Desert Island Music Album Draft 2013 - draft complete
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The Fall - Perverted by Language (1983)
wiki
My favourite album from my favourite band. This isn't The Fall's most successfull record, nor the most critically acclaimed. In fact it's probably the most claustrophobic and hypnotic affair of their "golden" era (roughly 1979-1993), mostly because of band leader Mark E. Smith going through a particularly gloomy period and the absence of the two most tuneful lead guitarists of the group: Marc Riley (who got kicked out in early 1983) and Brix Smith (who just got in and didn't have a substantial songwriting impact). Perverted By Language isn't the first album I would suggest if someone asks me where to start with the Fall's enormous discography, probably it wouldn't even be in the first five. For some reasons though I ended up being obsessed with it more than with its more accomplished peers.
wiki
My favourite album from my favourite band. This isn't The Fall's most successfull record, nor the most critically acclaimed. In fact it's probably the most claustrophobic and hypnotic affair of their "golden" era (roughly 1979-1993), mostly because of band leader Mark E. Smith going through a particularly gloomy period and the absence of the two most tuneful lead guitarists of the group: Marc Riley (who got kicked out in early 1983) and Brix Smith (who just got in and didn't have a substantial songwriting impact). Perverted By Language isn't the first album I would suggest if someone asks me where to start with the Fall's enormous discography, probably it wouldn't even be in the first five. For some reasons though I ended up being obsessed with it more than with its more accomplished peers.
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I'm on the rig right now and don't have the time for a full write up, but I'll do my part to keep the draft going and add a write-up tonight.
Evil Empire - Rage Against The Machine (1996)
Wiki
Evil Empire - Rage Against The Machine (1996)
Wiki
The Crane Wife - The Decemberists (2006) (wiki link)
Sometimes I feel like taking ten dollars and just plain throwing it away on some mp3s to see what falls out, based on a gut feeling. Usually I get what I deserve - something I like a song or two off of. Every once in a while I find something like The Decemberists. I can't quite remember what pushed me to buy "The Crane Wife" - I think I had hardly even listened to the song samples. But the Decemberists resonated with me immediately and became one of my favorite bands. From this album, it's easy to see why. The Crane Wife song cycle, a sparse retelling of a Japanese folk tale, is painful and profound, but they've got a sinister side to them too, ranging from the cautionary Shankill Butchers to the macabre The Island suite ("Go to sleep now, little ugly/Go to sleep now, little fool/Forty winking in the belfry/You'll not feel the drowning"). They've also got a flair for a good sea shanty, though there's not a proper one on this album. Pretty much their entire catalog is fantastic, but I'm going to dance with the one that brung me.
Link to "The Crane Wife, part 3"
Link to "Yankee Bayonet"
Sometimes I feel like taking ten dollars and just plain throwing it away on some mp3s to see what falls out, based on a gut feeling. Usually I get what I deserve - something I like a song or two off of. Every once in a while I find something like The Decemberists. I can't quite remember what pushed me to buy "The Crane Wife" - I think I had hardly even listened to the song samples. But the Decemberists resonated with me immediately and became one of my favorite bands. From this album, it's easy to see why. The Crane Wife song cycle, a sparse retelling of a Japanese folk tale, is painful and profound, but they've got a sinister side to them too, ranging from the cautionary Shankill Butchers to the macabre The Island suite ("Go to sleep now, little ugly/Go to sleep now, little fool/Forty winking in the belfry/You'll not feel the drowning"). They've also got a flair for a good sea shanty, though there's not a proper one on this album. Pretty much their entire catalog is fantastic, but I'm going to dance with the one that brung me.
Link to "The Crane Wife, part 3"
Link to "Yankee Bayonet"
My next pick is from an artist that I was shocked to discover has thus far been completely ignored in this and the previous music draft. For that reason, it's possible I could have just kept this one in my back pocket and safely waited until the last round to take it, but I wanted to make sure and secure it now anyway. To (almost) close out the 11th round, I'm selecting:
Swordfishtrombones -- Tom Waits (1983) http://www.allmusic.com/album/swordfishtrombones-mw0000192781
This is the album that marks a big change in Waits' output and largely defines what is without doubt my favorite version of his songwriting and production styles. The lyrics are wonderfully surreal, the voice is all gravel, the recording is intentionally dirty and distorted, and the instrumentation relies heavily on percussion and non-traditional instruments. All of which I love (you'll notice in my write up for Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel... that I praised it for similar reasons). As most people will agree, even Waits' very best albums are extremely uneven, and Swordfishtrombones is no exception. Not every song is great. And my very favorite Waits song is on a different album. But the good here is so very, very good and is essential to my collection.
