18
Aug
2010
dnovotny

5 albums for a deserted island

I don't remember where, but recently I came across the question, "Which 5 albums would you want to have with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?" I have been thinking about this a lot since then. I accept that the question assumes that you can get beyond limited battery life, and its really asking, what are your 5 favorite albums. Which is the funny thing about my realizations.
Let me start with my list:

1. Swollen Members - Monsters in the closet
2. Jimmy Buffet - Songs you know by heart
3. John Lennon - Imagine
4. CCR - Chronicle Vol.1
5. Perfecto Presents: Another World

I think that most people would not expect that list for me. And to be fair, the third one is only there for the title song, but, ever since I first remember hearing that, it is one of those songs that I really wish more people could understand. Oddly, I have at least 2 copies of the first and fourth albums in my car at all times. Part of this is because I have an mp3 player, so I only burn compilations, and I always include those.
This list could get me through any emotional standpoint that I happened to find myself in. If I were angry, Swollen Members can either help me to chill out, as in Track 3, Breath, which I almost always play on repeat for 8 or 9 loops. Or, it can perpetuate the anger, as in Tracks 6, 7 and 8.
If I were depressed, Paul Oakenfold's Trance can really mellow the time, while it can also keep me focused, and can help me with productivity. This is part of the reason that on Last.fm I listen to the "vocal trance" station almost exclusively. This is partly because I listen to Last.fm primarily only while I am at work, while I am trying to get work done and while people are being annoying. I couldn't tell you why I would want the Buffet and Creedence, aside from the fact that they are just good collections. Although, I don't think I will ever enjoy "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". I haven't liked it since elementary school, when it was re-appropriated by the California raisins.

That's my 5 albums. If I were stuck on a deserted island, or in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, those are the tracks that I would want to hear.