Welcome to the first
part of our totally non-copyright infringing “Castaway Choons”, Where one of the JW staff picks 10 tracks
that they would like to take with them should they be on some sort of desert
island…with some discs. This week, our digital content manager Tim washes up on
the shore with a selection of great music and plans to build video-game
consoles out of coconuts and crab claws:
When I was first asked what records I would like to have
with me, were I to be stranded on a desert island, I was frankly uneasy with
the threat implied by the question. Once I had been suitably calmed down
however, I was happy to assemble a list.
This list could have wound up being a few hundred tracks
long! There is so much music that I love, that editing the list down to what
you see below was torturous. If you asked me on a different day the list would
be different! The tracks are presented in no particular order, other than the order
in which they came into my head.
You can listen to the whole playlist on Spotify by following this link:
Bed & Breakfast
Man – Madness
As a young’un I was mental for Madness! Some of my earliest
memories involve a Fisher Price record player and a box of Madness singles I
would play relentlessly. This means that this song has been on my list of favourites
since I was about 3 years-old. It’s a real nostalgia trip for me.
D’Yer Mak’er – Led Zeppelin
Maybe not the most well known or popular Led Zeppelin track
but it’s one that has very fond memories for me. Most notably listening to this
song while drinking super-thick milkshakes at the Hard Rock Casino in Las
Vegas.
Outbreak Of Vitas
Gerulaitis – Half Man Half Biscuit
Legendary DJ John Peel said of Half Man Half Biscuit, “…a
national treasure…” and “In a decently ordered society, members of Half Man
Half Biscuit would be routinely carried shoulder high through the streets of
every city they visited.” I think he was understating it myself. This list
could have been (and perhaps should have been) nothing but Half Man Half
Biscuit. They have been a source of constant joy throughout my life. I picked
this song because it reminds me of listening to them with my dad.
Here Come The Bastards – Primus
Primus are my favourite band and Les Claypool is my favourite
musician. They have an amazing and dynamic sound that usually defies
classification. Indeed, the audio tagging software I use in my work has Primus
listed amongst its default genres. They are another band I could have happily
devoted this entire list to.
Yes – McAlmont & Butler
A song that has stuck with me ever since I first heard it in
’95 – which is unusual as I have little-to-no interest in revisiting most of
the music I was into back then. But this song really just puts a big smile on
my face and has been a staple of many playlists in the past…no that can’t be
right...20 years?!?! I just need a
little cry.
Everything Goes To
Hell – Tom Waits
I wish I was Tom Waits. That’s a cool guy right? I mean, a
total shambles obviously, but a cool mother-fisher nonetheless. Another artist who
I could have easily populated this entire list with and the performer I most
want to see live.
Il Cielo In Una
Stanza – Mike Patton
I knew Mike Patton would have to be on this list somewhere. Between
Faith No More, Fantômas, Lovage, Peeping Tom and the stunning Mr Bungle he has
produced some of the most exciting, interesting and experimental music I have
ever heard. But this track from his glorious Mondo Cane album wound up being
one of the easier picks on the list. The album consists of Patton covering
Italian pop songs from the 50’s and 60’s, alongside a full orchestra, a
15-piece band and a choir. The result is breath-taking.
Surface Of The Sun (Adagio
In D Minor) – John Murphy
This is from the score to the Danny Boyle film Sunshine. I
know I am not alone in loving this piece of music as I have heard it used on
all kinds of other films, trailers and TV shows. But it works best for me in
its original context. This one is guaranteed to give me goosebumps and is one
of the most powerful music cues I have ever heard.
Vindicate – Datsik & Excision
I feel like I owe you an explanation with this one, but I’m
not sure it’s going to help! You see, there’s this computer game called Saints
Row 4 and this game has a weapon in it called “The Dubstep Gun”. When you set your Dubstep Gun to “pop” this is
the song that starts producing “EXPLOSIVE
WUBS”!! This makes me very, very happy.
Orion – Rodrigo y Gabriela
When I first saw Gabriela Quintero play guitar everything
changed. I threw out all my guitar picks and stopped biting my nails. I
replaced my standard steel-stringed guitar with a nylon-stringed flamenco one.
I learned, over dozens of wrist-wracking hours of practice, to strum in
triplets. And finally I figured out how to beat the hell out of that guitar in
the most musical way possible. She is the greatest guitarist I have ever heard.
That Rodrigo guy is pretty dope too I suppose. Here they are killing a
Metallica track.
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