Desert Island Discs

It's time to play Desert Island Discs -- what 10 albums would you want to have if you were stranded on a desert island? One rule, no "Best of" or "Compilation" albums...

In no particular order, here are mine...

Joni Mitchell -- "Blue" -- Easily the most emotional album I've ever heard. "Little Green", the song she wrote about the daughter she had to give up for adoption, never fails to bring me to tears. Musically, she hit the spot throughout the album, the incredible singing and spot-on chord changes give me chills.

The Who -- "Quadrophenia" -- Not as many "hits" as "Tommy" or "Who's Next", this album gets on the list due to pure virtuosity. I think all four of them were at the top of their game on this album, especially Entwistle and Moon. "The Real Me" and "The Punk and the Godfather" are as good as it gets for bass and drum.

The Beach Boys -- "Pet Sounds" -- IMO, Brian Wilson was "Mozart in Hawthorne". 24 years old, and he pulls this masterpiece out of his head. Sure, some of the lyrics are high-school, but Brian was never about the lyrics. Listen to just the music and his use of the voices on "Wouldn't it be Nice", "Sloop John B", and "God Only Knows". Just magical. I would have put "Smile" here, because it was even better, but it was never released by the Beach Boys (I've heard the bootlegs, and the music was mind-blowing) and Brian's release a couple of years ago wasn't as good.

Genesis -- "Selling England by the Pound" -- Although "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" is the best-known of the albums they put out with Peter Gabriel, this preceding album was Genesis at its zenith. "The Lamb" was pretty much a Peter Gabriel solo album, while "Selling England" was a collaborative effort. The long instrumentals in "Firth of Fifth", "After the Ordeal", and "The Cinema Show" demonstrate what a truly tight band can accomplish. Steve Hackett's guitar solos are like a balm to me.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience -- "Electric Ladyland" -- The greatest guitarist ever, at his best. The scope and breadth of the works on this album are amazing. from the straight blues of "Voodoo Chile" to the psychedelic "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" to the hard rock 'n' roll of "Come On". This album has something for everyone.

Pink Floyd -- "Animals" -- Hard to pick one Floyd album -- but this one captures all the elements of the band the best. Great guitar , bass, and drum work -- and the angst-ridden nastiness of Roger's lyrics are starting to come to the fore.

Richard Wagner -- "Tannhauser (highlights) -- Jankowski" -- I'm not too much of an opera fan, and Wagner was a rat bastard, but this is majestic music. The overture is 13 minutes of bliss for me, and the "Pilgrim's Chorus" is fantastic. I like this version for two reasons -- 1) It's the "German" version which is quicker than the "French" version, which seems to drag for me, and 2) The talents of Kiri Te Kanawa and Rene Kollo. Just wonderful. It's also the "soundtrack" for one of my favorite movies, "Meeting Venus".

Miles Davis -- "Kind of Blue" -- Add Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane to Miles, and you've got the coolest music ever made. Great album to just zone out with.

Marvin Gaye -- "What's Going On?" -- If I had to pick one album to represent the "Sixties", this would be it. Emotional, wide ranging, hip to the pain that was out there... this was from the heart. Tremendous musicianship by the Funk Brothers (who did all of the music for Motown and never got recognized for it), especially the James Jamerson bass on the title track.

The Allman Brothers Band -- "The Allman Brothers Band" -- One of the best debut albums ever, and they completely spoiled Southern rock for me -- nothing anyone else did could compare. Great lead vocals by Gregg, and the band was outstanding.

Honorable mention -- again, in no particular order, and I'll probably add to it.
The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper", "Revolver", "Abbey Road", "The White Album", "Rubber Soul"
The Rolling Stones "Exile on Main St."
Bob Dylan "Highway 61 Revisited", "Blonde on Blonde", "Blood on the Tracks"
Steely Dan "Aja", "The Royal Scam"
The Who "Who's Next, "Tommy"
Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon", "Meddle", "Wish You Were Here"
The Doors "The Doors", "L.A. Woman"
Bruce Springsteen "Born to Run", "Greetings from Asbury Park"
Stevie Wonder "Songs in the Key of Life", "Innervisions", "Talking Book"
The Eagles "Hotel California"
Neil Young "After the Gold Rush", "Harvest"
Simon and Garfunkel "Bridge over Troubled Water","Bookends"
U2 "War", "The Unforgettable Fire"
Van Morrison "Moondance", "Tupelo Honey"
Elton John "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Madman Across the Water",
Carole King "Tapestry"
REM "Automatic for the People"
Cream "Disraeli Gears"
The Band "Music from Big Pink", "The Band"
Muddy Waters "Hard Again"
Jimi Hendrix "Are You Experienced?", "Axis: Bold as Love"
King Crimson "In the Court of the Crimson King"
Yes "The Yes Album", "Fragile", "Close to the Edge"
Derek and the Dominoes "Layla"
Cat Stevens "Tea for the Tillerman", "Teaser and the Firecat"
Genesis "Foxtrot", "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"
Frank Zappa "Joe's Garage"
Emerson, Lake, & Palmer "Trilogy", "Brain Salad Surgery"
Grateful Dead "American Beauty", "Workingman's Dead"
Arlo Guthrie "Alice's Restaurant"
John Lennon "Imagine", "Double Fantasy"
Paul McCartney "Ram", "Band on the Run", "Venus and Mars"
George Harrison "All Things Must Pass"
Santana "Abraxas", "Santana"