"Underground" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80AQW6zqP9E
"Gin Soaked Boy" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_yYwX0sQk
"Down, Down, Down" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7O5scQhbsE
Swordfishtrombones -- Tom Waits (1983) http://www.allmusic.com/album/swordfishtrombones-mw0000192781
This is the album that marks a big change in Waits' output and largely defines what is without doubt my favorite version of his songwriting and production styles. The lyrics are wonderfully surreal, the voice is all gravel, the recording is intentionally dirty and distorted, and the instrumentation relies heavily on percussion and non-traditional instruments. All of which I love (you'll notice in my write up for Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel... that I praised it for similar reasons). As most people will agree, even Waits' very best albums are extremely uneven, and Swordfishtrombones is no exception. Not every song is great. And my very favorite Waits song is on a different album. But the good here is so very, very good and is essential to my collection.
"Underground" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80AQW6zqP9E
"Gin Soaked Boy" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_yYwX0sQk
"Down, Down, Down" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7O5scQhbsE
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My next pick is from an artist that I was shocked to discover has thus far been completely ignored in this and the previous music draft. For that reason, it's possible I could have just kept this one in my back pocket and safely waited until the last round to take it, but I wanted to make sure and secure it now anyway. To (almost) close out the 11th round, I'm selecting:
Swordfishtrombones -- Tom Waits (1983) http://www.allmusic.com/album/swordfishtrombones-mw0000192781
This is the album that marks a big change in Waits' output and largely defines what is without doubt my favorite version of his songwriting and production styles. The lyrics are wonderfully surreal, the voice is all gravel, the recording is intentionally dirty and distorted, and the instrumentation relies heavily on percussion and non-traditional instruments. All of which I love (you'll notice in my write up for Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel... that I praised it for similar reasons). As most people will agree, even Waits' very best albums are extremely uneven, and Swordfishtrombones is no exception. Not every song is great. And my very favorite Waits song is on a different album. But the good here is so very, very good and is essential to my collection.
"Underground" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80AQW6zqP9E
"Gin Soaked Boy" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_yYwX0sQk
"Down, Down, Down" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7O5scQhbsE
Swordfishtrombones -- Tom Waits (1983) http://www.allmusic.com/album/swordfishtrombones-mw0000192781
This is the album that marks a big change in Waits' output and largely defines what is without doubt my favorite version of his songwriting and production styles. The lyrics are wonderfully surreal, the voice is all gravel, the recording is intentionally dirty and distorted, and the instrumentation relies heavily on percussion and non-traditional instruments. All of which I love (you'll notice in my write up for Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel... that I praised it for similar reasons). As most people will agree, even Waits' very best albums are extremely uneven, and Swordfishtrombones is no exception. Not every song is great. And my very favorite Waits song is on a different album. But the good here is so very, very good and is essential to my collection.
"Underground" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80AQW6zqP9E
"Gin Soaked Boy" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_yYwX0sQk
"Down, Down, Down" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7O5scQhbsE
i've considered making a Tom Waits pick in this draft, but have decided against it because such a pick would not have resonated with the narrative arc i'm establishing as i go, but also because his discography is so exceptionally massive that i would have difficulty determining which album to include. although i'd suggest Swordfishtrombones as the place to start for those who aren't familiar with the great Tom Waits...
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The Crane Wife - The Decemberists (2006) (wiki link)
Sometimes I feel like taking ten dollars and just plain throwing it away on some mp3s to see what falls out, based on a gut feeling. Usually I get what I deserve - something I like a song or two off of. Every once in a while I find something like The Decemberists. I can't quite remember what pushed me to buy "The Crane Wife" - I think I had hardly even listened to the song samples. But the Decemberists resonated with me immediately and became one of my favorite bands. From this album, it's easy to see why. The Crane Wife song cycle, a sparse retelling of a Japanese folk tale, is painful and profound, but they've got a sinister side to them too, ranging from the cautionary Shankill Butchers to the macabre The Island suite ("Go to sleep now, little ugly/Go to sleep now, little fool/Forty winking in the belfry/You'll not feel the drowning"). They've also got a flair for a good sea shanty, though there's not a proper one on this album. Pretty much their entire catalog is fantastic, but I'm going to dance with the one that brung me.
