Stranded on a Desert Island

What 13 songs would I be stranded on a desert island with and remain sane?  Certainly not ‘Friday’ or anything by Justin Bieber.  When I posed this question to myself on a sleep deprived drive this morning, I selected the following songs:

Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill

Peter Gabriel has always represented artistry in music to me.  His approach to craft songs has more often than not given a beautiful sonic landscape in his works.  Solsbury Hill has always spoken to me as the perfect song about change and transition.

Midnight Oil - In The Valley

Midnight Oil is a longtime favorite band.  Peter Garrett has always had such a unique voice and the band had a very clean guitar sound.  Their themes of environment and social conscious also struck close to home with me.  I love this song the best in that it paints a great scene and speaks to family and country and past.

Porcupine Tree - Lazarus

Porcupine Tree proves to me that good progressive music still lives.  Like a blend of Pink Floyd and King Crimson, Porcupine Tree has a wonderful sonic landscape.  Lazarus is a haunting song that I can find something new in every time I listen to it.

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

Adele has proven to me that popular music isn’t devoid of true artistry.  Listening to Adele, I have hope that there is still creativity left in this world.  Rolling in the Deep is strong and beautiful and I can’t believe that it made it to popular radio.

Electric Six - Germans In Mexico

Electric Six takes off in this age where The Tubes landed in the 80s.  Their music is hit or miss as a whole, but their good songs are great and the emotion and theatricality is wonderful.  I could list a few Electric Six songs, but the one I tend to listen to most is Germans in Mexico, however, it is followed closely by Naked Pictures of your Mother.

The Who - Love Reign O'er Me

The Who are masters of the rock anthem.  Where others (*cough* Journey *cough* ) may be pretenders, The Who bring the power.  Those other bands are like Toyotas with a set of ‘truck nuts’ hanging from them, while The Who doesn’t need to advertise.  Love Reign O’er Me is the climax from Quadraphenia, one of the best albums made… ever.

The Beatles - Come Together / Dear Prudence / Cry Baby Cry [Music VIdeo]

The Beatles were the first band I loved.  Not much more can be said, other than there will probably never be another.  They made complex music seem simple.  This medley about says it all.

The Rolling Stones - Respectable

The Stones need to be lumped in with The Beatles and The Who as three of Rocks premiere acts.  There are so many good Stones songs, but there are also a good number of bad ones.  The best run were the Mick Taylor years.  Respectable is from Some Girls, probably the best Ron Wood album.  I love the cadence of this song.

Jethro Tull - Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day

My friend Larry and I try to see Tull whenever they tour this area.  They are another band from the late 60s that evolved and had a truly unique feel, even though they moved through a variety of rock styles.  This song has always been a favorite.

Chris Isaak "Baby did a bad bad thing"

Chris Isaak is fun and smart.  His music is like country surfer rock.  It pays homage to Elvis, Roy Orbison, and has a catchy almost rock-a-billy theme.  I love seeing Chris in concert and know that I will be entertained by him.  I settled on this song because some of his others weren’t well represented on YouTube, but really there’s no settling.  Babby is an awesome song.

NEIL YOUNG & Crazy Horse - Like A Hurricane (Live Rust)

Neil is a true North American artist.  He has grown and evolved since the late 60s and still entertains.  He can be so soft and sweet and then rock the house.  Like a Hurricane about says it all, but if I were on a desert island, Neil’s catalogue would be all I need to survive.

Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic

I love the bluesy Jazzy sound of Steely Dan.  They wrote smart, fun songs.  Their musicianship was always at the forefront.  Pretzel Logic is a song I could listen to on a repeating loop and not get tired of… well, almost… but it is that good.

Brian Eno - By This River

Brian Eno was another artist who wasn’t afraid to challenge musical boundaries.  What many forget when they think of Eno is that he also is a very good song writer.  By This River is one of the most sensitive songs I’ve heard.  I love it’s tone and feel.

Alright, there you have it.  A good baker’s dozen of my favorite songs.  There are more to be sure.  David Bowie’s Queen Bitch and Simon and Garfunkle’s The Sounds of Silence make honorable mention.  Anyway, that’s what I get for an early morning, pre-coffee thought.