Cru Jones Society

 

Today we find confessions from our favorite island castaways. For the next three weeks, we’re playing Desert Island here at the Cru Jones Society and all of our topics focus on everyone’s favorite hypothetical set-up: If you were stranded on a desert island…

Today’s question: If you were stranded on a desert island, which five albums would you bring with you? Even though the concept of an album continues to inch toward obsolescence, so does the concept of being stranded on a desert island what with the advent of GPS everything and very few (if any) undiscovered corners of the earth. Regardless, here are the 5 albums CJS Staff and Regulars would keep with them should they find themselves in such a predicament. Next desert island question will follow.

***

 

Lee S. Hart: I found this to be an extremely difficult question. And I couldn’t help but to recall the words of Cher from Clueless, “You see how picky I am about my shoes, and those only go on my feet.” Then I realized I just likened choosing albums to choosing a penis. That’s when I realized things were getting weird and I should try to get through this and move on.

Rancid – …And Out Come The Wolves. This was the easiest choice. Green Day and the Offspring may have gotten me into punk rock, but this album kept me into punk rock. All time favorite album and I couldn’t imagine living without it.

Zebrahead – MFZB. Zebrahead is one of my favorite bands and this is my favorite album of theirs. It has an energy that runs right through me and will keep me pumped. IT will help me through the long hours of boredom.

Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros – Streetcore. This album is mellow and will help me relax as I began to stress out over being stranded on a fucking island. It’ll be like my way of counting to ten after Gilligan foils another attempt to get off. Also this album has so many positive memories connected to it, I can listen to it and remember all the good times.

Bloodhound Gang – Hooray For Boobies. This album is just really fun. I think that would be essential to keeping order and sanity while all alone on an island. There is also some humor from this album and I joking and laughing is something I would miss.

The last album I picked was the hardest choice. I knew I wanted a Bouncing Souls record but I had three that I love and picking one was like picking which finger I want broken. But with a lot of agonizing and careful consideration I made a decision.

Bouncing Souls – How I Spent My Summer Vacation. There is not a single song on this album I don’t like, unlike Anchors Aweigh or the Gold Record which each have at least one I don’t like. How I Spent My Summer Vacation is pure Bouncing Souls goodness from start to finish. It was also the album which confirmed The Souls place on my top 5 list forever. They continued to grow and with each following album, but Vacation was that first step and the moment it became clear they were becoming a better band. But who knows, by the time this island trip comes along I may pick a different Souls’ album.

E Dagger: I spent the whole damn week considering this question. Considering I was the one who initially conceived it, you’d think I’d have some answers at the ready. Nope. This has been the most agonizing Confessional for me so far because of what my soon-to-be-wife likes to call being “hyper anal.” This isn’t something to take lightly because for all you know, this is the last music you’ll ever hear. So if you screw up your picks, you’re stuck with your mistake forever. It’s kind of like teen pregnancy, only somehow worse. It’s entirely possible I’ve overthought this like I do most things, but whatever the case, here are my tortured picks.

1) Rise Against – Siren Song of the Counterculture. Even though all things considered this has been a tough Confessional, this was an easy choice and the first one I made. Not only does this album kick impressive amounts of ass, it has four of my favorite Rise Against songs on it alone. I have a special kinship with this album as it was the primary focus of my master’s thesis, and analyzing it to the level of detail I did only endeared it to me more. Easy #1.

2) Johnny Cash - The Essential Johnny Cash. This might be cheating a bit, but whatever. I bought this double CD collection as an album, and I listen to the two disc set as if it were originally produced that way. Johnny’s songs run the emotional gamut of sadness, regret, joy, pride, and rebellion. All with a badass, dressed in black veneer. Awesome.

3) Eminem – The Eminem Show. While not as in your face as his first disc or as bizarrely unnerving as his second, Eminem’s third album is definitely his most well-rounded. He’s got a couple of good pop tunes, some rock ‘n roll samples, a smattering of plain old dark Eminem weirdness, and incredible lyricism throughout. Plus, we’ve got to cover the genres here.

4) Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine. Need something that just flat out rocks from start to finish, and this album certainly does that. Plus, when you’re trapped on a desert island, it’s always good to have one or more artists that enter into a few “best of” conversations. Tom Morello almost always finds himself in the “best guitarists of all-time” debate, and on this album, it’s easy to see why. Few albums aesthetically or ideologically are as outwardly aggressive as Rage’s first effort. Good to have this one around.

5) Less Than Jake – Hello Rockview. By far the toughest choice because I knew I needed a ska album, but couldn’t decide between Less Than Jake, Mad Caddies, and Reel Big Fish (in addition to about 15 other punk albums I fought against including because I knew it would be in my best interest to have some musical diversity). Ultimately I decided on Hello Rockview because unlike almost every other album, there’s not a track to skip on here, it’s got no less than three iconic Less Than Jake songs , and from start to finish, it’s probably Less Than Jake’s most fun album. And on an island, you gotta have some fun.

***

And now our readers take their turn. The choices below are nothing, if not diverse. Whose collection would you most like to be trapped with?

Lady E: If I were magically picked up and dropped on a deserted desert island and it happened to have a CD player, here are the 5 albums I would want to bring with me.

Live Through This – Hole

I chose this album for a few reasons. First nostalgia, I LOVED this CD when I was in high school. I was all angst filled and I got what Courtney Love was screaming about. She is (ok, was) a stellar rocker and this is a great CD for when I am ANGRY that I am trapped on an island I cannot get off of.

