Friday, February 23, 2007

Reading and Listening Pt 2: Desert Island Discs

I forgot, I also picked up Kill Your Idols and Stranded, in order to read them alogside each other. Stranded is a collection of rock critics sharing which disc would go with them on a desert island. Kill Your Idols is a collection of rock critics tearing down "classics" from the rock & roll canon. They're both an excellent excercise in validation and frustration, depending upon whether you find yourself agreeing with said critic.

So, I invite you to share your Desert Island Discs as well as a "classic" that you'd only take to a desert island as something to burn. I'm doing 25. You do whatever you like. In order:

Johnny Cash -Live At Folsom Prison
Bruce Springsteen -Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ
Bob Dylan -Highway 61 Revisited
The Beatles -Revolver
Elvis Costello -My Aim Is True
Van Morrison -Moondance
Tom Waits -Closing Time
Jackson Browne -Late For The Sky
Paul Simon -Graceland
Ron Sexsmith -Other Songs
U2 -The Unforgettable Fire
Otis Redding -Otis Blue
Marvin Gaye -Let's Get It On
The Kinks -Arthur
John Coltrane -A Love Supreme
Neil Young -On The Beach/Tonight's The Night (tie)
Harry Nilsson -Nilsson Schmilsson
The Band -Music From Big Pink
Big Star -#1 Record
The Beach Boys -Pet Sounds
John Lennon -Imagine
Elton John -Tumbleweed Connection
Wilco -Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Who -Who's Next
Jeff Buckley -Grace / Neutral Milk Hotel -In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (tie)


My disc for burning: Captain Beefheart/Lou Reed -Trout Mask Replica/Metal Machine Music (tie)

11 comments:

Summer Anne said...

My desert island discs (off the top of my head, almost surely to be revised after thought). In no particular order.

- Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
- The Beatles - Abbey Road
- The Beatles - White Album
- Bright Eyes - Lifted...
- Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
- Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
- Joni Mitchell - Blue
- Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
- Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin'...
- The Arcade Fire - Funeral
- All four discs of the 'One Kiss Can Lead To Another' box set of 60s girl groups. (four).
- Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
- Nanci Griffith - The Flyer
- Nirvana - Nevermind
- Paul Simon - Graceland
- M. Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent
- Willie Nelson - Redheaded Stranger
- Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
- Okkervil River - Down The River Of Golden Dreams
- Neil Young - Tonight's The Night
- The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
- The Velvet Underground - Loaded

One to burn:
- Patti Smith - Horses

Summer Anne said...

OH GOD ASTRAL WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can remove the M. Ward as a penance.

Kester said...

those in your 25 that would make my top 40:

abbey road
white album
i'm wide awake it's morning
blue
blood on the tracks
nevermind
loaded

glad someone finally did this

Jason said...

I meant to get around to this a few days ago, but here it goes (in no particular order--I limited myself to one album/artist)

1.The Who - Who's Next?
2.The Beatles - Abbey Road
3.BNL - Born on a Pirate Ship
4.Peter Gabriel - So
5.U2 - The Joshua Tree
6.Old 97's - Satellite Rides
7.Guster - Lost and Gone Forever
8.Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
9.Jackson Browne - I'm Alive
10.Ryan Adams - Gold (w/bonus disc)
11.The Shawshank Redemption soundtrack
12.Pete Yorn - musicforthemorningafter
13.Wilco - Summerteeth
14.Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
15.Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
16.Weezer- Blue Album
17.Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
18.Billy Joel - The Stranger
19.Lyle Lovett - The Road to Ensenada
20.Gin Blossoms-New Miserable Experience
21.CSNY - Deja Vu
22.The Wallflowers-Bringing Down the Horse
23.Coldplay - A Rush...
24.Benny Goodman - Sing, Sing, Sing
25.The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music

Kester said...

Some great choices. A few new standouts for me would be:

Peter Gabriel - So
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Jackson Browne - I'm Alive
Ryan Adams - Gold (w/bonus disc)
Wilco - Summerteeth
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
Billy Joel - The Stranger

sarah said...

