Mark's Extended
Desert Island Record List
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A compilation and commentary featuring favorite and personally influential
music.
David
Greenberger's Record Reviews |
 
 
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Dixie Chicken |
Waiting for Columbus
Time Loves a Hero |
Let it Roll |
Perhaps the greatest rock ensemble ever assembled. Waiting for Columbus
is an amazing live album. Let it Roll is the first album released after the
band's 10-year hiatus following the death of Lowell George (who taught
Bonnie Raitt how to play rock and roll slide guitar). It's not the same
Feat, but it remains one of my favorite albums, mainly because they hired
Craig Fuller, one of my favorite singer songwriters and founding member of
Pure Prairie League, to take Lowell's place. Subsequent albums have not
measured up nearly as well. |
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Peter used to love getting all costumed up and weird on stage when he was
with Genesis. He mellowed somewhat by the time he released a few solo
albums and came up with So, one of the truly flawless masterpieces of pop
music. Secret World Live is one of the best live recordings ever made; if
you buy only one Peter Gabriel, buy the live set.
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Ten Summoner's Tales |
Mercury Falling |
Sting was the major dude in the Police, who produced some timeless hits.
These two solo albums represent an amazing amount of musical maturity and
lyrical sensitivity, and contain some of the most beautiful, thoughtful pop
compositions ever written. |
 
 
 
 
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In 1966, I thought it would be cool to join one of those record clubs.
But I knew nothing about bands, so for my two free introductory records I
chose the two bands with the longest names: Jefferson Airplane and Buffalo
Springfield. Turned out that I loved the Buffalos, and most of their
descendants, including Crosby, Stills & Nash, Poco, Loggins & Messina, and
Neil Young (Dewey Martin's Medicine Ball has yet to be released on CD, but
believe me, it's just as well). Here are some of
the best of these "family" recordings.
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Buffalo Springfield (Buffalo Springfield)
Again (Buffalo Springfield)
Last Time Around (Buffalo Springfield)
Sittin' In (Loggins & Messina)
Crosby, Stills & Nash - (First album)
Deja Vu - (CSN&Y)
Manassas - (Steven Stills)
After the Gold Rush - (Neil Young)
Harvest - (Neil Young)
Harvest Moon - (Neil Young)
Covers not shown:
Pickin' Up the Pieces (Poco)
DeLIVErin' (Poco) |
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What can I say? These guys were constantly coming up with stuff that
sounded like nothing else. Revolver and Rubber Soul are like a two-record
set. Chuck, my best musician friend and I saved our pennies so that we
could have our very own (shared) copy of Sgt. Pepper. We were very
excited. Abbey Road, their last record, is testimony that even the
personal struggles percolating among them could not squelch the creative
life force of this group.
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A friend once actually pressured me into borrowing Blonde on Blonde and
Self-Portrait one time. I guess he thought I needed some Dylan in my life at
that point. I was painting my apartment at the time, and I ended up putting
some serious wear and tear on these two records before the job was finished.
Blonde is legendary, and deserving. Self Portrait is definitely an acquired
taste, I must admit - mostly cover tunes - but I like it a lot. Blood on the
Tracks is just one heck of a good record, period.
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James Taylor
How can someone be such a great songwriter? Sweet Baby James is one of
those American watershed musical events that should be required listening.
Secret-o-Life on JT is one of my all-time favorite songs, on a record filled
with great songs. You can pick just about any of JT's work and be happy, but
these two are just so... I don't know ...
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Another great songwriter who has gone through some bad patches along the
way, but he's still writing great songs. The Pretender is so
introspective, you might cry. I play it when I'm down, and for some reason
it makes me feel better. Running on Empty is one of those old "concept"
albums that really ended up hitting a lot of professional musicians (which
I was one of at the time) right where they live. The title song is one of
those American Anthems that is almost part of the collective
consciousness. David Lindley's slide guitar solos still send chills up my
spine. I'm Alive proves that he still is with some great songs
performed by a great studio ensemble.
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Speaking of David Lindley, the man whose lap-steel guitar work made many
of Jackson Browne's songs soar like eagles... These three records are just
about the most fun you can have for ten bucks each. You haven't lived until
you've heard David's version of Werewolves of London (on Very Greasy).
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Another one of those American bands that seemed to be influenced by
nothing (at least nothing very contemporary), yet had a crashing influence
on the rest of us. Music From Big Pink was right up there with Sgt. Pepper
as one of the most influential albums in my life. Stage Fright might just
be their best record, but "The Band" (a.k.a. The Brown Album), their
second record, is a masterpiece, too.
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Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
UFO Tofu |
Live Art
Tales from the Acoustic Planet
Outbound |
The best known unknown group in America. Bela used to play bluegrass (a
banjo player's rut) with the New Grass Revival, but now he's creating some
of the hardest-to-classify instrumental music ever made. Some record stores
still put Flecktones discs in the Bluegrass section. Others put 'em in the
Jazz section. It's both. And neither. Bela explores pretty much every
possible flavor of music, including musical palindromes (on UFO Tofu - the
title itself is a palindrome). On the first three albums, the Flecktones are
a quartet with keyboard and chromatic harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy, and
these remain my favorites. Live Art is an incredible live set, with some
great performances and guest artists. I guess I just love live albums by
good performers. Acoustic Planet is a studio set featuring a number of
illustrious guest artists, including folks like Sam Bush, Chick Corea,
Branford Marsalis and Bruce Hornsby. How did a banjo player (OK, probably
the world's best) end up in a trio with the world's best bass
player and a guy who plays "drums" standing up? Outbound features the newest Flecktone, Jeff Coffin on horns. This record
represents a more pop sensibility, which works surprisingly well. And would
you believe guest vocalists Shawn Colvin and Jon Anderson of Yes?! |
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Lyle is just cool. Julia Roberts married him for awhile -- just long
enough to help him get a lot of publicity and sell a lot of records.
Well-deserved attention. He writes some great songs, and often makes you
smile just the way he sings them.
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Absolute Torch and Twang |
Ingénue |
Nobody has a better voice than k.d. lang. She can do just about anything
she wants with it. My favorite stuff is when she still had her country band,
The Reclines. However, Ingénue is brilliant, and just about as different
from Twang as you can possibly get. This fan likes 'em both. |
 
