Desert island discs

So between all the Lost buzz and the news that someone may have discovered Atlantis, I’ve had islands on the brain this week. Being slightly music-obsessed, that got me to thinking about the age-old question, “If you could only have five albums with you on a desert island, what would you take?” Well, three of these are no-brainers for me. The other two I had to think about a little more, but not too much. Despite the fact that I’m nearing 15,000 songs in my iTunes collection (which roughly translates to 1,500 albums), I can still pretty easily pick my five most-precious discs. As a side note, it’s weird how my thinking has changed over the past two years. For a long time, I measured my music collection by how many CDs I owned. But since I’ve gone almost completely digital, now I measure in songs and gigabytes. Anyway, here’s my list:

Riverside, One
Four guys from small-town Pennsylvania get together and create the best album of British shoe-gazing mope rock that I’ve ever heard. This is, quite simply, the most beautiful rock album I own, and every time I listen to it, it puts me in a good mood. Every song follows pretty much the same pattern: textured vocals and chiming guitars, sometime with underlying strings. The tempo may change from song to song, but the quality doesn’t. This is an easy choice as my all-time favorite. Sadly, Riverside broke up in the early 90’s before making a follow-up. I’ve heard they reunited recently and may have finally recorded that next disc, but I’m afraid to listen to it. I don’t want to taint the purity of One.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out!
Outside of the Sesame Street Christmas Album, this is the first strong music memory I have. My dad had this record, and I remember being absolutely haunted by the opening strains of “Take Five” every time Dad would spin the disc. To this day, the opening bars with the cymbal and brushed snare give me chills, especially when the bouncy piano line comes in. Dave Brubeck made this album to experiment with different time signatures, and as I’ve gotten older, I've come to appreciate it on that level (and many others). But there’s something in these songs that just hits me in exactly the right spot, and I can’t imagine never being able to hear it again, so it’s an obvious desert island choice. Someday, when I get around to writing my will, I’m going to ask that “Take Five’ is played at my funeral. After the bagpiper’s done playing “Amazing Grace,’ that is.

The Beatles, Revolver
It’s impossible to imagine being stranded without the Fab Four. The only way to improve this selection is if I could make it a double album by adding Rubber Soul. Fantastic songs straight through, with lots of different moods. “Taxman.” “Eleanor Rigby.” “Yellow Submarine.” “Good Day Sunshine.” Just the thing for when “I’m Only Sleeping” the day away on a deserted beach.

John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace Soundtrack
Sometimes when I go for a long run, I load my iPod Shuffle with nothing but this album, because I know I’m guaranteed at least 6 or 7 adrenaline rushes during the course of my run. Far and away the best part of this movie, this soundtrack is the pinnacle of John Williams’ work for me. He takes 20-year-old themes that are some of the best-known pieces of music in the world and manages to make them sound fresh and new. The introduction of choral passages makes for some pretty powerful music, but the ultimate geek moment for me is the self-referential introduction of a few bars of “The Imperial March” at the end of “Anakin’s Theme,” an ominous musical hint of what’s to come at the end of a light and airy piece of music. Every time I listen, I hear something new. And that, to me, is the mark of a masterpiece.

Fountains of Wayne, Utopia Parkway
And we’ll close with some power pop. I suppose I would say FoW are my favorite band, and this album has it all: upbeat rockers, power ballads, love, loss, and snarky, self-deprecating lyrics. But best of all, it's a concept album about growing up in New Jersey. Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger lyrically create a perfect snapshot of summers during high school. It’s impossible for me to hear “It Must Be Summer” or “Prom Theme” and not instantly be taken back to my last days of freedom before heading off to college. And if I’m going to be stuck in a moment of my life on a desert island, there are worse times I could think of.

What came very close to making the list:
AC/DC, Back in Black.
Guns N’ Roses, Appetite for Destruction.
The Connells, Ring.