C
crashedman
Guest
If you were stranded out on an island with only a walkman or CD/MP3 player, which albums would you listen to till the day you die?
Mine are:
1) Danielle Dax: "Dark Adapted Eye" (Sire, 1988) - a compilation album from one of the most enigmatic women of British indie pop music. Ranging from Page 3 girl glam rockers, diatribes on the abuses of religion and spiritualism, Indian mantras, C&W numbers about Margaret Thatcher and trying to find something you left lying on the desk the night before, and a kids nursery rhyme about the more innocent days of our lives.
2) Sparks: "Kimono My House" (Island, 1974) - Baroque piano riffs coupled with piledriving guitars and base from two wacky Californian brothers as a Pet Shop Boys prototype. Songs about Albert Einstein, planetary overcrowding, fall guys plotting revenge in the afterlife, complaints and the humiliation of being part of the 'out' crowd. Sadly, the drummer from this album committed suicide a few weeks ago due to depression after his musical career went on the wane when he was dropped from the band a year later.
3) The Beatles: "Revolver" (Parlophone, 1966) - A lack of style, but a challenging mish-mash of classical numbers, an Indian raga, a kids evergreen in 'Yellow Submarine', experimenting with distorted guitar sounds, and the unforgettable aural shock coming out of the Motownish 'Got To Get You Into My Life' with the harsh, strident nightmare of bacwards sitars, seagull like screams and fuzzed vocals of 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. The day of the lovable moptops was truly over.
4) Bodycount: "Bodycount" (Sire, 1992) Controversial rapper with a social conscience Ice-T turned from the hip-hop grooves to forming an all black thrash metal band spewing hatred for the Ku-Klux Klan, anger at his mother for bringing him up to be a racist, promiscuous sexual behaviour, crack addiction, occult religions, as well as the infamous 'cop killer' in which he called for the death of crooked cops for bashing motorist Rodney King.
5) Morrissey: "Your Arsenal" (HMV, 1992) Manchester's favourite celibate, vegetarian, anti-smoking, retro label loving manic depressive turned from his pretty indie pop roots following the split of the Smiths and delivered a scorcher of an album fixated on rockabilly, pilfering the 70's glam rock catalogue of Gary Glitter, Sweet and T.Rex, and doing a David Bowie-ish song that was later covered by Bowie the next year. His comments about casting death wishes on Margaret Thatcher and recently George W. Bush have certainly done nothing to hurt his album sales.
6) Mike Oldfield: "Tubular Bells" (Virgin, 1973) The first ever release for Richard Bransons worldwide cartel. Lovely to cruise to and be whisked away into a soundscape of contrasing moods, fantases, terror, romance and the rock bit towards the end where he gets drunk and imitates a caveman with his growling interspersed with barely intelligible naughty words. Anyone for a bit of head spinning and spewing cups of pea and ham soup?
7) Various: "Rak's Greatest" (RAK/EMI 1990) RAK was one of the most successful British rock and pop labels of the 70's formed by the late Mickie Most. This compilation has something for everybody born before 1986 with classics like the Animals "House Of The Rising Sun", Lulu's "To Sir With Love", Suzi Quatro's "Can The Can", Hot Chocolate's "So You Win Again" and a groovy re-mix of "You Sexy Thing", teen-dance band Kenny's "The Bump" and 80's chanteuse Kim Wilde's new wave classic "Kids In America". Unfortunately, there is no inclusion of the labels first release - folk singer Julie Felix doing a beautiful cover of "El Condor Pasa" (a number hit for Simon & Garfunkel).
8) The Sex Pistols: "Never Mind The B.ollocks - Here's The Sex Pistols" (Virgin, 1977)
The historical 'summer of hate' decried the summer of love ten years earlier. Kids were ripping up their flares, swapping daisies for switch-blades, lovebeads for safety pins in their noses and earlobes, cutting off their long hair and colouring it pink. Love for all your brothers turned to hate and suspicion for New York, the monarchy, EMI Records, teenagers, and Britains urban decay. I met Johnny Rotten and Glenn Matlock when they toured Australia in 1996 and got Sir Johnny to sign the record. It was one of the highlights of my life. Back then, it was all about anger. This time it was about having fun. Then again, who really gave a toss?
