The Desert Island---Part 2

OK, so I'm back on my desert island. I've watched my ten favorite movies, and now I want to listen to some music. The problem is I can only have 10 discs with me. So what do I choose? Well, let me put some self-imposed restrictions on this. I can only have one choice from one performer, no greatest hits or live albums allowed, and only official releases are allowed (not that I own any unofficial releases--but I'm just saying).

Before I divulge my list, let me say a few words about what you won't find. You're not going to find any punk, rap, hip-hop, country or jazz on this list. While I certainly like jazz and some punk, I don't like them enough to have them with me on a desert island. As far as rap and its cousin, hip-hop, while I can appreciate their importance and popularity, I'm just not interested. No, basically what I will take with me will be what is now commonly referred to as "old guy rock." Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

1. "Revolver" The best and most consistent album by the greatest rock band of all time. Sure, most people would prefer "Sergeant Pepper", "Abbey Road", or the white album, but have you listened to "Revolver" lately? There are no bad songs, George Harrison finally achieved greatness with this album, and the album perfectly captures the band's transition to serious music. Still unconvinced? OK, how about this: "Taxman", "Eleanor Rigby", "For No One", "Got to Get You into my Life", "Tomorrow Never Knows", "I Want to Tell You", "Yellow Submarine", "Here There and Everywhere", "Good Day Sunshine". "She Said She Said, "Love You to", "Dr. Robert." Yeah, nuff said. And, by the way, did I happen to mention the name of the band that created this masterpiece? I thought not. Didn't need to.

2. "Who's Next" It's unfortunate that many people are basing their conception of The Who on their performance at this year's Super Bowl. That's like basing your opinion of Michelangelo on some doodlings he might have done as a child. If you doubt The Who's relevance, just stick this CD in your player and turn it up loud. This album is loaded with rock anthems, like "Baba O'Reilly", "Won't Get Fooled Again", and "Bargain". The performance on the album shows clearly why John Entwhistle and Keith Moon were the greatest rhythm section in rock history, bar none. Roger Daltrey's vocals are tremendous (a far cry from that old-guy imposter at the Super Bowl) and Pete Townshend's writing and guitar playing are worthy of his legendary status. This album is rock perfection.

3. "Born to Run" Big surprise here, right? The Boss's undisputed masterpiece, still incredible after all these years. The title track is probably the most unique single in rock history, but the true greatness of this album lies in songs like "Thunder Road", "Jungleland", "Backstreets", "Night", and "She's the One", wherein Springsteen stakes his claim as the greatest rock poet of our generation.

4. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" Once upon a time, Elton John was actually a musician and an artist, as hard as that is to believe today. This is his most consistent and greatest album. Side one of the record, with "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding", "Candle in the Wind" and "Bennie and the Jets" is legendary, but there is so much more to be found here. Lesser-known songs such "All the Young Girls Love Alice", "This Song Has no Title", "Jamaica Jerk-off", "Grey Seal", "The Ballad of Danny Bailey", and "Sweet Painted Lady" are wonderful stories performed with precision and humor. A great album.

5. "Every Picture Tells a Story" Another example of a rocker who has long forgotten how to rock. But oh, back in the day....The title tune is incredible and tells a provocative story. "Maggie May" is one of the all-time classics and "Reason to Believe" is probably the prettiest song Rod Stewart ever sang. Hard to believe Rod the Mod was ever this great, but here is the proof.

6. "It's Only Rock n Roll" My favorite Rolling Stones album, and I am probably in the minority here, but who cares. To me, this is their most consistent and interesting album with Mick Taylor's wonderful guitar playing leaving its imprint all over the album. Check out side one for the title track, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "If You Can't Rock Me", "Til the Next Goodbye", and "Time Waits for No One." I think it's their best side on any of their albums. Maybe I can change my rules and take "Let it Bleed", too.

7. "Layla and other assorted love Songs" Derek and the Dominoes' only studio album, featuring Eric Clapton at his best. While the title song might be the greatest rock and roll song ever, the album also includes such classics as "Bell Bottom Blues", "Little Wing", "Tell the Truth" and "Let it Rain." Duane Allman traded guitar licks with Clapton, and the result was rock magic.

8. "Making Movies" I love Dire Straits and this is, by far, their best album. With a little help from Roy Bittan on keyboards, Mark Knopfler and company knock out some great rock and roll ("Tunnel of Love", "Expresso Love", "Solid Rock"), a wonderful ballad ("Romeo and Juliet"), and a little ditty ("Skateaway") that defies description, which nevertheless cooks with some of Knopfler's best guitar work.

9. "Supernatural" Carlos Santana re-invented himself with this amazing collection of songs, which contained some tremendous guest vocalists. "Smooth", "Maria Maria", and "Put Your Light On" have become some of the best and well-known songs of Santana's career, but the album is chock full of great tunes, and amazing guitar playing.

10. "Are You Experienced?"/ "Blonde on Blonde" OK, I cheated. I couldn't pick between these two for my tenth choice, so I'm bringing them both. It's my island, I can make the rules, and I can break them. First, Hendrix. "Are You Experienced?" has so many great songs, it seems like a greatest hits album. "Purple Haze", "Manic Depression", "Hey Joe", "Foxey Lady", "Fire", "The Wind Cries Mary", the title track. How in the world did all these great songs end up on Hendrix's debut album? Superb guitar playing, great lyrics, tremendous performance. What an incredible musical talent that guy was!
Then, there's Dylan. Well, if you have been reading my blog on a regular basis, you know that I'm a little pissed off at Bob Dylan, and he's basically a shell of what he used to be. But "Blonde on Blonde" is an incredible collection of songs which clearly show why Dylan is such a legend. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (or commonly known as "everybody must get stoned")", "I Want You", "One of Us Must Know", "Just Like a Woman", "Stuck Inside of Mobile..." are all great, famous Dylan classics. But I really like the lesser-known songs, such as "Temporary Like Achilles", "Sad-eyed Lady of the Lowlands", and "Absolutely Sweet Marie". I don't think Dylan ever sounded better or had a stronger collection of songs. And then there's what I believe is the album's true masterpiece, "Visions of Johanna", a touching portrayal of a woman which contains Dylan's greatest performance. Listening to that song never fails to move me. A true masterpiece from a musical legend.
Sorry, but I gotta have both of these masterpieces with me on the island.

So, there's my list. Pretty brutal, isn't it? To really survive on that island, I need to bring about 500 albums to suit my needs. Oh well, I'll just have to suffice with my top ten, er, I mean eleven.