What Five Albums Would You Pick if You Were Stranded on Island?

Ok, this is a little bit of a lame post. But it is always fun and maybe has some relevance for those who want to write music that is timeless - what makes some songs or albums stay popular generation after generation? Some of the stuff you love immediately might quickly grow old - maybe the sound is too trendy like eighties synthesizers maybe the lyrics are too closely associated with a very narrow point of time.

For what it's worth here are the five I would pick - of course if you asked me a year from now my picks might be different.

Pick One - The Who, "Live at Leeds" - This album has such great intensity and flows so well. It also features a lot of classic songs. It is perhaps my favorite live album, pure rock and roll. If you were left all alone on a desert island, you might appreciate the sounds of a live concert.

Pick Two - Bob Marley, "Babylon by Bus" - It helps to have a variety of sounds, and if you were on some tropical island why not jam a little reggea? Many Bob Marley and the Wailers greatest hits are on this album, and the musicianship is superb. This album is very soulful, and would help ease the mind of a lonely soul.

Pick Three - The Beatles, "The White Album" - Because The White Album was so experimental with many of the less commercial sounding Beatles classics on it, there is a subtly to many of the songs that is refreshing. I have always loved "Glass Onion", "Happiness is a Warm Gun", "Julia" and "Helter Skelter". The sound collage of "Revolution Number 9" is full of audio that is ripe for open-ended interpretation.

Pick Four - The Rolling Stones, "Let it Bleed" - The Stones really capture the essence of rock and roll, period. There are so many great hits on this album that bear the test of time.

Pick Five - Dave Brubeck Quartet, "Time Out" - The interesting compositions on this album and odd time signatures as well as its laid back cool would definitely make the long hours alone less stressful. You could always sip coconut milk and listen to "Take Five" to get your chill on.

So there it is. There are many other close contenders, particularly Pink Floyd, Van Morrison and perhaps classical music like Beethoven sonatas. What would albums would you pick?