On a desert island

S

ooner or later we all get a question like: “If you were on a desert island, who would you like to have with you?”, or “What are your 10 favourite books you would like to have on a desert island?”.

I was musing about the same lines of the above and asked myself the question: suppose you are stranded on a deserted island for a year, what would be your daily music during those 365 days?

So I dived into my extensive music collection (2300 and spare titles on LP,  EP, 7″ Single, Tape, Cassette, CD and FLAC file) and started to imagine which records I would absolutely not want to miss. That brought me nowhere near the 365 target, by exceeding the 1000.

Therefore, this resulting Top-1000+ was the starting point for the real work, trying to reduce it roughly by two thirds. I knew it would be no easy task. Even more so because I had to start thinking in terms of records, not single tracks or band/singer.

That means taking into consideration the whole record, not only the single track I love among all others of that particular formation and at the same time trying to avoid listing an entire discography just because I like one track on each record.

Like almost everything in life: it’s a matter of making choices… and sometimes they are painful, but necessary.

Whether the choice is a good or a bad one, it will only be told by the passing of time.

If I will end up  jumping off  the island’s cliff (if one is available) or just lie down under a palm tree and wait for a coconut to fall on my head, then I have chosen my companion music very poorly indeed.

If I’ll be still alive, pacifically cooking a juicy lobster on a coal fire, wearing my “Bear Grills” T-shirt when, after the agreed 365 days, the  helicopter with Bear Grylls comes to pick me up, then my musical choices would have been, obviously,  the right ones.

At last, after a lot of thinking and tinkering with my records, listening to certain tracks over and over again until I was really convinced that that particular record deserved more than the other one to be featuring on the list, several deletions, more than occasional re-entries, endless shuffling and whatnot, I finally got just 365 records that I could not miss, were I to stay on that (in)famous desert island for a whole year.

Then, to prevent massive headaches trying to adjust the list in a sort of preferential order, I decided to sort that list in a random order, but still preventing two records by the same band/singer to appear after each other.

After some tinkering with my rusty knowledge of SQL, I finally put together a little query which would isolate the flagged 365 records, verify that no duplicates were listed, make sure the total number of records was 365 and then sort them in random order, where no two records would be adjacent if starting with the same string (the band/singer).

Took me hours to put the query together with the right arguments and syntax, while it took exactly half a second to execute. The power of SQL… never ends to amaze me.

Now I was ready to go there, to my virtual desert island, where no-one ever interrupts my listening to music by phoning me, WhatsApp-ing, texting, pinging, sending FB messages and whatnot.

The words from a song by Franco Battiato came to mind: Amata solitudine, isola benedetta! (trad.: Beloved solitude, hallowed island!)

And now, follow my year on the peaceful desert island.

You can search for the specific daily record on YouTube.
Almost 99% of my collection is featured on that site, as a whole or as selection of tracks.

As Laurie Anderson said:

Thinking of you.
Love and kisses.
Blue Pacific.
Signing off.

 

 