9) The Muppets: "The Muppet Show Album" (Pye, 1977)
A classic album which unfortunately never saw release on CD because the record company went bust in the mid 1980's (sob!!). Featuring show faves like "Missisiippi Mud", "Mah Na Mah Na", "Cottleston Pie", Miss Piggy doing a Shirley Bassey number, Dr. Teeth souling up the jazz ballad 'Tenderly', and Kermit's crooning of the tree-huggers anthem "Being Green". They brought out a sequel album, but apparently it was a load of cobblers.
10) Suzi Quatro: "Suzi....And Other Four Letter Words" (RAK, 1979)
Swapping her MOR offerings the previous year with one featuring aggressive stompers like "Mama's Boy", "Mind Demons", "I've Never Been In Love" as well as some rueful outlooks on love and dreams in "Hollywood", "Love Hurts" and "Starlight Lady" it showed that she had an intelligent side to her and breaking the teenybop mould of being the girl-next-door in a catsuit. The cover photo of her is truly terrifying - wouldn't like to meet her in a dark alley in that mood!
11) Sergio Mendes: "Primal Roots" (A&M, 1972)
Probably best known for Brazilian jazz classic 'Mas Que Nada' (used in films like Fritz The Cat, Austin Powers and I Shot Andy Warhol), pianist Sergio Mendes put his American pop flirtations on hold with his last album for A&M and concentrated on a more authentic Brazilian sound with tons of percussion, chanting, pensive guitars and an apocalyptic 18-minute wall of chaos in 'The Circle Game' with its abstract changing moods and banshee wailing. Leaves you confused and astounded, but not an album that you can listen to all the time.
12) The Rolling Stones: "Sticky Fingers" (Virgin, 1971)
Their final album to paint them as the bad boys of rock'n'roll, the Stones returned to their R&B roots with some fine dance tunes like "brown sugar", "wild horses" and "Dead Flowers". A great album that sounds just as rough and dirty as the studio it was recorded in with an allout jam session that showcased their session musicians abilities than just the usual guitar and bass. After that, the Rolling Stones albums were pretty much run-of-the-mill rock and they concentrated on becoming celebrities and family men - though Keith later got busted in Canada for smack and Wyman incurring the wrath of the general public for dating a 13-year-old girl whom he later married (it didn't work out obviously!)
13) Fleetwood Mac: "Greatest Hits" (Warner Bros, 1988)
Featuring classics like 'Don't Stop' (my personal favourite), 'Dreams', "Rhiannon", "Little Lies" and "Seven Wonders". Fleetwood Mac are one of rock music's few oldtime survivors and one of the few bands that I'd still like to see before I pass on.
14) Chuck Mangione: "Friends And Love" (Mercury, 1970)
Veteran American flugelhorn player and conductor, this album was recorded live in Rochester in front of a standing room audience only. I remember mum playing this to me a lot when I was about so high. Unfortunately, it's not available on CD but he only achieved brief fame in the early 80's with the song 'Feels So Good'.
15) My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult: "Hit & Run Holiday" (Interscope, 1995)
A very intense and pheremone raising album by a rather obscure band popular with gothics and industrialists (probably because of their fashion statements) but drawing their inspiration from B-grade music soundtracks, 60's soul, and killer dancefloor grooves. The kind of album that would appeal to the wives out to drive their husbands wild in the bedroom, because it'd cause chaos on the dancefloor if a DJ was to slap it on. You've been warned! The band later gained some Top 40 recognition with their contributions to the soundtracks for 'Showgirls' and 'The Flintstones'.
16) Prince & The NPG: "Diamonds & Pearls" (Warner Bros, 1991)
Songs like 'Thunder', 'Money Don't Matter Tonight' and 'Daddy Pop' showed him at his most religious/spiritual peak, although I also liked 'Cream' and the lovely ballad 'Diamonds And Pearls'. I wasn't much of a Prince fan in the 80's, as I thought Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie were a bit more down to earth. His work with Madonna, Sheena Easton, and the Bangles still sounds great after all these years.
17) Talking Heads: "The Best Of" (Sire)
One of the most enigmatic bands from New York, featuring the eccentric Scotsman David Byrne and producer Jerry Harrison, this CD contains classics like "Road To Nowhere", "Once In A Lifetime", "Burning Down The House", "Girlfriend Is Better" and "Blind". The band produced some excellent quirky videos and a stage show featuring the infamous big jacket to make David's head to appear smaller. Unfortunately, his control freak nature and fascination for religion and Latin American music caused the band to split in 1990. Tom Jones did a superb versh of 'Burning Down The House' a few years ago, but I still remember doing the dancemoves to "Once In A Lifetime" at Brisbane's Wall Street nightclub in 1990 and driving a few girls nuts (these days I've put on too much weight to be able to do it now).