The Mating Game – Bitter:Sweet

This album is just cool. It is techno-y, but not in an annoying techno sort of way. It is chill and upbeat. I choose this album for when I am laying out in the sun, and if there is wine on this island (by some miracle) I choose this for while I am sitting on the beach, watching the sunset with a glass of wine in my hand.

Little Earthquakes – Tori Amos

I chose this album for the sadness potential. I am alone on an island and this album is all about being alone and stranded.  I pick this album for when I am having a Dane Cook-esque Crying fit (I did my best!) This album would keep me crying till I was all cried out.

Rockin’ the Suburbs – Ben Folds

I pick this album as it is just a great and fun album. I will want some sing along music for while I am bored out on the beach. I will blast this and do my favorite dorky dance moves in the sand.  Also Ben Folds knows how to take any bad situation and turn it into a fun song (See song for the Dumped on Whatever & Ever Amen) so I won’t feel as bad about being trapped on an island by myself.

Siren Song of the Counter Culture – Rise Against

This was the hardest album to choose. I knew that I wanted a punk CD of some sort. This one I choose for multiple reasons.

First, it will remind me of Dagger while I am trapped away and he is in our nice air conditioned house.

Second, it too is good angry music but in a different way than Hole. Hole is the victim CD, Rise Against is the fighting album. With songs like Give it all, it will encourage me build my hut, find food and survive on that island, OR it will help me find my GPS and get my ass out of there…

***

Keithage: Here are my five:

1. The Best of Frank Sinatra

2. The London Symphony Orchestra plays classic hits

3. Mad Caddies – Duck and Cover

4. Rancid- Lets Go.  And out Come the Wolves is a better album, but I’d like to have the song “Radio” to listen to.  

5. I could really choose any blues album and be happy with my decision so I’ll just go with Muddy Waters 1947-1955.  

I realize most of them are compilations but there are very few albums I like in their entirety.

***

Flickerbock: Limiting my music collection to only 5 albums is damn near impossible. When I throw my iPod onto shuffle, I am guaranteed to have some Zeppelin, followed by some Sinatra, followed by some Spanish lessons, followed by some Tupac, followed by some Darkness (naturally), followed by some R&B my wife turned me on to, followed by. . . I think you get the point. My musical tastes are diverse and open. I like damn near everything. So my 5 albums have to reflect that diversity.

Metallica – S&M: My favorite of the Metallica collection. The raw power of Metallica combined with smooth grace of the symphony. You can’t get any better than this.

Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti: ‘Houses of the Holy’ and ‘Kashmir’ are two of my favorite Zeppelin songs. Add in ‘In the Light’ and ‘Trampled Under Foot’ and this is the best Zeppelin selection.

OutKast – Stankonia: My favorite album from my favorite rappers. If only ‘Rosa Parks’ was on this album…

Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin/Sammy Davis Jr. – Rat Pack: From Vegas to St. Louis: These three are the end all and be all of badasses.

Gary Allan – Tough All Over: The saddest, darkest, and absolute best that country music has to offer. If you have not heard this record, listen to it today.

***

Deuce: This is a tough question. I feel it needs to be 5 albums that I can listen to all the way through without needing to skip ahead because, well, that just seems like a good criteria. Also, I’ll need some variety of genre so as not to burn myself out. I expect with my skin tone, there will be enough burning happening on the island already. And unless there is an audio album of “How to escape from a Desert Island” I expect they will all be music. Here’ the list in no specific order with very brief reasoning.

1) Paul Simon – Graceland – My family used to listen to this on tape when driving to CO for summer vacation. I always enjoyed it and it brings back fun memories.

2) George Strait – 50 Number Ones - Great songs and its very long so kills a lot of time.

3) Wyclef Jean – The Carnival – Great tracks and a funny vocal story line between songs.

4) Aerosmith – Big Ones – A greatest hits album to crank up, sing along to the ballads, and rattle the coconuts and bananas out of trees.

5) Zebrahead – Playmate of the Year – Another great disc from start to finish

Honorable mentions to The Temptations – Greatest Hits, Journey – Greatest Hits and A.W.K. – I Get Wet. All are great, but in the end, you’re not on the Minnow with me. Sorry.

***

And in a first for the Cru Jones Society, we received the following entries well after the deadline for submissions had closed via text message. We’d never received a Confessional response via text, but hey, it’s the new millennium and all that, so fuck it. Although receiving text messages after already falling asleep = unhappy CJS Staffer. Please do your best to be more punctual in the future. And that goes for all of you…

F-U-Natalie: Is it too late for my confessional? Original thoughts: Spice Girls, 98 Degrees, The Osmonds, Billy Ray Cyrus, Milli Vanilli. Final answer:

George Strait – 50 #1s

Elvis –  #1s

Journey – Greatest Hits

Sarah McLachlan – Surfacing

Beach Boys – Greatest Hits

***

OK, so here we all are on our own desert island. It’s sort of like Mormonism’s vision of the afterlife, if you think about it. Anyway, for some reason this island has electricity and a device with which you can listen to music, but no way to get off. I hope we’ve all accepted the inherent bizarro logic of this island. So, the Gods of this island are benevolent and have allowed you a lifetime supply of beer. However, they only want to make one trip to the liquor store, and have allowed you one kind of beer to drink. Don’t like beer? Pick one wine or one liquor and one mixer, but only one. That means one brand. So tell us, what one beer are you drinking for the rest of your days on this desert island?

 

We want to know more about all our readers. So don’t hold back. If you haven’t confessed, or it’s been awhile, or even if you did it last week, we want to hear from you. Don’t be shy and send us your response, along with your posting name to staff@crujonessociety.com and we’ll put them up next week.

Hart & Dagger