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BBC rules Desert Island discs

B

Blzebub

Well-Known Member
Eight tracks:

TB Sheets (Van Morrison - TB Sheets).
A great blues number from a master craftsman. Based on a (very) ex-flatmate's sad demise.

I've Got My Car & My TV (Faust - So Far).
Reminds me of a somewhat, er, dissolute summer of 1981, misspent with some chums in a house in Chester, holidaying after my first year at University. This track is probably responsible for my interest in hi-fi.

At sunset (R Strauss, Four Last Songs)
Achingly beautiful tone poem, reflecting on a long and happy life and partnership, and the prospect of imminent death. Go gently into that good night.

Atom Heart Mother (Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother)
A modern symphony with so many different musical strands. Written in conjunction with an eccentric Scotsman, and sets the scene for Floyd's later albums.

Picture This (Blondie - Parallel Lines)
The perfect three minute pop song.

Grapefruit Moon (Tom Waits - Closing Time)
Every time I hear that melody, puts me up a tree.

Requiem (Mozart)
Rage against the dying of the light.

The Only Living Boy In New York (Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water).
This track reminds me of my sister who used to play it to me when I was very young. It's a brilliant song, beautiful tunes. I have no idea what the lyrics mean.
 
Aja - Steely Dan - Those two-footed bass drum rolls

Surfs Up - Beach Boys - True beauty and lysergic lyrics

Something in the Air - Thunderclap Newman - Genius one hit wonder

I saw the Light - Todd Rundgren - Todd is God (apparently)

Just my Imagination - Temptations - Pretty good singing chaps

Going to a Go-Go - Miracles - Written by America's finest poet

Rock 'n Roll Doctor - Little Feat - 2 Degrees in BeBop and a PhD in Swing

Do You Believe in Magic? - Lovin' Spoonful - Especially when the weather's like this
 
Eh, ok. I'll do a Marquess of Queensbury rules Desert Island discs instead.

Rule 2: "No wrestling or hugging allowed"
Johnny Guitar Watson – Don't Touch Me – Nothin' but pure attitude; I'd do as the man says.

Rule 3: "The rounds to be of three minutes' duration"
Pretenders – Brass In Pocket – Ok, it's 3:01, but there's always a punch or two thrown after the bell rings.

Rule 6: "No seconds or any other person to be allowed in the ring during the rounds"
The Who – Substitute – Been there, done that, glad it's over.

Rule 5: "A man hanging on the ropes in a helpless state, with his toes off the ground, shall be considered down"
Allman Brothers – Whipping Post – The Fillmore version. Oh lord, I feel like I'm dyin'.

Rule 4: "If either man falls through weakness or otherwise, he must get up unassisted"
Bob Marley – Get Up, Stand Up – Straight shootin', as straight as it gets.

Rule 9: "Should a glove burst, or come off, it must be replaced to the referee's satisfaction"
White Stripes – Black Jack Davey – Yeah, yeah... the blue ones... ohh, yeah... ignore the ref...

Rule 10: "A man on one knee is considered down and if struck is entitled to the stakes"
Pat Benatar – Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Punchy, if ever a pop song was.

Rule 7: "Should the contest be stopped by any unavoidable interference, the referee to name the time and place as soon as possible for finishing the contest"
Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over Til It's Over – Retro perfection; the young man did his homework.

(edited for consistency)
 
Search and Destroy: Iggy and the Stooges

Sunday Morning: The Velvet Underground

She Cracked: The Modern Lovers

Tumbling Dice: The Rolling Stones

Strawberry Fields Forever: The Beatles

Waterloo Sunset: The Kinks

Watching the Detectives: Elvis Costello

Ashes to Ashes: David Bowie
 
just one track will be enough:

john coltrane: 'my favourite things', any of the live in stockholm ones, i've got 3 versions. maybe the one with eric dolphy by a sliver.

ps. i can imagine being a hard working type, farmer, or tram driver, busboy at a diner, and coming home and listening to this.
 
In alphabetical order:

Amon Düül II – Soap Shop Rock (from Yeti). The best rock music ever made – a living, breathing organic mess.

Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra – Mack The Knife (from Cugat Plays Continental Hits). Every collection (even one of just eight songs) needs something truly absurd – this track off a classic early stereo Mercury album has got congas, bongos, marimbas, big swing band brass, twangy surf guitar and huge amounts of stereo. Wonderful.

Dexter Gordon – Tanya (from One Flight Up). Lasts the whole of side one and is possibly my most played record.

Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit. People just can’t sing stuff like this these days, I guess nothing matters this much anymore. The trumpet kicks ass too.

Mingus – Black Saint and The Sinner Lady. I assume I can have the whole thing as it is one piece split into three movements. Anyway, it’s the best mentalist big band jazz in the world.

Spicelab – Falling (from A Day On Our Planet). I play a lot of bleepy stuff, so out of eight songs at least one should come from the techno / electronica area. No one does it better than Oliver Lieb, and this is one of his very best.

Stockhausen – Hymnen. Ground zero in electronica and still decades ahead of the game. A genuine masterpiece.

T. Rex – Get It On. The definitive pop single, perfect in every way.

Tony.
 
Surely the rules allow you to have a whole pop album if you are allowed a whole symphony or requiem? I thought that the guests chose albums to take to the "island" and then were invited to choose a track from the album for sharing with the audience.

Even if those aren't the proper rules they need to be for my selection since I want the whole of:

Joni Mitchell - "Blue"

I will fill in some more when I have a moment...
 
Andrew B. said:
Surely the rules allow you to have a whole pop album if you are allowed a whole symphony or requiem?
Click to expand...

Nope. 8 distinct pieces of music. Whole symphonies are allowed because they're regarded as one piece, albeit divided into movements.

And don't forget the book and the luxury (you get a copy of the Bible and Shakespeare's complete works thrown in gratis).

-- Ian
 
sideshowbob said:
And don't forget the book and the luxury (you get a copy of the Bible and Shakespeare's complete works thrown in gratis).
Click to expand...

The book is no problem; Ulysses by James Joyce. The luxury is a bit of a problem though. Perhaps a very powerful astronomical telescope.
 
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