Desert Island Music Challenge - 5 Albums for a year | Ecency

@steevc has nominated me for this challenge @slobberchops came up with. All it needs is one post and there are no prizes, but then good posts can earn rewards anyway.

Here are the rules he has made for it:

Name FIVE albums you would take if you were stranded on a desert island for ONE year with just a CD player, USB devices capable of playing tunes or a good old-fashioned record player.
For each of the albums, link a tune from YouTube or an alternate source which to you is the standout song.
Provide a short story on why you like this album or the artist so much.
Use the tag #desertislandchallenge on your post
Nominate THREE more people for the challenge, try and pick music people!

Sooooooo... Only 5 albums?!?!?!
WTF?
I have 100 albums in my top 5!!! (Not kidding, second hardest question ever!)
But then I was asked by @pennsif to choose only 8 songs for my life in 8 songs!!!! (we ended up extending the 1 hour segment into 3 hours!!! Skip to the 2 hour mark to hear my 3 hours)

For me, I listen to vinyl records. I'm new-skool like that. Wait. Yeah, because they (and I) only relatively recently realised that old-school vinyl was the shiz, the bees-knees when it comes to sonic kwaletehhh (quality)!
Vinyl does it better.
Burn your downloads!
Wait. hmmm...
So, I chose records from my collection!

Are they my ALL TIME favourite albums?
No. They are not necessarily. Because in different moods I might choose a totally different batch of records. I mean, in this list here there's no Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, Lenny Kravitz, Vishna Mohan Bhatt, Ben Harper, Vince Jones, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Simon & Garfunkel, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cat Stevens, The Cure, INXS, Midnight Oil, Spearhead, Dead Can Dance, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Radnor & Lee and on and on....
You get the idea.

Without any further ado!

NUMERO UNO

(that's number one is a different language. er mah gerd! Like. So cultured)

1) Father John Misty - Pure Comedy (2017)

Ok. Let's just start with the fact that they're fancy-pansy coloured vinyl records in very cool packaging! See that's something I luuuurve about the vinyl format! You get to explore the whole art of it, including an awesomely funny, yet fantastically philosophical essay by Josh Tillman (Father John Misty himself) plus lyrics. You don't get that with your mp3 download, do you?!

This has been my favourite album for the past few months. Just brilliant philosophical songwriting and incredible arrangements. This guy's voice sounds very akin to Elton John's circa 1970's before the cheese set in.
Besides, those that know my music well know that I love storytelling. This album is kind of themed around the notion of viewing our human society on Earth from an alien's perspective after a dystopic event...

Have a listen. No. Don't put it on in the background whilst checking out other posts or talking crap on discord. ACTUALLY LISTEN or you just won't get it. Get it?

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NUMBER TWO

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard + Mild High Club - Sketches of Brunswick East (2017)

If you've heard my music, then you already know how much I love jamming. I love loooong tracks that journey somewhere, rather than your stock standard formulaic verse-chorus pop tune.
I also love great musicianship...
In comes, Melbourne psychedelic jaminauts, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard one of my current favourite Australian bands.
They are super prolific. I mean it. They released 5 albums just last year alone, including this one, which is a collaboration with another Melbourne band, Mild High Club. And they're all fantastic albums.
This one tickles my polyrhythmic funny bones.

Have a listen to this track and trip out with this amazing video clip. This song is mostly in 9/8 time signature.

NUMBER THREE

Roy Harper - Stormcock (1971)

I love contemporary folk music. I first discovered Roy Harper's music whilst on tour in the UK in 2005. It was on repeat in the cd player of my hire car between gigs. Just amazing!!!
Roy Harper is more famed for his close friendship with Led Zeppelin than his own music, unfortunately. I mean, the mighty Zep's even wrote a song for him "Hats off to Roy Harper" from their massive Led Zeppelin III album.
What many don't know is that Roy sings lead vocals on Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" song on the "Wish You Were Here" album.

Anyway, I digress. This album is classic psychedelic folk exploration. I just love it and never tire of it.
He really explores musically with delays and loops (long before delay and looper pedals existed) with his acoustic guitar and vocals.
I could happily put a few of his albums in my top list.

This song, which is easily one of my all time favourite songs, That Same Old Rock, is a collaboration with Jimmy Page on 12 string acoustic guitar.

NUMBER FOUR

Ray Lamontagne - Trouble (2004)

Ah! Such brilliant songwriting and THAT VOICE! I rarely get envious of people's voices, that would be pointless, but this man has tonsils and he ain't afraid to use them!
So smooth, warm, yet husky enough to show a life well lived.
His vocal tone is like a white, breathy, folkie Otis Redding!
I once recommended a musician friend to listen to this album. That particular friend said, "ah, I don't think it's so special." He was immediately flagged. I am not friends with him any longer. True story. (If you don't get this music you're an alien, and not the cool kind. The type that abducts and does anal-probe experimentation. Be warned. You have to love this album or you are cut out of my life. hehe)

But normally when I introduce people to this album, they just love it.
Women melt.

Listen to the title track, Trouble... Oh. My. Oh. My... mmmmm

NUMBER FIVE

Bob Marley - Kaya (1978)

Well, we're on an island, right? You need an islander's music and what better jam than Jamaican reggae master Bob Marley?! Hopefully the island has some kaya to light up!
Seriously. Whenever I need to feel great about life, I put some Bob on. It always cures the blues. Even his political tunes lift me up. He was just a magician!
Say no more!

Sun is Shining is classic happy Bob.

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Ok. Ok... So I could've thrown in one hundred other records here, but I needed to represent some of my electronic music love...

BONUS

Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1998)

Massive Attack does it for me and this album is such brilliance! Their first 3 albums are all brilliant.
What makes this record stand out is the added organic elements - heavy fuzzed rock guitars, tonky drum kits, etc.

When I put the needle on the record, the opening track, ANGEL, alone just commands attention... ANd the film clip is so intense with that forboding music underpinning it...

I nominate @breakoutthecrazy, @meno and @benleemusic to share their eclectic selections with us...

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