Your Desert Island Discs collection?

funky

funky

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I'm not sure if this has been attempted before, and I'm not even sure if there's a specific format, but for the benefit of anyone under the age of 25 (or not British), it's based on a long running radio show where guests pick the songs/albums they couldn't live without for whatever reason, and would have to take with them on a desert island.

It's not necessarily your favourites, but it can be. Might be sentimental or important or deemed indespensable.

Shall I start? I'll go with 10 songs, chronological...


  1. Otis Redding - "I've Been Loving You Too Long" - my earliest memories of music is 60s Stax/Atlantic soul, and Otis is the GOAT. Literally the greatest voice of all time. And this is his best song.
  2. Sister Sledge "Lost In Music (1984 mix)" - My favourite disco song, my favourite song from the 70s and an absolutely iconic remix that epitomises a song that can never age, never diminish despite overplay.
  3. Prince "Purple Rain" - Not just a major childhood moment but the most iconic song from my favourite ever artist.
  4. Simple Minds - "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - sums up the mid 80s pop rock anthem movement where Hollywood and rock & roll were melded together in a pop culture that stands today for all the Gen Xs.
  5. Soul II Soul "Back To Life" - my introduction to modern R&B music and the song that set the stage for the 90s, not just for me but for R&B in general. Hugely important.
  6. N-Joi "Anthem" - epitomises my introduction to dance music and my musical revolution in the early 90s.
  7. Everything But The Girl - "Missing (Todd Terry mix)" - a mammoth song that introduced me (and many others) to EBTG, who developed into one of my fave acts of all time. One of the best examples of a remix having a major impact on not just a song, but the band, and the music of the time.
  8. Madonna - "I Want You" - had to include Madonna, wanted to include something more iconic, but this is my fave Madonna track, right in the middle of my fave Madonna era, and I get to reference Massive Attack and Marvin Gaye too. Plus... that video.
  9. Moloko "Sing It Back (Boris D'Lugosch mix)" - my first year in Ibiza in 1999 and a huge awakening of a new phase of club culture which defined my 20s. Also introduced me to Roisin Murphy, say no more
  10. Solange "Losing You" - I got whiplash from how this track changed the course of my pop music listening, coming out of a very tired decade (00s) into what has ended up being I believe the most exciting decade for pop music, a real mix of previous sounds and eras creating a future pop and future R&B landscape, of which Solange was at the forefront. See also Miguel, Jessie Ware, but I went with this.
 
Ag said:
That's a strong selection.

I'd need a good Sunday afternoon to work this out.
Click to expand...

Was one of those, have an idea, will write a quick post... and then spent half an hour on it.
 
It's 8 tracks on the show. I have no problem with choosing 10 (it probably makes it slightly easier, given that when I tried this a few years ago I had a list of about 25 I couldn't cut to 8).

I do think it would be interesting to indicate the one track you would save if the waves threaten to wash them all away though. And include the one book or luxury item if people want to.

And fuck the Bible, obviously.
 
My immediate reaction to picking one track is that it would depend what mood I'm in! But with a gun to my head I'll go with... Soul II Soul :o

Just because it's probably the one I'll take longer to get bored of over all the others if I had to listen to it over and over. I've already listened to it WAY too much for that to ever be a risk.
 
If it's meant to be songs in English only am taking these:
  1. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
  2. Marianne Faithfull - So Sad
  3. Black - Wonderful Life
  4. Mike Oldfield - Moonlight Shadow
  5. Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
  6. Razorlight - Wire to Wire
  7. Antony & the Johnsons - Cripple and the Starfish
  8. Kansas - Dust In The Wind
  9. Nick Cave, Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue - Where the Wild Roses Grow
  10. Styx - Boat On The River
 
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)
ABBA - Lay All Your Love On Me
Grace - Not Over Yet (Dancing Divaz Club Mix)
Procul Harum - Whiter Shade of Pale
Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
Kylie Minogue - Slow
Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire
Loreen - Euphoria
Hole - Celebrity Skin
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
 
This is very without giving it too much thought. Well, actually quite a lot of thought, but not as much as it would seriously warrant. And in no particular order.

Like A Prayer - Madonna
Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) - The Cheeky Girls
Day Trip To Bangor - Fiddler's Dram
Piensa En Mí - Luz Casal
Two Can Play That Game (K Klass Radio Mix) - Bobby Brown
As Long As You Love Me - Backstreet Boys
Dancing On My Own - Robyn
Kinky Boots - Honor Blackman & Patrick Macnee
Runaway - Del Shannon
What Do I Have To Do - Kylie Minogue
 
lolly said:
This is very without giving it too much thought. Well, actually quite a lot of thought, but not as much as it would seriously warrant. And in no particular order.