Day AuthorYearTitle
Day - 1Jon Hassell & Brian Eno1981Fourth world Vol2 - Dream theory in Malaya
Day - 2Blues Magoos1970Gulf Coast bound
Day - 3DNA1978DNA
Day - 4Globe Unity Orchestra1977Pearls
Day - 5Robert Fripp & The League of Gentlemen1985God save the King
Day - 6Napoli Centrale1975Napoli Centrale
Day - 7David Sylvian And Robert Fripp1993Darshan
Day - 8Sting1985The dream of the blue turtles
Day - 9Brand-X1976Unorthodox behaviour
Day - 10David Bowie1977Heroes
Day - 11Ar Log1984Pedwar
Day - 12Billy Cobham1974Total eclipse
Day - 13John Martyn1973Solid air
Day - 14King Crimson1974Starless and bible black
Day - 15Keith Tippett Group1971Dedicated to you, but you weren't listening
Day - 16Killing Joke1986Brighter than a thousand suns
Day - 17Yes1972Close to the edge
Day - 18MC51969Kick out the jams
Day - 19Velvett Fogg1969Velvett Fogg
Day - 20Jethro Tull1971Aqualung
Day - 21John Foxx1980Metamatic
Day - 22It's a Beautiful Day1967It's a beautiful day
Day - 23Tonto's Expanding Head Band1971Zero time
Day - 24Iron Butterfly1968In-a-gadda-da-vida
Day - 25Colosseum1969Valentyne suite (UK Ed.)
Day - 26David Bowie1983Let's dance
Day - 27Third World War1970Third World War
Day - 28Tom Waits1973Closing time
Day - 29Wishbone Ash1972Argus
Day - 30The Raincoats1983Moving
Day - 31Tom Waits1977Foreign affairs
Day - 32Gruppo Sportivo197710 Mistakes
Day - 33Area1974Caution Radiation Area
Day - 34Keith Emerson2002Emerson plays Emerson
Day - 35The Battered Ornaments1969Mantle-piece
Day - 36Brian Eno & David Byrne1981My life in the bush of ghosts
Day - 37Robert Fripp & Brian Eno1975Evening star
Day - 38Man19692 Ozs of plastic with a hole in the middle
Day - 39Philip Glass1982Koyaanisqatsi
Day - 40The Sex Pistols1977Never mind the bollocks
Day - 41The Flock1969The Flock
Day - 42Philip Glass1982The photographer
Day - 43Help Yourself1972Strange affair
Day - 44Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band1969Trout mask replica
Day - 45The Holy Modal Rounders1967Indian war whoop
Day - 46Tuxedomoon1981Desire
Day - 47Can1969Monster movie
Day - 48Perigeo1974Genealogia
Day - 49Sonny Rollins1957Way out West
Day - 50Lush1994Split
Day - 51Popol Vuh1971In den Garten Pharaos
Day - 52Material1981Temporary music LP
Day - 53Matching Mole1972Matching Mole
Day - 54John Foxx1981The garden
Day - 55Leo Smith1979Divine love
Day - 56John Greaves1987Parrot fashion
Day - 57Genesis1973Selling England by the pound
Day - 58Fleetwood Mac1969Blues jam in Chicago
Day - 59Steve Lacy Trio1988The window
Day - 60Harold Budd1978The pavilion of dreams
Day - 61Laurie Anderson1986Home of the brave
Day - 62Dando Shaft1970An evening with
Day - 63Robert Wyatt1970The end of an ear
Day - 64Rip Rig + Panic1982I'm cold
Day - 65Forest1970Full circle
Day - 66The Pop Group1980We are all prostitues
Day - 67John Mclaughlin1994After the rain
Day - 68Emerson, Lake & Palmer1973Brain salad surgery
Day - 69Steeleye Span1971Ten man mop or Mrs. Reservior Butler rides again
Day - 70Suzanne Vega1987Solitude standing
Day - 71Killing Joke1980Killing Joke
Day - 72The Feelies1986The good earth
Day - 73Man19701970
Day - 74Nucleus1973Roots
Day - 75Savoy Brown1969A step further
Day - 76Joy Division1980Closer
Day - 77East of Eden1970SNAFU
Day - 78Sopwith Camel1967Hello hello
Day - 79Fairport Convention1969Liege and lief
Day - 80Weekend1982La variete'
Day - 81Edgar Broughton Band1969Wasa-Wasa
Day - 82Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention1969Hot rats
Day - 83Miles Davis1986Tutu
Day - 84Ruben and The Jets1967Cruisin with
Day - 85Cabaret Voltaire1979Mix-up
Day - 86Propellerheads1998Decksandrumsandrockandroll
Day - 87Chet Baker1966Groovin' with the Chet Baker Quintet
Day - 88Van Morrison1968Astral weeks
Day - 89Khan1972Space shanty
Day - 90Enya1989Watermark
Day - 91Groundhogs1970Thank Christ for the bomb
Day - 92David Crosby1971If I could only remember my name
Day - 93Peter Green1970The end of the game
Day - 94The Melody Four1984Love plays such funny games
Day - 95Tangerine Dream1973Atem
Day - 96The Tea Party1993Splendor solis