18) Blur: "Parklife" (Food, 1994)
With Britpop poised to gain worldwide domination in the 1990's, this is the quintessential album that could not have been made anywhere else but in England. Wearing their badges with David Bowie, Duran Duran, Sex Pistols, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The Kinks, and mod actor Phil Daniels guesting on the title track - it is a brilliant album for anyone who wants to know what love in the 90's was like: paranoid, on sunny beaches in Dover and every English girl had a poster of Damon Albarn on their bedroom wall next to a slashed up one of Liam Gallagher.
19) Sigue Sigue Sputnik: "Flaunt It" (Parlophone, 1986)
One of the biggest music industry crimes ever committed next to Milli Vanilli. Dubbed as the next Sex Pistols, EMI Records splashed out 1 million pounds on this overhyped London based band of designer cyber punk glam-heads who wore stilleto boots on stage, huge mohawks and peroxide quiffs, and the lead singer with 7 inch taloned gloves and his mum's fishnet stockings over his face. The genius of the album? A Dr. Rhythm drumbeat, Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran riffs, heavily echoed vocals and music videos reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange and Clash Of The Titans. British radio DJs hated it, but it entered the charts at No.3 and slipped out only 6 weeks later. Fortunately, the costs involved were recouped because the album featured advertising from their sponsors in between tracks. They worked with Stock Aitken and Waterman for a single that made fun of the high-living scene, became embroiled in drugs and court cases, the drummer finally hit the top here with Big Audio Dynamite, and for a while looked set to become the world's biggest corporate organisation. The song 'Love Missile F1-11' was used again recently in a Twisties advert.
20) Jason Ryder Sound: "Hair" (MFP, 1969)
Supermarket background music from a 60's easy-listening band doing instrumentals from the famous musical with a beautiful hippy woman on the cover with tons of hair. A pity that the musical never quite brought the world a sense of everlasting love, perace and mung beans to all who heard it.
The whole scene: prortesting the Vietman war, culture jamming, Oz magazine, setting up communes, and peace guiding the planets showed us that there was more to life than what the establishment wanted.
Mine are:
1) Danielle Dax: "Dark Adapted Eye" (Sire, 1988) - a compilation album from one of the most enigmatic women of British indie pop music. Ranging from Page 3 girl glam rockers, diatribes on the abuses of religion and spiritualism, Indian mantras, C&W numbers about Margaret Thatcher and trying to find something you left lying on the desk the night before, and a kids nursery rhyme about the more innocent days of our lives.
2) Sparks: "Kimono My House" (Island, 1974) - Baroque piano riffs coupled with piledriving guitars and base from two wacky Californian brothers as a Pet Shop Boys prototype. Songs about Albert Einstein, planetary overcrowding, fall guys plotting revenge in the afterlife, complaints and the humiliation of being part of the 'out' crowd. Sadly, the drummer from this album committed suicide a few weeks ago due to depression after his musical career went on the wane when he was dropped from the band a year later.
3) The Beatles: "Revolver" (Parlophone, 1966) - A lack of style, but a challenging mish-mash of classical numbers, an Indian raga, a kids evergreen in 'Yellow Submarine', experimenting with distorted guitar sounds, and the unforgettable aural shock coming out of the Motownish 'Got To Get You Into My Life' with the harsh, strident nightmare of bacwards sitars, seagull like screams and fuzzed vocals of 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. The day of the lovable moptops was truly over.
4) Bodycount: "Bodycount" (Sire, 1992) Controversial rapper with a social conscience Ice-T turned from the hip-hop grooves to forming an all black thrash metal band spewing hatred for the Ku-Klux Klan, anger at his mother for bringing him up to be a racist, promiscuous sexual behaviour, crack addiction, occult religions, as well as the infamous 'cop killer' in which he called for the death of crooked cops for bashing motorist Rodney King.
5) Morrissey: "Your Arsenal" (HMV, 1992) Manchester's favourite celibate, vegetarian, anti-smoking, retro label loving manic depressive turned from his pretty indie pop roots following the split of the Smiths and delivered a scorcher of an album fixated on rockabilly, pilfering the 70's glam rock catalogue of Gary Glitter, Sweet and T.Rex, and doing a David Bowie-ish song that was later covered by Bowie the next year. His comments about casting death wishes on Margaret Thatcher and recently George W. Bush have certainly done nothing to hurt his album sales.