Oh, god, this is hard. I'm procrastinating and going for it now. I'm not sure if this is in order. It kind of is, I guess. I could edit more closely, but I'm leaving it at this for now.

1. Paul Simon, Graceland
2. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3. U2, The Joshua Tree
4. The Arcade Fire, Funeral
5. Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker
6. Okkervil River, Black Sheep Boy
7. Mirah, You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This
8. The Clash, London Calling
9. Wilco, Summerteeth
10. Radiohead, The Bends
11. Beck, Sea Change
12. Micah P Hinson, And The Opera Circuit
13. Rufus Wainwright, Poses
14. Rilo Kiley, The Execution of All Things
15. Neutral Milk Hotel, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
16. Weezer, The Blue Album
17. Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes
18. Wilco, Being There
19. Bright Eyes, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
20. Neko Case, Blacklisted
21. Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde
22. Okkervil River, Down The River of Golden Dreams
23. Dusty Springfield, Dusty In Memphis
24. The Velvet UndergroundThe Velvet Underground & Nico
25. Andrew Bird, Weather Systems

I'll have to think on the one I want to burn...

Kester said...

those not previously mentioned that i would also claim as brilliant:

The Clash, London Calling
Radiohead, The Bends
Micah P Hinson, And The Opera Circuit
Wilco, Being There
Neko Case, Blacklisted
Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde
Dusty Springfield, Dusty In Memphis
The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico

I have never heard Andrew Bird's Weather Systems.

Kester said...

The 16 albums that showed up on at least two lists are:

Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker
The Arcade Fire, Funeral
The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
The Beatles, Abbey Road
Bright Eyes, I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks
Neutral Milk Hotel, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Okkervil River, Black Sheep Boy
Okkervil River, Down The River of Broken Dreams
Paul Simon, Graceland
U2, Joshua Tree
Weezer, The Blue Album
The Who, Who’s Next
Wilco, Summerteeth
Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Neil Young, Tonight's The Night

I'm going to make a mix.

Kester said...

Ryan Adams –Too Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)
Weezer –Undone (The Sweater Song)
Bright Eyes –We Are Nowhere And It’s Now
The Beatles –Something
Okkervil River –A Stone
U2 –Running To Stand Still
Neil Young –Tonight’s The Night
Wilco –How To Fight Loneliness
Paul Simon –Graceland
Bob Dylan –Simple Twist of Fate
The Beach Boys –God Only Knows
The Who –Getting In Tune
Okkervil River –It Ends With A Fall
The Arcade Fire –Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Wilco –I’m The Man Who Loves You
Neutral Milk Hotel –Two Headed Boy Pt 2

sarah said...

GOOD mix. thanks for making it. i'm going to burn "weather systems" for you and mail it.

sam said...

in case you didn't see my list on sarah's blog. here's my top 25. and one to burn.

1. neutral milk hotel - in the aeroplane over the sea
2. magnetic fields - 69 love songs
3. arcade fire - funeral
4. johnny cash - live at folsom prison
5. radiohead - ok computer
6. sublime - sublime
7. eminem - the slim shady lp
8. the beatles - the white album
9. beck - sea change
10. okkervil river - down the river of broken dreams
11. the shins - oh inverted world
12. peter adams - the spiral eye
13. sufjan stevens - illinois
14. blonde redhead - melody of certain damaged lemons
15. cat power - you are free
16. bob schneider - lonelyland
17. dave matthews band - before these crowded streets
18. death cab for cutie - transatlanticism
19. the pixies - doolittle
20. simon & garfunkel - sounds of silence
21. rage against the machine - evil empire
22. tool - aenema
23. rilo kiley - takeoffs & landings
24. rufus wainwright - poses
25. stone temple pilots - core

a classic to burn. probably nirvana's nevermind. though i'm pretty sure i could burn that one here.