Like A Prayer - Madonna
Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) - The Cheeky Girls
Day Trip To Bangor - Fiddler's Dram
Piensa En Mí - Luz Casal
Two Can Play That Game (K Klass Radio Mix) - Bobby Brown
As Long As You Love Me - Backstreet Boys
Dancing On My Own - Robyn
Kinky Boots - Honor Blackman & Patrick Macnee
Runaway - Del Shannon
What Do I Have To Do - Kylie Minogue
Click to expand...

I think I need an explanation on the Cheeky Girls song. Clearly it’s not an ironic choice because it’s desert discs, but it’s so not your usual thing… or at least I didn’t think it was…
 
Madonna - Into the Groove
Pet Shop Boys - What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Jewel - Hands
Kylie Minogue - Your Disco Needs You
Gwen Stefani - Cool
Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like Its Hot
Dixie Chicks - On Top of the World
Edward Maya - Stereo Love
Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales
Mitski - First Love/Late Spring

I THINK this encompasses all of the moods/vibes I want it to. Its hard, and I'm sure I'll think of more songs I want to replace some of them with later
 
I already want to replace one song with Your Loving Arms, but I can't decide which
 
I could make a list of songs I like the most or have meant the most to me but I realize that I rarely ever listen to any of them nowadays and could gladly be without them.

If I’d be stranded on a desert island; just play some piano music for me in the background, or why not the soundtrack from The White Lotus?
 
funky said:
I think I need an explanation on the Cheeky Girls song. Clearly it’s not an ironic choice because it’s desert discs, but it’s so not your usual thing… or at least I didn’t think it was…
Click to expand...
I properly love It. It makes me laugh, it makes me think of this place and the people on it, and reminds me of that period of a few years when I used to go up to TOTP several times each year to see it being filmed. So it would make me smile and bring back lots of memories.

All of my songs are memory choices, although Kylie, Madonna and Robyn would also feature in any list of favourite songs as well.
 
lolly said:
This is very without giving it too much thought. Well, actually quite a lot of thought, but not as much as it would seriously warrant. And in no particular order.

Like A Prayer - Madonna
Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) - The Cheeky Girls
Day Trip To Bangor - Fiddler's Dram
Piensa En Mí - Luz Casal
Two Can Play That Game (K Klass Radio Mix) - Bobby Brown
As Long As You Love Me - Backstreet Boys
Dancing On My Own - Robyn
Kinky Boots - Honor Blackman & Patrick Macnee
Runaway - Del Shannon
What Do I Have To Do - Kylie Minogue
Click to expand...

I would love to hear any/all of these on Radio 4.
 
RJN said:
Madonna - Into the Groove
Pet Shop Boys - What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Jewel - Hands
Kylie Minogue - Your Disco Needs You
Gwen Stefani - Cool
Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like Its Hot
Dixie Chicks - On Top of the World
Edward Maya - Stereo Love
Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales
Mitski - First Love/Late Spring

I THINK this encompasses all of the moods/vibes I want it to. Its hard, and I'm sure I'll think of more songs I want to replace some of them with later
Click to expand...

I’m loving the variety here
 
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jyxz said:
How many Nurse With Wound tracks will feature….?
Click to expand...

Probably just the one...hearing them for the first time was a mind-shattering moment. Never quite got the pieces back together, if I'm honest.
 
01. The 1975 - A Change of Heart - the emo pick. I feel that in the future this song will be a perfect time capsule of the current generation's ~feelings.

02. ABBA - Lay All Your Love On Me - I thought about representing disco with something sunnier. but I love that period from '79/'80 when it got darker and this is the apex of it.

03. Ellie Goulding - Dead in the Water - the obligatory suicide ballad for when being alone on that island becomes too much :disco: oh, the adlibs! the harmonies!

04. Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere - joy in a bottle. the second that beat comes in... you're hooked. so thrilled to have seen this sung live in my lifetime.

05. Janet Jackson - If - cathartic bad-bitchery defined. this is my "superstar at her peak" pick.

06. Marina - Blue - definitely my most played track ever. and it still gives me that first-play thrill.

07. Massive Attack - Be Thankful For What You've Got - one of those songs that makes a sunny day feel like the greatest gift.

