Desert Island Discs

[Stuhoo]

Decided to gve this a breakout thread apart from the music thread.

Been a few years since the music afficiando regulars have weighed in, and tastes change. Since it's slow season for IU sports, let's give it a go:

List your Ten "desert island" albums (if you were stranded forever on a deserted island and could only take ten albums with you).

For me (unranked and in no particular order):

1. Radio City - Big Star
2. The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark - Gene Clark and Doug Dillard
3. The Unfairground - Kevin Ayers
4. Paris 1919 - John Cale
5. Let It Be - The Replacements
6. Velvet Underground- The Velvet Underground 
7. Sound Affects- The Jam
8. American Water - Silver Jews
9. Moby Grape - Moby Grape
10. Karen Dalton - In My Own Time

[HoosierReb01]

I tend to do a lot of greatest hits albums but I'll give this a shot.

Numbered but also not ranked or ordered.

 

1. Live 2 Five - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

2. For The Record - Alabama

3. Confederate Railroad - Greatest Hits

4. Ellis Island - The Irish Tenors

5. Their Greatest Hits - The Eagles

6. Stars: The Best of 1992-2002 - The Cranberries

7. The Three Tenors in Concert 1994 - Carreras, Pavarotti and Domingo

8. Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert

9. Greatest Hits(All 3) - The Oak Ridge Boys

10. Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits - CCR

[JSHoosier]

1. The Essential Johnny Cash

2. Their Greatest Hits -  the Eagles

3. Chronicle:  The 20 Greatest Hits - CCR

4. Greatest Hits - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 

5. Moving Pictures - Rush

6. Error - The Warning (although anything by them is really good)

7. Slowhand - Eric Clapton

8. Mothership- Led Zeppelin

9. Electric Ladyland- The Jimi Hendrix Experience 

10. Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughan

[Demo]

The non-negotiables:

1) Born to Run- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

2) At Fillmore East- Amman Brothers Band

3) #1 Record- Big Star

4) Grace- Jeff Buckley

The depends on the day. Today:

5) Melt- Peter Gabriel

6) Songs of Love and Hate- Leonard Cohen

7) Bad Brains- Bad Brains

8) Car Wheels on a Gravel Road- Lucinda Wiiliams

9) Fables of the Reconstruction- REM

10) Cosmo’s Factory- Creedence Clearwater Revival

That there isn’t a Husker Du, Smiths or Boomtown Rats album and no Unknown Pleasures seems just wrong, but, again, depends on the day. 

[Stuhoo]

17 minutes ago, Demo said:

The non-negotiables:

1) Born to Run- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

2) At Fillmore East- Amman Brothers Band

3) #1 Record- Big Star

4) Grace- Jeff Buckley

The depends on the day. Today:

5) Melt- Peter Gabriel

6) Songs of Love and Hate- Leonard Cohen

7) Bad Brains- Bad Brains

8) Car Wheels on a Gravel Road- Lucinda Wiiliams

9) Fables of the Reconstruction- REM

10) Cosmo’s Factory- Creedence Clearwater Revival

That there isn’t a Husker Du, Smiths or Boomtown Rats album and no Unknown Pleasures seems just wrong, but, again, depends on the day. 

I almost included Zen Arcade and Unknown Pleasures.

Ballad of El Goodo is the single most beautiful song I’ve ever heard, but I couldn’t put #1 on there as long as The India Song is still on it and Radio City is extraordinary from first cut to last. 

[Demo]

23 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

I almost included Zen Arcade and Unknown Pleasures.

Ballad of El Goodo is the single most beautiful song I’ve ever heard, but I couldn’t put #1 on there as long as The India Song is still on it and Radio City is extraordinary from first cut to last. 

Actually, if this was a real thing and 10 albums was the list for the rest of my life it would probably be 10 live albums. Something like:

Springsteen Live at Hammersmith Odeon

Jeff Buckley- Live at Sine’- the box set

ABB At Fillmore East

The Who- Live at Leeds

Johnny Cash Live At Folsom Prison

The Band- Rock of Ages

The Ramones- It’s Alive

Magnolia Electric Company- Trials and Errors

Couple of others. Maybe Aretha At Fillmore West. Really like the Thin Lizzy live album a lot. Would have to chew on the last couple a little bit. Probably missing an obvious one or 2. 

[OliviaPope40]

10 hours ago, HoosierReb01 said:

I tend to do a lot of greatest hits albums but I'll give this a shot.

Numbered but also not ranked or ordered.

 

1. Live 2 Five - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

2. For The Record - Alabama

3. Confederate Railroad - Greatest Hits

4. Ellis Island - The Irish Tenors

5. Their Greatest Hits - The Eagles

6. Stars: The Best of 1992-2002 - The Cranberries

7. The Three Tenors in Concert 1994 - Carreras, Pavarotti and Domingo

8. Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert

9. Greatest Hits(All 3) - The Oak Ridge Boys

10. Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits - CCR

You're speaking my language on number 7. I love opera music think I'm the only one in the family other my mom's aunt who has an appreciation for it.

[HoosierReb01]

2 hours ago, OliviaPope40 said:

You're speaking my language on number 7. I love opera music think I'm the only one in the family other my mom's aunt who has an appreciation for it.

