Desert Island iPod

January 12th, 2009 · by David Bradley >> 12 Comments

itouch You’ve been shipwrecked, your Apple iPod survived unscathed, but there’s no power outlet, no clockwork radio you could hack, and no panel of photovoltaics with a universal power adapter to recharge your previous mp3 player. It’s now irrelevant that Apple just removed DRM from 8 million iTunes tracks and the RIAA decided to change its antipiracy strategy.

Because you spent most of your spare time on the ship listening to the complete musical catalog of a particularly prolific Canadian progressive rock three-piece, you’ve got just enough charge left to listen to one song before you battery dies forever.

What song would it be?

Share or bookmark:

12 responses so far ↓

Alan Dove // Jan 12, 2009 at 5:25 pm

“It Is Pitch Dark,” MC Frontalot – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nigRT2KmCE

Inspired by this anthem to the text-based adventure games of my youth, I would then dismantle the discharged iPod, using its hard disk platters as signaling mirrors, bending its case into a parabolic reflector to start my campfire, and hacking its wiring and other components to build a crude crystal-type radio receiver. Any additional shiny bits would become fishing lures.
David Bradley // Jan 12, 2009 at 5:28 pm

Great comment Alan. Inspired! Especially now that I’ve read it properly
Phil Bradley // Jan 12, 2009 at 6:26 pm

Hmmm, are we talking Rush? (Goes to check…) Ah yes, we are. My favourite album would have to be A farewell to Kings because it’s very thoughtful and has superb, sensible lyrics. My favourite track would be Xanadu, without a doubt. Really like it a lot and am happy to listen to it anytime, certainly on a desert island.

However… if I was doing my own desert island discs show, I’d need to go for Rick Wakeman’s Merlin the Magician from the Myths and Legends album.
David Bradley // Jan 12, 2009 at 6:54 pm

Yes, Xanadu, classic. Saw that performed live in my hometown in 1980 on the Permanent Waves tour. Not to be confused with the output of Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Titch, of course, nor the Olivia Neutron Bomb and the Electric Light Orchestra offering of the same name. By the way, with new EU regulations, ELO are soon to be renamed the Low-Energy Compact Fluorescent Tube Orchestra
Jon // Jan 13, 2009 at 9:34 am

Summer Song by Joe Satriani for me. If I could never listen to music again, I’d want the lasting memory to be more than a great song – I associate this song with my 13 years of guitar playing, watching live music, and it’s “feelgood” too.

Nerd info: Summer Song was originally written for a Sony advert but was dismissed as too heavy.
David Bradley // Jan 13, 2009 at 10:16 am

Cool choice…too heavy…Maxell wouldn’t have complained!
garren // Jan 13, 2009 at 10:49 am

It would have to be aja by steely dan. It’s such a brilliant tune. The dynamics are great. The drummer is one of my heroes- Steve gadd. He went in dry, never heard the song before, and nailed the song in a couple of takes. Wow.
Kim Woodbridge // Jan 14, 2009 at 1:58 pm

This is hard. I think it would be John the Baptist by The Afghan Whigs. It’s consistently one of my favorite songs, I love the horn section in it and it makes me feel more upbeat. Although it does discuss friends and lovers, which might depress me since I was stranded all alone.
Ruby Sinreich // Jan 14, 2009 at 3:17 pm

Easy: “Naive Melody (Home” by the Talking Heads. It lets me know everything will be OK.
Michael Stoos // Jan 16, 2009 at 8:37 pm

“Vision of a Kiss” by The B-52’s. Haunting, romantic, beautiful harmonies… That’s also the band that I’d like to be on the boat that shows up to rescue me – I’d love to party with Fred and Kate!
Michael Stoos // Jan 16, 2009 at 9:44 pm

Oh, I forgot to say that I wasn’t going to pick a song, but then remembered: if I chose not to decide, I still had made a choice…
David Bradley // Jan 17, 2009 at 9:23 am

B52s are one of my favourite bands, like you say just great harmonies, and indeed we none of us has true freewill