 
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Axis: Bold as Love (Hendrix) Hendrix was my god for
awhile. This album was my Bible.
Surrealistic Pillow (Jefferson Airplane) Cool stuff,
and one of the first two records I got form my only record club experience.
Between the Buttons (Rolling Stones) This record has always
been, and still is, really really weird. I like it.
Court and Spark (Joni Mitchell) When this came out, it
completely blew my mind. Where is this woman coming from? I still like it.
The Stranger (Billy Joel) The production values on this
record are outrageous. A lot of this stuff just wasn't done before this came
out. Smart songs by a musical genius in his stride.
Moondance (Van Morrison) A bellwether event, and a
testament to the simplicity and beauty of good songs well sung with no bull. |
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American Garage (Pat Metheny) My "Sgt. Pepper" of
Jazz, actually getting the ear of die hard rockers and jazzers alike.
As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls
(Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays) This record is like a soundtrack without a
movie. Very atmospheric with swirling complexity and emotion. Put on
headphones and trip out.
Mysterious Traveler (Weather Report) The first few Weather
Report albums were like the soundtrack to my life for a few of years
there. Many a great jazz musician did time in this band, including the
master of saxophonic understatement Wayne Shorter, one of the world's most
respected percussionists Airto Moriera, and two of the best bass players
that ever lived, Jaco Pastorius and Miroslav Vitous. Founding member and
Miles Davis alumnus Joe Zawinul wrote songs you know, such as Mercy,
Mercy, Mercy and Byrdland.
Koln Concert (Keith Jarrett) It's like hiding in a
closet and listening to him jam with himself in his living room. One of
the most powerful solo piano recordings ever made. And it's all
improvised...
Crystal Silence (Chick Corea & Gary Burton) When I
first heard this, I was blown away by what a piano and vibes could do
together. It's not only amazing, but beautiful as well. It's become one of
those "comfort zone" records for me.
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Two Lane Highway |
Bustin' Out
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I wore out the grooves on Bustin' Out back in the 70s, and it still holds
up. It's one of the early templates for country-rock. "Amie" was the big hit
from this record, and there are a bunch of songs that are as good or better.
Craig Fuller was my favorite songwriter for awhile. This was his second and
last album with the League, replaced on the next record by none other than
Vince Gill. Craig later became the front man for Little Feat, in their
post-Lowell George phase. The first record from "Little Feat 2.0" (Let
it Roll) remains one of my all time favorite records, mainly because of
Craig Fuller's songwriting. Many will remember the song "I'll Fix Your Flat
Tire Merle" on Two Lane Highway as one of the great country-rock homages of
all time. |
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John was a true American original, if you can categorize someone this
irreverent that way. He left behind a folk legacy that is unique and
exuberant. Yes, "Gentle on My Mind" is a great song (and not on this album),
despite your feelings about Glen Campbell. But his real contribution is to
be found on these records. Actually, his best work was his live show, where
he played solo using a banjo, a guitar, and clomping big ol' boots on a slab
of plywood with an acoustic guitar pickup in it. During one show, he said to
the soundman "a little more floor in the monitors, please." Gotta love a a
song called "Don't Leave Your Records in the Sun," still good advice for
CDs, even though he was talking about LPs. John left us June 6, 2001, no
thanks to that all-too-familiar devil, cancer. |
 