6) Mike Oldfield: "Tubular Bells" (Virgin, 1973) The first ever release for Richard Bransons worldwide cartel. Lovely to cruise to and be whisked away into a soundscape of contrasing moods, fantases, terror, romance and the rock bit towards the end where he gets drunk and imitates a caveman with his growling interspersed with barely intelligible naughty words. Anyone for a bit of head spinning and spewing cups of pea and ham soup?
7) Various: "Rak's Greatest" (RAK/EMI 1990) RAK was one of the most successful British rock and pop labels of the 70's formed by the late Mickie Most. This compilation has something for everybody born before 1986 with classics like the Animals "House Of The Rising Sun", Lulu's "To Sir With Love", Suzi Quatro's "Can The Can", Hot Chocolate's "So You Win Again" and a groovy re-mix of "You Sexy Thing", teen-dance band Kenny's "The Bump" and 80's chanteuse Kim Wilde's new wave classic "Kids In America". Unfortunately, there is no inclusion of the labels first release - folk singer Julie Felix doing a beautiful cover of "El Condor Pasa" (a number hit for Simon & Garfunkel).
8) The Sex Pistols: "Never Mind The B.ollocks - Here's The Sex Pistols" (Virgin, 1977)
The historical 'summer of hate' decried the summer of love ten years earlier. Kids were ripping up their flares, swapping daisies for switch-blades, lovebeads for safety pins in their noses and earlobes, cutting off their long hair and colouring it pink. Love for all your brothers turned to hate and suspicion for New York, the monarchy, EMI Records, teenagers, and Britains urban decay. I met Johnny Rotten and Glenn Matlock when they toured Australia in 1996 and got Sir Johnny to sign the record. It was one of the highlights of my life. Back then, it was all about anger. This time it was about having fun. Then again, who really gave a toss?
9) The Muppets: "The Muppet Show Album" (Pye, 1977)
A classic album which unfortunately never saw release on CD because the record company went bust in the mid 1980's (sob!!). Featuring show faves like "Missisiippi Mud", "Mah Na Mah Na", "Cottleston Pie", Miss Piggy doing a Shirley Bassey number, Dr. Teeth souling up the jazz ballad 'Tenderly', and Kermit's crooning of the tree-huggers anthem "Being Green". They brought out a sequel album, but apparently it was a load of cobblers.
10) Suzi Quatro: "Suzi....And Other Four Letter Words" (RAK, 1979)
Swapping her MOR offerings the previous year with one featuring aggressive stompers like "Mama's Boy", "Mind Demons", "I've Never Been In Love" as well as some rueful outlooks on love and dreams in "Hollywood", "Love Hurts" and "Starlight Lady" it showed that she had an intelligent side to her and breaking the teenybop mould of being the girl-next-door in a catsuit. The cover photo of her is truly terrifying - wouldn't like to meet her in a dark alley in that mood!
11) Sergio Mendes: "Primal Roots" (A&M, 1972)
Probably best known for Brazilian jazz classic 'Mas Que Nada' (used in films like Fritz The Cat, Austin Powers and I Shot Andy Warhol), pianist Sergio Mendes put his American pop flirtations on hold with his last album for A&M and concentrated on a more authentic Brazilian sound with tons of percussion, chanting, pensive guitars and an apocalyptic 18-minute wall of chaos in 'The Circle Game' with its abstract changing moods and banshee wailing. Leaves you confused and astounded, but not an album that you can listen to all the time.
12) The Rolling Stones: "Sticky Fingers" (Virgin, 1971)
Their final album to paint them as the bad boys of rock'n'roll, the Stones returned to their R&B roots with some fine dance tunes like "brown sugar", "wild horses" and "Dead Flowers". A great album that sounds just as rough and dirty as the studio it was recorded in with an allout jam session that showcased their session musicians abilities than just the usual guitar and bass. After that, the Rolling Stones albums were pretty much run-of-the-mill rock and they concentrated on becoming celebrities and family men - though Keith later got busted in Canada for smack and Wyman incurring the wrath of the general public for dating a 13-year-old girl whom he later married (it didn't work out obviously!)
