Desert Island Albums - The Past 25 Years

[NittanyChris]

Pick your top 10 Desert Island Albums - If you could only listen to 10 Albums the rest of your life, what would they be? The catch here is nothing before 1995, just the past 25 years. A tough task, I know, but here goes...in no particular order:

Radiohead - OK Computer
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Beck - Odelay
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
D'Angelo - Voodoo
Fiona Apple - When The Pawn...
The Black Keys - Rubber Factory
Los Lobos - Good Morning Aztlan
Radiohead - In Rainbows

 

[Colorado Lion]

not to overthink this, NC, but how do I list classical? Some are on different albums with different symphony orchestras etc, so it's kind of a mix....
I know when I make my list, Cream - Disraeli Gears will be one. Probably The Beatles - Meet the Beatles. Then Miles Davis - Kind of Blue; Chet Baker - My Funny Valentine, Bob Dylan - Bringing it all back home.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Deserted Island, not Desert Island. The latter term is a common mistake and makes no sense in the context. The context is that you are alone (I.e. deserted), not that you found yourself on a anomalous island that is a desert.

Just a pet peeve of mine. Carry on

My picks - could only immediately come up with 7

Sublime - Sublime
Rancid - And out Came the Wolves
Wilco - AM
Son Volt - Trace and Wide Swing Tremulo
Sonny Landreth - South of I-10
RHCP - Californication

 

[NittanyChris]

not to overthink this, NC, but how do I list classical? Some are on different albums with different symphony orchestras etc, so it's kind of a mix....
I know when I make my list, Cream - Disraeli Gears will be one. Probably The Beatles - Meet the Beatles. Then Miles Davis - Kind of Blue; Chet Baker - My Funny Valentine, Bob Dylan - Bringing it all back home.

All great stuff, but for the purpose of this thread, only the last 25 years. Reissues not eligible.

 

[NittanyChris]

Deserted Island, not Desert Island. The latter term is a common mistake and makes no sense in the context. The context is that you are alone (I.e. deserted), not that you found yourself on a anomalous island that is a desert.

Just a pet peeve of mine. Carry on

More importantly, some albums of your choosing?

 

[Chickenman Testa]

More importantly, some albums of your choosing?

Sorry - got sidetracked. See above. Not a modern music guy so mine are all around the cutoff as that’s about the last time I was really buying music

 

[NittanyChris]

Sorry - got sidetracked. See above. Not a modern music guy so mine are all around the cutoff as that’s about the last time I was really buying music

Love Wilco and Trace was a great, underrated album by Son Volt.

 

[Vic Vaselino]

Pick your top 10 Desert Island Albums - If you could only listen to 10 Albums the rest of your life, what would they be? The catch here is nothing before 1995, just the past 25 years. A tough task, I know, but here goes...in no particular order:

Radiohead - OK Computer
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Beck - Odelay
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
D'Angelo - Voodoo
Fiona Apple - When The Pawn...
The Black Keys - Rubber Factory
Los Lobos - Good Morning Aztlan
Radiohead - In Rainbows

LOL, anything after 1979 is crap!

 

[Colorado Lion]

All great stuff, but for the purpose of this thread, only the last 25 years. Reissues not eligible.

Misread your original post. my bad

 

[odshowtime]

1995 and no reissues, huh?

Hmm. In random order:

Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
Queens of the Stone Age - Like Clockwork...
Uncle Acid and the DeadBeats - Blood Lust
Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains
Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music...
Beck - Midnight Vultures
Eagles of Death Metal - Heart On
Black Crowes - By Your Side
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Pantera - Reinventing the Steel

1st alternate - The Sword - Warp Riders

 

[fairgambit]

Geeze, so many great choices...Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Dr. Dre, Nirvana.....

OK, I'm kidding.
Every generation has its music and mine was a bit further back than 25 years. I would rather spend 25 years in a penal colony than listen to Dr. Dre.

 

[wbcincy]

1995 and no reissues, huh?

