5.02 /// Desert Island Discs: My Top Five Albums...

Imagine being stranded on a desert island with only five albums to keep you company—what would you choose? Join me on this episode of Infinite Prattle as I reveal my top five Desert Island discs, starting with the game-changing "Bat Out of Hell" by Meatloaf and Jim Steinman. Discover the magic behind its record-breaking chart success and hear why the humorous intro to "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" has only gotten better with age. These albums aren't just music; they're milestones, memories, and moments that defined my life, and I promise you’ll look at your own favorites in a new light.

Continuing our musical journey, we’ll explore the emotional landscapes of Counting Crows' "August and Everything After," where songs like "Round Here" and "A Murder of One" bring raw, powerful performances into focus. Feel the nostalgia and significance of Michael Jackson's "History: Past, Present and Future, Book I," which not only compiles his greatest hits but also introduces fresh tracks that stand the test of time. With shoutouts to other influential artists like Train, Bruce Springstein,  Elton John, Prince, and the Goo Goo Dolls, this episode is a celebration of exceptional songwriting and the deep personal connections that music forges. Tune in and let's relive the magic together!

*All album Art owned by respected artist/label shown for illustrative purposes only.

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Chapters

• 0:01 Desert Island Discs Countdown
• 2:32 Pick 1
• 6:30 Pick 2
• 9:16 Pick 3
• 14:23 Pick 4
• 18:38 Pick 5

Transcript

Stephen: 0:01

Hello and welcome to Infinite Prattle. On today's episode, I'll be counting down my Desert Island discs. I have five titles, so well, yeah, let's get into that and see what you think on my picks. Hello and welcome to Infinite Prattle. Unscripted, unedited prattle on everything Hosted by me, stephen, listen, like, share, subscribe and enjoy the show. Hello, how the devil are you? I'm hoping you're okay. Have you been well? I hope you have been. And, yeah, let's get into today's episode.

Stephen: 0:50

I was going through. I was saying I've been writing stuff down. I said in the last episode that I've been writing stuff down and let me know if you enjoyed the last episode. What was it about now? About Romulus, wasn't it, which I haven't seen yet. It came out yesterday. Um, so I need to. I'm arranging with my mate to go and see it. So, uh, soon, hopefully. Uh, I won't spoil anything, though, for you if when I do go see it anyway. So I was.

Stephen: 1:14

I was going through my list of like possible show ideas and, as normal, I'm pretty well. I'm pretty well last minute, so I decided I'd written down this one probably for last season, I think it was and never got around to doing it. So I thought, well, that that seems like a good topic for today. So I thought I would count down um five albums that I couldn't live without if I was stuck on a desert island with only the availability of five, five albums. You know, desert island discs is, I'm sure, um, I think they normally do it as one album, but I decided to five. You know I'm greedy and um, these were literally the first five albums when I was perusing my, my brain that I thought of and, um, oh, it was, it was tough, it was tough, but I think I went back to probably stuff from my childhood that I like resonates with me and stuff I remember, like when I was at college, like listening to stuff and and like probably what they meant to me and stuff growing up as well. And there's a call of surprise and omissions even for me, of the things that came to mind and I wrote them down. I was like, right, there's the five, they're locked in and I was like, oh no, I forgot about that person I really like. Oh no, I forgot about that person I really like. So, yeah, um, yeah, well, let's get into it. So, the first one I thought of, and I'm sure it'd be quite a lot of people's lists as well, was bad out of hell by meatloaf jim steinman.

Stephen: 2:41

I mean, this album's iconic, isn't it? Released in 1977, so well before I was born, well, six years before I was born. So that's not actually that far from when I was born, isn't it? That's scary. So, yeah, it came out in 1977, and it's broke records, like you know it's. It was in the charts, I think, for like a record-breaking amount of consecutive weeks in the UK charts at least. Anyway, I haven't got that fact to actually tell you what it is, but if you google it you'll be surprised. It was, I think it was technically consistently in the charts, for I think it was like five years or something, or six years. It was ridiculous, basically, and um, yeah, it's brilliant.

Stephen: 3:29

I've listened to that album so many times. It's a go-to good, good, feel good album and I think the reason, like like many good albums, I think, um one, it's an absolutely belting rock album. Um, there's not many, there's not many. There's not many tracks on it, though there's, um, it's quite a small album for like an album as you would compare today. Um, there is, there is literally, like I think, seven songs on the album, which is which is quite, which is quite shocking when you think about a lot of albums nowadays have at least 10 songs, 12, sometimes 14, sometimes 15, and I'm pretty sure there's only 7 on that. I'm just double-checking now I've got the page open.

