Ladies and gentlemen, Part 3 of NQL's Top 50 Deserted Island Albums. The first week six of us chose five albums that we would like to bring along to a deserted island. The second week we all chose five more. This week each of us gets to eliminate two albums chosen by our idiot brethren that we want no part of. Each choice had to be defended, which, as you will see, could constitute a one-word response from Mr. Powers, or a rant from Audrey that tells us she probably won't be hanging out with Holly, Charlemagne, and Gideon anytime soon. In the comments section, we will each vote for two outcasts that we wish to remain on the island, but each contributor is forbidden from voting for any of their own albums that were shunned. The two albums that receive the most votes will be allowed to stay, and we'll be left with 50. Those will be posted next week. But alas, the fun starts now.
Alex Crisafulli
Bob Marley - Babylon By Bus (chosen by Scott): Since we're looking at a 5:1 ratio of guys to girls on this island, it would probably be best to refrain from any music that might promote some sort of Rastafarian lifestyle.
Wire - Pink Flag (chosen by Brian): I like Wire, sort of. But two albums from Wire is excessive. In choosing between Pink Flag and Chairs Missing (Jim's pick), the first thing that came to mind was "I am the Fly" from Chairs Missing. I've always liked that song. Therefore, Pink Flag gets the heave-ho. Sorry, Brian.
Brian Herrmann
The Beatles - The White Album (chosen by Scott): If the consensus seems to be one album per band, I'll take Abbey Road's cohesion over The White Album's bombast any day.
Beethoven - Symphonies 3, 5, & 9 (chosen by Scott): There's no room for classical music on my island. Also, I feel like picking on Scott.
Travis Newman
Ween - Chocolate & Cheese (chosen by Scott): I appreciate Ween's ability on this album (or is it their entire schtick? I'm not sure) to successfully mimic many different genres. However, I never want to hear that creepy spinal meningitis song EVER again in my life, let alone have it be one of the approximately 500 or so songs we would have to listen to on our island.
Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk (chosen by Audrey): I'm sorry, I just don't like Belle & Sebastian. Maybe it's because they always remind me of that shitty cartoon from which they take their name? However, it's more likely because I cannot stand their music.
My tribe has spoken.
Jim Powers
The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows (chosen by Audrey): I love the Walkmen and this is a good album. But if we're only taking 50 albums, two from this band seems a little excessive and I'd rather have You & Me. This doesn't mean that I have a problem with taking two albums from any artist though. Also, I might have to smuggle a copy of "The Rat" to the island somehow if this one gets cut.
Gillian Welch - Time (the Revelator) (chosen by Scott): Eh.
Scott Rudolph
Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out...
The Smiths – Louder Than Bombs (chosen by Travis): I was thinking that one of the good things about being stranded on a desert(ed) island would be not having to ever hear Morrissey's pouty, pretentious little whine ever again.
Okkervil River – Down the River of Golden Dreams (chosen by Audrey): One Okkervil River album will suffice, I think. And if we must pick one to stay, let us choose the one to with fancy strings and the like (Black Sheep Boy).
Audrey Wen
The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America (chosen by Alex): Can't stand them. I have given them quite a bit of play time, trying to understand their appeal and I just don't get it. I dislike the way Craig Finn talks/sings, pumps his fists, rolls up his blazer sleeve and dress shirt. I don't like Boys and Girls in America, save "Southtown Girls." I also hate that they use the article "the" in their name. It reminds me of "The Brigham and Women's Hospital," like they are the greatest things on earth. Also, isn't it grammatically incorrect? An article before a command? Maybe I'm slamming the band more than the album, but these guys just don't do it for me, if that's not already abundantly clear. I'd gladly give up any of my ten albums to never hear this band again.
Michael Jackson – Off the Wall (chosen by Audrey): I pick my own album, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall to emphasize my point about the Hold Steady.
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13 comments:
My first vote goes to Babylon by Bus because (1) we'll be on an island and we'll need something beach-y, and (2) there is no correlation between a "Rastafarian lifestyle" and homoeroticism/homosexuality, so Alex's argument against it is bunk.
My second vote goes to Louder Than Bombs because it's awesome by any measure.
Finally, I have come to grips with the possibility of never hearing Pink Flag again, but I'll take this opportunity to lobby for votes. Pink Flag for Progress!
First of all, I think I deserve an awesome prize for not having any of my albums voted off. I think that means I have better taste than all of you, but I think we knew that anyway. My picks to remain on the island are The White Album, because while I agree with Brian that I'd rather have Abbey Road, the White Album is so diverse that it would be good to have. And when it's someone's birthday, we can play that terrible Happy Birthday song over and over.
My second is Louder than Bombs because we have to have some Smiths. Scott, you can just go swimming or something when we play this one. (A third would be Pink Flag, but it's only like 5 minutes long. That's not an efficient selection).
Get your ass to Mars, er...the Island*:
(1) Pink Flag: I almost brought this with me, it's one of my favorite albums, but I decided to go with London Calling as my punk fix, because of the island setting and the Reggae/Dub tinge. Also, as to Jim P's comments, I think it clocks in around the mid-thirty minute range, like the Futureheads, which is decent.
