I should probably update this list from time to time to see if ideas have changed. Anyway, for now, here's a list from February 2009 from a fun activity I did with some friends. These are my top 10 albums to take to a deserted Island... no other music... forever. This is it!
Top 10 albums... if I was on a deserted island...
Thank
you Bobb for coming up with the idea for this. It's really really tough
to think of the top ten albums I would take today if I were heading for
a deserted island and couldn't take any music, but here's a shot at it.
This list of albums is indisputably important to the "Jason" of today
no matter what. So, in no particular order...
1. Led Zeppelin IV... This was one of the first CDs I ever owned. I listened to it so many times that it finally broke. It's one of those albums that makes me stop and think "damn" when I hear it, any song. It gets in my blood and gets me pumped up. I don't even care that Stairway has been way over played, it's good. The guitar and vocals and drums combined make this album amazing, and John Paul did his job fine as well. A fine demonstration of a great band in its prime.
2. Beck's Odelay... The first time I heard Odelay I thought it was crap. The second time I heard it I thought, what was I thinking the first time. It reminds me of having 4 people on my floor during the morning after of a high school sleepover and jumping all over the place and eating pancakes. It's an album that reminds me of more carefree days. Long drives in an Isuzu and making five dollars last all day.
3. Willie Nelson's Stardust... Even though lots of these songs are covers, Willie does them spectacularly. This is an album I'm going to listen to all the time even when I'm an old man. It's a night time album filled with romance and nostalgia. Willie was branching out from what people expected from him musically when he made it, and I think that's a kind of metaphor for what I'm sometimes trying to accomplish. It's mellow and can wake me up at times as well as be a sleepy time album.
4. Black Label Society's Hangover Music Vol. IV... The metal album for non metal folks. Every song is good. Zack is the total package here. He song writes, he sings, and he shreds. When I first heard this album I thought, "Wow, I've never heard anything quite like that before" and I haven't since. I reminds me of Adam and the good times we've had together. It makes me want to be a better guitar player/singer/songwriter... and I've definitely stolen some of this album's inspirado at times.
5. Floater's Sink... This album can't be played in pieces. Although, Thin Skin is ridiculously amazing. Floater has amazed me for years, but I keep coming back to Sink. I've heard it at so many transitional stages of my life that I think of it all the time. 3 guys that have stayed true to their roots over the years. They're solid and they're Eugene... I think of myself this way. I have too much respect for this band to not include them on this list.
6. Ryan Adam's Heartbreaker... I'm not sure if this album contains any of my favorite current Ryan songs, but it's forever my favorite Ryan album. It is the album that makes me love country and I heard it exactly when I needed to. I felt like Ryan was writing these songs just for me, even though I'm sure lots of people can relate to these songs.
7. Lloyds Hill's World's End EP... This is not the best stuff Lloyd's Hill ever made, because the best music they ever made was played live and never recorded. However, this is really really good. When Matt and I drove across country we listened to this set of songs more than anything else, and that was multiple times per day. These songs remind me how awesome this country is, of how great my friends are, and how important it is to ROCK every now and again. I think of this music all the time.
8. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention's Freak Out... My mom told me once how much I would likely dig this album and she was right. It changed how I viewed the possibilities of music. Once again, I heard it at the right time in my life and it made a difference. It helps me to relate to where my parents must have come from. And, it's rock solid from start to finish... even the last two psychedelic tracks. I can remember listening to this album while laying on a floor with the lights off and thinking, "How did he come up with this? This is rediculous!". It's so good.
9. Genesis' Invisible Touch... When I was a kid and would be driving up to visit the snow and stay in a cabin, this was often the album we could all agree upon. It's pretty 80's, but still withstands the test of time. This album, like Bob Seager's Beautiful Loser (which didn't make the list... but just barely), is one of those albums I own on cassette, vinyl, and CD... it's good. It's the album I put on when I look through all my music and can't find what I'm looking for. I know I'll always appreciate this work.
10. Johnny Cash's American IV... This was a culmination album. I think Johnny put everything he had left into it. It's an example of where one man maximizes his potential. And, he surrounded himself with some of the best musicians ever to record these songs. And, somehow he made them even better. It's an album that displays a life full of experience and lessons. It's reflective, personal, and inspiring. I can't imagine a better piece of music. Neil Diamond accomplished a similar thing when he recorded 12 Songs, but not at quite the Johnny level. Johnny was a master.
