"Island 5" Albums

This is a well-worn subject. The old "you're stranded on a desert island and you can only have five movies/albums/etc..." We've all played it, numerous times, for sure. So why not again?

The impetus for this post was reading this on the NPR Music blog. The writer, Robin Hilton, made some interesting points while revisiting his own "Island 5" from a few years ago. Namely, it would be easy to just list your five favorite records, but what if a few of them are really similar in tone, mood, tempo, etc.? As much as you may love them, having virtually the same sounding album may not be the best choice when you're "stuck" with just five. One must choose wisely and account for differing moods and states of mind. I'm not sure if I did that or not. Essentially, I picked an album from each of my five favorite bands, and I did cheat and pick a compilation (gasp!) for one of them.

Here are my "Island 5" albums:
The Clash - London Calling
The Smiths - The Smiths
Fugazi - The Argument
Radiohead - Kid A
Pixies - Death to the Pixies

Before cheating with my Pixies compilation, I had The Thermals album The Body, The Blood, The Machine on the list. I needed an up-tempo rocker as my picks were decidedly mid-tempo. I tried to settle on just one Pixies album, and I couldn't. So I copped out and picked a compilation. Sue me, I'm stuck on a freaking desert island for chrissakes!

But wait! I do have an original caveat to add to this VERY ripped off post. From your five albums, pick the song you want playing when you're being rescued. Picture this: You board the rescue boat, weak from a diet of coconut and shellfish. You're handed a bottle of water and you immediately begin guzzling, so fast you nearly choke. You're lips are dry and chapped, you're face is weathered and sun burnt. The boat takes off and you're in the back, looking at the island you called home for a few months slowly disappear from sight. You're saved. What song from your list of five albums is playing?

Mine: "How to Disappear Completely" from Kid A. It's actually an insanely prefect song for the occasion. The mood, the lyrics, the title - EVERYTHING. Oh, my rescue would be magnificent with this song playing in the background.


So, go ahead and list your five albums in the comments along with your rescue track.

Gateway music (in a good way)

I made a lot of questionable music choices in the mid-to-late 90s. Southern California was awash in 2nd generation punk, or melodic punk as I've heard it called, and I was all about it. ALL. ABOUT. IT. I bought the CDs, wore the t-shirts, attended the shows (multiple Warped Tours!). Punk was definitely not dead as far as this skinny little white boy was concerned, and I cruised around greater Orange County in my Mazda pickup, windows down, detachable face Pioneer stereo cranked up to offensive decibel levels to prove it.

But questionable music choices or not, I regret nothing. For while my foray into the punk scene may have introduced me to the less-than-stellar Unwritten Law, Strung Out and Guttermouth (among many, many, others), it also introduced me to The Clash, The Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers, Descendents, The Stooges, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains and The Jam. Just to name a few. All seminal bands in their own right that transcend any genre or "scene" - bands that have stuck with me and still grace my iPod today.

As for all the shitty bands along the way - I'd like to think I helped put some of their kids through college, because I bought an obscene amount of CDs back then. I'll probably get rid of them someday, but for now, they're still a reminder of a fun period of my life. And a little NOFX every now and then never hurt anyone.