Day - 97The Monochrome Set1980Love zombies
Day - 98Enrico Rava & Dino Saluzzi Quintet1986Volver
Day - 99David Murray Quartet1978Last of the hipman
Day - 100Tim Buckley1967Goodbye and hello
Day - 101John Renbourn1976The hermit
Day - 102David Peel and The Lower East Side1968Have a marijuana
Day - 103Stan Getz1962Out of nowhere
Day - 104The Velvet Underground1968White light, white heat
Day - 105Oregon1974Winter light
Day - 106Ultravox!1977Ultravox!
Day - 107Third Ear Band1969Alchemy
Day - 108This Heat1981Deceit
Day - 109Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band1971Mirror man
Day - 110Aorta1969Aorta
Day - 111The Doors1971L.A. woman
Day - 112Tom Waits with Crystal Gayle1982One from the heart
Day - 113Jack De Johnette1980Special edition
Day - 114John Coltrane1991The gentle side of John Coltrane
Day - 115Mahavishnu Orchestra1975Visions of the emerald beyond
Day - 116Cluster & Eno1977Cluster & Eno
Day - 117Units1980Digital stimulation
Day - 118Clark Hutchinson1970Retribution
Day - 119Talking Heads1983Speaking in tongues
Day - 120Premiata Forneria Marconi1972Storia di un minuto
Day - 121Brian Eno & Toto1984Dune (soundtrack)
Day - 122Black Cat Bones1969Barbed wire sandwitch
Day - 123The Soft Boys1980Underwater moonlight
Day - 124Caravan1971In the land of grey and pink
Day - 125DEVO1978Q: Are we not men? A: No, we are devo!
Day - 126Hawkwind1971In search of space
Day - 127Gong1973Flying teapot
Day - 128Polyrock1981Changing hearts
Day - 129Pere Ubu1978Dub housing
Day - 130Gavin Bryars1975The sinking of the Titanic
Day - 131The Bizarros1976Lady Dubonette
Day - 132Cocteau Twins1983Head over heels
Day - 133Dead Kennedys1980Fresh fruit for rotten vegetables
Day - 134Anthony Phillips1977The geese and the ghost
Day - 135Ashkan1969In from the cold
Day - 136Dr. Strangely Strange1970Heavy petting
Day - 137National Health1977National Health
Day - 138Paul McCandless1979All the mornings bring
Day - 139The Dream Academy1985The dream academy
Day - 140Deviants1969Deviants
Day - 141Kraftwerk1970Kraftwerk
Day - 142Pink Floyd1973The dark side of the moon
Day - 143Pere Ubu1978The modern dance
Day - 144Mahavishnu Orchestra1973Between nothingness and eternity
Day - 145Gary Burton & Steve Swallow1975Hotel Hello
Day - 146Elvis Costello & Brodsky Quartet1993The Juliet letters
Day - 147Thelonius Monk & John Coltrane1961Monk/Trane
Day - 148Talking Heads1979Fear of music
Day - 149The Nice1970Five bridges
Day - 150Jack De Johnette1987Irresistible forces
Day - 151Tom Waits1985Rain dogs
Day - 152Anthony Braxton1985Seven standards volume 1
Day - 153The Cranberries1999Bury the hatchet
Day - 154Romeo Void1981It's a condition
Day - 155Mike Westbrook1979Mmama Chicago
Day - 156Wallenstein1972Mother Universe
Day - 157Hawkwind1972Doremi Fasol Latido
Day - 158Help Yourself1972Beware the shadow
Day - 159Deviants1967PTOOF!
Day - 160John Lurie1985Stranger than Paradise
Day - 161Siouxie and The Banshees1978The scream
Day - 162Pink Fairies1973Kings of oblivion
Day - 163Tim Buckley1979Sefronia
Day - 164Perigeo1973Abbiamo tutti un blues da piangere
Day - 165Chrome1977Alien soundtracks
Day - 166Martha & The Muffins1979Metro music
Day - 167Robert Wyatt1975Ruth is stranger than Richard
Day - 168Urban Verbs1980Urban Verbs
Day - 169Kevin Ayers1970Shooting at the moon
Day - 170Steven Brown1984Zoo story
Day - 171The Clash1979London calling
Day - 172Laurie Anderson1984Mister Heartbrak
Day - 173Amon Duul II1970Yeti
Day - 174Harry Beckett1985Pictures of you
Day - 175Nick Drake1969Five leaves left
Day - 176David Holland Quartet1973Conference of the birds
Day - 177Pretty Things1968S.F. Sorrow
Day - 178Peter Gordon1986Innocent
Day - 179Michael Chapman1970Fully qualified survivor
Day - 180Talking Heads1980Remain in light
Day - 181Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention1972The grand wazoo
Day - 182John Martyn1971Bless the weather
Day - 183Bruce Palmer1971The cycle is complete
Day - 184Joy Division1979Unknown pleasures
Day - 185Guru Guru1973Guru Guru
Day - 186Back Door19738th street nites