Well, there you have it. 10 albums that I'd take on an island. I hope the batteries in the boombox are long lasting. Enjoy the day!
1. Led Zeppelin IV... This was one of the first CDs I ever owned. I listened to it so many times that it finally broke. It's one of those albums that makes me stop and think "damn" when I hear it, any song. It gets in my blood and gets me pumped up. I don't even care that Stairway has been way over played, it's good. The guitar and vocals and drums combined make this album amazing, and John Paul did his job fine as well. A fine demonstration of a great band in its prime.
2. Beck's Odelay... The first time I heard Odelay I thought it was crap. The second time I heard it I thought, what was I thinking the first time. It reminds me of having 4 people on my floor during the morning after of a high school sleepover and jumping all over the place and eating pancakes. It's an album that reminds me of more carefree days. Long drives in an Isuzu and making five dollars last all day.
3. Willie Nelson's Stardust... Even though lots of these songs are covers, Willie does them spectacularly. This is an album I'm going to listen to all the time even when I'm an old man. It's a night time album filled with romance and nostalgia. Willie was branching out from what people expected from him musically when he made it, and I think that's a kind of metaphor for what I'm sometimes trying to accomplish. It's mellow and can wake me up at times as well as be a sleepy time album.
4. Black Label Society's Hangover Music Vol. IV... The metal album for non metal folks. Every song is good. Zack is the total package here. He song writes, he sings, and he shreds. When I first heard this album I thought, "Wow, I've never heard anything quite like that before" and I haven't since. I reminds me of Adam and the good times we've had together. It makes me want to be a better guitar player/singer/songwriter... and I've definitely stolen some of this album's inspirado at times.
5. Floater's Sink... This album can't be played in pieces. Although, Thin Skin is ridiculously amazing. Floater has amazed me for years, but I keep coming back to Sink. I've heard it at so many transitional stages of my life that I think of it all the time. 3 guys that have stayed true to their roots over the years. They're solid and they're Eugene... I think of myself this way. I have too much respect for this band to not include them on this list.
6. Ryan Adam's Heartbreaker... I'm not sure if this album contains any of my favorite current Ryan songs, but it's forever my favorite Ryan album. It is the album that makes me love country and I heard it exactly when I needed to. I felt like Ryan was writing these songs just for me, even though I'm sure lots of people can relate to these songs.
7. Lloyds Hill's World's End EP... This is not the best stuff Lloyd's Hill ever made, because the best music they ever made was played live and never recorded. However, this is really really good. When Matt and I drove across country we listened to this set of songs more than anything else, and that was multiple times per day. These songs remind me how awesome this country is, of how great my friends are, and how important it is to ROCK every now and again. I think of this music all the time.
8. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention's Freak Out... My mom told me once how much I would likely dig this album and she was right. It changed how I viewed the possibilities of music. Once again, I heard it at the right time in my life and it made a difference. It helps me to relate to where my parents must have come from. And, it's rock solid from start to finish... even the last two psychedelic tracks. I can remember listening to this album while laying on a floor with the lights off and thinking, "How did he come up with this? This is rediculous!". It's so good.
9. Genesis' Invisible Touch... When I was a kid and would be driving up to visit the snow and stay in a cabin, this was often the album we could all agree upon. It's pretty 80's, but still withstands the test of time. This album, like Bob Seager's Beautiful Loser (which didn't make the list... but just barely), is one of those albums I own on cassette, vinyl, and CD... it's good. It's the album I put on when I look through all my music and can't find what I'm looking for. I know I'll always appreciate this work.
10. Johnny Cash's American IV... This was a culmination album. I think Johnny put everything he had left into it. It's an example of where one man maximizes his potential. And, he surrounded himself with some of the best musicians ever to record these songs. And, somehow he made them even better. It's an album that displays a life full of experience and lessons. It's reflective, personal, and inspiring. I can't imagine a better piece of music. Neil Diamond accomplished a similar thing when he recorded 12 Songs, but not at quite the Johnny level. Johnny was a master.
Well, there you have it. 10 albums that I'd take on an island. I hope the batteries in the boombox are long lasting. Enjoy the day!
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