Link to "The Crane Wife, part 3"
Link to "Yankee Bayonet"
Sometimes I feel like taking ten dollars and just plain throwing it away on some mp3s to see what falls out, based on a gut feeling. Usually I get what I deserve - something I like a song or two off of. Every once in a while I find something like The Decemberists. I can't quite remember what pushed me to buy "The Crane Wife" - I think I had hardly even listened to the song samples. But the Decemberists resonated with me immediately and became one of my favorite bands. From this album, it's easy to see why. The Crane Wife song cycle, a sparse retelling of a Japanese folk tale, is painful and profound, but they've got a sinister side to them too, ranging from the cautionary Shankill Butchers to the macabre The Island suite ("Go to sleep now, little ugly/Go to sleep now, little fool/Forty winking in the belfry/You'll not feel the drowning"). They've also got a flair for a good sea shanty, though there's not a proper one on this album. Pretty much their entire catalog is fantastic, but I'm going to dance with the one that brung me.
Link to "The Crane Wife, part 3"
Link to "Yankee Bayonet"
Sorry Everyone. Was in bed when G3 posted and at work all day. With the final selection of the 11th Round my next pick is:
Def Leppard- Hysteria- 1987
wiki
This is another one of my favorite albums of all time. As with my other selections, this brings back so many good memories. There are so many fabulous songs on this album it is hard to choose a favorite however some of my Favorites include "Armageddon it" Love Bites" and of course "Pour Some Sugar on me".
The drummer Rick Allen overcame losing an arm in a racing car accident which is amazing when you listen to the drums on this whole album. I am definitely going to be playing some mean air guitar on my island to this!
Def Leppard- Hysteria- 1987
wiki
This is another one of my favorite albums of all time. As with my other selections, this brings back so many good memories. There are so many fabulous songs on this album it is hard to choose a favorite however some of my Favorites include "Armageddon it" Love Bites" and of course "Pour Some Sugar on me".
The drummer Rick Allen overcame losing an arm in a racing car accident which is amazing when you listen to the drums on this whole album. I am definitely going to be playing some mean air guitar on my island to this!
ok let's keep this rolling. With the first selection of the 12th round my next pick is:
John Lennon-Imagine-1971
wiki
I had to take a triple check to make sure this hadn't been picked. I am picking this album for one song "imagine" as I could not go without hearing it ever again. However as I have recently listened to the entire album in prep for the draft I realized there are some great other songs including "crippled inside" and "how do you sleep". Lennon was another musical genius who was taken away from us too soon.
John Lennon-Imagine-1971
wiki
I had to take a triple check to make sure this hadn't been picked. I am picking this album for one song "imagine" as I could not go without hearing it ever again. However as I have recently listened to the entire album in prep for the draft I realized there are some great other songs including "crippled inside" and "how do you sleep". Lennon was another musical genius who was taken away from us too soon.
Just taking a quick break from homework, so going to keep this one short and sweet. My next pick is:
100 Days, 100 Nights -- Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (2007) http://www.allmusic.com/album/100-days-100-nights-mw0000487498
Love this album. Love Jones' voice. Love that this band exists and is successful in the 21st century. I was somewhat deadlocked between this album and its follow up, but am happy to go with this one. The title track is great, and will be linked below, but the (embedded) closing track just sleighs me. I put this album onto the big playlist I created to save myself from the horrible iPod we're supposed to play at work, and anytime Sharon Jones gets picked by the magic shuffle algorithms the store pretty much turns into a dance party. It's impossible not to join in.
"100 Days, 100 Nights": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ouI5KcyHfE
"Be Easy": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_puB-LAnWZM
"Let Them Knock": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9OznixGpr0
100 Days, 100 Nights -- Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (2007) http://www.allmusic.com/album/100-days-100-nights-mw0000487498
Love this album. Love Jones' voice. Love that this band exists and is successful in the 21st century. I was somewhat deadlocked between this album and its follow up, but am happy to go with this one. The title track is great, and will be linked below, but the (embedded) closing track just sleighs me. I put this album onto the big playlist I created to save myself from the horrible iPod we're supposed to play at work, and anytime Sharon Jones gets picked by the magic shuffle algorithms the store pretty much turns into a dance party. It's impossible not to join in.
"100 Days, 100 Nights": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ouI5KcyHfE
"Be Easy": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_puB-LAnWZM
"Let Them Knock": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9OznixGpr0
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Nice. The short list I made before the draft has been really, really untouched lately, so it's actually almost a good thing to finally have something snapped off of it. I was involved in a one-week high school foreign exchange program with Hermosillo Mexico in 1990, and when the kids there found that I brought this cassette, they practically wore it out! International appeal!