Hmm. In random order:

Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
Queens of the Stone Age - Like Clockwork...
Uncle Acid and the DeadBeats - Blood Lust
Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains
Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music...
Beck - Midnight Vultures
Eagles of Death Metal - Heart On
Black Crowes - By Your Side
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Pantera - Reinventing the Steel

1st alternate - The Sword - Warp Riders

A lot of my picks in your list.

I'd add a few:

Tool - Aenima and Lateralus
Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Incubus - Make Yourself
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape

 

[BringBackStoneys]

Flaming Lips - Yoshi Battles the Pink Robots

 

[Connorpozlee]

Springsteen- Magic
Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Son Volt- Trace
Todd Snider- The Devil You Know
Wilco- Being There
Rage Against the Machine- Evil Empire
Johnny Cash- American Recordings IV: The Man Comes Around
Gaslight Anthem- The ‘59 Sound
Rancid- And Out Come the Wolves
Paul Westerberg- Stereo/Mono

 

[Connorpozlee]

Love Wilco and Trace was a great, underrated album by Son Volt.

I got into these bands in reverse order. I heard the Son Volt song Drown on the radio and thought it was a great, new Neil Young song. Heard it a few times before catching the name of the band, bought the CD and absolutely loved it. Then heard Outtsight (Outta Mind) by Wilco and loved that so I bought Being There. Loved that CD as well. Then I found out that the two bands were born from the remnants of Uncle Tupelo. I started listening to their stuff and loved that as well.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

25 years takes you back to 1995, which leaves out the early 1990s, the last time music was good.

 

[odshowtime]

A lot of my picks in your list.

I'd add a few:

Tool - Aenima and Lateralus
Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Incubus - Make Yourself
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape

I only had to remove about 3 albums it's been a rough 25 years for music!

 

[NittanyChris]

LOL, anything after 1979 is crap!

25 years takes you back to 1995, which leaves out the early 1990s, the last time music was good.

I only had to remove about 3 albums it's been a rough 25 years for music!

Look guys, I'm an old-timer too. I graduated PSU in 1990. There has been a lot of bad music in the past 25 years, but there has also been a lot of amazing music.
Including but not limited to: Radiohead, Wilco, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck, The Black Crowes, Tool, Saint Paul & The Broken Bones, The Avett Brothers, The National, D'Angelo, The Alabama Shakes, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Brittany Howard, The Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys and on and on.

 

[LionDeNittany]

I'm really surprised to have not seen Pearl Jam Ten which is IMO one of the best albums of all time, given the other choices here.

LdN

 

[NittanyChris]

I'm really surprised to have not seen Pearl Jam Ten which is IMO one of the best albums of all time, given the other choices here.

LdN

That was before 1995. Pearl Jam's No Code is the first post 95 PJ album and it is great.

 

[IC1 Rowles]

Motorhead - Inferno
Reverend Horton Heat - REV
Scott Pemberton - Sugar Mama
Slash - Slash
Volbeat - Lets Boogie Live
Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
Living Things - Ahead of the Lions
Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad of John Henry
Mumford and Sons - Babel
The Rosedales - Once Upon a Season

There is plenty of good music out there.

 

[MJG-90]

Deserted Island, not Desert Island. The latter term is a common mistake and makes no sense in the context. The context is that you are alone (I.e. deserted), not that you found yourself on a anomalous island that is a desert.

Yeah but everyone goes by this:


The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle
With Gilligan
The Skipper too,
The millionaire and his wife,
The movie star
The professor and Mary Ann,
Here on Gilligans Isle.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

I saw a Rolling Stone list of the best albums of the 2010s. Ooooffff. I weep for this generation.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Yeah but everyone goes by this:


The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle
With Gilligan
The Skipper too,
The millionaire and his wife,
The movie star
The professor and Mary Ann,
Here on Gilligans Isle.

