Tropical Island Music Artist Draft - FINIS

[William Blake]

Wire (1976-active)

Favourite Album: Chairs Missing (1978)
Sample Songs: Ex Lion Tamer (from Pink Flag, 1977) and The 15th (from 154, 1979)

When punk rock music broke out in England in 1977 Wire were the artsy, pretentious college kids who preferred to delivered their message through irony, rather than anger. They put out three stone cold new wave classics between 1977 and 1979, quickly changing their sound and becoming less raw and more refined as time passed, managing to sound fresh on every release. Their comeback in the 00s is also quite interesting.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

12xu

 

[Capt. Factorial]

With this pick I draft, Scorpions.

After stupidly losing Van Halen, I need a band to fill that high energy, guitar driven, hook laden hard rock/heavy metal void on my island. Few do that style better than the Scorpions. Great rockers, great ballads, just a great band all around.

Great pick. I was trying to figure out whether I had room for them on my island but I was putting that decision off for now - guess I no longer have to ponder that one. If I hadn't grabbed Van Halen, my guess is that I'd already have moved in on the Scorpions to fill that niche.

Love at First Sting is an absolutely iconic album. From front to back just one great track after another, and perfectly timed to peak of the guitar rock era. I always imagined those guys walking out of the studio after recording Love at First Sting and saying to themselves, "Man, we just made millions and millions of dollars!" There was no way that thing wasn't going multiple-platinum.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

With this pick I draft, Neil Young.

I like the Neil Young pick, too. Definitely good value this late in the draft. My favorite Neil Young memory came from the summer of '95 when I had tickets to see Pearl Jam in Golden Gate park. Vedder comes in, does two or three songs (poorly) and then has to leave the stage because he's throwing up. But rather than send us home, Neil Young, who had been there to perform a few songs, comes out and rocks the park with a two hour set, just impromptu. He earned a lot of respect from me for that, and he'll never lose it.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

I like the Neil Young pick, too. Definitely good value this late in the draft. My favorite Neil Young memory came from the summer of '95 when I had tickets to see Pearl Jam in Golden Gate park. Vedder comes in, does two or three songs (poorly) and then has to leave the stage because he's throwing up. But rather than send us home, Neil Young, who had been there to perform a few songs, comes out and rocks the park with a two hour set, just impromptu. He earned a lot of respect from me for that, and he'll never lose it.

He could be a value pick, I suppose. He's someone I wouldn't have been surprised to see go as a first round pick. Another way to look at it is that the fact he's still around suggests that maybe he doesn't hold much value with this particular group of people. in my case, I wasn't sure i liked him enough to pick him so I went back and listened to his early 70s work like "Harvest" and "After the Gold Rush". After giving those albums a few listens it was clear to me that I do like his music enough to warrant a pick. I guess that's one positive thing that comes out of all this, it can get you to discover/rediscover some great artists. Same thing happened to me with Prince. I'd always liked a few of his hits but wasn't really that familiar with him beyond that. After investigating him a little more as a draft prospect, I discovered that pretty much everything he did in the 80s was excellent.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

Great pick. I was trying to figure out whether I had room for them on my island but I was putting that decision off for now - guess I no longer have to ponder that one. If I hadn't grabbed Van Halen, my guess is that I'd already have moved in on the Scorpions to fill that niche.

Love at First Sting is an absolutely iconic album. From front to back just one great track after another, and perfectly timed to peak of the guitar rock era. I always imagined those guys walking out of the studio after recording Love at First Sting and saying to themselves, "Man, we just made millions and millions of dollars!" There was no way that thing wasn't going multiple-platinum.

I may actually be glad you picked Van Halen because otherwise i would have picked them and probably passed on The Scorpions. I love both bands but the more I think about it, I may like the Scorpions slightly more overall. Their catalog is a little more even and more diverse to me than VH's. Plus Uli Roth is every bit the guitar God Eddie is and Klaus Meine just rules. Still though, I'll miss that hard rocking fun funky party vibe that only Roth era VH can provide.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

I've never really checked out the Scorpions stuff with the Berlin Philharmonic. I'll have to do that.

 

[William Blake]

12xu

glorious songwriting

 

[Capt. Factorial]

He could be a value pick, I suppose. He's someone I wouldn't have been surprised to see go as a first round pick. Another way to look at it is that the fact he's still around suggests that maybe he doesn't hold much value with this particular group of people.

