Just one recording

[Tannin]

OK guys, we have all played this game before. You are about to be consigned to a desert island for a good long while. You are allowed to take a stereo system and one recording. No cheating: just one disc. (But we will stretch a point and allow a double album if you wish - but only if you are choosing it for its intrinsic merit and not just because it's longer.)

Which one?

[Tannin]

Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro. My favourite recording so far is Solti's with Tiri Ti Kanawa, but any of the good ones would do.

[Tea]

The Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed. This one, by the way, was recorded after Bryan Jones was pushed out, but before Mick Taylor joined the band. For a long time people thought Keef did the whole thing himself, but he actually had a little help: there are solos from two more than ordinarily talented session guitarists: Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor. But that's a detail: the album as a whole is their masterwork.

[simonstre]

Red Hot Chili Peppers : californication.


It's a disc where almost all the songs are good. Do we have batteries for the radio??? :)

[flagreen]

Aretha Franklin's "Rescue Me" of course.

[timwhit]

Pink Floyd - The Wall

This kind of thing changes from week to week for me. But right now this is what I have been listening to. (Plus it's a double disc :) ).

Can I bring the movie too it's got the same name?

BTW if you haven't seen "The Wall" then go rent it. Man what a F'ed up movie.

[flagreen]

Or maybe Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely".

[flagreen]

Of course, there's always Three Dog Night's "One is the loneliest number".

[flagreen]

OK if I can be serious for a moment, Gordon Lightfoot - "Susan's floor".

[Cliptin]

U2: The Joshua Tree

[Cliptin]

I was serious before; but the record label they were on when they recorded TJT was Island records.

[Bartender]

Regrettably, the rules stipulate just one album. This makes the choice quite difficult, as my music-mood constantly changes. The Marriage of Figaro is an excellent choice Tannin.

As I think about this question, I’m compelled to pick something that is soothing or relaxing; something that I could listen to at any time of the day or at any time of the year. The one constant for me is classical music. Throughout the year, I change my listening habits. At certain times, it is Island music, such as Soca, Calypso, and Ras Mas. At the same time, I’ll mix in plenty of Jimmy Buffett and the occasional Hawaiian slack key guitar. Then my mood will change and I’m charged by rock n’ roll, such as Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and Bill Haley. As my mood changes, I’ll move onto Motown, then Classic Rock. Sometimes I’ll listen to the same Boston or Heart album for days – just playing it over and over again (Heart’s Dreamboat Annie is one of my favorites). Interestingly enough for me, when I listen to these different types of music (and there are more), the one thing I still listen to everyday is classical or opera. So, my one album is narrowed down – classical or opera it should be – but which?

Opera is great, but it can get too emotional after a few hours of listening, so I’m back to the beginning: Classical. Which album of classical music? My Prussian marching music – no, too nerve racking. Brahms? Maybe. I think it would be Johann Strauss. Why you may ask? Because for me the music has life without becoming overwhelming; the music has rhythm (I used to dance); the music is relaxing. One other point that sticks out in my mind is the lack of vocals in this type of music – you can apply this music to almost any type of feeling. You can be sad with it, happy, and if you are angered, it helps calm you down (at least it does for me). Without vocals, I decide what the music is telling me; without vocals, I wouldn’t have to listen to another person on this desolate island for a long time – ah, the peace!

(Do we get notebooks systems so that we can log on to StorageForum during our “three hour tour”?)

[JKKJ]

Bach. Goldberg Variations. Gould or Perahia.

Sublime music that you can allow to wash over you, or complex enough to fill the nights with study. As long as the batteries don't konk out. Or is it solar power?

[Mercutio]

Right now, I'd probably choose Beethoven's 7th Symphony or Tchaikovksy's 6th. I've been listening to those a lot.

Explaining the connection: Beethoven wrote his 7th symhpony in the midst of his fierce depression at the loss of his hearing. His sublime 9th is the creation of a totally deaf and completely serene composer. Tchaikovsky's 6th was his masterpiece, a final work written expressly as a finale to life as a composer. It runs from brooding to uplifting in its four movements.

Some other possible choices: A compilation of impressionistic piano works from the likes of Ravel, Satie and Debussey.

A collection of Pärt's recent output. Probably "Sanctuary" on Virgin.

But then I realize that there are two simple piece of music that I *must* have in order to live: One is "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis", by Ralph Vaughn Williams. The other is "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" by Debussey. Everything else falls away before those two. Both are utter masterpieces of course. But for me the good of those works comes as much from memory as from melody.

Of course, those two works would occupy perhaps 40% of a CD. The rest is far less important, given those two.

[CougTek]

But then I realize that there are two simple piece of music that I *must* have in order to live: One is "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis", by Ralph Vaughn Williams. The other is "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" by Debussey.
Then, unless those two are on the same CD (Tannin didn't allow compilations IIRC), it means you would probably die on an island with Tony's requierements because you could only have one of the two.