Operation: Mindcrime - Queensrÿche (1988) (wiki link)
So far my island doesn't have a concept album, and I've got to change that. So I'm taking what is, in my opinion, the very best concept album ever written. The storyline is pretty good - our antagonist Nikki gets recruited into a revolutionary underground via drug addiction as a hit man, until he rebels when he is asked to murder his own lover, leading to his own downfall. The lyrics are very well done - the storytelling never feels forced or campy. And the music is, of course, amazing. One summer (1991?) I remember laying down every night, turning out the lights, and listening to Mindcrime on my walkman in the dark, just soaking up the entire experience. I haven't done that since, but on my island, I'll have plenty of time to take the experience up again.
(link to the title track, "Operation: Mindcrime", where Nikki is recruited into the underground)
(link to "I Don't Believe In Love", after Nikki is framed for his lover's murder)
So far my island doesn't have a concept album, and I've got to change that. So I'm taking what is, in my opinion, the very best concept album ever written. The storyline is pretty good - our antagonist Nikki gets recruited into a revolutionary underground via drug addiction as a hit man, until he rebels when he is asked to murder his own lover, leading to his own downfall. The lyrics are very well done - the storytelling never feels forced or campy. And the music is, of course, amazing. One summer (1991?) I remember laying down every night, turning out the lights, and listening to Mindcrime on my walkman in the dark, just soaking up the entire experience. I haven't done that since, but on my island, I'll have plenty of time to take the experience up again.
(link to the title track, "Operation: Mindcrime", where Nikki is recruited into the underground)
(link to "I Don't Believe In Love", after Nikki is framed for his lover's murder)
Yeah, too late -- we form these up and go when the roster gets full. But there might well be a second Island Draft this summer, just for something other than albums. We'll see, if we are nearing completion with this one near end of July, be time for the second one to get going. be a sign up thread etc. if it does.
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Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - Dead Kennedys (1980)
DK was the first band I could legitimately call a personal favorite. There were of course the likes of Nirvana, Sublime and others of the ilk on the list well before I even knew DK existed. But those could be expected, if not demanded, by the realities of my demographics alone. California 90s kid? I was supposed to like Nirvana and Sublime. The Kennedys though, they rocked my paradigm into the proverbial shift.
I got myself into trouble from our resident Punker from Portland the last time I attempted to talk pseudo-coherently about DK, so I'll be brief in an attempt to cover my musical ignorance. Whether it's officially surf-guitar inspired or not, I love East Bay Ray's work and include him on a short list of my favorite guitarist without hesitation. I find Klaus Flouride's bass to be dark, heavy, eerie and outrageously memorable. DKs drums, whether done by "Ted" as on this album or D.H. Peligro afterward, are always aggressive, energetic and demanding of your attention.
And then there's Jello. Glorious, glorious Jello. It's astounding how his lyrics and delivery can make me: creeped out, mildly irritated, belly laugh and want to head-bang simultaneously. It's just perfect.
I likely could pick any album of theirs here and be satisfied. But I'm taking their debut because it has the trio of their most famous songs: Holiday in Cambodia (first song I heard from them), California Uber Alles (embedded below and my favorite) and Kill the Poor and having all three is too tempting to pass up. Also, it's the most pure adrenaline fun I've ever had with an album from beginning to end just soaking up the sardonicism with some sweet guitar licks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_Fruit_for_Rotting_Vegetables
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Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (1988)
wiki
This is the album that made me love music. Before listening to it I was just a casual music listener, meaning that all I listened to were the radio singles and a couple of songs here and there by artists recommended by my friends, fast forward a couple of weeks and I'm listening to records as a whole, reading reviews etc. Daydream Nation was just head and shoulders above everything I've ever listened to before.
The guitars here are among the most creative and beatiful I've ever heard and are matched by great songwriting, something Sonic Youth weren't always good at/interested in; making this the most accessible record of the first (and best) phase of their career and also the most apt at being listened to a huge number of times.
wiki
This is the album that made me love music. Before listening to it I was just a casual music listener, meaning that all I listened to were the radio singles and a couple of songs here and there by artists recommended by my friends, fast forward a couple of weeks and I'm listening to records as a whole, reading reviews etc. Daydream Nation was just head and shoulders above everything I've ever listened to before.