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Aero-Plain |
Mark Twang |
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Along For the Ride |
Bare Wires
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Everybody knows John Mayall, if for no other reason, because
of his legendary bands and uncanny knack for finding awesome guitarists like
Eric Clapton and Harvey Mandel. He was supposedly in his prime back in the 70s, but we went to see
a recent show, and we were blown away, after expecting to see your typical
aging star flogging a "401K tour." Yes, he had a young band behind him, but he was
carrying more than his share, leaping about on stage like a young stud and
playing and singing his heart out.It was great! Along For The Ride features
yet another great band with yet another awesome guitarist, Buddy Miller (not the same
one that plays with Emmylou Harris). Bare Wires is an old record that I love,
weird, wonderful and hard to find. |
There were several bands back in the late 60s that burst
onto the scene with horn sections. This was kind of a new thing for
"rock," but not so unusual for blues. For many of us youngsters, Pigboy
introduced us to the song "Born Under a Bad Sign." And "One More
Heartache" is just a great song. Some feel that East-West is a much
better record, but I liked Pigboy a lot.
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The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw
East-West |
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Creole Moon
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Dr. John used to go by "Dr. John the Night Tripper," but his real name is
Mac Rebbenack, and he is one of the most prolific composers in America.
Check out the list of records on Amazon and see what I mean. His first hit
album, Gris Gris, was an instant classic back in the 60s, presenting the
world with its first real taste of Nawlins funk, filtered through swamp
water and cajun voodoo. If you can find a copy of his second album,
Sun, Moon, and Herbs, buy it - it's more voodoo that Gris Gris, and
features guest artists Clapton and Jagger. On Creole Moon, some of that old black magic is still in evidence, along with
modern pop and funk flavors ala "Right Place Wrong Time." Dr. John is an
American treasure. You should catch his act live, while you still can. |
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Before the band Chicago put horns into rock music, The Electric Flag put
horns into "Psychedelic" music. Actually, it's somewhere between blues,
jazz, rock, and a hard place. This album rocks and trips with Mike
Bloomfield on guitar, Buddy Miles on drums, and Nick Gravenites on vocals.
This album was a watershed event, and still bears listening. If you buy it
for nothing else, get it for "Killing Floor." |
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A Long Time Comin' |
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Blood, Sweat & Tears:
Child is Father to the Man |
Just say no to David Clayton Thomas - this first release,
entitled Child is Father to the Man, contained some of the best songs
BS&T ever recorded. "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" still sends
chills down the spine, and in my opinion is one of the best blues/rock
recordings of all time. Paul Shafer knows it too, and regularly sings this
song near the end of Letterman shows, doing his best James Brown impression,
complete with guest celebrity "cape-bearers." Featuring Al Kooper, Steve Katz, Bobby Colomby,
Randy Brecker, this record paved the way for horn bands to come, including
future versions of BS&T. |
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Out of the Blue is a great, great
record - a fairly new effort following 15+ years of silence. These guys were,
IMHO, the best
southern-rockin' band around back in the late seventies. Chock
Full of Country Goodness is is just as good. True to its name, "Chock" is
much more country-flavored than Out of the Blue. That's OK by me. The
Aces' vinyl classics are now available on CD!! You probably remember
the hit "Third Rate Romance," but as hits often go, this is
probably my least favorite of the songs on Stacked Deck. I think
Too Stuffed to Jump might be their best. Check out the
Amazing Rhythm Aces Web site.
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Click
for more info or to order:
Out
of the Blue | Chock
Full of Country Goodness | Stacked
Deck | Too
Stuffed to Jump
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