Imagine the tombstone :

Mercutio
1976-2002
killed by silence

[Mercutio]

Pbbbbt.

Tannin's rules are clearly biased against the tasteful.

[Bartender]

Pbbbbt.

Tannin's rules are clearly biased against the tasteful.

Tasteful? Look up the definition of tannin. :D

[Onomatopoeic]

Mercutio
1976-2002
killed by silence

As far as silence goes, "Silence" by Pete Namlook is an excellent piece of Germanic ambient electronix from 1992. (Namlook = Kuhlman backwards)... Definitely a candidate for "desert island disc."


http://www.2350.org/pk25/artwork
Pete Namlook -- "Silence" FAX Records (reissued on Ambient World sublabel)

Silence - PK 08/25 (also AW 019)
Release Date: 7 December 1992
Limitation (PK 08/25): 500,
Reissue Limitation (AW 019): unlimited

Omid/Hope 21.51
Garden of Dreams 22.24
Santur 9.49
Trip 20.08

all tracks written by Pete Namlook and Dr. Atmo

Omid/Hope unfolds with a slowly pulsing C major third, setting the ambience for quiet, positive meditation. It is music to breathe by. Bona fide new-age medicine music. Singular string notes and synths begin to accent and swirl around the primary pulse, like stray thoughts, until the first appearance of our vocal guide at 0:09:00. Accompanied by occasional washes of rain and panned piano notes, we begin the mantra:

You are right
Yes
Silence
I am beautiful
And all is beautiful around
You bring life
The heartbeat of life
We are all part of the Universe
Seasons will come and go
The silence of the universe

The track develops at 0:17:00 with a sneaky little drum accent, fading forward and back, propelling the track with a light insistence towards its close.

Garden of Dreams layers digital bell tones, flutes and an female voice in an exotic, eastern setting. This is the journey that Omid/Hope has prepared our minds for. It is a still place, accented by occasional synth burbles. A heavily reverbed kick drum leads us into a new territory halfway through--a slow, melancholy gamelan of cymbals and sticks. It is as if we are being shown the laborers whose toil provides the beautiful garden we've just experienced.

Santur invites us to astrally project ourselves through the cosmos, arriving in mythic north Africa. A dance is performed, a cultural exchange takes place, some smoke is shared.

Trip is a bright, pan-global ecstatic trance. The simple pulse sets up a framework for high flutes, synthsized birdsong, and long washes of sound/surf. It is clearly mystic and optimistic. Aromatherapy for your ears. Overall, Silence I is a strong release hearkening back to ambient music's roots. Its structure is deliberate, and it holds together very well as an album. That being said, it does feel somewhat dated and self-conscious in its spiritual zeal, marginally better than most of the New Age spiritual audio aids so prevalent in the nineties.
(review by Ian Malbon)

There can't be many long term fax afficionados who haven't encountered the sound of Silence. One of the very first discs to appear on the label, this was issued way back when ambient music was all the rage, being a genre defining piece. And it still is. The classic pairing of Namlook and Dr Atmo delivered four slowly evolving pieces of chilled minimalistic ambience. Omid/Hope opens the scoring with slow strings welling up, interupted by Namlooks analogue squeals and the famous Silence voice adding some afirmative soundbites, before chilled piano loops and beats are introduced. Next up is my all time favourite FAX track, the superb Garden of Dreams. The track lives up to its name, transporting the listener to a far out world of lush atmospherics built around the familiar Namlook vocal pad sound. This is haunting gothic-style ambience, describing a deep and exotic place. In contrast the next track, Santur, is more Atmo than Namlook. Atmo takes us back to his roots with a Middle Eastern influenced piece, complete with guitar, vocal and rhythm parts. Finally its left to the shimmering Trip to take us some place else. A cyclic track that builds and builds with its hypnotic groove. Like a vast black hole this track pulls the listener in with its repetetive spirals (or er, something like that!).

If you only ever buy one Fax album, this should be it (provided you can find it - although it has been issued on a few different labels). A timeless and consistent release that proves that less really is more, and far superior to the follow up volumes.

http://www.2350.org/artist/Pete+Namlook/

[adriel]

Dune - History (vinyl)

It's just the kind of music that would keep me alive and so that I wouldn't take my desperate situation so seriously. In contrast, I'd definitely not bring something like Miles Davis - Kind of Blue though, that would just drag the days out and make them seem ten times longer.

[The Grammar Police]

Eric Clapton: 461 Ocean Boulevard.

[timwhit]

Sock puppets do not count as real people!

[Tea]

Kristi says she'd choose Pink Floyd's Animals[/i. Though she was tempted to mention some modern rubbish called [i]Tool.