The guitars here are among the most creative and beatiful I've ever heard and are matched by great songwriting, something Sonic Youth weren't always good at/interested in; making this the most accessible record of the first (and best) phase of their career and also the most apt at being listened to a huge number of times.
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With the one hundred eighty-second pick, Mr. Slim Citrus selects:
Jamiroquai, Dynamite (2005)
I listen to this album, from beginning to end, at least once a week, as it is part of my regular PT rotation, along with a singles mix and four other albums, two of which have already been selected in this draft (one by me, the other by NoBonus). I've been a fan of Jamiroquai since the late nineties, since I first heard one of their songs in a club but, as that was the heyday of Napster and the like, I had more of a collection of singles, rather than any full albums. After I finally outgrew my "stealing music" phase, around my mid-to-late twenties, Jamiroquai was one of the first artists whose stuff I started paying for. And this was the fourth album from the group to join my collection. Starts off with a couple of good tracks to knock out calisthenics, a good warm-up lap song, and then it breaks out into (for me), a nice, steady - if not particularly fast - pace. And all songs I enjoy.
The album enjoyed some success in the UK, less so in the US, although its first single, Feels Just Like it Should did briefly top the Billboard Dance charts. The second single, Seven Days in Sunny June, also appeared in the movie The Devil Wears Prada (cite: Wikipedia).
Jamiroquai, Dynamite (2005)
I listen to this album, from beginning to end, at least once a week, as it is part of my regular PT rotation, along with a singles mix and four other albums, two of which have already been selected in this draft (one by me, the other by NoBonus). I've been a fan of Jamiroquai since the late nineties, since I first heard one of their songs in a club but, as that was the heyday of Napster and the like, I had more of a collection of singles, rather than any full albums. After I finally outgrew my "stealing music" phase, around my mid-to-late twenties, Jamiroquai was one of the first artists whose stuff I started paying for. And this was the fourth album from the group to join my collection. Starts off with a couple of good tracks to knock out calisthenics, a good warm-up lap song, and then it breaks out into (for me), a nice, steady - if not particularly fast - pace. And all songs I enjoy.
The album enjoyed some success in the UK, less so in the US, although its first single, Feels Just Like it Should did briefly top the Billboard Dance charts. The second single, Seven Days in Sunny June, also appeared in the movie The Devil Wears Prada (cite: Wikipedia).
Well, given that my other choice for this pick has no fewer than three albums that I would cheerfully take to my island, its likely safe to let them pass through the snake one more time. This however is an old fav and a one off:
MTV Unplugged: 10,000 Maniacs - 10,000 Maniacs - 1993
Its been 8 picks since my last duplicate selection from the original draft, so I feel its safe to take another without risk of being accused of repeating my list. I played this album excessively in my first year at Penn, much to one of my dormmate's chagrin (of course he considered death metal too soft). When I saw the other MTV Unplugged albums going one by one (great concept for a series BTW, too bad MTV quit doing music), I decided I would nab this before anybody else remembered it. It was both the culmination and the end for the classic lineup of the indie pop band 10,000 Maniacs. Lead vocalist Natalie Merchant had become a star and wanted to strike out on her own, and so with this one last defining performance on what was the biggest stage the band was ever to reach, she took her bows and left the band for an uneven solo career. This night though her rich soothing voice was fully on display one last time, and the band made a great decision to bring in a whole army of session musicians to fill out their sound with an orchestra of instruments.
MTV Unplugged: 10,000 Maniacs - 10,000 Maniacs - 1993
Its been 8 picks since my last duplicate selection from the original draft, so I feel its safe to take another without risk of being accused of repeating my list. I played this album excessively in my first year at Penn, much to one of my dormmate's chagrin (of course he considered death metal too soft). When I saw the other MTV Unplugged albums going one by one (great concept for a series BTW, too bad MTV quit doing music), I decided I would nab this before anybody else remembered it. It was both the culmination and the end for the classic lineup of the indie pop band 10,000 Maniacs. Lead vocalist Natalie Merchant had become a star and wanted to strike out on her own, and so with this one last defining performance on what was the biggest stage the band was ever to reach, she took her bows and left the band for an uneven solo career. This night though her rich soothing voice was fully on display one last time, and the band made a great decision to bring in a whole army of session musicians to fill out their sound with an orchestra of instruments.
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with the eighth pick in the twelfth round of the 2013 Desert Island Music Draft, i select...