Stephen: 4:13

So, yeah, so you've got Bad Out Of Hell To the Ways Of Out my Mouth. Heaven Can Wait. All Revved Up, no Place To Go. 2 Out Of 3 Ain't Bad. Paradise by the Dashboard Light, which is like kind of three separate songs really. And then for crying out loud and I think, um, the brilliance of this album is the short songs, but the long songs and they're so diverse, like bad out of hell, nearly a 10 minute behemoth of a song. I mean, what better? It's a rock song to end all rock songs. Oh, it's just amazing, and you took the words out of my mouth. It's like kind of kind of a love song. But the intro to that song is hilarious.

Stephen: 4:47

Have you ever heard the album? There's an intro and it's meatloaf saying on a hot summer's night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses? And this girl's very breathy yes. And then he goes um, would you offer you? Would you offer me a hunger? Would you offer I can't remember all the bits and then she says, yes, and he goes again would you offer me your hunger or your throat or something like that? And she goes, yes, she goes, would you starve without him? And then he says I bet you say that to all the boys and I think when I was a kid I didn't really listen to it or get it properly as a young child.

Stephen: 5:26

But to it or get it properly, uh, as a young child. But when I became a teenager and listened to it, I like partly my brain like clobbered out. I don't think I ever really paid attention to it, just the music, but as a teenager definitely appreciate the sentiment of that. Um, and it's just now more around, like what you want from an album is like you want the good you want, you want them good, rock songs or you want them good, feel good songs, upbeat songs and we all like a good love song. Um, and this one like like for crying out loud and two out of three ain't bad, just epic songs. I mean for crying out loud is again another epic rock symphony like beautiful, like jim steinman I mean they're both dead, unfortunately now jim steinman like what a musician to come for these songs. I'm paranoid about.

Stephen: 6:08

Dashboard like light is just a, an absolute kind of lesson in how to write such a mammoth track that has so many different, unique, diverse parts and very theatrical as well, like I don't know if you ever saw meatloaf live. He was a very theatrical guy. So, yeah, so my first one bad out of hell, yes. Second one is an artist that's still going, and this is the one I discovered when I was in in college, and it's a, an artist called ryan adams, r-y-a-n. Not brian r Ryan, and it's the album Gold, which was released in 2001 and again very similar to like the Meatloaf album. Um, just such a brilliant, diverse album, and that got me. That was the first time I bought an album by ryan adams and I went back and listened to the first album that he released, which is called heartbreaker, and that blew my mind as well.

Stephen: 7:16

Very, very, very basic album compared to gold. Gold is a very produced rock, folky country yeah, there's a bit of everything in there bluesy kind of album, and the first, the first one, is very much based in like kind of kind of roots of like country and and very, very basic and kind of, I believe um elton john was inspired, but from which one? Which album was it? A common board album was Black and White, it's got I Want Love on it. And he was inspired by the. He was inspired to basically be a bit more simple on that album, inspired by Ryan Adams, heartbreaker, and Elton John actually did a cover of my Sweet Caroline, my Sweet Carolina, on tour and brilliant.

Stephen: 8:04

And Elton John hasn't made this list, spoiler. I love Elton John and he's not made this list because I chose the five albums and then was like that's it. And I was like, oh my god, elton John, bloody goodbye. Yellow brick road. Um, yeah, but uh, didn't, didn't make the list. Uh, but yeah, I mean this album.

Stephen: 8:23

This is again like bad, out of hell, like seven tracks. This has 16. And again the brilliant my New York, new York title track, firecracker, answering bell. Last, the end of just smiled rescue blues is amazing. Was used at the end of enemy behind enemy lines. That's the song that plays the film out. Um, yeah, they're just all brilliant. Tino toledo's street walking blues, touch, feel, lose. I mean all really good rock, bluesy songs, but like last end, last Enders, small, very, very basic, very like chilled. Oh, just amazing. The Rescue Blues and then, um, when the Stars Go Blue's on here as well, isn't? It is is when the Stars Go Blue, is that yeah? Well, yeah, frat 7, when the Stars Go Blue really beautiful tune.

Stephen: 9:09

Um, listened to some of them sad songs, when I was sad about girls, and yeah, you know, that's just gotta gotta be done. And another band I discovered when I was at college was counting crows and august and everything after is my third pick. Um contains a really famous song from them. Um called mr jones, and that's probably the one that everyone probably recalls. Um released in 1993. Uh, again in september 1993, like that.

Stephen: 9:37

Ryan adams one was in september 90, 2001. So, uh, right, but the first album I got by candy crows was again, I think was released in 2001, which was hard candy. And then again went back and bought the back catalog which included august never there, august, never After. Um, oh god, what was the other album called? I can't remember. Oh, my god, that's gonna annoy me so much. Um, I can see the album cover, which is really, really annoying. Anyway, we've got a few albums prior to that, few albums since August and Everything After, probably my favourite album, hard Candy. It does have a soft spot for me, just because the first album I bought by them.

