My "Desert Island Discs" for the L.A. Sound

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Desert Island Discs is a program that has been broadcast on BBC radio since the 1940s in which different celebrities are asked what eight recordings, one book, and one luxury item they would take with them for an imaginary stay on a desert island. The celebrity would then discuss his or her choices and give reasoning. To begin, my book choice would be The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and my luxury item would be a piano, but I am more interested in the eight recordings I am allowed. For the sake of this blog, I will limit myself to music that pertains only to the L.A. Sound.

Rumours - Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Soap opera addicts eat your hearts out. This is the perfect embodiment of everything that the Los Angeles music scene came to epitomize. From the emotional turmoil (Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks ended their relationship, Christine and John McVie went through a divorce, and Mick Fleetwood's marriage fell apart) to the excessive drug use as a means of "creative release" (more likely just to escape) this is the album that Fleetwood Mac will always be remembered for. From the first guitar strums of "Second Hand News" to the final wail and broken glass of "Gold Dust Woman," Rumours is a song cycle about love lost and found in the hazy hangover left from the free-love 1960s. This album is so tied to the time and place that it was made that it is impossible to imagine it in any other setting.

Every one of the eleven album tracks (with the possible exception of Christine's "Oh Daddy" written for Mick Fleetwood...nope no romantic involvement here, he was just the only father in the band at the time) is a timeless breakup classic. One track that was not included, much to Stevie's displeasure, was "Silver Springs," which was released as the B-Side to "Go Your Own Way." It is definitely one of the best songs that the band ever recorded and is perhaps the best that Stevie ever wrote. It is her final love letter to Lindsey Buckingham, asking him "was it worth it?" I'd say it was.

Tapestry - Carole King (1971)

You probably know at least half of these songs by heart. I often find myself humming along with the ambient music in the supermarket only to find that it is "It's Too Late" or "So Far Away." A terrible fate for any song (the supermarket backing-track is where good music goes to die typically), but I take some solace in the fact that at least she is still on the radio...40 years later. While I pick out my steak for dinner, I am thankful that Carole is there with me. She is far better company than all of the crap on the radio today.

I have a soft spot for Tapestry because it is one of the albums that my mom always listened to while I was growing up. Perhaps I overrate the album out of my own familiarity, but I have found that almost everyone had a similar experience with Carole's music.

Late for the Sky - Jackson Browne (1974)

Warning: Jackson Browne may be my favorite songwriter...ever. Having said that, I really feel like Late for the Sky holds up well against all of the other albums on this list. This was Browne's third outing (though he had been writing songs since the 1960s for other people), and it is by far the best. It blends eight songs into a seamless picture of love in the face of apocalypse. The imagery of the title track and "Fountain of Sorrow" would easily carry any album, but in addition to the hits (the aforementioned as well as "Before the Deluge" and "For a Dancer") the album sports filler tracks that are anything but.

If you want to listen to Jackson at the peak of his potential, this is where to go. From David Lindley's masterful slide-guitar work to Don Henley, Dan Fogelberg, and J.D. Souther on backup vocals. This is a definite group effort. Note: if you are really interested in Jackson's many connections, check out the personnel on his second album, For Everyman...David Crosby, Glen Frey, Don Henley, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, and Bonnie Raitt all lend a hand.

Hotel California - The Eagles (1976)

Rumours kicked this one out of the top Billboard spot in 1977, and so the two are often mentioned in the same breath (not to mention that Stevie Nicks had affairs with Don Henley AND Joe Walsh). The two albums reflect different themes though. Where Rumours centers around emotional turmoil, Hotel California is much larger in thematic scope. It explores the moral wasteland of Southern California in the 1970s. A place that was once a fertile crescent of musical creativity and hope had withered to disillusionment. The Eagles perfectly capture that feeling of hopelessness on the fifth album.

To this point, the band had walked the country-rock path with easy rhythms, easy hooks, and memorable melodies (and harmonies) but nary a burning guitar solo in sight. On their first four outings, the Eagles were a singles band and nothing but. No one remembers the album tracks that were not hits (even the good ones written by almost-member Jackson Browne). With Hotel, they changed everything. They made a tightly constructed album with masterful and muscular guitar work (thank you Joe Walsh, formerly of the James Gang).

The title track uses a hotel as a metaphor for the entrapment felt by many people in Los Angeles in the mid-70s, and the other standout, "Life in the Fast Lane" paints a grim picture of a couple who finally have to pay the bills for their reckless living. The other tracks can get a little bit slick for my liking, but this album belongs here and I would indeed count it among the most important of the L.A. albums.

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (1975)

Rewind two years from Rumours...Fleetwood Mac was in a death spiral after the failed release of Heroes are Hard to Find. The band was down to a trio...Mick Fleetwood and the McVies (still happily married), and they needed a charismatic new frontman. Enter Lindsey Buckinghim. But there was a catch: his girlfriend had to come along. After talking about it over dinner, the five agreed that this new quintet would work. The classic Mac was born.

They created this album and became overnight stars (though not the superstars that Rumours would make them). It is important to remember that everyone was still getting along at this point. Stevie contributes the stunning "Rhiannon" and the reflective "Landslide" while Christine's major contributions, "Say You Love Me" and "Over My Head," are two of the band's best pop songs ever. Lindsey reworked "Crystal" from the Buckingham Nicks album of 1973, and added the sixth big hit: "Monday Morning." The last track of major note is "World Turning," by both Christine and Lindsey: it became Mick Fleetwood's major drum solo for years of live performances. Within two years, everything had turned sour and the music got even better, but Fleetwood Mac is still the band's second-best album.