Vangelis - Blade Runner [Original Film Score] (??/??/94):
01 Main Titles
02 Blush Response
03 Wait for Me
04 Rachel's Song
05 Love Theme
06 One More Kiss, Dear
07 Blade Runner Blues
08 Memories of Green
09 Tales of the Future
10 Damask Rose
11 Blade Runner (End Titles)
12 Tears in Rain
Genre: electronica, ambient, film score
my father was slightly irresponsible when i was a child. my mother had to work a lot of saturdays, and pops would use that time to introduce me to all sorts of great movies on VHS and Betamax (yup, my dad still had Beta tapes through the early 90's), even those with an R rating. he couldn't do much about inappropriate language, but if there was a particularly violent sequence or overly sexual content in a movie that we were watching, he would tell me to close my eyes and fast forward through the scene. that said, i didn't grow up on saturday morning cartoons like the other kids i knew. i grew up on Alien, Predator, Terminator 2, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and Beverly Hills Cop. occasionally pops would let me pick the movie i wanted to watch. those were my favorite days. i would rifle through his impressive collection until i found a film title or cover image or tag line that struck me...
one day, i'm scanning through shelf after shelf of my dad's movies, and i see the words "Blade Runner" on the spine of a VHS tape. Blade Runner. it sounded interesting. i pulled it out and saw that Harrison Ford was on the cover. i instantly recognized him as Indiana Jones and Han Solo, and i was delighted. i loved those movies, as most little boys do. we put in the movie and, even though it's rated R, pops doesn't really fast forward through too much of it. now, i'm not more than, i dunno, maybe six or seven years old at this time. but i'll never forget what i said to my dad when the end credits rolled: "that was weeeeiiird." and it is, indeed, a pretty weird film. it's dystopic and existential and quite unlike any other science fiction film before it, as well as a great many after it (even many of those it would go on to influence). it's also not the kinda movie that a child is readily able to digest. i didn't like it. Harrison Ford was almost unrecognizable to me. he wasn't the exciting smart-*** of a hero i recognized from his more famous action movies. that said, i [rather foolishly] would fail to revisit Blade Runner again until i was a sophomore in college...
if you're unfamiliar with the history of Blade Runner, it's about as fascinating as the film itself. to be brief about it, the production company compelled Ridley Scott to make a great many changes to his original cut of the film in order to craft a more palatable experience for summer movie goers. Scott was forced to compromise on his vision, and even in his acquiescence to the money people, the film was still poorly received upon its initial release in 1982. E.T. was the biggest blockbuster of that summer, and it's safe to say that people were much more interested in the comfort that E.T. provided than they were in the terrifying view of the future that Blade Runner supplied as an alternative. but, as is often the case with films considered to be "ahead of their time," Blade Runner gained a considerable cult following in the years after. various unedited bootlegs would eventually hit the streets, including an unauthorized director's cut. i was not privy to any of these versions as a child, nor would i have cared to begin with...
but, in 2007, Blade Runner was re-released to theaters as a version referred to as "the final cut." it was meant to coincide with the film's 25th anniversary, and Ridley Scott considers it to be the definitive cut of Blade Runner. a buddy of mine said we should check it out. he had never seen the movie. i had seen it many, many years prior, and i distinctly remembered not liking it, but i figured "why not?" it's safe to say that my opinion changed considerably. given that this isn't a movie draft, i won't provide a review, but Blade Runner has become one of my favorite films of all time. "the final cut" has since been released to Blu-Ray/DVD, and i would highly recommend that you seek out this particular version if you've never seen it, or have never seen Blade Runner altogether. it is a superior piece of art, and absolutely worth your time/money. i've probably watched it thirty times since catching its re-release in theaters...
anyway, on to the film score. this pick is in deep conversation with my 11th round pick, M83's Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. i caught wind of that album in 2006, and as i noted in my explanation of that pick, it sounded like the score to a movie in my head. but, as i sat in the theater in 2007, and found myself amazed by a Blade Runner film i hardly remembered and wouldn't have recognized if i could have, what stuck out to me most, perhaps, was the score. it was as weird as the movie: bluesy and [retro-]futuristic. i recognized the analog synthesizers as something you might find in an M83 track. it occurred to me in that instant that M83 was as influenced by the music of Blade Runner as anything else. there was not a doubt in my mind. and, given my desire to discover new music by way of my favorite artists' influences, i had to know who composed the score. as the end credits began to roll this time around, i told my buddy that i wanted to stay for a few more minutes. towards the end of the credits, i got my answer: "Vangelis. weird name. okay, got it, now we can get outta here."
