Desert Island Discs Part 1



 Tropical marine environments scenic landscape</a> by Margos Jim, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

 Hello Reader!  Do you remember that post of mine from 2011 – If Music be the Food of Life?  No?  Well, go look at it now, I’ll wait here for you.

Down towards the bottom you will see a reference to Desert Island Discs and I thought I would expand on that and give you the whole list.  However, to avoid boring you to sleep I’ve been kind and split it into three posts.

When you have listened to as much music as I have (and still do), it can be difficult to whittle it down to just 8 tracks you would be happy to be stranded with on a desert island.  What criteria do you use?  I suspect they are different for every single person who makes up such a list.  What I have rediscovered in putting together this list is that it is the rhythm of music which appeals to me.  I don’t pay too much attention to lyrics and guitar twiddling often leaves me cold.  It’s the drum and bass lines which really get under my skin.

That said, it’s sometimes difficult to articulate exactly why a certain piece of music moves you.  You just know it does!

 

So, without any further ado and in no particular order, here’s my list and the reasons why I would take the pieces of music.

1)                      White Lines (Don’t Do It) – Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

This found chart success in early 1984, when I was approaching the end of my time at college.  I don’t know that I had a particularly good or bad time at college.  It was just one of those things to get out of the way.  That said, I would recommend that every 18 year old leave home for at least 3 years.  It forces you to think for yourself and to draw on resources you didn’t know you had but once they are revealed they are with you for the rest of your life.

This was my introduction to rap and has been described as “one of the first socially conscious rap songs.”  It’s interesting to me that some rap is getting back to those socially conscious roots after many years in the wilderness of misogyny, gangstas and drugs. 

2)                      Guide me, O thou Great Redeemer

If you are born in Wales, you grow up knowing this hymn without ever consciously learning the words in the same way that many British people of my generation just know the words to Beatles songs.  This is the exception to the ‘drum and bass’ claim above.

I can remember standing on the terraces of Cardiff Arms Park singing ‘Bread of Heaven’ in an effort to inspire our boys as Wales crashed to another defeat against one of the many) stronger rugby nations.  Latterly, it’s been the Millennium Stadium when we have fared better.  But still the song needs to be sung!

This was also one of the hymns at my wedding.  It was only a small wedding (we couldn’t afford anything extravagant back then) but, boy, we raised the roof on the church!  Just typing these words is raising goosebumps on my arms.

This song is as much part of me as ‘Brighton’ is in a stick of rock.  How could I not take it?

3)                      Biko – Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel’s music has pretty much been a constant in my life since I started seriously listening to music way back when.  About 35 years ago, if I put my mind to it.  That makes me feel very old and, if he ever reads this, I suspect it makes Mr Gabriel feel old as well!

I wasn’t particularly into Genesis at the time – that came later and I have never been a huge fan - but that first single after he left the band (Solsbury Hill) just rocked my world and it hasn’t stopped rocking since.

As a result, it’s actually very difficult to pick just one PG track to take.  I’ve chosen this one because I like the African rhythms and singing.  I’ve never been a political animal so the lyrics don’t really figure apart from the fact that I have a verbal tic whenever anyone says ‘Port Elizabeth’ I always say ‘weather fine’.  Sometimes I even say it out loud, much to the consternation of those around me!

That concludes the first post in this series.  What do you think so far?