's book. Liked it.)

I suppose I do wonder if I'd love the soundtrack as much if I didn't see the movie, though

I've never seen the movie. I think I randomly picked this soundtrack out from a CD club since it had some of my more favorite artists. I really love how it flows, though. Has a kinda creepy sound to it.

The illuminati doesn't exist.

Calvin

After skimming this thread, it seems my taste in music is very different from you people. :-) These are desert island albums but just a few picks out of my collection to provoke some thought :--)

Billy Joel's Complete Hits collection disc #4 is very amusing.

Bob Marley, Legend

Diana Krall, All For You

Elvis Costello, The Juliet Letters

Enigma, MCMXC AD

Enya, Shepherd Moons

Fazil Say, Piano Sonatas and Variations (Classical, Mozart, and the best rendition of Ah, vous dirai-je, maman ever)

Simon Standage, Violin Concerto Volume 2 (Classical, LeClair, a relative unknown, but the first three tracks (Concerto Opus 7 # 4 in F) is some of the best baroque ever entirely carried by Standage (the violinist).

Calvin

Well, I'd almost agree with you on Legend and The Juliet Letters, but I have to be in the right mood for those two...

(and if we're throwing in jazz vocalists I'd have to stick with Ella)

Hmmm - that's what the boys in Roslin say as well. In that case, how do you explain the sudden silences when someone tries to tell the world about the

Fluke - Risotto
Morcheeba - Big Calm
Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation

IMHO

Hugo

Everybody has Ella in their collections at this point. Diana Krall is the new Ella.

Calvin

OK, I've given in...

Here's my current Desert Island list:

Air - Moon Safari
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Delerium - Karma
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
Loop Guru - Loop Bites Dog
Rabbit in the Moon - Remixes Vol. 2
Underworld - dubnobasswithmyheadman
Tricky - Blowback
Orb - The Orb's adventures beyond the ultraworld
Thievery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy


I actually play this game quite a bit with my player, only on a much larger scale. I've still only got a 12gb drive, and about 4-5 hundred CDs in my collection...

ok, here goes. really tough to narrow it down to 10 tho.

nirvana - nevermind (for sentimental reasons more than anything else)
depeche mode - violator (same reason as above)
ac/dc - back in black
the cure - kiss me, kiss me, kiss me
peter murphy - deep
violent femmes - violent femmes
beastie boys - pauls boutique
a harry potter audio book (most likely goblet of fire, but any one would do)
pulp - different class
10000 maniacs - unplugged

She's worth checking out, then? I'll have to pop down to HMV at lunchtime...

Bry.

#1. Weezer - Pinkerton
#2. Dave Matthews Band - Under The Table And Dreaming
#3. Afi - The Art Of Drowning
#4. Saves The Day - Cant Slow Down
#5. Tool -Aenima
#6. Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
#7. Aphex Twin -Selected Ambience Of Work Vol.2 (It was so hard to pick)
#8. Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses
#9. Orbital - Orbital 2
#10. Ataris - Blue Skies Broken Hearts Next

there so mant more great albums, that were up against these and i could probably list them, but i dont think it will really matter.

i think it's interesting how the tastes here seem to overlap quite a bit.

I am from Brooklyn, New York and my taste differ quite a bit. THere also seems to be a conspicuous lack of Empeg/Riocar owners in New York City.

Maybe 3 of us?

THere also seems to be a conspicuous lack of Empeg/Riocar owners in New York City.

Maybe 3 of us?

That many? I'm in the bronx myself.

wow 3, you guys should have an owners meet

Wheee, I'm so late in here! But anyway.

1. The Velvet Underground- Fully Loaded (a double CD album-- Loaded was released originally with horrendous editing mistakes. The second disc is mostly of demos and early versions of the regular Loaded songs, plus a few songs that had not been released.)

The Velvet Underground- The Velvet Underground (sans Nico)

R.E.M.- Automatic for the People (I've been looping "Drive" for ages now)

Yo La Tengo- I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One (modern noise/dreampop at its best, imo. "Stockholm Syndrome" is my new favorite song)

The Replacements- Tim

The Byrds- Mr. Tambourine Man

The Rolling Stones- Let it Bleed

Radiohead- The Bends (yeah, so I like it just as much as OK Computer, and everyone else has listed OK Computer...)

The Beach Boys- Pet Sounds (duuuuuh!)


edited to add:
Why does everyone like Depeche Mode so much? Enlighten me, please.

I may go to WOMAD,

Well, Jim, WOMAD/USA is cancelled for this year. Sigh of the times....

Why does everyone like Depeche Mode so much? Enlighten me, please.

Look back on the lists of albums, including one of your own. Most of the current techno/electronica artists owe their paychecks to Depeche Mode.

Have you actually sat down and listened to any of the Depeche Mode albums mentioned in this thread?

> Why does everyone like Depeche Mode so much? Enlighten me, please.

Why does anybody like anything? They have great melodies and create a wonderful mood. The lyrics are interesting and Gahan's voice is excellent. I'm sorry you don't like them, nothing I say is going to change that.

I'm not surprised that so many people like Depeche Mode but I am surprised that Music for the Masses - not Black Celebration or Some Great Reward - is the album of choice.

