Right then lets hear what your desert island discs are and maybe why you would choose them. Strict adherance to the rules please:
From the BBC DID webpages - The format is simple – a guest is invited to choose eight discs, a book and a luxury to take with them as they’re castaway on a mythical desert island. They’re given the complete works of Shakespeare and the Bible
Recordings are pieces of music, so tracks only and not whole albums. Tricky to narrow it down to eighty, never mind eight!
I think it's probably just my age that fools people into thinking I'm a grown-up.
You have to remember there is one extra(luxury ?) item as well
Mine is the large pallet with my hifi and all my LPs and CDs
More music from better kit Played last : Underworld -King Crimson -Beach Boys -Hybrid -Jazzanova -Rod Stewart -Dave Seaman -Geoffrey Richardson -Eric Burdon -Max Richter -James Lavelle -Boards of Canada -Jonny Lang -Gerry Rafferty -Level 42 -Voice of the Seven Woods -Manassas -The Rides -Bonnie Raitt -Mogwai -Viktor Krauss -Bajofondo -Bent -Chris Rea -Rick Springfield TAD/Technics/Coherent
I have over 100 albums I rate 10/10 so 8 tracks might be a stretch Think it was Paul Jones when on who said it was impossible to pick 8 so he picked them at random. However if one track of any length is allowed you have to go for the long ones, like Clearlight Symphony self titled,possibly full album or one side Cream's 16 minute live Spoonful Colosseum - Valantyne Suite Any long track from Caravan, either For girls who grow plump, Waterloo Lily Creedence - Keep on Chooglin Fleetwood Mac Then play on - long track or 2 on there Philip Glass Powaqqatsi is one very long piece Eno has some long tracks, need to work out which ones Gentle Giant have long ones around Jan Hammer doesn't have any long ones, damn King Crimson the 2nd side on Lizard is one track I think Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother Procol Harum Live concert Edmonton last track is a long one and epic Underworld John Peel session is one track as it's a mix
and that's still not 8.... Maybe I pick the longest 8 I can get out of that lot....... My luxury item could be my book of all my albums and I could remember them and hum them to myself. I just about know Spoonful's 16 minute improv
More music from better kit Played last : Underworld -King Crimson -Beach Boys -Hybrid -Jazzanova -Rod Stewart -Dave Seaman -Geoffrey Richardson -Eric Burdon -Max Richter -James Lavelle -Boards of Canada -Jonny Lang -Gerry Rafferty -Level 42 -Voice of the Seven Woods -Manassas -The Rides -Bonnie Raitt -Mogwai -Viktor Krauss -Bajofondo -Bent -Chris Rea -Rick Springfield TAD/Technics/Coherent
Choosing 8 for most of us is really hard I love variety of music I suspect the moment I list my 8 it will change. But for the sense of the spirit of things here what I gone for and why Dream Theater Take the Time I been a fan ever since I heard the first album play in Shades and buying it. Images and Words took a good few years to follow up and mainly thanks to Derek Oliver signing them. The album just blew me away and I have no idea how many times I played that album but it would be a lot. The track is quite thoughtful and describes perfectly a moment in time for me that was a reflective period of my life
Next up is Shawn Lane Jonas Hellborg and Jeff Sipe This is pure improvisation The understanding they have just takes me on a journey something I might need if I am on Island on my own (First movement)
Next up is Jeff Buckley Lover You Should of come Over I still remember the first time I heard this track and how much I just loved it from the first moment I heard it I fell in love with the track
Next up is Demise and Vestige by Zero hour This is about as heavy as I can go I love how it changes in the middle It starts out very dissonant but as soon as the vocals become a bit more melodic
After listening to this I need to go to something very melodic and this would be From Within
Next up would be some Jeff Beck and I just love his version of Nadia
Next up is totally pompous from my childhood 2112
No list is complete without some Jimi Hendrix I have chosen Castles Made of Sand just so I can build a sandcastle and watch it slip into the sea whilst listening to Jimi
Book Being and Time I should after a few years time maybe able to understand it all Luxery Chimay Red unlimited supply
It's a tricky challenge and I'm compiling a list at the moment. All I will say is that the list would vary from day to day depending on when I submit it.
Oh, and you can toss the bible although the Shakespeare I'd work on. After all, there would be lots of time.
Ok, so no classical then (that really has to be a separate list on a different island in a parallel universe)...
Van Morrison - Into the Mystic (hugely emotional sound picture) Portishead - Roads (so much feeling) Joan Armatrading - Love and Affection (the perfect song) Genesis - The Cinema Show (epic) Jewel - Barcelona (that voice) Snowy White - Bird of Paradise (epic with guitar) Wishbone Ash - Persephone (the whole sound) Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower (the best cover ever)
Book: Iain Bank's 'Consider Phlebas' (I miss his writing so much) Luxury: My watch given to me by my wife
Next up is Jeff Buckley Lover You Should of come Over I still remember the first time I heard this track and how much I just loved it from the first moment I heard it I fell in love with the track
Completely wonderful song, John. You prompted me to put the vinyl on
Gosh this is tricky, isn't it? I'll start with the easy bit: Book: 'A Short History of Almost Everything' by Bill Bryson Luxury: A good left-handed guitar
Music - right now, it would be:
Fleetwood Mac - 'Man of the World' This would be top of any list I make - guaranteed a place. I'm a bit of a miserablist at heart when it comes to music and this is the saddest song I know, but also the most wonderful.
Frank Zappa - 'Watermelon in Easter Hay' My favourite FZ track and just perfect guitar playing
Black Sabbath - 'Spiral Architect' No particular reason, it's just a great track that I've never tired of
Dexter Gordon - 'Cheese Cake' It's personal!
Lowell George - 'Twenty Million Things' Story of my life!
Fairport Convention - 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' How could anyone not want to hear this voice?
The Stooges - 'Dirt' Seeing them play this live was a key moment in my concert going career - just full of incredible but controlled power but with air and space
MC5 - 'Looking at You' Just a great snotty nosed rock song, full of energy and life.
Fleetwood Mac - 'Man of the World' This would be top of any list I make - guaranteed a place. I'm a bit of a miserablist at heart when it comes to music and this is the saddest song I know, but also the most wonderful.
...
Black Sabbath - 'Spiral Architect' No particular reason, it's just a great track that I've never tired of
The Fleetwood Mac is a nice song. Many of my choices are downbeat too. Its roots are in classical music - sadness and suffering made for the greatest music. Ask Beethoven, Mahler, Shostakovich etc.
For Black Sabbath, I could have chosen several but perhaps I'd go back to the title track 'Black Sabbath'.