Point taken

 

[BBrown]

Look guys, I'm an old-timer too. I graduated PSU in 1990. There has been a lot of bad music in the past 25 years, but there has also been a lot of amazing music.
Including but not limited to: Radiohead, Wilco, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck, The Black Crowes, Tool, Saint Paul & The Broken Bones, The Avett Brothers, The National, D'Angelo, The Alabama Shakes, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Brittany Howard, The Black Keys and on and on.

There is a lot of terrific music being done right now and its across the board genre wise, well ok I'll leave country music out since I don't like it.
If people cant find it then they are beyond lazy because its easier than it has ever been.
You gave a terrific list, let me add a few more...
JS Ondara, Gary Clark, Leon Bridges, Sturgil Simpson, Alice Merton, Maggie Rogers,
Barns Coutney, Foals, Tame Impala, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Black Pumas, Chicano Batman, The Districts (from Lititz, PA), Death Cab for Cutie...

 

[uhlerlion]

25 years takes you back to 1995, which leaves out the early 1990s, the last time music was good.

Agree --some will argue that late 90's was the death of music with the improvements in computer based software for mixing and production. IE AutoTune Melodyne Pro Tools.

Napster ITunes also helped the decline where a single song matters and not a whole album

At the same time corporations were allowed to buy up radio stations Telecom act 1996 and standardized them all to be the same IE play the the same types of songs and same playlists that influence the "successful model" of what sells. Artists started moving towards the money aspect first, inadvertently, as the successful model needed to be followed

This doesnt mean good music isn't being produced today but it just doesn't get the airplay that it needs to gain traction. As mentioned some groups still produce some good stuff. The Getaway by RHCP comes to mind. Hopefully streaming services like Spotify will be a grassroots growth like it was in the 60's and 70s for many bands. Edit as per BBrown "Good music can be found today you just have to look for it"

 

[NittanyChris]

There is a lot of terrific music being done right now and its across the board genre wise, well ok I'll leave country music out since I don't like it.
If people cant find it then they are beyond lazy because its easier than it has ever been.
You gave a terrific list, let me add a few more...
JS Ondara, Gary Clark, Leon Bridges, Sturgil Simpson, Alice Merton, Maggie Rogers,
Barns Coutney, Foals, Tame Impala, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Black Pumas, Chicano Batman, The Districts (from Lititz, PA), Death Cab for Cutie...

Absolutely! Along with Michael Kiwanuka, Courtney Barnett, Julien Baker, The Record Company, Durand Jones & The Indications, Big Thief, Iron & Wine, Hozier, Lianne La Havas, Raphael Saadiq and on and on.

 

[BBrown]

Pick your top 10 Desert Island Albums - If you could only listen to 10 Albums the rest of your life, what would they be? The catch here is nothing before 1995, just the past 25 years. A tough task, I know, but here goes...in no particular order:

Radiohead - OK Computer
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Beck - Odelay
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
D'Angelo - Voodoo
Fiona Apple - When The Pawn...
The Black Keys - Rubber Factory
Los Lobos - Good Morning Aztlan
Radiohead - In Rainbows

Hmmm. ok but not in order this is already hard enough.

Portis Head-Dummy at least I think it was '95 maybe '94
Arcade Fire-The Suburbs
Beck-Midnight Vultures or Mutations
The Black Keys-Brothers
Oasis-Whats the Story Morning Glory
Interpol-Turn on The Bright Lights
Death Cab for Cutie-Narrow Stairs
The Decemberists-The Crane Wife
Hot Chip-Made in the Dark
Marilyn Manson-Mechanical Animals

 

[MJG-90]

There is a lot of terrific music being done right now and its across the board genre wise, well ok I'll leave country music out since I don't like it.
If people cant find it then they are beyond lazy because its easier than it has ever been.
You gave a terrific list, let me add a few more...
JS Ondara, Gary Clark, Leon Bridges, Sturgil Simpson, Alice Merton, Maggie Rogers,
Barns Coutney, Foals, Tame Impala, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Black Pumas, Chicano Batman, The Districts (from Lititz, PA), Death Cab for Cutie...

