If you were allowed to have only five music albums or CDs with you when stranded on a desert island, what would they be?

Live- Live
U2— the newest one
One Classical Album- not sure which
Eagles- Desperado
The Crow soundtrack

Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos
Porgy & Bess (Gershwin)
Vivaldi L’Estro Armonico
A Night at the Opera (Queen)
Bing Crosby White Christmas

Tapestry – Carole King
The Unforgettable Fire – U2
The Red Album (1962–1966) – The Beatles
Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra – E.L.O.
The Best of Chicago 40th Anniversary – Chicago

Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy
The Beatles – Sgt. Peppers
The Stone Roses – s/t
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85–92
Animal Collective – Sung Tongs

A compilation of songs devoted to island survival- by someone who knows how to survive on a desert island.
Some form of edible album – by what ever company would make such a thing
A remarkably large boatshaped album – probably by the same company that made the edible album
The sound-track to Across the Universe
The sound-track to Dr. Horrible’s Singalong blog

Eazy Duz it – Eazy -E
Bivouac – Jawbreaker
How to Clean Everything – Propaghandhi
Kill the Musicians – Screeching Weasel
Don’t Turn Away – Face to Face

The Clash – London Calling
Faith No More – Introduce Yourself
Green Day – Dookie
Led Zeppelin – III
Megadeth – Youthanasia

Something like that…Can’t think of anything better right now.

Neil Young – Decade
Pink Floyd – The Wall
Slayer – Reign in Blood
Massive Attack – Mezzanine
Le Loup – Le Loup

Michael Jackson – Thriller
Joss Stone – introducing Joss Stone
Michael Jackson – Bad
Gavin Degraw – Gavin Degraw
Kanye West – Graduation

Abbey Road – The Beatles
Amazing Grace – Aretha Franklin with The Southern California Community Choir
Skylarking – XTC
Fables Of The Reconstruction – R.E.M.
A Bell Is a Cup Until It Is Struck – Wire

This was HARD!

I don’t see how it would matter. What good are CDs on a desert island?

But, I suppose I could list my five favorite albums.

1) Abbey Road – The Beatles
2) A Turn Of A Friendly Card – The Alan Parsons Project
3) Jimmy Cliff – Jimmy Cliff
4) A New World Record – The Electric Light Orchestra
5) The Game – Queen

West Coast Jazz Stan Getz

Jazz Masters Dinah Washington

Rearviewmirror – Greatest Hits Pearl Jam

I Love Everybody Lyle Lovett

Songs in the Key of Life Stevie Wonder

Dark Adapted Eye – Danielle Dax
Smash The System – Saint Etienne
Oscillons From The Anti-Sun – Stereolab
Building The Colossus – Happy Rhodes
Hyaena – Siouxsie And The Banshees

Thanks everyone – it is a hard question!

Here’s mine, but I keep thinking of others:

Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Blue – Joni Mtchell
Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos
London Conversation – John Martyn
Modern Times -Bob Dylan

@janbb Thank you for the question. I spent a glorious next few hours last night listening to great music, wandering from one thing to another.

By the way, I have thought of substitutions for some of mine, and I think the list would change depending on when I had to leave for the island. I hope a freighter calls on the island every once in a while so I can change mine out.

Too true – I’m really into the Bob Dylan album now but it meant I had to leave out Mark Knoepfler and Judy Collins and the Beatles and Dave Brubeck and James Taylor and Mozart and….

There’s just so many but what the question made me focus on was what music moves you or makes you really happy when you hear it. Also, I think there are certain albums that just flow so well from one song to the next (like Tapestry or Sweet Baby James) that they create a whole experience or bring you to a place in your life that was important to you.

1. The Doors – The Best of The Doors
2. Underoath – Lost In the Sound of Seperation
3. Blink 182 – The Mark, Tom And Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!)
4. Tupac – Greatest Hits
5. Ministry of Sound: Sessions Five.

@Dog
Lurve for Live

1)Alanis Morissette-Jagged Little Pill
2) Red Hot Chili Peppers- Blood Sugar Sex Magik
3)No Doubt-No Doubt
4)Live-Live
5) Cranberres-Stars (1992–2002)

Every time I think about this question the answer changes.
Here is my answer for now:

Beatles—Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Pink Floyd—Dark Side of the Moon
Grateful Dead—Working Man’s Dead
Neil Young—Harvest Moon
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony

Beatles: Sgt Pepper.
Joni Mitchel: Blue
Eric Clapton: Unplugged.
Sarah McClauchlin:Tough… I want ‘Prayer of St. Francis’ and ‘Adia’, but their not no the same album.
Paul Simon – either Rhythm of the Saints, Graceland, or One Trick Pony… don’t care which.

@grisson – I could share the island with you but then it would have to be “Graceland.” I love all his stuff, but for me, that is one fo the top albums of all time.

If I had a choice of 5 CDs to have with me, while stranded on a deserted island, I would want 5 ‘labeled’ CDs that ‘collectively’ convey: “Help Is On Its Way!” Sounds like something from the group Little River Band…LOL!

If I had a choice of 5 CDs to have with me, while stranded on a deserted island, I would want 5 ‘labeled’ CDs that ‘collectively’ convey: “Help Is On Its Way!” Sounds like something from the group Little River Band…LOL!