i scoured my favorite record stores in the days that followed. i couldn't find the soundtrack on CD, but i did find it on vinyl, only to discover that it was an orchestral version, and not Vangelis' original score. the original score was, in fact, never actually released on vinyl, which was soooooooooo disappointing for a vinyl junkie like me to find out. so i succumbed to the inevitable, and downloaded it online. the 25th anniversary edition of the film score was released on CD in conjunction with the Blu-Ray/DVD. there are two bonus discs that accompany the first disc, which is the original score as it was released in 1994 (well after the movie's 1982 release date, and only after it had started gaining traction as a cult classic). there's still no vinyl copy out there, but i continue to hold out hope that somebody will think it's a wise investment to press it on wax. in the meantime, i love listening to the original Blade Runner score while i write. it's a beautiful piece of ambient music, the kind of synth-washed dream that helps fuel my poems in a forward-thinking direction...
Wiki
Vangelis - Blade Runner [Original Film Score] (??/??/94):
01 Main Titles
02 Blush Response
03 Wait for Me
04 Rachel's Song
05 Love Theme
06 One More Kiss, Dear
07 Blade Runner Blues
08 Memories of Green
09 Tales of the Future
10 Damask Rose
11 Blade Runner (End Titles)
12 Tears in Rain
Genre: electronica, ambient, film score
my father was slightly irresponsible when i was a child. my mother had to work a lot of saturdays, and pops would use that time to introduce me to all sorts of great movies on VHS and Betamax (yup, my dad still had Beta tapes through the early 90's), even those with an R rating. he couldn't do much about inappropriate language, but if there was a particularly violent sequence or overly sexual content in a movie that we were watching, he would tell me to close my eyes and fast forward through the scene. that said, i didn't grow up on saturday morning cartoons like the other kids i knew. i grew up on Alien, Predator, Terminator 2, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and Beverly Hills Cop. occasionally pops would let me pick the movie i wanted to watch. those were my favorite days. i would rifle through his impressive collection until i found a film title or cover image or tag line that struck me...
one day, i'm scanning through shelf after shelf of my dad's movies, and i see the words "Blade Runner" on the spine of a VHS tape. Blade Runner. it sounded interesting. i pulled it out and saw that Harrison Ford was on the cover. i instantly recognized him as Indiana Jones and Han Solo, and i was delighted. i loved those movies, as most little boys do. we put in the movie and, even though it's rated R, pops doesn't really fast forward through too much of it. now, i'm not more than, i dunno, maybe six or seven years old at this time. but i'll never forget what i said to my dad when the end credits rolled: "that was weeeeiiird." and it is, indeed, a pretty weird film. it's dystopic and existential and quite unlike any other science fiction film before it, as well as a great many after it (even many of those it would go on to influence). it's also not the kinda movie that a child is readily able to digest. i didn't like it. Harrison Ford was almost unrecognizable to me. he wasn't the exciting smart-*** of a hero i recognized from his more famous action movies. that said, i [rather foolishly] would fail to revisit Blade Runner again until i was a sophomore in college...
if you're unfamiliar with the history of Blade Runner, it's about as fascinating as the film itself. to be brief about it, the production company compelled Ridley Scott to make a great many changes to his original cut of the film in order to craft a more palatable experience for summer movie goers. Scott was forced to compromise on his vision, and even in his acquiescence to the money people, the film was still poorly received upon its initial release in 1982. E.T. was the biggest blockbuster of that summer, and it's safe to say that people were much more interested in the comfort that E.T. provided than they were in the terrifying view of the future that Blade Runner supplied as an alternative. but, as is often the case with films considered to be "ahead of their time," Blade Runner gained a considerable cult following in the years after. various unedited bootlegs would eventually hit the streets, including an unauthorized director's cut. i was not privy to any of these versions as a child, nor would i have cared to begin with...
but, in 2007, Blade Runner was re-released to theaters as a version referred to as "the final cut." it was meant to coincide with the film's 25th anniversary, and Ridley Scott considers it to be the definitive cut of Blade Runner. a buddy of mine said we should check it out. he had never seen the movie. i had seen it many, many years prior, and i distinctly remembered not liking it, but i figured "why not?" it's safe to say that my opinion changed considerably. given that this isn't a movie draft, i won't provide a review, but Blade Runner has become one of my favorite films of all time. "the final cut" has since been released to Blu-Ray/DVD, and i would highly recommend that you seek out this particular version if you've never seen it, or have never seen Blade Runner altogether. it is a superior piece of art, and absolutely worth your time/money. i've probably watched it thirty times since catching its re-release in theaters...