Sweet Baby James - James Taylor (1970)

I feel obligated to include this one in my top eight because, once again, I grew up with this music. My first exposure was actually through Sesame Street, and "Sunny Skies" was the first JT song I ever knew the words to. His songwriting and singing are a little bit like a chocolate fountain though: sweet for a while, but too much and you end up puking all over the carpet.

Now, I do not hate Taylor, and I actually really like this album. "Fire and Rain" is the standout track. It was written about Taylor's own experiences in a mental hospital and while it is not strictly autobiographical, it does closely mimic the events of his own life. Sweet Baby James was the album that ushered in a new period in music: the confessional singer-songwriters. Without JT or this album, there would be no Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, etc. Revolutionary would be the apt word in this case. Where others of Taylor's albums end up being too much of a good thing, this one is a good dose, perhaps a great dose.

Give it Up - Bonnie Raitt (1972)

Bonnie's second outing is easily her best until she stumbled into mega-stardom in 1989 with Nick of Time. Long before her mainstream success, she was a fiery, red-haired slide-guitarist with a sexy, smooth blues voice. The voice improved over time, and she became one of the best slide guitar players in history. Give it Up is a perfect snapshot of her in her younger years. It mixes several of her own compositions with others written by luminary songwriters of the time such as Jackson Browne and Chris Smither. By all accounts, this album should have been a hit and Bonnie should have been a huge star.

The slide guitar work on most of the tracks makes this an important blues album, but the pop appeal is undeniable. "Under the Falling Sky" was also on Jackson's first album, but Bonnie burns it up and records the definitive version on this album. Most people attribute Bonnie's obscurity in the early 1970s to her inability to make a cohesive album. I can sympathize with this viewpoint, but I feel like the breadth of material on Give it Up adds to the album's stature rather than detracts. Throughout her career, Bonnie has made a habit of conquering different genres from blues to jazz and reggae to folk...this was where it all began.

Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon (1976)

The last of my Desert Island Discs is Warren Zevon's second album. Most people would disagree with me and call this his first, but there was a miserable little outing before this recording that has mercifully been deleted. This is how you need to remember Zevon. He is weird here...like Elton John's evil twin, but it works. Songs like "Hasten Down the Wind," "Carmelita," and "Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me" became huge hits for Linda Ronstadt (I know...very odd) and there are some other stunners too. "Desperados Under the Eaves" and "Mohammed's Radio" (sporting vocals from Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks) round out a very strong collection of songs. This album is not for the faint of heart, but Warren Zevon's work is the collective "damn it all to hell" spirit of 1970s L.A.

Warren would get weirder later, but Warren Zevon and it's followup Excitable Boy are kept in check production-wise by a masterful Jackson Browne. Besides his own albums, these two are Jackson's best examples of studio-mastery. They sound crisp and full, and once you know who is behind the mixer, it becomes really obvious that the two were unlikely friends. This album is sad, funny, and oddly hopeful. Warren was one of the best of his generation, and definitely the most original to come out of Southern California in the 1970s.

Honorable Mentions:

The Eagles - The Eagles (1972)
Country rock with a little bit of muscle. Two of the songs were written by Jackson Browne, so that's always a good thing. Listen to "Take it Easy," "Witchy Woman," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," and the non-hit "Nightingale" by Browne.

For Everyman - Jackson Browne (1973)
A little more acoustic than Late for the Sky, but Lindley's work on every instrument with strings really makes this a standout. The guest list is pretty impressive too (check out the explanation above). Listen to "Redneck Friend" (Elton's on piano on this one), "Take it Easy," the title track, and "These Days." You will not be disappointed

Heart Like a Wheel - Linda Ronstadt (1974)
I don't really understand the draw of Ronstadt. She certainly has not enjoyed the same longevity of Bonnie Raitt (her most obvious comparison). She does have a sterling set of pipes (even though she turned to the schlock of covering the "Great American Songbook" in the early-1980s. I would stick with "You're No Good," and James Taylor's "You Can Close Your Eyes" on this album.

Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller Band (1976)
Side two is pretty weak, but besides the title track, this album has several signature tunes for Miller: "Serenade," "Dance Dance Dance," "Take the Money and Run," and "Rock n' Me." There are also two decent covers: "You Send Me" (not better than the original) by Sam Cooke and K.C. Douglas's "Mercury Blues" (which was covered to better effect by longtime Jackson Browne sidekick David Lindley in 1981).

Excitable Boy - Warren Zevon (1977)
Could have been subtitled "Warren Gets Weird." Side two has some obvious filler, but "Werewolves of London," "Accidentally Like a Martyr," "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," "Johnny Strikes Up the Band," "Lawyers Guns and Money," and the title track are among Zevon's best ever.

Damn the Torpedoes - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1979)
A good friend of Stevie Nicks'...and incredibly not one of her many lovers. He contributed to both her solo debut (Bella Donna) and its followup The Wild Heart. On his third album, the Heartbreakers cook up a high-quality set. Look for "Refugee," "Here Comes My Girl," and "Don't Do Me Like That."

Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks (1981)
The mystic princess of the Mac strikes out on her own and in a big way. "Edge of Seventeen," the title track, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," and "Leather and Lace" are the essential tracks.