Thursday, December 05, 2002

Time for a new edition of THE LIST I'm into lists, in a major way.  I just really enjoy seeing things ranked--Best of this, Worst Ten that, Strangest Thing, Most Unusual Whatsit.  I have a ton of books of lists, including the Books of Lists 1-3 and even The 90s Edition.  I also own The 100 Most Influential People in History, the Greatest 1000 Albums Ever, The Top 500 Poems, etc.  You get the picture.  So I'll be using this space to include some of my favorite personal lists.  Today: TOP TEN ALBUMS TO TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND This is a tough one, of course, because everyone's opinion about what they want to listen to evolves constantly based on hearing new things, moods, emotional/spiritual/physical growth, etc.  Roughly, and without giving it the hours of thought that would probably be necessary to really capture this accurately, this is a list of ten albums that are repeatedly listenable.  "Repeatedly" being the key, since we're talking about a desert album scenario here.   I've excluded classical music; not because I don't dig classical, but because it doesn't fall into the "album" category, in my view.  Just recordings of certain pieces of music or performances.  Anyway, key factors surely have to include variety, complexity, even length--I'm not going to include Weezer's green album, though it's great, because it's 28 minutes long.  Similarly, I'm not going to include anything by Rage Against the Machine, because while I like them, and when in a certain mood I may REALLY like them, they're not wide-ranging enough for me to listen to for the rest of my life. Enough explanation.  In no particular order:  1.  OK Computer by Radiohead.  I'm crazy about Radiohead, and picking between this, Kid A, and the Bends is really tough.  But this is my favorite.  It's complex and unusual, and I have yet to grow tired of it.  2.  London Calling by The Clash.  I could talk about the influence of this album, but that's not why you take something to a desert island.  This is really, truly amazing stuff, incorporating a ton of sounds and genres, and moves from the complex to the catchy pretty quickly.  One of the all-time greats. 3.  The White Album by The Beatles.  This is not the Beatles best album when you're talking about a unit of work--I think that's either Revolver or Abbey Road.  But it's a conglomeration of great songs, with only a few duds, and gains Desert Island Bonus Points for being a double album.  4.  Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys.  Love the Beastie Boys.  The only album of theirs that's easy to exclude from this list is Licensed to Ill, which I enjoy but is just goofy.  Paul's Boutique is goofy, too, but it's still weightier, with better music, far more hilarious lyrics and samples.  Pretty much neck and neck with Check Your Head, for my money, but I think I'd enjoy this more for a number of years.  But Check Your Head is close. 5.  Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen.--If you don't love the Boss, you don't love yourself.  Nebraska is entirely different than anything Springsteen has done (excluding, perhaps, The Ghost of Tom Joad, which is similar).  There are no drums on the album, no backup vocals.  The lyrics are positively spellbinding.  I never, ever get tired of this. 6.  Grace by Jeff Buckley.  As I said, this list is in no particular order.  If it was, this would beyond question be one of my first three picks.  A complex, richly diverse album, with brilliant vocals.  Jeff Buckley's death was really tragic; this was his only real album, and it's fantastic across the board. 7.  The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest.  If you don't have an instant aversion to hip-hop, and you don't know this album, check it out.  It's worth it.  My most visceral choice on the list.  But just awesome.  Q-Tip is nearly unparalleled. 8.  Let it Bleed by The Rolling Stones--I've read more than one reference to this as the most complete rock album of the last forty years.  Terrific stuff. Contains "Gimme Shelter", which is literally one of my favorite songs of all time, along with "Midnight Rambler," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and the awesome title song.  Doug would probably choose Beggar's Banquet, but no one can argue with Let it Bleed. 9.  Chronicle by Creedence Clearwater Revival.  A bit of a cheat here, because this is really a greatest hits collection.  But I don't care.  I can't name another CD that has twenty songs of this quality in a row.  Twenty great songs in a row!   Creedence fits a mood more than almost anyone--they are, for me anyway, the quintessential summer band.  Love 'em.  This was actually the last album to make this list, but I can't go wrong with it. 10.  Kind of Blue by Miles Davis--It can't all be rock and rap, and if I'm picking a jazz album, this is the clear winner for me.  Not even close. So what got left out?  10 years ago, this would have had two U2 albums.  Now zero.  Times change.  No REM is a surprise for me.  Where is Bob Dylan?  Pink Floyd?  The Doors?  Jimi Hendrix?   Public Enemy?  Duran Duran?  Nu Shooz? A few of near misses were Mermaid Ave. Vol 1 by Billy Bragg and Wilco, Quality Control by Jurassic 5, Pleased to Meet Me by The Replacements, Vs. by Pearl Jam, Indigo Girls, Automatic for the People by REM, Zenyatta Mondatta by the Police, Joshua Tree by U2, and Summerteeth by Wilco.  There are others. I'm going to get at least a few emails or comments that fall into the category of "What the hell are you talking about?  Are you some kind of moron?"  But that's why I make The List, see? 3:34:17 PM    Let's hear it. []