Fave Five

While having thoughts of music, I'm reminded that The Big Finn recently pondered the question of which five artists'/groups' catalogs you would want to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island (with the caveat that they had to have at least seven albums). This got me thinking about whether or not I could come up with my five, and with great difficulty I think I did it...although the list would probably change from day-to-day or hour-to-hour depending on my mood. Anyway, I think I would go with (in no particular order):

-- Alison Krauss: Kind of wussy, I know, but the fact of the matter is her voice is stunning, plus this song was the first dance at our wedding and we have great memories from a few concerts, so there's major sentimental appeal...and the occasional bluegrass jam would be good fun.

-- The Beatles: I'd have to have just a little classic rock (although it's actually sort of frightening that music I listened to in high school in the '80s is now considered in some corners to be classic rock). The Beach Boys (my SoCal roots, plus Pet Sounds is a classic), The Who (for some reason I was always more into them than, say, Led Zeppelin) , and even Van Morrison (I only actually have a couple of his albums, but he's made so much freakin' music that it would probably never really get old) were also under heavy consideration, but in the end I had to go with the Fab Four. Wait, now that I'm typing I'm wondering if I should go back to the Beach Boys?...

-- Lyle Lovett: No particular reason; he's just one of my favorite singer/songwriters. Plus, if I was on a desert island and grew my hair out, it would probably look like his used to. Ben Folds fits the singer/songwriter category too, but I'm not sure whether or not he's got seven albums...besides, I think I'd still take Lyle anyway.

-- U2: They've pretty much been around since I was in high school ("The Joshua Tree" album when I was in college has particularly strong memories) and their music still hasn't gotten old. R.E.M. got some consideration here, although I really haven't been into their new music for quite awhile. Crowded House, too.

-- Yo-Yo Ma: If I were really stuck on a desert island, I'd probably need something to calm me down. This should do the trick. Besides, I'm not enough of a classical music aficionado to pick anyone else.

But I'll probably change my mind about those choices by tomorrow morning.

Who almost made the cut?

--Bruce Springsteen: Actually, I'm not quite sure how he didn't make the list--I guess because I haven't been as into the more recent stuff.

--Hem: A current huge favorite, but they only have a few albums. You should listen to them. Really. Now.

--Athlete: Another recent favorite with only a few albums.

--Cowboy Junkies: I loved their first few albums (especially The Trinity Session, which might make my top 5 albums), but then their music got a little weird.

--Radiohead: If I were cool I might have picked them, but while I like "OK Computer" and "Creep", the fact is I don't know the rest of their stuff very well...and I'm also just not cool.

--Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Los Lobos, Barenaked Ladies (yes, seriously), Mary Chapin Carpenter...all close, but no cigar.

I'm probably forgetting something, but I'm about to run down the battery on the new laptop so I'd best call it quits there...