Stephen: 10:24

But, yeah, amazing band, I've seen them a few times live and I don't know how to pronounce his name. Actually I probably should know now. But Adam Duritz, I don't know how to pronounce his name, actually I probably should know now. But Adam Duritz, I don't know. But amazing voice brilliant musical band as well. But Adam's voice. When he's live he sings the songs like in a style when he's live, so it sounds very much like the songs that he's singing. So my watch keeps going off. I need to put my stuff in airplane mode when I do this podcast. I'm sorry, but it wouldn't be me without doing that, would it? So there you go anyway. Yeah, um, I, I. What was I saying? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, um, he sings. He sings the songs brilliantly, but he puts his own twist when it's live.

Stephen: 11:13

So ad-libs a bit like changes like the melodies a bit, and they're always like slightly different musically arranged and it's just, oh, it's just so refreshing, but not the point. You think that's not the song on the album, it's just like oh, my god, that's just like a new take on it and it's just so good to my ears and um, some great songs on it, but again, an album that contains songs that are very much like slow, slow songs. There's love songs, um, there's like songs that, um, you know, really reflective, and one of just one of my favorite songs ever, just for the build-up and adam's voice in it is a murder of one, which is the final track on the song and I and on the album, it's just amazing and, uh, the start and the start and the finish songs, I think, for me are like two of the best songs on the album and it booked they bookmarked just a strong album throughout, to be honest. But round, here starts the album and I remember seeing them live once in manchester in england and they started with um, they started with round here, and it was just the most magical. I don't know, I think it was the first time I'd ever seen them and it was just, it was just amazing. It was just amazing. I think they started with that song in my brain, they started with that song anyway and um, yeah, rain king is an amazing song as well. So, yeah, crack an album and, you know, go and listen to these albums.

Stephen: 12:38

If you've never listened to these albums like I can, I think probably most people probably know, know about, uh, bad out of hell and I'm sure people have listened to bad out of hell. But uh, yeah, if you don't know like about counting crows, go and listen to them. If you don't know like about Counting Crows, go and listen to them, especially if you're into stuff like I don't know what would you be into to listen to them, like Train. Maybe If you're into Ryan Adams, you'd probably like Counting Crows, and vice versa, if you like the Goo Goo Dolls or, yeah, if you just like good frigging, well-written songs with I don't know that, just make you emote. They're just good, strong songs.

Stephen: 13:23

So there's number three. So I've got Bad Out Of Hell, meatloaf Gold by Ryan Adams, and I've got August and Everything After by Counting Crows lovely. And someone else I didn't put on the list August and everything after. Why Counting Crows Lovely? And someone else I didn't put on the list was Prince, and I bloody love Prince.

Stephen: 13:41

And again, I did think about Prince when I was doing the list but I actually really kind of omitted him. I suppose Kind of like how it would have been with Elton John If I'd have even brought him to mind Is, which album would you put on of Prince's, because Purple Rain's kind of a too obvious one. It's the first one I kind of bought with his as well, but it's a bit too obvious. But he didn't make the list, so let's stop talking about Prince. But oh my god, prince, could I live that in Monod Desert Island? I suppose his songs would live on my brain.

Stephen: 14:14

I don't know, I can't exchange any. I've made the list. I can't exchange any. I've got to keep them the same. I've got to be true to myself. So the fourth on the list is by and I'm not going to talk about his personal life because I think for me that's a separate issue and I think you can still like an artist and music because musically it's different when stuff comes out in their personal life.

Stephen: 14:36

So my fourth pick, you may have guessed, is Michael Jackson, and I've chose a bit of a cheat album. Actually because I've chose and it's partly for two reasons one, because it gets that means I get more, more music and it is technically an album, so you can't moan too much. And the second reason is it was one of the first albums I got of his for my own because, like my brother had some of his albums and my mum and dad had some of his albums. So it was the first album that was like solely mine and that was History, past, present and Future Book. One is the full title of the album and this came out in like late 90s I think it was, and this came out in like late 90s I think it was, and um sold a ridiculous amount like 20 odd million copies and yeah, um, yeah, just just a great album. So it's the two cds. Um I came out in 1995. There you go. So they are. So it's the it's two cds. So the first cd obviously it's called past, present and future. So two cds were um.

Stephen: 15:39

First cd basically had his hits on. It was like a hit album from his, from his whole kind of um, from his whole career, really up like through. You know, I think mine it was only solo career, let's say, because it didn't have any. It didn't have any uh jackson five on. So so the first cd was like billy jean, black and white rock with you bad man in the mirror, thriller. You can name an album of his. It was probably the hit off. That album.

