Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Like the Desert Island Disk question, but real...

Here's a hypothetical situation to place yourself in:

You like music, but a few years ago you put all your discs into mp3s and gave alway all but about 10 of your CDs to a few lucky friends. Then, you start working at a place that allows only CD players - no ipods, and only commercial discs - no mix CDs. So now your music selection consists of:

- A few Beautiful South CDs you couldn't part with
- Jesus Christ Superstar 2-disc edition (I know, random, right?)
- OMD - Liberator
- Social Distortion - Social Distortion
- Johnny Cash - American IV
- Music for Holy Week - Cambridge Kings College Choir
- Pennywise - Unknown Road
- Radiohead - The Bends
- The New Pornographers - Challengers

And maybe a few more you'll find when you get all your earthly possessions in a few weeks. But that's basically all your commercial music CD collection consists of. You like to listen to music while you work. You've gotten used to buying individual songs that you like on iTunes, so you're willing to buy a few CDs, but only if they're chock full of listening goodness - and listening goodness that's good to work to (unlike Music for Holy Week, which puts you to sleep).

Tell me the next 3 CDs you buy, and why.

Criteria:
- Must be in print and commercially available
- Should be "whole-album" good.
- Should hold up under lots of repeated listening
- I should like it the very first time I hear it

I'll post albums I'm already considering in the comments

12 comments:

Dave Y said...

Already Considering:
Electric Six - Fire in the Disco
Mika
Regina Spektor
... I know there's more, but i'm drawing a blank.

Unknown said...

Amelie Soundtrack
Pink Floyd - The Wall

Clinton said...

Ok, this changes every day, but here's some suggestions, based on the above CDs:

(I linked to Amazon b/c they have samples these days)

First, the rock
The National, Boxer
Les Savy Fav, Let's Stay Friends

Next, something different
Nigeria Special
Flobots, Fight With Tools
Mastodon, Leviathan

Last, the meaningful/spiritual (to me)
Sufjan Stevens, Seven Swans
Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Pick one from each list above and you will be set!

Lyf2.0 said...

What the lame-ass-hypothetical-crap work rule is that all about?

Crowded House - Best of

Anonymous said...

For CDs, I'd pick up a bunch of greatest hits collections. My picks: Rush (1 disc or 2 disc), Led Zeppelin (2 disc), Beatles (I'm partial to the new Love), Fleetwood Mac (2 disc), Pink Floyd (2 disc), Queen (3 disc) and BNL. And you can never go wrong with a copy of Traveling Wilburys V1.

Brian said...

Led Zeppelin IV
Jimi Hendrix - Live at the Fillmore East
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance

Those were the first 3 to jump to mind

Maren said...

Ok, mine are very different from the previous posts.

Alison Kraus- Forget About It
Chris Isaak- Baja Sessions
U2- All That You Can't Leave Behind
ABBA- Gold (I know that makes 4, but I also know you made up the 3 rule totally arbitrarily.)

Disco Mom said...

I second ABBA as a great work-to sound. Fresh Aire maybe too.

I don't know what I'm buying next because I don't buy cd's often, but I just cleaned out my discs, keeping only the very best so here are my whole-album favs with staying power:

CAKE by Trashcan Sinatras (18 years)

LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE by George Michael (the name says it all for those who think they know what GM is all about...except "Soul Free" which has no business on such a good album, I have to skip it every time) (18 years)

NEGOTIATIONS AND LOVESONGS by Paul Simon (15 years)

AFTERGLOW by Sarah McLachlan or however she spells it (7 years)

THE BEST OF MORRISSEY or however he spells it by the miserable one (7 years)

NICKEL CREEK by Nickel Creek (5 years)

ABOUT A BOY soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy (3 years)

HONEY FROM THE TOMBS by Amy Millan (3 months)

And of course anything by Rick Astley or Michael Bolton...I know Dave has a man crush... :)

Disco Mom said...

Please note regarding my last post - Nickel Creek is NOT Nickelback - totally different - don't be confused!

Matthew said...

Hmmm.

Cake-Fashion Nugget

Disco Mom said...

For background instrumental that isn't sleepy but also not distracting I also like Alex Grant's Old Father Road (piano) or Enoch Train (self-titled; global instrumentals of tunes that became hymns)

Kelsey Carreon said...

Depech Mode - Music for the Masses
I third ABBA Gold
My Fair Lady Sountrack (a showtune is a must occasionally)
James - Laid
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots 3.2
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Neil Diamond - In my Lifetime (I love me so Neil)
Neil Finn - Try Whistiling This (Gabe you might like this if you like Crowded house)
Regina Spektor - Begin to hope
OMD - The OMD Singles

For now that is what I would choose but it might change from day to day so I will go with this for now.