Young Marble Giants - “Colossal Youth”
the Magnetic Fields - “69 Love Songs”
a tribe called quest - “the low end theory”
the Microphones - “the glow pt. 2”
Sonic Youth - “Sister”
the Velvet Underground - self-titled/third
Daniel Amos - “Vox Humana”
John Zorn - “the Gift”
Leonard Cohen - “Songs of love and hate”
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth - “mecca and the soul brother”
Harry Nilsson - “Nilsson Schmilsson”
OMD - “Dazzle Ships”
Quasimoto - “The unseen”
- Songs in the Key of Life (Stevie Wonder)
- In Casino Out (At the Drive-In)
- Vs. (Pearl Jam)
- Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli)
- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Wilco)
- Midnight Marauders (A Tribe Called Quest)
- Rubber Soul (Beatles)
- Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)
- Are You Experienced (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
- IV (Led Zeppelin)
I go into serious withdrawal without my iPod, but I couldn’t live without the following 10:
Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Rolling Stones – Beggar’s Banquet
David Bowie – Hunky Dory
Modest Mouse – Moon and Antarctica
Clash – London Calling
Beatles – Revolver
Radiohead – OK Computer
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Live Seeds
A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders
Stereolab – Transient Random Noise Bursts With Announcements
5 alternates:
Talking Heads – Naked
Wedding Present – Seamonsters
Ustad Shahid Parvez – Raag Rageshri
Yo La Tengo – I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, The Innocent, and The E Street Shuffle
If I could, there’s another 50 at least that I would be very uncomfortable without.
- Ænima - Tool
- Toxicity - System of a Down
- The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem
- Break the Cycle - Staind
- Eagles Greatest Hits (1971 - 1975)
- 2001 - Dr. Dre
- Undertow - Tool
- The Eminem Show - Eminem
- Surfacing - Sarah McLachlan
Ten is a toss up between Tool’s Lateralus and Eminem’s Encore; I’ll have to smuggle one in my pants or something.
Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers
Leonard Cohen - I’m Your Man
Belly - Star
Tim Buckley - Starsailor
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
PJ Harvey - Is This Desire?
Magazine - Real Life
OOIOO - Feather Float
David Bowie - Station to Station
Velvet Underground - VU & Nico
These choices change all the time though.
Husker Du - New Day Rising or Warehouse: Songs And Stories
The Clash - The Clash
Gang Of Four - Entertainment!
The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me or Tim
The Beatles - Revolver
The Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane
The Specials - The Specials
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - Element Of Light
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Psychocandy
Prince - Sign ‘O’ The Times
[ul]
[li]The Jam - All Mod Cons[/li][li]The Clash - Give 'em Enough Rope[/li][li]The Kinks - Are The Village Green Preservation Society[/li][li]The Beatles - Rubber Soul[/li][li]AC/DC - Let There Be Rock[/li][li]Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady (I know, no comps, but this one’s an exception)[/li][li]Game Theory - Lolita Nation[/li][li]Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model[/li][li]Midnight Oil - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1[/li][li]The Undertones - The Undertones[/li][li]Psychdelic Furs - Talk, Talk, Talk[/li][li]Loud Family - Interbabe Concern[/li][li]Cheap Trick - Budokan II[/li][/ul]
The Tea Party - Transmission
Faith No More - Angel Dust*
Hilltop Hoods - The Calling
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Paul Mac - 3,000 Feet High
Aphex Twin - Drukqs
Mr. Bungle - California*
Fantomas - Director’s Cut*
Bjork - Post
Kaada / Patton - Romances*
- = Mike Patton on vocals on all these CDs
I find it interesting that the location had an influence on my selection, the thought occured to me that some albums wouldn’t be suited listening to outdoors on an island. Maybe I’m taking the question too literally though.
Ooh, let’s see…
In no order:
Elvis Costello- Blood and Chocolate
Tom Waits- Rain Dogs
Tom Waits- Alice
Tom Waits- Bone Machine
Harry Nilsson- a Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night
Beatles- Sgt. Pepper
Beatles Revolver
Beatles- Rubber Soul
Pogues- If I Should Fall From Grace With God
Leonard Cohen- Various Positions
Lots of repeat artists, I know. If I had more, Zevon would be on the list.