You know, I probably wouldn't have drafted him, but at the same time picking Young is going to do you a lot more good overall than, say drafting a favorite that nobody knows. Nobody is going to look at Neil Young and say "I don't know who that is." I guess I'm saying that value is relative, and if you want to "win" the draft, you're better off taking somebody that everybody mildly respects than somebody that nobody but one other person even knows. (Now watch me violate that principle several times before the end of the draft...)

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

You know, I probably wouldn't have drafted him, but at the same time picking Young is going to do you a lot more good overall than, say drafting a favorite that nobody knows. Nobody is going to look at Neil Young and say "I don't know who that is." I guess I'm saying that value is relative, and if you want to "win" the draft, you're better off taking somebody that everybody mildly respects than somebody that nobody but one other person even knows. (Now watch me violate that principle several times before the end of the draft...)

I haven't even been thinking about winning this time. It's too hard to predict what people like. I thought i had at least a shot at the finals in the movie draft but ended up like Garnett's old Timberwolves. The only reason i haven't been picking more obscure artists is that most of my top 50 or so artists happen to be pretty well known. I may squeeze in a few semi-obscure off the beaten path artists in the 15-20 range but that's about it. I'm not one of those folks who doesn't have any favorite bands with a platinum album, lol.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Well, the one thing my island is missing so far is a female voice. Alicia Keys was in consideration for this slot, as well as a few others (some who haven't been taken so I won't name) but none were ahead of this particular artist.

Whitney Houston

Without a doubt one of the best female artists of all time, and one of the greatest voices ever. Not to mention that it's nice to be reminded of such beauty, which is all Whitney was as a young woman. So many timeless hits, and her voice is always going to be stunning. Her songs are full of emotion.

Tell me, how can you listen to this and not become instantly pensive and emotive?

 

[jalfa]

Enough with the Rock for now, Electronic music is up next (although, by the look of things, i could save electro acts until round 189412).

Röyksopp
You know I really like it
I know I'll always be here
You know it makes my heart beat
You know I'm happy up here

First Album: Melody A.M.
Favourite: Junior
Why I Started Listening: One thing I have to make sure for my island: there must be dancing. This is the music that will be played from 2-4 a.m. (which is the best time to listen to Röyksopp). It's hard to find Electro artists that have put out consistently good records, Röyksopp do. Also there's very little club music I actually enjoy when the sun is still up, but Röyksopp clearly belong in that group.

 

[AleksandarN]

You can relax now, he's been picked.

No he hasn't

 

[AleksandarN]

Hmm, I thought for sure you meant Neil Young. I'll have to see if i can think of who else it might be now.

I PMed you a hint

 

[AleksandarN]

i've got it, justin bieber! Duh! How did i not get it sooner.

lol

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Next for me: Steve Earle

This pick was cemented all the way back when I lost Johnny Cash. Earle has has a prolific career dating back to the 70s penning songs that would be recorded by Cash, Carl Perkins, Vince Gill and others. His own performing style lent itself more towards rockabilly early on but after hitting rock bottom in the early 90s and doing a stint in jail where he overcame his heroine addiction he went to more of a blues folk style of of Country. In the 00s he was one of the prominent country artists to come out against the wars and wrote some moving and occasionally controversial songs - something that always struck me as a bit silly for a genre that was known for the "murder ballad" which presumably requires fans to separate the artist from the story within.

Some favorites:

Also: Angel is the Devil, Copperhead Road, F the CC, Condi, Condi

 

[uolj]

Ever since I lost Mariah I've had my eye on a nabbing a similar female artist, two of which stood out as replacements. Whitney was the artist I had lined up for my previous pick until the last minute, but in the end I just wasn't feeling her enough to go through with it yet. So, now that she has been picked, I guess I better take the last option standing. Not that I'm missing solo female artists from my list, but I don't see how I can have too many. My next pick is...

Janet Jackson
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/janet-jackson-p4572/songs

Janet's no slouch, though. To be honest looking over her body of work I feel better about this than I would have if I had gone through with Ms. Houston. She's had quite a few quality albums, plenty of upbeat stuff and good cool down music as well.

 

[William Blake]

Next for me: Steve Earle

a.k.a. the guy from Treme.

 

[Jespher]

Sticking with the female theme for my next pick. As a kid of the 90s, this is the first band that comes to mind in the female rocker genre for me. A bit more pop than No Doubt, with a tinge of lyrical melancholy, and a generous helping of talented vocals from O'Riordan. I began listening to the group with No Need to Argue, and caught up with their earlier works in time. This group is a staple of my music catalog with so many great songs!

