Category: Music

Tune of the day #310

Francis Monkman was one of the founders of Curved Air. He left after their third album, and later joined Herbie Flowers, John Williams (the classical guitarist, not the Star Wars guy) and a couple others in the classical/prog fusion band Sky. He didn’t stay there long, either, but remained long enough to play the keys on the toccata that may or may not have been written by Bach.

Ten and five

Here’s the challenge:

You all know the premise: you’re stuck on a deserted island somewhere, and all you have for entertainment is a wind-up (or solar-powered) record- or CD player and a few records. Which records would you choose to have?

… Here, then, are the parameters:

Ten composers, singers or groups. Examples: Beethoven, Elvis Presley, Rolling Stones. It can be any mix of the above — all bands, all singers, whatever. But only ten.

Specify up to five albums for each selection. Assume 45-50 minutes of music per album.

So you’ll have a maximum of fifty albums allowed. (For the pedantic, we can allow CDs to ensure that they’ll last however long you’re marooned.) But no carrying over: if you can’t think of five but only three, that’s what you get. I will allow only ONE compilation album, in total.

Here are my picks:

Bach — As much of the Well-Tempered Clavier as you can fit on five CDs.

Beethoven — The last four piano sonatas, plus the Waldstein and Pathetique; the Diabelli Variations; the seventh symphony.

Chopin — The Ballades, Etudes, Waltzes, Polonaises, and as many mazurkas as you can fit on one disc along with the Berceuse and Barcarolle.

Fauré — The complete piano music.

Ravel — Complete solo piano music and concertos; as much of the orchestral music as will fit on two discs (you can skip Bolero).

(Yeah, I like the piano.)

Fairport Convention — the first five albums.

Gentle Giant — Acquiring the Taste, Three Friends, Octopus, In a Glass House, The Power and the Glory, Free Hand. (That’s six, but they’re all essential. If you’re going to be picky, roll a die to select the one to skip.)

Steve Morse/Dixie Dregs — What If, Night of the Living Dregs, Unsung Heroes, The Introduction…. Actually, you can just pick any five from all his recordings; every one is good.

Allan Holdsworth — i.o.u., Metal Fatigue, Atavachron, Secrets, Wardenclyffe Tower.

Compilation album — Japanese favorites, e.g. Yuki Kajiura, Yoko Kanno, Nobuo Uematsu, Yoko Shimomura, etc.

Ask me again tomorrow, and you’ll get a different list.