08. No Doubt - It's My Life - for the moments when I'd very much appreciate the world kindly fucking off.

09. Roisin Murphy - You Know Me Better - the electropop banger, as far as I'm concerned. a truly perfect pop song.

10. Tame Impala - 'Cause I'm a Man - for when I don't feel like taking responsibility (always) and when I'm high and want to float on a cloud (often).
 
I didn't want to go double Gwen, but my #11 song would definitely be Cool. lovely to see that in @RJN's list
 
I'm not going to over think this, but have fully imagine I'm stuck here and these are my final 10 recordings ever. Gasp.

01. Just A Little Lovin' - Dusty Springfield

Not every Dusty song has to be a sofa-punching emotional earthquake. Her voice was richer in the softer moments and I'll need to relax on this island. I'm tempted to swap it out for the 12" of In Private, but this is so sensual, so casual and so easy. It oozes and her sun-baked voice almost sounds like it was 1 take and not 195.

02. Bittersweet Loving - Deee-Lite

A lyrical theme perhaps. I can't be Lutricia McNeal'd on this island without this pop icon's lustrous dance diva pipes and this is another luxurious moment to get lost in. "Put some sugar in and stir it up" is the divine goodbye to kill them with kindness and "I've never felt so free before" a defining Lady Kier vocal that deserved to have made this a hit.

03. Freed from Desire - Gala

I've no idea why it's no longer 1997, but this has had me transfixed ever since. Music is my hopeful escapism, but this is also my wake-up call. The chorus that would put Bananarama in wheelchairs and its iconic rave-pumped intro all continue to reverberate long after the party ended (and for me it probably never has). I'll have to ask the locals if they have any trombolises. An ice-breaker for sure.

04. There's Nothing I Won't Do (12") - JX

Glittering trance that pelts you and side-splitting vocals that go beyond the horizon point, there are not many 12 inch edits that are truly the definitive edit from start to finish, but this is exhilaration personified and an absolute marvel.

05. Call the Shots - Girls Aloud

If any pop song could resuscitate even the most wounded of souls, it's this one. Cresfallen, stoic and determined, the sensitive flair of Nicola's utterly majestic and spellbindingly detached middle 8 and Nadine's rigid resolve that masks all sorts of horrors really elevate this to a place not even Kimberly and Cherly can bring back to reality. And more than ever do I ache to enjoy Sarah's solution that it really doesn't faze her. The backing vocals alone transport me to that very special time they were causing hit parade mayhem and suddenly I long to be there. Now that I'm on an island I'll have to walk on the beach ans ask myself if I'm a beach girl or a city girl:

I AM! I'M BOTH!

06. Kiss them for Me - Siouxsie & the Banshees

There have been huge periods where I've considered this to be my ultimate favourite song. The lyrics positively describe itself ("transfixed by the inner sound"), it's dripping in Siouxsie's dreamy and horrifying imagery. I love that it sets the scene in 2 ways, with the smirking suggestion that the car crash of the song's subject matter (where a "spray of stars hit the screen - oh") is the ultimate VIP party ("no invitation she wouldn't send"). I also now get a kick out of how Sioux clearly likes to massacre it live - her vocal pitch was raised against her will, but she still managed to grapple with it at the time, whereas from '95 onward it simply has to be deliberately turning the "prettiest by far" into Jane Hudson.

07. Running Up That Hill / A Deal With God - Kate Bush

Science fiction orgasm. The lustre. The guitar. The fair thingy. The video (1984 and 1985). I envy every person getting to hear and watch this for the very first time. No wonder the only thing left for kicks is to sit on a washing machine. The drums are loud enough to make me think I am already doing so thankfully.

08. Talking With Myself (Canny 12") - Electribe 101

Giving JX a run for his money here (or else chasing after him to ask for album fundings), Billie's seering vocals are an outer body experience. Truly her lightning in a jar moment and don't think for one second that as she expresses her humongous agony that she's not enjoying every second of it. There's a body on the floor that looks like Marc Moore. No seriously, I think she shot him. Just as well she can't get arrested these days anyway. Just a staggering effect: the ennui to the point of sheer lunacy. Goosebumps. An avalanche of trance.

09. The Power of Good-Bye - Madonna

I'm recreating the video on this island. Joan Crawford didn't get name checked in Vogue, she did one better!

10. Things Will Never Be the Same - Roxette

Their power pop peak and it wasn't even released. Marie's vocals are ravishing and when the chorus kicks in it's a striding charge that wouldn't again be matched

Okay, this island visit is not going to last. As if I can't live without Cyndi and Gina G nevermind my 90s rock and female singer songwriter moments.
 
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