With my 14th choice, I select:

The Cranberries

More: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-cranberries-p38107

 

[Bricklayer]

With my 14th choice, I select:

The Cranberries



More: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-cranberries-p38107

Yep, been circling them for a while as a potential late pick. Just as well somebody else got them as I have of late hit upon a crazed late draft strategy sure to kill me at the polls if I go through with it.

 

[dukeswh]

Sticking with the female theme for my next pick. As a kid of the 90s, this is the first band that comes to mind in the female rocker genre for me. A bit more pop than No Doubt, with a tinge of lyrical melancholy, and a generous helping of talented vocals from O'Riordan. I began listening to the group with No Need to Argue, and caught up with their earlier works in time. This group is a staple of my music catalog with so many great songs!

With my 14th choice, I select:

The Cranberries

I was thinking of drafting them as well if they were still hanging during the late rounds. Nice pick.

 

[Bricklayer]

Well time to drop in and pick off one of those juicy low hanging fruit still hanging out there:

John Cougar Mellencamp

Or John Cougar...or John Mellencamp...or whatever he's calling himself this week. After 25 albums of work its like I've drafted about 3 artists worth of work anyway. As American as apple pie he was a huge artist on this side of the pond forever (and now late in his career he has taken a hard turn toward lo fi countryesque folk that would not have sounded out of place on a Johnny Cash record circa 1960), but curiously music doesn't always translate well across borders or cultures, and I think his brand of Americana never resonated in the land of skinny jeans the way it did back home. No I haven't listened to every one of his hundreds of songs , but that'll just give me something to do on my island during my eternal banishment.

 

[Spike]

Wondered when he would get picked...don't like him, but still, wondered when he would get picked. For some reason, his music grates me just like Tom Petty's.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Now if I’m stuck on a tropical island, maybe I ought to get myself some tropical island music. And who does that better than Jimmy Buffett?

I’m not going to sit here and call Jimmy Buffett a musical genius, but what he does, he does well. And what he does is songs about sailing and tropical islands and usually not taking yourself too seriously. I mean, with song titles like “The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful” and “If The Phone Doesn’t Ring, It’s Me”, and one of his most famous songs about a cheeseburger, he’s mostly just about having fun. On a tropical island. So, a perfect fit.

Years active: 1970-present
Catalog: 26 studio albums (~20h), 13 live albums (~24h)
Landmark songs: Margaritaville; Come Monday; Cheeseburger In Paradise; Volcano; Changes In Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Song I keep coming back to:

And another one just for fun:

 

[NoBonus]

Enough with the Rock for now, Electronic music is up next (although, by the look of things, i could save electro acts until round 189412).

Röyksopp
You know I really like it
I know I'll always be here
You know it makes my heart beat
You know I'm happy up here

First Album: Melody A.M.
Favourite: Junior
Why I Started Listening: One thing I have to make sure for my island: there must be dancing. This is the music that will be played from 2-4 a.m. (which is the best time to listen to Röyksopp). It's hard to find Electro artists that have put out consistently good records, Röyksopp do. Also there's very little club music I actually enjoy when the sun is still up, but Röyksopp clearly belong in that group.

Such a great pick!

My favorite is this one; everyone MUST see this video:

 

[jalfa]

Such a great pick!

My favorite is this one; everyone MUST see this video:

Thought you might like this one. We seem to be seeing very much eye to eye in this genre.

 

[webbfan]

John Denver

 

[kingsnation]

Alright, time to keep this moving!

Time for a little Motown! One of my favorites...

The Four Tops

Others:
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
Aint No Woman Like the One I Got
Bernadette
Still Waters Run Deep

 

[SacKings7]

Well I've lost most of my country backups in case my original backup to Garth Brooks was taken. Kudos to the Jimmy Buffett, John Denver and especially Steve Earle picks. Margaritaville, Country Boy, Guitar Town and Copperhead Road are all in my top 10 country songs. I know Buffett and Earle are not technically classified as country, but they're closer to country than rock & roll, so that works for me. Anyway time to take my #2 country pick:

Alan Jackson

Unlike any other country artist, I just find Alan Jackson so easy to listen to. And I like pretty much everything he's done which I can't say about any other artist in the genre. For anyone wondering why I had Brooks higher is because Friends in Low Places is without a doubt my #1 country song. Jackson sings my (distant) #2 and definitely has the most songs in my top 20, so happy to have him aboard.

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[GoGoGadget]

a.k.a. the guy from Treme.

No, no, no. As someone with a Bunk avatar, you should know that anyone from "The Wire" is always from "The Wire." Forever. And in all contexts. Antoine Batiste and Albert Lambreaux are really Bunk and Freamon in disguise, for example.

And Chalky White? Omar with a time machine.