Stephen: 16:07

Um also had they don't care about a stranger in moscow, earth song and it had some um, so yeah. So there was all the old stuff was on, like was, was on like you know, dangerous albums, all that. And then the new stuff was like they don't care about us this time around. Uh, songs on the album ds money come together as a cover you're not alone. And then there was some some other songs that were like smile, which is um, smile is a song that was written by or co-written by charlie chaplin, and michael jackson was a massive charlie chaplin fan, and smile is just such a beautiful, beautiful um song and, yeah, it was just an absolutely stunning song and um, he sings it so well and with so much passion. And then there was a song called little suzy on it as well, and histories or like sound clips and tabloid junkies sound clips as well.

Stephen: 17:08

So a lot of personal stuff went into this album, I feel. And um, one of the songs as well on the album was um, a song called childhood. Have you seen my childhood? Um, I think it was used in the film Free Willy and it's basically it's so emotional. He's basically saying in the song, like before you judge me, before you judge my character and how I am, and all this like, take a look at my childhood, like I didn't have a childhood, and it's a very deep personal song and he basically cries while he's singing it and it's absolutely beautiful.

Stephen: 17:41

I'll mention another song that is beautiful and always makes me cry it's Gone Too Soon from the Dangerous album that didn't make this album but yeah, and for me I know it's a bit of a cheat there's two CDs. There's like a hit CD and then there's the current stuff and like covers and stuff like that, but for me absolutely brilliant album, uh, and it was like the first michael jackson album I had and they were gold, the old gold cds which always made me. They were like laser etched with michael jackson's uh, like, uh, outline on stuff that were. It was cool. So I I kind of like had my, had my cake in it. I ate it with that, with that album, and I got it for christmas if it came out in 1995, that's the christmas. I got it, um, and I played that CD. So so much.

Stephen: 18:24

And Michael Jackson is such an icon and all the news stories aside, I would have to have some Michael Jackson with me just for his diverse collection and absolutely astounding musical production on his songs. So that's number four. And number five is A Lady, because there's no ladies on the list so far. So this is, like, um, the first lady and only lady on the list, and that is, uh, alanis morissette with the song jagged little pill. Not the song jagged little pill, the album jagged little pill. Uh, firstly, cracking album name jagged little pill. What a crack, cracking name. Um, and again another astounding album with like diverse songs from like all I really want, like quite angsty song to you learn, which is quite soft, to ironic, to you ought to know to write through you, to wake up, to perfect, which is just just beautiful.

Stephen: 19:22

And this, this album was played a lot while I was at college, um, but it came out again in 1995 but I didn't really discover it until I think my brother bought it a couple years later. And then, when I went to college, I bought it myself, um, because I wanted to own it. He'd buggered off to uni so couldn't make any CDs. But Alanis Morissette and she was an artist I always wanted to see live and never had, and she toured a couple of years ago in the UK and I was so happy to get to see her in person in a concert. I mean, if I could travel back in time to see her on this album tour would have been, that would have been the thing to do. But to travel to Birmingham and watch her I think it was like two years ago and it was just the sounding. She was fucking brilliant and, yeah, that'd be my fifth.

Stephen: 20:12

So they're my five albums. They are the five, and I'm not counting bonus mean some of them have bonus tracks on um. Do they come on the album? If you took the album with you, I suppose they do, don't they? So, yeah, some of them have bonus tracks. So bonus, um, bonus. Where did that come from? Um, yeah, so what would your five desert island discs be? What would you want me? What if I could narrow it down to one out of that list? Oh, I don't know if I could because I'd literally want 10. To be honest, like I knew, I couldn't get down to one. So I cheated and basically said I'll take five um, missing out some. Some like there's no bruce spring springsteen at last. No billy joel oh, so many artists that I like. No. Iron maiden, massive iron maiden fan, umiden fan.

Stephen: 21:00

There's no musical scores on that sound, on that, I mean, I love John Williams. I love Michael Gio. I never remember how to pronounce his name. It's terrible, isn't it? Goldsmith Horner, what's it called? He did like the back to the future soundtrack. My brain's gone blank. I can't think of his name. Alan sylvester, is it? Oh yeah, that's right. I was listening to him literally yesterday and I can't remember terrible. Uh, yeah, so there's no musical scores on this, neither like, and I do like a musical score and a bit of classical. So, uh, the thing is that's what you choose, doesn't it? Otherwise I'd have like 100 CDs with me.

Stephen: 21:45

Anyway, what would yours be? Let me know, like, comment, share, subscribe. Let me know in the comments. Support me just by listening is great, but if you want to do something further, just click the like button. Really helps out. I love you all. Thank you very much for listening and until next time I'll speak to you soon. You've been listening to infinite. Thanks for listening. If you like this episode, go back and listen to some others and please continue to listening. Your support is much appreciated. Please like, share, comment and subscribe, and I'll speak to you all again soon. Take care.