I tend to move from one style of music to another with a lot of weird mixes. I can't say I love opera, but I have a great appreciation for the vocal talents there. I can pop up the video of Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma in Dodger Stadium and just watch it repeatedly. But I might be listening to Willie, Motown, R&B, bluegrass or just about anything else a hour later. Have a ton of opera records left to us by my uncle. He was a professional singer and loved opera.

[Stuhoo]

3 hours ago, OliviaPope40 said:

You're speaking my language on number 7. I love opera music think I'm the only one in the family other my mom's aunt who has an appreciation for it.

The classical voice GOATs for me?

Male: Jussi Bjorling. Wow; just wow.

Female: Maria Callas. That girl from Brooklyn, before her instrument faded, is the single greatest female singing voice I've ever heard.

[jermhoosierfan]

Shinedown - Amaryllis

Metallica - S&M

Van Halen -  Live: Right Here, Right Now

The Offspring - Greatest Hits

Sixx: A.M. - Modern Vintage

Motley Crue - Decade of Decadence 

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory

Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape

Def Leppard - Hysteria

AC/DC - Back in Black

You could just give me Metallica and Van Halen, and I would be pretty happy.

[WayneFleekHoosier]

For me, stranded island, greatest hits albums give you a huge variety of hits and long albums. Hard not to pick Greatest hits albums although I love the art of other albums more. With that thought in mind. 
 

1. Van Morrison: Best of

2. Michael Jackson: Number one’s

3. Bob Marley: Legend

4. Beatles: 1

5. Al Green: Greatest Hits

6. Bob Dylan: the essential

7. Red Hot Chili Pepper: Stadium arcadium

8. Chance the Rapper: Acid Rap

9. 2Pac-Greatest Hits

10. Queen- Greatest Hits

My 10 best albums list would look nothing like this but I’d want a variety, and quantity of song. This would give me that. 
 

I feel like I’m missing a Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews, Bob Schneider type of music that I’d miss. Hard to pick a single album even if they are my favorites. 

[RaceToTheTop]

Story of the Clash, Volume 1 -- The Clash

The Moon and Anartica -- Modest Mouse

Good News for People Who Love Band News -- Modest Mouse

Everything Went Numb -- Streetlight Manifesto

Don't Know How to Party -- MIghty Mighty Bosstones

Operation Mind Crime -- Queensryche

Angel Dust -- Faith No More

Live at Budokan -- Cheap Trick

Queen (unnamed first album) -- Queen

 

The 10th depends on the day.  Maybe something by Interpol.

[Stuhoo]

51 minutes ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Story of the Clash, Volume 1 -- The Clash

The Moon and Anartica -- Modest Mouse

Good News for People Who Love Band News -- Modest Mouse

Everything Went Numb -- Streetlight Manifesto

Don't Know How to Party -- MIghty Mighty Bosstones

Operation Mind Crime -- Queensryche

Angel Dust -- Faith No More

Live at Budokan -- Cheap Trick

Queen (unnamed first album) -- Queen

 

The 10th depends on the day.  Maybe something by Interpol.

Are you a Boston guy? The Bosstones are super fun, but they don't show up on many all-time lists outside of the 128 belt.

[Home Jersey]

Deja Vu - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

No More Tears - Ozzy Osbourne

K.I.D.S - Mac Miller (pure nostalgia for me) 

Toys in the attic - Aerosmith

Home - Billy Strings

Highway Prayers - Billy Strings

The Police (2006 compilation album)

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

Bad - Michael Jackson 

Thriller - Michael Jackson

Bonus pick: Swimming - Mac Miller (won't be everybody's cup of tea) 

[RaceToTheTop]

11 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Are you a Boston guy? The Bosstones are super fun, but they don't show up on many all-time lists outside of the 128 bely.

Not a Boston guy.  Fan of ska and Bosstones are essential.

[HoosierReb01]

I will be having to give some of these on your lists a listen too. Some in here I've never heard of.

[OliviaPope40]

On 7/24/2026 at 8:02 AM, HoosierReb01 said:

I tend to move from one style of music to another with a lot of weird mixes. I can't say I love opera, but I have a great appreciation for the vocal talents there. I can pop up the video of Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma in Dodger Stadium and just watch it repeatedly. But I might be listening to Willie, Motown, R&B, bluegrass or just about anything else a hour later. Have a ton of opera records left to us by my uncle. He was a professional singer and loved opera.

My favorite of Pavarotti.  

[HoosierReb01]

1 hour ago, OliviaPope40 said:

My favorite of Pavarotti.  

And without a doubt I can listen to that over and over again.

[OliviaPope40]

26 minutes ago, HoosierReb01 said:

And without a doubt I can listen to that over and over again.

There is one old CD I could put on repeat and not get tired of it.

[Demo]

On 7/24/2026 at 4:42 AM, OliviaPope40 said:

You're speaking my language on number 7. I love opera music think I'm the only one in the family other my mom's aunt who has an appreciation for it.

Music& Audio

 

Have never been able to get past admiring opera to liking it with the single exception of Kurt Moll doing the Commendatore scene in Don Giovanni which is probably one of the most astonishing things I’ve ever heard.