13) Fleetwood Mac: "Greatest Hits" (Warner Bros, 1988)
Featuring classics like 'Don't Stop' (my personal favourite), 'Dreams', "Rhiannon", "Little Lies" and "Seven Wonders". Fleetwood Mac are one of rock music's few oldtime survivors and one of the few bands that I'd still like to see before I pass on.
14) Chuck Mangione: "Friends And Love" (Mercury, 1970)
Veteran American flugelhorn player and conductor, this album was recorded live in Rochester in front of a standing room audience only. I remember mum playing this to me a lot when I was about so high. Unfortunately, it's not available on CD but he only achieved brief fame in the early 80's with the song 'Feels So Good'.
15) My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult: "Hit & Run Holiday" (Interscope, 1995)
A very intense and pheremone raising album by a rather obscure band popular with gothics and industrialists (probably because of their fashion statements) but drawing their inspiration from B-grade music soundtracks, 60's soul, and killer dancefloor grooves. The kind of album that would appeal to the wives out to drive their husbands wild in the bedroom, because it'd cause chaos on the dancefloor if a DJ was to slap it on. You've been warned! The band later gained some Top 40 recognition with their contributions to the soundtracks for 'Showgirls' and 'The Flintstones'.
16) Prince & The NPG: "Diamonds & Pearls" (Warner Bros, 1991)
Songs like 'Thunder', 'Money Don't Matter Tonight' and 'Daddy Pop' showed him at his most religious/spiritual peak, although I also liked 'Cream' and the lovely ballad 'Diamonds And Pearls'. I wasn't much of a Prince fan in the 80's, as I thought Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie were a bit more down to earth. His work with Madonna, Sheena Easton, and the Bangles still sounds great after all these years.
17) Talking Heads: "The Best Of" (Sire)
One of the most enigmatic bands from New York, featuring the eccentric Scotsman David Byrne and producer Jerry Harrison, this CD contains classics like "Road To Nowhere", "Once In A Lifetime", "Burning Down The House", "Girlfriend Is Better" and "Blind". The band produced some excellent quirky videos and a stage show featuring the infamous big jacket to make David's head to appear smaller. Unfortunately, his control freak nature and fascination for religion and Latin American music caused the band to split in 1990. Tom Jones did a superb versh of 'Burning Down The House' a few years ago, but I still remember doing the dancemoves to "Once In A Lifetime" at Brisbane's Wall Street nightclub in 1990 and driving a few girls nuts (these days I've put on too much weight to be able to do it now).
18) Blur: "Parklife" (Food, 1994)
With Britpop poised to gain worldwide domination in the 1990's, this is the quintessential album that could not have been made anywhere else but in England. Wearing their badges with David Bowie, Duran Duran, Sex Pistols, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The Kinks, and mod actor Phil Daniels guesting on the title track - it is a brilliant album for anyone who wants to know what love in the 90's was like: paranoid, on sunny beaches in Dover and every English girl had a poster of Damon Albarn on their bedroom wall next to a slashed up one of Liam Gallagher.
19) Sigue Sigue Sputnik: "Flaunt It" (Parlophone, 1986)
One of the biggest music industry crimes ever committed next to Milli Vanilli. Dubbed as the next Sex Pistols, EMI Records splashed out 1 million pounds on this overhyped London based band of designer cyber punk glam-heads who wore stilleto boots on stage, huge mohawks and peroxide quiffs, and the lead singer with 7 inch taloned gloves and his mum's fishnet stockings over his face. The genius of the album? A Dr. Rhythm drumbeat, Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran riffs, heavily echoed vocals and music videos reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange and Clash Of The Titans. British radio DJs hated it, but it entered the charts at No.3 and slipped out only 6 weeks later. Fortunately, the costs involved were recouped because the album featured advertising from their sponsors in between tracks. They worked with Stock Aitken and Waterman for a single that made fun of the high-living scene, became embroiled in drugs and court cases, the drummer finally hit the top here with Big Audio Dynamite, and for a while looked set to become the world's biggest corporate organisation. The song 'Love Missile F1-11' was used again recently in a Twisties advert.
20) Jason Ryder Sound: "Hair" (MFP, 1969)
Supermarket background music from a 60's easy-listening band doing instrumentals from the famous musical with a beautiful hippy woman on the cover with tons of hair. A pity that the musical never quite brought the world a sense of everlasting love, perace and mung beans to all who heard it.
The whole scene: prortesting the Vietman war, culture jamming, Oz magazine, setting up communes, and peace guiding the planets showed us that there was more to life than what the establishment wanted.
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