h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you could only have one CD... when did you first hear it, what would it be, and why?

For me it would be Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd, because the intro to WYWH sends me into boundless dark landscapes of the mind.

I first heard it in the mid 90s when it was recomended to us by our friend Neil. I wish he was here. (Actually knowing Neil he would prefer a crate of s to roses any day. Sigh.)

How about you?

I'd have Michael Collins's recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Beethoven's Violin concerto transcribed for Clarinet.

I've known the Mozart since I was a child and it must be one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever. It was Robert Redford's favourite in "Out of Africa". I heard Michael Collins playing it on his Basset Clarinet last year and decided I just had to have it.

The Beethoven Violin Concerto has happy memories for me. Many years ago I stayed in a hotel on Crocodile Island in Luxor, Egypt. I saw a notice that there would be a concert tonight in the Amphitheatre. The Berlin Philharmonic would play Beethoven's Violin Concerto. I couldn't believe it. As I wandered through the banana and mango plantations later in the day I heard the opening chords of the piece. I hurried to the amphitheatre and saw ...

two giant loudspeakers.

I've always liked it since. Now I have Collins playing it on clarinet, which is an amazing feat, as it is quite difficult even on violin. He admitted that it was not really clarinet music and as a result was one of the hardest things he ever played, but he makes it sound effortless.

The Complete Robert Johnson does it for me.
All of human life is in Johnson's songs-love, hate, death, the . He can make me and make me in the same space of a minute.
A haunted man and the first true poet of popular music.

It'd be more of a modern classic for me.

I first heard it in the art room at high school. It is Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. It is the soundtrack to my formative years and because of that it is very much part of me.

It's a bit hard to have just one though. If I could have a few more I'd have to add Nevermind by Nirvana, and the Beatles Red and Blue compilations - and about 20 others to have my own essential selection.

What stunning choices! PF, MBV etc.
Now, my choice would be The Freewheeling Bob Dylan simply because it opened my eyes to a whole new world where people didn't sing the same old songs (you know "moon" rhyming with "June" just for the sake of it).
It also showed me that you could live your own life and not have to follow what others did.
Very important for a 12 year old! Or it was then...

I think it would be the AOL 6.0 CD. I'd need a good coffee mat on this desert island.

for me it would have to be Mozart's Requiem (must be my religious training coming out!)- possibly the best piece of music ever written. i can't remember where i first heard it.

I love screaming the words (i make up the words, my latin's not that great) at the top of the voice.

For me it would have to be 'Strictly Commercial: Best of Frank Zappa'. If the comedy lyrics ever lose their amusement value (which seems unlikely) one can listen to the massive variety of the music itself, with instrumentals and solos enough to satisfy the artistic yearning in me. I first heard it when I bought it for my Dad, since he is quite a fan.

Really cannot decide between EITHER
Patti Smith's Horses (first heard at university - finally a WOMAN who could really cut it - which starts with a sentiment I wholly agree with i.e. 'Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine') OR
Remmy Ongala's Song for the Poor Man (first heard all the songs played live and the CD kept the memories alive between his visits to the UK)

"Filigee and Shadows" by This Mortal Coil. I first heard it after I bought it. (It's *This Mortal Coil* - you don't have to listen to it before buying! )

Featuring:
Dominic Appleton (Breathless), Deirdre Rutkowski, Louise Rutkowski, Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins), Richard Thomas, David Curtis, Alan Curtis (all three Dif Juz), Jon Turner, Alison Limerick, Jean, Peter Ulrich (Dead Can Dance), Keith Mitchell, Nigel K. Hine, Anne Turner, Les McKuen, Richenel (Richenel), Chris Pye (Press Gang), Martin McCarrick (Siouxie and the Banshees), Caroline Seaman, Mark Cox, Andrew Gray (both The Wolfgang Press), Steven Young (Colourbox), Tony Waerea and Gini Ball.

It's just ... wow. It touches me.

Tube

Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells (probably the remastered version with a drunken Viv Stanshall as master of ceremonies).

I can't remember when I first heard it or even where I was but I knew that there was something about this piece of music that I had never heard before and that it had everything in it.

PP

It would have to be Super Furry Animals - Radiator for me. An absolute classic.

Ste

Now doubt in my mind, it would have to be R.E.M. - Reveal. I just can´t imagine living witout that CD anymore. I got it on 15. May this year, the day it came out here, and I can´t do without it anymore. Everytime I change the cd in my diskman, I always go back to it within a week, sometimes within a day.

Plus, I could never be without Michael Stipes voice to long, so it would have to be an R.E.M. CD, and Reveal is my first choise...

I'd very nearly agree with agcB on this - Wish You Were Here is amazing, but for the sake of a bit more variety, I'll go with Pulse - Pink Floyd live. It's a double album too - hope thats not cheating!

Also brings back some good memories of seeing them live on that tour too.

Orcus and AOL 6.0

Difficult choice - it would be between something by John Coltrane in the early 60s (perhaps one of the CDs from the 1961 (?) Village Vanguard recordings) OR something by Arvo Part, probably his Te Deum (which I've been listening to an obscene amount at the moment, I'm beginning to suspect that it is the unique perfect piece of music).

We should have our own version of Desert Island Discs. Magrathean CDs, anyone?

Is it okay to have a Best Of... CD? Because it would have to be The Best of Them (featuring Van Morrison). Classic R&B, before R&B meant soul music with stuttery beats and the soul taken out.

A hard choice.

Toss up between Space Ritual by Hawkwind, Lemmy playing his little heart out on bass, girl called Ben's choice of Wish You Were here for all the same reason or (OK a three sided coin) Dash to CD rack......


.....hard choice so muny (200+ at last count) Levellers Mouth To Mouth, simply the best they ever done.

Push to shove then the last one, the first two I can almost play in my head anyway.

C Hawke

Soon as I saw this, Pink Floyd's 'Division Bell' leapt straight to mind. Only CD guaranteed to make me chill out, even under major stress like yesterday. Hmm... can't really describe how the music makes me feel... kinda like agcB said about WYWH... it just reaches somewhere in the mind/soul that nothing else does. From 'Cluster One' onwards... the music, the lyrics... it's like being transported to another planet. First heard it when it first came out and I bought it!

Good question agcB. Be interesting to see this one written up, with maybe the 'top ten' choices.

*guess what CD I've just put on... wowowowowow*

For someone like me whose life equals music, this question is impossible. To choose only 1 cd... golly! I love music of all different styles so *maybe* I could choose 1 of each... but probably not. However the band that I can put in my cd player and hit the "repeat all' button most often and for the longest would be Zao "(self-titled)"... it is really good (if you happen to be in the metal/hardcore music scene). But Antestor's "The Return of the Black Death" would be pretty hard to live without too. Or Saviour Machine's "Legend" trillogy. Or anything by Extol. or... well you get the point...

(oh! can't forget joy electric's new one... Legacy vol. 1: The White Songbook)

peace.

It'd have to be Lead Bellys shout on....blues for when you're happy, blues for when you're sad, blues for when you're working, blues for when you're not....Its got it all