My Desert Island Albums (and Entrance Song)

Q: What are your five “desert island” albums, and what is your entrance song?

These questions were asked to a friend of mine as a ‘getting to know you’ exercise with a new job.  I’ve been thinking about them as well, and here are my answers.

1.  The Music of Cosmos by various artists
If I could access all the memory files in my brain, I believe that I would discover that A ) I’ve listened to this album more than any other, and B ) there’s not even a close candidate for second.  I love this album.  This amazing compilation of music accompanying Carl Sagan’s landmark television series Cosmos includes a wide variety of genres, styles, and moods.  This album introduced me to the music of Vangelis, Alan Hovhaness, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Isao Tomita, and others.  Of the literally hundreds of albums I own, this was the first to come to my mind when I read the question.

2.  Somewhere to Elsewhere by Kansas
Their final album of original material, this is a fitting capstone to a long and exemplary (though sometimes uneven) career.  The songs, which deal with topics as diverse as war, revelation, death and the afterlife, and the struggles of day-to-day life in the modern world, are performed with power, passion, and technical brilliance.  If there is such a thing as progressive Christian rock, this is it.

3.  Wicked Twisted Road by Reckless Kelly
I’ll be honest, there’s a lot of country music that I don’t care for—including most of what I hear on the radio.  It tends to be bland, formulaic, mass-produced twangpop that all sounds the same to me.  It has no heart and no guts.  That’s why I like bands like Reckless Kelly.  I think this album is their best.  The album is filled with relatable, expertly-crafted songs performed by a band that clearly loves performing.  The songs are straightforward and pack an emotional punch sadly lacking in much of contemporary country.

4.  Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits
This is one of the first albums (on cassette tape, actually) that I ever bought, way back in high school.  It has stood the test of time.  I love the eclectic mix of jazz, blues, and rock that Dire Straits does so well.  The wide variety of moods, from joyful and exuberant to mournful and contemplative, is complemented perfectly my Mark Knopfler’s inspired guitar work and vocals.  On the whole this is Knopfler’s best work, with the guitar outro on the closing title track being particularly poignant.

5.  Messiah by G. F. Handel, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Some people consider this the definitive recording of Handel’s signature oratorio, and not without reason.  The performances are inspired, and inspiring.  I know the work was originally intended for a much smaller orchestra and choir, but hearing the power of these performances, I can’t help but think Handel would have approved.

So that’s my group of five “desert islands” albums.  As for my entrance song, there are a number of possible options.  But I’m going to go with “Earthshine” by Rush.