anyway, on to the film score. this pick is in deep conversation with my 11th round pick, M83's Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. i caught wind of that album in 2006, and as i noted in my explanation of that pick, it sounded like the score to a movie in my head. but, as i sat in the theater in 2007, and found myself amazed by a Blade Runner film i hardly remembered and wouldn't have recognized if i could have, what stuck out to me most, perhaps, was the score. it was as weird as the movie: bluesy and [retro-]futuristic. i recognized the analog synthesizers as something you might find in an M83 track. it occurred to me in that instant that M83 was as influenced by the music of Blade Runner as anything else. there was not a doubt in my mind. and, given my desire to discover new music by way of my favorite artists' influences, i had to know who composed the score. as the end credits began to roll this time around, i told my buddy that i wanted to stay for a few more minutes. towards the end of the credits, i got my answer: "Vangelis. weird name. okay, got it, now we can get outta here."
i scoured my favorite record stores in the days that followed. i couldn't find the soundtrack on CD, but i did find it on vinyl, only to discover that it was an orchestral version, and not Vangelis' original score. the original score was, in fact, never actually released on vinyl, which was soooooooooo disappointing for a vinyl junkie like me to find out. so i succumbed to the inevitable, and downloaded it online. the 25th anniversary edition of the film score was released on CD in conjunction with the Blu-Ray/DVD. there are two bonus discs that accompany the first disc, which is the original score as it was released in 1994 (well after the movie's 1982 release date, and only after it had started gaining traction as a cult classic). there's still no vinyl copy out there, but i continue to hold out hope that somebody will think it's a wise investment to press it on wax. in the meantime, i love listening to the original Blade Runner score while i write. it's a beautiful piece of ambient music, the kind of synth-washed dream that helps fuel my poems in a forward-thinking direction...
Wiki
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For my next selection, I am picking an album by a sampling based group, who decided to go with live musicians on this album instead of samples. Needless to say, this is a huge departure from their prior albums and I cannot stop listening to it. It is like if we had another shot at making disco and synth/pop hits for the 70's and 80's. At first, I thought, "they sold out", but, after hearing this album a few more times, it is not a sell out, but an absolute masterpiece of pop music with collaborations; for example, for that 70's style, they brought in Niles Rogers on guitar. Just a fabulous album.
I select:
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories - 2013
This album has some great, great songs like "Doin' it right", "Instant Crush", "Lose yourself to dance" and, the big single, "Get Lucky".
And for some reason, if you look for Daft Punk videos on YouTube, most of them are fan-made or are fan-covers... it's really fun to see...
Here is one of my favorite fan-made videos:
I select:
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories - 2013
This album has some great, great songs like "Doin' it right", "Instant Crush", "Lose yourself to dance" and, the big single, "Get Lucky".
And for some reason, if you look for Daft Punk videos on YouTube, most of them are fan-made or are fan-covers... it's really fun to see...
Here is one of my favorite fan-made videos:
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With my 12th selection, I choose:
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman - 1988
Poetry, loss, faith, charisma; this debut album has it in spades. Radio hits include Talkin' 'bout a Revolution, and the transcendent Fast Car. I love many of her singles as well, but this album is her most complete and it's coming to my island!
Track List:
1. Talkin' 'bout a Revolution - 2:40
2. Fast Car - 4:57
3. Across the Lines - 3:25
4. Behind the Wall - 1:50
5. Baby Can I Hold You -3:14
6. Mountains o' Things - 4:39
7. She's Got Her Ticket - 3:57
8. Why? - 2:06
9. For My Lover - 3:12
10. If Not Now... - 3:01
11. For You - 3:10
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracy_Chapman_(album)
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman - 1988
Poetry, loss, faith, charisma; this debut album has it in spades. Radio hits include Talkin' 'bout a Revolution, and the transcendent Fast Car. I love many of her singles as well, but this album is her most complete and it's coming to my island!
Track List:
1. Talkin' 'bout a Revolution - 2:40
2. Fast Car - 4:57
3. Across the Lines - 3:25
4. Behind the Wall - 1:50
5. Baby Can I Hold You -3:14
6. Mountains o' Things - 4:39
7. She's Got Her Ticket - 3:57
8. Why? - 2:06
9. For My Lover - 3:12
10. If Not Now... - 3:01
11. For You - 3:10
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracy_Chapman_(album)
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- Status