Day - 187Emerson, Lake & Palmer1971Tarkus
Day - 188Pearls Before Swine1967One Nationa Underground
Day - 189Peter Blegvad1983The naked Shakespeare
Day - 190Canned Heat1971Live at Topanga Corral
Day - 191Oregon1973Distant hills
Day - 192Kraftwerk19722
Day - 193Young Marble Giants1980Colossal youth
Day - 194Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark1977Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Day - 195Michael Nyman1993The piano
Day - 196Pink Floyd1970Atom heart mother
Day - 197Santana1972Caravanserai
Day - 198Stoneground1971Stoneground
Day - 199Mike Oldfield1975Ommadawn
Day - 200DEVO1980Freedom of choice
Day - 201Pink Fairies1971Never Neverland
Day - 202Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie1952Bird and Diz
Day - 203Sam Gopal1969Escalator
Day - 204Penguin Cafe Orchestra1987Signs of life
Day - 205The Amazing Blondel1971Fantasia lindum
Day - 206Television1977Marquee moon
Day - 207David Byrne1986Sounds from true stories
Day - 208Hapshash and the Coloured Coat1969Western flyer
Day - 209King Crimson1969In the court of the Crimson King
Day - 210Hatfield & the North1975The rotter's club
Day - 211Japan1980Gentlemen take Polaroids
Day - 212Gryphon1974Midnight mushrumps
Day - 213The Who1973Quadrophenia
Day - 214The Del-Byzanteens1981Girl's imagination
Day - 215Terry Riley1969A rainbow in curved air
Day - 216John Coltrane1963Impressions
Day - 217Pearls Before Swine1968Balaklava
Day - 218Robert Fripp & Brian Eno1973No pussyfooting
Day - 219Donovan1965Fairytale
Day - 220Michael Mantler1976The hapless child and other inscrutable stories
Day - 221Robert Wyatt1974Rock bottom
Day - 222Pink Floyd1969Ummagumma
Day - 223Lol Coxhill1985The inimitable
Day - 224Il Baricentro1976Sconcerto
Day - 225Polyrock1980Polyrock
Day - 226Weather Report1971Weather Report
Day - 227Leonard Cohen1967Songs of Leonard Cohen
Day - 228David Sylvian1984Brilliant trees
Day - 229Miles Davis1970Bitches brew
Day - 230Pink Fairies1972What a bunch of sweeties
Day - 231Tuxedomoon1980Half mute
Day - 232Philip Glass1986Songs from liquid days
Day - 233Faust1973IV
Day - 234Man1971Do you like it here now; are you settling in?
Day - 235Roedelius1979Selbstportrait
Day - 236Edgar Froese1975Epsilon in Malaysian pale
Day - 237Count Basie1971At Savoy Ballroom 1937-1944
Day - 238Penguin Cafe Orchestra1981Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Day - 239Laurie Anderson & Brian Eno1994Bright red
Day - 240Caravan1970If I could do it all over again, I'd do it all over you
Day - 241King Crimson1995B'Boom
Day - 242Jean-Luc Ponty1970King Kong
Day - 243National Health1982D.S. al coda
Day - 244Bisca1984SDS
Day - 245Bonzo Dog Band1967Gorilla
Day - 246Gary Burton1974Seven songs for quartet and chamber orchestra
Day - 247Toe Fat1970I
Day - 248George Lewis1979Homage to Charles Parker
Day - 249Syd Barrett1970The madcap laughs
Day - 250The Police1978Outlandos d'amour
Day - 251Camel1976Moonmadness
Day - 252Brian Eno1975Discreet music
Day - 253Audience1971The house on the hill
Day - 254Magma1973Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh
Day - 255Ralph Towner & Gary Burton1975Matchbook
Day - 256Van der Graaf Generator1970H to He, who am the only one
Day - 257Soft Machine1967At the beginning
Day - 258Beacon Street Union1968The eyes of the Beacon Street Union
Day - 259John Coltrane1964A love supreme
Day - 260Tangerine Dream1974Phaedra
Day - 261Soft Verdict1990Struggle for pleasure
Day - 262Nick Drake1970Bryter layter
Day - 263Wayne Shorter1965Juju
Day - 264Yes1971Fragile
Day - 265Den1989Just around the window
Day - 266Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen1980Two rainbows daily
Day - 267Gong1974You (Radio Gnome Invisible Part 3)
Day - 268Joe Byrd & the Field Hippies1969The American metaphysical circus
Day - 269Normil Hawaiians1984What's going on?
Day - 270Alan Stivell1976Trema'n inis (verse l'ile)
Day - 271Harold Budd & Cocteau Twins1986The moon and the melodies
Day - 272Art Ensemble of Chicago1979Nice guys
Day - 273Giles, Giles & Fripp1968The cheerful insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp
Day - 274Shawn Phillips1970Contribution
Day - 275Man1975Maximum darkness
Day - 276Hawkwind1973Space ritual
Day - 277Penguin Cafe Orchestra1984Broadcasting from home
Day - 278Henry Cow1975In praise of learning
Day - 279The Golden Palominos1983The Golden Palominos
Day - 280Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers1977Live
Day - 281The Smiths1984Hatful of hollow
Day - 282Blue Gene Tyranny1982The intermediary
Day - 283Harold Budd1989The serpent (in quicksilver)
Day - 284Renaissance1973Ashes are burning
Day - 285Duke Ellington1995From the Blue Note - Chicago 1952
Day - 286Mahavishnu Orchestra1974Apocalypse
Day - 287Nick Drake1972Pink moon
Day - 288James Chance and the Contortions1979Buy
Day - 289Dr. Feelgood1975Down by the jetty
Day - 290Jan Dukes de Grey1970Sorcerers
Day - 291The Lounge Lizards1981The Lounge Lizards
Day - 292Michael Nyman1985The kiss and other movements
Day - 293Donald Fagen1982The nightfly
Day - 294David Byrne1981The Catherine wheel
Day - 295Mahavishnu Orchestra1973Birds of fire
Day - 296Egg1970Egg
Day - 297Gong1973Angel's egg
Day - 298Dan Ar Bras1985Musique pour les silences a venir
Day - 299Fra Lippo Lippi1983Small mercies
Day - 300Django Reinhardt1990Djangology
Day - 301Soft Machine1970Third
Day - 302H.P. Lovecraft1969H.P. Lovecraft II
Day - 303Beaver & Krause1971Gandharva
Day - 304Simple Minds1982New gold dream (81-82-83-84)
Day - 305Neutrons1974Black hole star
Day - 306Ludus1981The seduction
Day - 307Laurie Anderson1982Big science
Day - 308Mark-Almond1976To the heart
Day - 309Defunkt1992Defunkt
Day - 310Tea and Symphony1970Jo sago
Day - 311Everything but the Girl1984Eden
Day - 312Popol Vuh1973Seligpreisung
Day - 313Joy Division1981Substance 1977-1980
Day - 314Lyn Dobson1974Jam sandwich
Day - 315Country Joe & The Fish1967I feel like I'm fixin' to die
Day - 316Genesis1972Foxtrot
Day - 317Talking Heads1986True stories
Day - 318Dexter Gordon1986Round midnight
Day - 319Blaine L. Reininger1982Broken fingers
Day - 320Joni Mitchell1977Hejira
Day - 321Tom Tom Club1983Close to the bone
Day - 322Franco Battiato1996Studio collection
Day - 323Coleman Hawkins1996Passin' it around
Day - 324Kevin Ayers1971Whatevershebringswesing
Day - 325Maximum Joy1982Station MXJY
Day - 326The Durutti Column1980The return of the Durutti Column
Day - 327Cigarettes After Sex2017Cigarettes After Sex
Day - 328Steve Hackett1975Voyage of the acolyte
Day - 329Harold Budd, Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois1984The pearl
Day - 330Matching Mole1972Little Red Record
Day - 331Penguin Cafe Orchestra1976Music from the Penguin Café
Day - 332Sigur Ròs2002( )
Day - 333Mark-Almond1972II
Day - 334Edgar Broughton Band1970Sing brother sing
Day - 335Kraftwerk1973Ralf und Florian
Day - 336Tom Waits1974The heart of saturday night
Day - 337East of Eden1973East of Eden
Day - 338Dif Juz1985Extractions
Day - 339Talking Heads1978More songs about buildings and food
Day - 340Van der Graaf Generator1969The aerosol grey machine
Day - 341High Tide1970High Tide
Day - 342Skin Alley1969Skin Alley
Day - 343Japan1981Tin drum
Day - 344Henry Cow1973Legend
Day - 345Lindisfarne1971Fog on the Tyne
Day - 346Steve Hillage1979Open
Day - 347Brian Eno1978Ambient 1 - Music for airports
Day - 348Lora Logic1982Pedigree charm
Day - 349Arzachel1969Arzachel
Day - 350John Mclaughlin1969Extrapolation
Day - 351Bauhaus1988Burning from the inside
Day - 352XTC1979Drums and wires
Day - 353King Crimson1981Discipline
Day - 354Ludus1984Completement nue au soleil
Day - 355Jennifer Warnes1987Famous blue raincoat
Day - 356The Amazing Blondel1970Evensong
Day - 357The B52'S1982Mesopotamia
Day - 358King Crimson1974Red
Day - 359Steve Reich1988Music for 18 musicians
Day - 360Hatfield & the North1973Hatfield & the North
Day - 361Can1973Future days
Day - 362Steve Hillage1975Fish rising
Day - 363This Mortal Coil1984It'll end in tears
Day - 364Urban Verbs1981Early damage
Day - 365Man1972Be good to yourself at least once a day

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