Nope, sorry, no Greatest Hits albums (see the OP) – this should free up some room in your pants. 
4thmonkey – I certainly didn’t necessarily intend the nature of the venue to be a factor – it’s just shorthand for “these ten and these ten only, nothing more and nothing less, because you’re out in the middle of nowhere.” Would “stuck in a cave somewhere” or “on the space station” yield different lists?
I find it interesting how many times the Beatles pop up – damn, I should have asked people to post their ages, though sometimes a generation can be inferred – and not the Stones.
And it’s fun checking out what are favorite albums for particular groups – is anyone else going “great group, but WTF on that being their best album”?
Since you’ve put the question out, I’m old enough to know better but still young enough to trust.
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Metallica - …And Justice for All
NIN - Pretty Hate Machine
U2 - Rattle & Hum
Pearl Jam - Ten
Paul Simon - Graceland
Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Exodus (It is an island after all)
Eric Clapton - Timepieces
Van Morrison - The Best of Van Morrison
Runners up: Bob Seger, Stevie Ray Vaughn and the Cars.
No best of albums!
in no order:
*Rain Dogs * - Tom Waits (because I’m listening to it now, haven’t listened to it in years, and it was the first Waits album that I waited to come out.)
Electric Ladyland - Hendrix ( my older brother got it for x-mas. Lying in bed and hearing this coming from downstairs. It awakened me to so many things.)
Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash - The Replacements (The band that gave me direction out of the 80’s. ( Why do so many people like Tim? I think it is their worst effort.))
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
Bring the Family - John Hiatt
Clouds - Joni Mitchell (she has so many strong albums, but this is the one I always come back to .)
London Calling The Clash ( This is usually number one on my list.)
in no order:
*Rain Dogs * - Tom Waits (because I’m listening to it now, haven’t listened to it in years, and it was the first Waits album that I waited to come out.)
Electric Ladyland - Hendrix ( my older brother got it for x-mas. Lying in bed and hearing this coming from downstairs. It awakened me to so many things.)
Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash - The Replacements (The band that gave me direction out of the 80’s. ( Why do so many people like Tim? I think it is their worst effort.))
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
Bring the Family - John Hiatt
Clouds - Joni Mitchell (she has so many strong albums, but this is the one I always come back to .)
London Calling - The Clash ( This is usually number one on my list.)
This Nations Saving Grace The fall
Highway 61 Revisited - Dylan ( His best album.)
The Queen is Dead - The Smiths
- Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
- Johnny Cash - Live at San Quentin
- Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed
- Grateful Dead - Wake of the Flood
- Jeff Buckley - Grace
- Ella Fitzgerald - The Gershwin Songbook
- Leonard Bernstein - Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring/Firebird Suite
- The Beatles - White Album
- Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs
Such a small island… Tell me it’s a large island…
[ul]
[li]Wilco -Summerteeth[/li][li]The Police -Synchronicity[/li][li]Sting -The Soul Cages[/li][li]The La’s -self titled[/li][li]REM -Murmur[/li][li]The Beatles -Revolver[/li][li]Bob Mould -Workbook[/li][li]Son Volt -Straightaways[/li][li]Uncle Tupelo -Still Feel Gone[/li][li]The Beach Boys -Pet Sounds[/li][li]Elvis Costello -Spike[/li][li]Matthew Sweet -Girlfriend or Altered Beast[/li][/ul]
And if the rules were loosened to allow “best of’s”
[ul]
[li]Nick Drake -whatever it’s called. [/li][/ul]
And if we won’t allow “bests”, then I’ll take all four ND albums.
The Lady and the Unicorn - John Renbourn
Stand Up - Jethro Tull
Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter - The Incredible String Band*
Living with Ghosts - Patty Griffin
Ladies of the Canyon - Joni Mitchell
Liege and Lief - Fairport Convention
Sahra - Khaled
Highway 61 - Bob Dylan
Turning Point - John Mayall
Rubber Soul - The Beatles
*day follows night, the tides go in and out, Old Faithful blasts about every 45 minutes and the sun does indeed rise in the east, twicks
And if the rules were loosened to allow “best of’s”
[ul]
[li]Nick Drake -whatever it’s called. [/li][/ul]
And if we won’t allow “bests”, then I’ll take all four ND albums.