Oh. It's not rubbish, I am reliably informed, and they are completely different. Or so she says.
]

[Bartender]

Sock puppets do not count as real people!
:o

[Buck]

Mozart - Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"

Not only is this music great just for listening, but the most entertaining book I've read was while listening to this symphony (the book was Agatha Christie's - Clocks).

[OT: Polizei]

Verdi - La Traviata. Bartender, wieder ein kurzen! Stets trank er lieber Wein als Wasser und war auch nie ein Weiberhasser!

[Bartender]

Good point Polizei, although not an entire album, and obviously not enough music for a desert island, but I could really enjoy the "Slave Chorus" from Nabucco. Thanks for the reminder about Verdi.

[Buck]

Oh yeah, could I bring my new Beyerdynamic headphones? :)

[Mercutio]

If we're talking opera, I'd have tough time between "La Boheme" and "Tosca". The heroine dies in both, of course (heck the heroine in La Traviata even dies the same WAY as the heroine in La Boheme), so maybe opera just isn't a good choice for desert island-ing.

"West Side Story" would be good, though. Or "Camelot". Those might be fun. "Man of La Mancha"? "Les Mis"? I guess a cast recording of a musical could be a good island-choice as well.

[The Grammar Police]

Mozart - Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"

Not only is this music great just for listening, but the most entertaining book I've read was while listening to this symphony (the book was Agatha Christie's - Clocks).

Should that not have been Haydon Symphony #101, Buck?

[Bartender]

Mozart - Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"

Not only is this music great just for listening, but the most entertaining book I've read was while listening to this symphony (the book was Agatha Christie's - Clocks).

Should that not have been Haydon Symphony #101, Buck?

No, I think Buck has that right. Symphony No. 41 by Mozart includes Allegro Vivace, Andante Cantabile, Menuetto: Allegretto, and Finale: Molto Allegro.
http://www.classicalarchives.com/mozart.html
There should be a sound file that you can listen to.

[OT: Polizei]

Mozart - Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"

Not only is this music great just for listening, but the most entertaining book I've read was while listening to this symphony (the book was Agatha Christie's - Clocks).

Should that not have been Haydon Symphony #101, Buck?

Hoffentlich bist du auch nicht die Musik Polizei.
Wieder ein Bartender, aber dieses mal Jaegermeister (Mist-Dreck Whiskey kannst im Hut stecken).

[Bartender]

Symphony No. 1 is also nice from Mozart.

[Mercutio]

There are far better symphonies #1 out there than Mozart's. Brahms had a great first go. So did Mahler.

IIRC, Mozart wrote his first symphony a six or eight. I guess that's amazing on its own.

[Bartender]

I have not heard Mahler's first symphony. Thanks for the tip Mercutio.

[flagreen]

I just thought I'd remind you fellows that you're being marooned on a desert island not a Dentist office. :o

[time]

:rofl:

My sentiments exactly!

I don't think I've ever heard an album I'd be prepared to be marooned on a desert island with. I crave variety, and after three or four plays I think I'd get more out of it as a frisbee.

[Tea]

In that case, take one that has been left out in the sun for a while and has warped a little. It will have more interesting aerodynamics, :)

[Sol]

I'd have to go with some sort of assorted, fog-horn/air-raid sirren compilation.
Lets face it, anything will drive you mad pretty quickly and it may as well attract passing ships.
Failing that I'd take the one with the shiniest bottom.

[Tea]

The question was about CDs, Sol, not girls.

[bahngeist]

Genesis: Lamb lies down on Broadway.

[Bartender]

Good to see you posting here Bahngeist.

[bahngeist]

Good to see you posting here Bahngeist.
:) Thank you for noticing, it helped lift my spirits :)

The irony of my choice is that I haven't owned the 'Lamb lies Down' album for over a decade now; but given the scenario, it is sufficiently multi-faceted to be engaging over a long-haul.

However, if the scenario were a realilty, it is probable that I would prefer quiet for the bulk of the time. The album to me would be like an occasional visit with an old friend, someone that you haven't see for awhile, but when you get together you still have things to share and it seems that no time has passed.

Two albums that were close seconds were 'The Wall' and The Cure's: Disintegration. Although the instrumental aspects of the former are IMO superb, I doubt that the story and lyrics would be conducive to remaining on an even keel during an indeterminent solitude. I wouldn't have that problem with Disintegration, not only because The Cure is one of my favorite bands, but in a perverse sort of way thier music often serves to lift me out of the occasional funk.

[NRG = mc²]

Adam F. - Colours (http://technoextreme.com/reviews/showreview.cfm?reviewID=colours)

[NRG = mc²]

Bleh, that sucks. The links to the streaming audio don't work. I recommend you download some tracks (in particular, Colours, Circles, Aromatherapy) and have a listen.