(2) Off the Wall: We need something in the Pop/R&B genre. Also, it will remind us of Michael Jackson, and that's always funny.
* I was framing my comment in a way that would spoil key Lost plot points for anyone not current on the show, to include Alex. So instead I switched to this hackneyed reference, because this movie contains basically the same plot twist.**
** SPOILER ALERT***
*** Not really.
I'm with Scott, please no Morrissey. And Jim, although none of your albums got voted off, that was only because you happened to pick the Wire album that contains a song I like...and because you (surprisingly) didn't bring along any Morrissey. I'm a bit disappointed that no one has lent out a helping hand to Boys and Girls in America. What if I were to tell you that the Hold Steady is actually a British band? #Well, they are.# Jim and Travis, care to reconsider? No Babylon by Bus. Please no Babylon by Bus. You only need "beach-y" music when you long to be on a beach, not when you're actually on one. I won't be drinking any Corona either.
Here are my picks:
1. Ween - Chocolate & Cheese. I love this album. That is all.
2. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall. Would rather have seen Thriller, but I echo Travis's sentiments.
(Also, would like to submit a write-in vote for Appetite for Destruction.)
Travis, good point on the Pink Flag v. Futureheads. Pink Flag is awesome - the only reason I like Chairs Missing better is the echo at the end of "Practice Makes Perfect". And the only reason I didn't pick any Smiths was because Travis stole Louder than Bombs before I could click send on my email.
Anyway, facts are facts. Jim's albums voted off = 0. Suck it, Trebek.
Brian, how did you italicize things in your comment? Are you a wizard? If so, your wizardry will be helpful on the Island.
Powers, just know that I could have also gone 10 for 10, but I selected Boys and Girls in America knowing it would get eliminated, but also knowing this would further protect Astral Weeks, Black Sheep Boy, and Siamese Dream. It was a calculating move on my part and it paid off big time.
I am expecting much vitriol from Scott after having to live the humilation that was Part 3. I hope he doesn't let me down.
And yes, Brian, please share your italicize secret.
I am a wizard, but I don't need wizardry to italicize stuff in comments; only HTML tags: and , opening and closing, respectively. This isn't a secret; instructions are directly beneath the comment box: "You can use some HTML tags, such as..." Good thing I'm smarter than all you guys.
Travis, in your world, does funny = scary/tragic?
Alex, I think you picked the wrong Hold Steady album. You were going for Separation Sunday but accidentally typed Boys and Girls in America. While we're at it, you picked the wrong Replacements album, too, but some Replacements is better than no Replacements.
Whoa, I really am a wizard. I can make HTML tags disappear.
Brian, you're just following the standard, boring conventional wisdom. Tim is better than Let it Be. "Cool" people don't like to acknowledge this because Tim was their first major label album. Yawn. Anyone who knows anything knows that Tim is superior.
And BAGIA is better than Separation Sunday, no doubt in my mind. Not a single skippable track, SS has two or three, in spite of the "awesome" concept.
Who said anything about Let It Be? I would've picked either Hootenanny or Pleased to Meet Me over Tim or Let It Be. I like Tim, it just wouldn't have been my pick of Replacements albums to be banished/stranded with.
I only like about five tracks on Boys and Girls. Separation Sunday dwarfs it, like Gheorghe Muresan standing next to . . . anyone in the universe.
Oh, mercy, Tim is so better than both of those albums, that's just silly.
And the Rastafarian comment was for Audrey's benefit, quit trying to paint me as some homophobe you anti-anti-Rastafarian bastard.
I don't actually have a lot of choices for reinstating an album since near all the onces kicked off were mine. I suppose that I have heard all of these albums enough that I will sing them to you on the island. I look forward to each of you after hearing the albums more on the island, will regret that you do not have the original versions to listen to. I would like to vote back MJ's Off the Wall and Pink Flag.
I do not understand being on a deserted island without Bob Marley. Chocalate and Cheese offers great song writing, a laugh, and some bad ass playing of instruments. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings sound amazing on Time the Revelator and it would be good to have some music o nthe island which hasn't gone through a huge amount of prodcution. Bethoverns 3rd ad 5th are heralded as the best music ever composed and it might be good to stretch our minds a little bit. It is endlessly complex. The White album is a lot more funand interesting than Abbey Road. I get tired of Abbey Road's b-side. Man. you people...
Alex, if by the Rastafarian comment you meant hippie/free-love on a island of 5 men and 1 woman, well you boys go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I'll hold out to for that unlikely liferaft that will take me to an island with better options. As for my resurrecting some of the ousted albums, I'm at a bit of a constraint since just about all my albums were ruthlessly tossed out and I'm not allowed to save my own. I will save Beethoven's 3,5,9. I like the option of an intelligent musical option on this for-shit island. I'll take the White Album as well. And for the record, I hate reggae. If I could unpick the picks that were picked back up, I would, but the rules don't allow.
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