There’s a scene in the movie “High Fidelity” wherein John Cusak, who always seems to land himself roles where he gets to talk to the camera, tells us that “what really matters is what you like, not what you’re like…books, records, films – these things matter.”  To a certain extent I agree, though I think that what you’re like informs what you like and vice versa.  My former roommate Kraig LOVED Rush Limbaugh, ipso facto Kraig was an insufferable pridefully ignorant douchebag.  I’ve had this conversation (what are your desert island top 10 albums, movies, books, etc.) with quite a few people of late and decided that I’d share mine with you.  Let us begin with albums.  Keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily make this my top ten favorite albums, though there is significant overlap, but if I’m going to be on an island forever, I want a good cross-section of music.

 

TOP TEN ALBUMS

1. Mos Def – Black on Both Sides.  My favorite album of all time.  I can tell I really like an album if Ieast least genuinely like every track on the album.  I love every song on this album.  He shows such musical diversity and tackles such a wide variety of topics.  Interestingly enough I wasn’t crazy about this album when I first heard it but it just got better and better as I got less and less stupid.  Truly a masterpiece.  Highlights – Ms. Fat Booty, Speed Law, Climb, Umi Says
2. D’Angelo – Voodoo.  I’ve decided that D’Angelo’s voice itself is an instrument and is on full display here.  As is typical of great albums, the sequencing and flow of the album is tremendous and more than anything it feels like an experience as opposed to 12-20 songs.  I’m fairly sure that this album was responsible for 68% of all conceptions from 1999-2001.  Highlights – One Mo’gin, The Root, Untitled (How Does It Feel), Africa
3. Radiohead – Kid A.  Though I know more about other genres like hip-hop and R&B, I consider radiohead to be the best rock band of my generation.  They’ve never put out anything less than very good and several of their albums are nearly perfect.  In fact I could easily take OK Computer or In Rainbows in place of Kid A here but Kid A has a certain sentimental value for me.  The first time I heard this album I was in my dorm at college playing a computer game with the lights off.  I listened to the album all the way through 3 times before I even moved.  This really is an experience album for me, which makes differentiating between songs to give highlights more difficult but I shall try.  Highlights – Everything In Its Right Place, The National Anthem, Idioteque, Motion Picture Soundtrack
4. Slum Village – Fantastic Vol. 2.  Though it’s difficult to point to a highlight in the production career of J Dilla as he reinvented his sound several times and was amazing at every juncture, I think this album gives the best representation of his production abilities from start to finish.  This was also a mind-blowing album for me because it was the first album I can remember hearing where the MCs (Baatin, T3, Dilla) were just talking shit – about women, making money, and yes smoking – but it wasn’t highly-commercialized and actually had a soulful vibe to it; thanks largely to Dilla’s production.  Highlights – Climax (Girl Shit), Tell Me, Fall In Love, Get Dis Money
5. Jimi Hendrix – The Ultimate Experience.  Not an album in the traditional sense, thus the reason for the lack of sequencing and flow, it is still a collection of the best songs of the best guitar player to ever live.  Jimi was left handed and learned to play by playing a right handed guitar upside down and eventually could play both rhythm and lead guitar AT THE SAME TIME.  I would sacrifice two of my toes and three inches of height to be able to play the guitar like this.  Highlights – The Wind Cries Mary, Angel, Little Wing, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
6. Outkast – ATLiens.  It was really tough to choose between this and Aquemini and I would be very happy with either but since I was exposed to this album first I chose it.  Also, I really like every track on this album and “Mamacita” on Aquemini bugs the shit out of me.  At this point in their career I felt like Big Boi and Andre 3000 were really on the same level lyrically and though people sleep on Big Boi to a criminal degree these days, Andre really did establish himself as the clear better of the two from Aquemini on.  This always hurts an album for me as I tend to listen closely to the stronger MC and tune out when the weaker is rhyming.  I never got that from this album.  It’s also important to note that the actual CD had a naked woman on it and this only strengthened my admiration for them when I heard it for the first time at 15.  Does this make me shallow?  No, it makes them excellent excellent marketers with a similar fondness for beautiful naked women.  Highlights – ATLiens, Wailin’, Mainstream, 13th Floor/Growing Old
7. Dave Matthews Band – Live at Luther College.  This is kinda cheating as it’s a double CD but it’s my list so deal with it.  I actually like these versions of the songs much better than the album versions with the full band behind him.  And Tim Reynolds is good at playing guitar….very very good.  This will always remind me of Prague since I got it right before I left to study abroad there and listened to it almost daily for the 4 months I was there.  Highlights – One Sweet World, Crash Into Me, The Christmas Song, Say Goodbye
8. Jay-Z – The Blueprint.  This album changed hip-hop in my opinion.  It was the introduction of Kanye West and Just Blaze’s amazing production talents, which in turn led to everyone and their mother attempting the sped up soul sample production that these two had perfected.  Also, this was really the turning point for Jay career-wise.  Up to this point he had done amazing albums (Reasonable Doubt) and had huge singles (Hard Knock Life, I Just Wanna Love You) but this was the first time he brought them together.  A great album from start to finish with AMAZING production and several very popular singles.  This was the beginning of Jay’s status as The Don of hip-hop and from this point on he could do no wrong…unless of course you count the second half of Kingdom Come which was pretty damn underwhelming.  Also, includes two of the best verses hip-hop has ever seen…unfortunately for Jay they both belonged to Eminem. Highlights – Takeover, Jigga That N***a, Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love), Renegade
9. Blu & Exile – Below the Heavens.  A modern hip-hop classic.  While it is fairly risky to put such a recent (2007) album on a top ten list this album really is outstanding.  I was told by several people that it was the album of the year and being the skeptic I am I was not prone to agree…until of course I listened to the album at which point I became it’s biggest champion (the last track really makes me want to stand up and cheer every time I hear it…which can make for some awkward moments when you are in a library).  A terrific debut from an artist I hope to hear a lot more from in the years to come.  Highlights – Cold Hearted, Dancing in the Rain, The Narrow Path, The World Is…
10. (tie) Dwele – Some Kinda/Robin Thicke  - The Evolution of Robin Thicke/Anthony Hamilton – Comin’ From Where I’m From.  Is this cheating?  Yes, yes it is.  I wanted a very good contemporary R&B album (because as my friend Kieran so deftly pointed out “What if there are women on this island?!”) and had a hard time choosing between the three.  All three are staples of the marginally suave Clinton seduction technique that admittedly is far from being perfected.  Highlights – (Dwele) Holla, Lay It Down, I Think I Love You, Old Lovas; (Robin Thicke) Lost Without You, I Need Love, Can U Believe, Lonely World; (Anthony Hamilton) Mama Knew Love, Charlene, Comin’ From Where I’m From, Lucille

Ok that took a lot longer than expected so I’m stopping there for now, I’ll do the movies and books another time.  Feel free to comment or leave your own list in the comments section.

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