-Dylan

No, I didn't mean, "why would anyone listen to Depeche Mode, they're so overrated"!!

I mean, why are Depeche Mode listeners so concentrated on these boards when no one I know IRL listens to them?

Arg, I don't dislike Depeche Mode, I was just surprised to see so many fans. That's all.

To everybody who posted here,

Thank you so much for these lists, I've already started checking some of this stuff out and I'm sure will use this thread as a resource for a while to come. Some day I'm sure I will have a collection worthy of the mighty Empeg, but lately I was running out of stuff to buy (most of my friends aren’t really into music and have very little suggestions).

I did a rash thing when I first got my Empeg and bought a bunch of "best of" albums to beef up my random play with favorite songs. This was great for a while, but I started getting tired of the lack of cohesiveness between songs. Recently I created a playlist to shuffle albums (without "Greatest Hits" included) and have really been enjoying shuffling albums instead of just songs, but I have found the need to include more great albums that work well as albums, not just a collection of songs.

Well, since we've gotten back to the Desert Island 10, in no particular order:

1. Crystal Method -- Vegas
2. Macy Gray -- On How Life Is
3. Black Sabbath -- Paranoid
4. Tragically Hip -- Up To Here (aside from Rush, Canadian bands have been a little under-represented...)
5. Tragically Hip -- Fully Completely
6. Ani DiFranco -- Living In Clip (double live album)
7. Elvis Presley -- Sunrise (recordings from his early years at Sun Records)
8. Pink Floyd -- Pulse (because I can't decide between DSotM and The Wall)
9. Various -- Natural Blues (a compilation from Wrasse Records)
10. J. S. Bach -- Brandenburg Concertos

Bomb Shelter 20:

11. Bob Dylan -- Blonde on Blonde
12. Headstones -- Teeth And Tissue (another Canadian band...)
13. Beatles -- Revolver (too often over-looked in favour of Sgt Pepper)
14. Meat Puppets -- Too High To Die
15. Van Halen -- Van Halen
16. Beach Boys -- Pet Sounds
17. Ashley MacIsaac -- Hi, How Are You Today (bit of a nutter, this guy, but a gifted musician)
18. Joe Satriani -- Surfing With The Alien
19. The Clash -- London Calling
20. The Doors -- The Doors

Cheers,

Mmm, I'd have to say the Violator is my favourite DM album. Black celebration is good, but simply too depressing

Hugo

1. The Pixies - Surfer Rosa
2. Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
3. Janes Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
4. The Breeders - Pod
5. Radiohead - Kid A
6. Uncle Tupelo - No Depression
7. Cake - Fashion Nugget
8. Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville
9. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
10. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted

Bomb Shelter 20:

11. Pearl Jam - Ten
12. Nirvana - Nevermind
13. Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed
14. The Police - Synchronicity
15. Talking Heads - Sand in the Vaseline
16. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
17. Slint - Spiderland
18. Will Oldham (Palace Brothers) - I See a Darkness
19. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
20. Daft Punk - Homework

wow - i love this stuff!

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds - Live at Luther College
Ben Folds Five - The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Less Than Jake - Hello Rockview
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - She's The One Soundtrack
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Liz Phair - Whitechocolatespaceegg
Weezer - Pinkerton
Bad Religon - Recipe For Hate
Pink Floyd - The Wall

And I'd try to sneak David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust in up my arse.

This thread has been idle for a while so I thought I'd bring it back up for those of us that are new. My musical tastes are diverse, especially from what most people expect to find in a minister's play list. However like has already been stated if forced to pick just 10 albums a definite trend appears.

1. Third Day- Third Day
2. Caedmon's Call- Caedmon's Call
3. Waterdeep- Everyone's Beautiful
4. By The Tree- Invade My Soul
5. Passion- One Day Live
6. Jars of Clay- Jars of Clay
7. Rich Mullins- The Jesus Record
8. DC Talk- Supernatural
9. Caedmon's Call- 40 Acres
10. Third Day- Offerings

Well, I've finished ripping my collection, and my empeg is still looking pretty empty. In search of something else to put on it, I dug up this thread for recommendations. I did a little counting -- from only 40 people posting top 10 or 20, there are 322 albums from 244 different artists. I was quite surprised to find that there weren't as many repeats as I expected (Moving Pictures and DSotM jump to mind). Looks like I've got plenty to sift through for a while.

Cheers,

(The list is attached... I think...)

Greetings!

You know, reading the list in flat text like that, it reads like a very eclectic CD collection. That is a pretty wild list, and it covers quite a bit of territory. I am surprised that there is very little Jazz or Classical (but that was covered earlier in the thread), but there is also no Zappa on the list. Thanks for collecting that - it is a good starting point for any collector!!!

there is also no Zappa on the list.

There is one Zappa album -- it's under F, for Frank. I was too lazy to sort through the list for artist names and change them to last name, first name...

The attachement comes up as compleet giberish to me however I try an openin it. Is it supposed to be plain text?

Matthew

Yes, it's plain text. However, it was created on a Linux machine, so the carriage return/line feeds may be screwed up if you're on a Windows machine. Try doing a "save link as" -- that might fix things...

Or open it in Wordpad instead of Notepad - IIRC Wordpad automatically converts to Win/DOS style linefeeds.

/Michael