I disagree that it’s easier than ever to find good music. I used to watch MTVs 120 Minutes religiously. And record stores at the mall. That’s where I found much of the music I listened to. Now everything seems so all over the place. And nobody has given me any ideas to help.

I do, however, agree that there is still a lot of great music out there. Death Cab is incredible. I got to see them last summer on the river in Harrisburg. Fantastic show.

 

[NittanySlappy]

First Ten:
The Strokes - Is This It
Wilco - Being There
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Spoon - They Want My Soul
The Cure - Bestival Live 2011
Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America
Radiohead - OK Computer
Oaisis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

Second Suitcase:
Interpol - Our Love to Admire
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
Kanye West - Late Registration
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

 

[uhlerlion]

Hmmm. ok but not in order this is already hard enough.

Portis Head-Dummy at least I think it was '95 maybe '94
Arcade Fire-The Suburbs
Beck-Midnight Vultures or Mutations
The Black Keys-Brothers
Oasis-Whats the Story Morning Glory
Interpol-Turn on The Bright Lights
Death Cab for Cutie-Narrow Stairs
The Decemberists-The Crane Wife
Hot Chip-Made in the Dark
Marilyn Manson-Mechanical Animals

Beck and Black Keys +1
Will check some of the others out

some other Island albums post 95 as many have already been mentioned

Rival Sons - Pressure and Time
RHCP - The Getaway
Audioslave - Audioslave

 

[NoBareFeet]

Flaming Pie--Paul McCartney
Highway Companion--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Magic--Bruce Springsteen
Echo--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
New--Paul McCartney
Do Hollywood--The Lemon Twigs
The Last DJ--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Run Devil Run--Paul McCartney
Hypnotic Eye--Tom Petty
Memory Almost Full--Paul McCartney

Hard to come up with 10. Slim pickings post 1995.

 

[BBrown]

I disagree that it’s easier than ever to find good music. I used to watch MTVs 120 Minutes religiously. And record stores at the mall. That’s where I found much of the music I listened to. Now everything seems so all over the place. And nobody has given me any ideas to help.

I do, however, agree that there is still a lot of great music out there. Death Cab is incredible. I got to see them last summer on the river in Harrisburg. Fantastic show.

I was a huge fan of 120 minutes.
I really do think its much easier today than when I was at Penn State in the 80's and outside of WPSU it was a radio wasteland.
But try this...
Check your cable provider and look at the music stations and look for either Indie, Adult Alternative (thats my go to) or just Alternative. I guarantee you'll find some of the bands the have been listed.
Satellite radio has a ton of stations.
Apple radio is the same (although I think that might be subscription)
Try the Tune in Ap. They have catagories like Adult Alternative, Alt Hits...
Pandora is another one find a style you like or create your own station with music you like and it will start to pick out similar style music, its really pretty good at it.
Finally try this station out of Towson MD. Its fantastic and if you are familiar with WHFS (from DC and Annapolis around the late 80's to Mid 90's) they are quite similar...
https://wtmd.org/radio/listen-wtmd/

 

[MJG-90]

I was a huge fan of 120 minutes.
I really do think its much easier today than when I was at Penn State in the 80's and outside of WPSU it was a radio wasteland.
But try this...
Check your cable provider and look at the music stations and look for either Indie, Adult Alternative (thats my go to) or just Alternative. I guarantee you'll find some of the bands the have been listed.
Satellite radio has a ton of stations.
Apple radio is the same (although I think that might be subscription)
Try the Tune in Ap. They have catagories like Adult Alternative, Alt Hits...
Pandora is another one find a style you like or create your own station with music you like and it will start to pick out similar style music, its really pretty good at it.
Finally try this station out of Towson MD. Its fantastic and if you are familiar with WHFS (from DC and Annapolis around the late 80's to Mid 90's) they are quite similar...
https://wtmd.org/radio/listen-wtmd/

Maybe Pandora is better. Or maybe they just have more available now. But I tried it years ago and it mostly just played the bands I entered as bands I like. Didn’t give anything new of a similar style.

I do have satellite radio in my car. But I usually listen to ESPN on my 20 minute commute. I’ll try the app while I’m working from home. Glad you pointed that out.

 

[BBrown]

Maybe Pandora is better. Or maybe they just have more available now. But I tried it years ago and it mostly just played the bands I entered as bands I like. Didn’t give anything new of a similar style.

I do have satellite radio in my car. But I usually listen to ESPN on my 20 minute commute. I’ll try the app while I’m working from home. Glad you pointed that out.

Yea give it a try and honest I do not work for or have any relationship, other than I love the station, but give WTMD a try. or just go to the website and take a look at their playlist. That will give you a really good indicator of the styles of music they play.
Its across the board but weighted a little towards the "Alternative" side but they play a lot of what we would consider classic 60's with Beatles, Stones, Who...

https://wtmd.org/radio/listen-wtmd/

 

[NittanyChris]

It's interesting to see Rancid's Out Come the Wolves repeated several times.

- Rancid - Out Come the Wolves
- Who - Who's Next
- Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
- Talking Heads - the Soundtrack to Stop Making Sense
- Springsteen -
- REM - Automatic for the People
- English Beat - The Beat Goes On
- The Cranberries - Everyone else is doing it
- U2 - Achtung Baby
- Oasis - Morning Glory
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
- Johnny Mathis - Merry Christmas (this one is burned into my memories of the holidays)
- George Winston - December (reminds me of snowy days in Colorado)
etc, etc, etc .... Aw, f'it, just give me Spotify

PS - This thread is really a generational thing because the kids today don't listen to albums. I tried to have this conversation with my daughter about putting an album on and listen to the entire thing start to finish....NOT Interested. They just don't get it.

All great albums, but most older than 25 years.

 

[NovaPSULuvr]

Yea give it a try and honest I do not work for or have any relationship, other than I love the station, but give WTMD a try. or just go to the website and take a look at their playlist. That will give you a really good indicator of the styles of music they play.
Its across the board but weighted a little towards the "Alternative" side but they play a lot of what we would consider classic 60's with Beatles, Stones, Who...

https://wtmd.org/radio/listen-wtmd/

or WXPN out of Philadelphia
https://xpn.org/

 

[Connorpozlee]

I was a huge fan of 120 minutes.
I really do think its much easier today than when I was at Penn State in the 80's and outside of WPSU it was a radio wasteland.
But try this...
Check your cable provider and look at the music stations and look for either Indie, Adult Alternative (thats my go to) or just Alternative. I guarantee you'll find some of the bands the have been listed.
Satellite radio has a ton of stations.
Apple radio is the same (although I think that might be subscription)
Try the Tune in Ap. They have catagories like Adult Alternative, Alt Hits...
Pandora is another one find a style you like or create your own station with music you like and it will start to pick out similar style music, its really pretty good at it.
Finally try this station out of Towson MD. Its fantastic and if you are familiar with WHFS (from DC and Annapolis around the late 80's to Mid 90's) they are quite similar...
https://wtmd.org/radio/listen-wtmd/

I had the good fortune of having a radio station on the shore (106.3 WHTG, if my quickly declining memory is correct) with Matt Pinfield as a DJ. He was phenomenal. I got turned on to so many different emerging bands in the 90s just listening to him. I do miss that sort of relationship with the radio.

 

[BBrown]

I really, really miss WHFS! Man, do I miss that station.

They were an awesome station and then one day getting into my car I turned them on for the drive to work and they had gone spanish. Ughhh. I think they tried to come back but it didn't work.
The station i've been pimping, WTMD, is very, very similar and has some of the same DJ's. Weasel is one if you remember him. He used to do the "lite-Motif" of HFS.
He now does a Weasel Weekend on Saturday.
The other thing that WHFS used to do that I loved is The Daily Feed. I dont know where they got it but it used to crack me up.

 

[BBrown]

or WXPN out of Philadelphia
https://xpn.org/

Yes very, very similar. Thanks.