Stranded at C-60 #01: Aesop Dekker
You are truly on a desert island. Sand and sea surround you, with no life in sight. As your ship went down, you managed to salvage a boombox, some batteries, and a 60-minute cassette tape you made for emergencies like this. The tape will be your only companion for the foreseeable future. What is on it?
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Let me start by saying this was tough, and why didn’t I have a 90 minute cassette? However, I have chosen carefully, and I believe this is the best possible tape for the worst possible scenario. There are roughly 536 songs that I don’t think I could bear not hearing again, and some of the songs presented here are only here for that reason – I can’t imagine a life without them.
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“Guardian” by Fates Warning
Easily the greatest heavy metal song of all time. Acoustic guitar intro, the immaculate falsetto of John Arch, tasteful solos, and heroic fantasy lyrics, all within the song’s seven-plus minutes. It accomplishes an album’s worth of classic metalisms in one bite.
“Buried by Time and Dust” by Mayhem
I could live out the rest of my days hearing only one black metal song, so long as that song is something, anything from Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas album. This track was chosen because it is the shortest, and we need the space.
“Day of Darkness” by Deicide
Like I stated before about black metal and Mayhem, the same goes for Deicide and death metal. Anything off their debut, and I’m fine.
“Eyes to See, Ears To Hear” by Morbid Angel
I know that the death metal was just provided by Deicide, but this track by Morbid Angel could very well get you off that island. You think David Vincent circa 1995 would find himself stuck on some bullshit island? Not a fucking chance. Get your shit together.
“Paperhouse” by Can
This song always gives me goosebumps. If this tape had to be just one song, this would be it.
“Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” by Charles Mingus
This tape will have to have at least one jazz song; this is my absolute favorite piece by my favorite of the genre. It is during this track that I accept that I am not Dave Vincent, and I will probably die on this bullshit island.
“Over The Edge” by The Wipers
Fuck, I love this song, it goes on the tape.
“Raining Blood” by Slayer
Just wouldn’t want to never be prompted to yell “SLAYER!!!” ever again, even if nobody will hear it.
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“Sure ‘nuff n Yes I Do” by Captain Beefheart
One of my favorite songs of all time, definitely one of those “can’t imagine never hearing it again” type of things.
“Holy Ghost Unchain My Name” by Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth Cotten is never too far from my heart or my head, so she should be on the island with me, no? Many of my Libba’s songs are religious, and despite this track’s title, it has no lyrics, making it a bit more open-ended and subjective. This song will serve as my chapel, should I decide I need one.
“The Sails of Charon” by The Scorpions
This is a case of getting more bang for your buck. “The Sails of Charon” contains three of the greatest riffs in rock history, and all of them within the first minute and a half of the song. Pretty clever of them, pretty clever of me to put it on this tape.
“Ex Lion Tamer” by Wire
Wire is one of my favorite bands and this is one of my favorite songs by them. Always good.
“Sing a Song” by Earth, Wind, & Fire
I fucking challenge you to be sad when this song is playing, it’s impossible. The plucky horns and “just fuck it” party vibe of EW&F could make an insurance seminar in Auschwitz seem bearable. Definitely will come in handy when things get rough.
“Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World” by The Ramones
Couldn’t spend the rest of my life without The Ramones. I have been listening to them at least once a week since I was 13. That ain’t going to change because I am stuck on some fucking island.
“The Temple of the King” by Rainbow
This one is for sitting on the shore in quiet reflection on the life of Ronnie James Dio.
“Draft Me” by D.R.I.
Twenty seconds remain. I cram in one D.R.I. song.
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DOWNLOAD: STRANDED AT C-60 #01: AESOP DEKKER [89.94MB .zip]
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Aesop Dekker drums for Ludicra, Agalloch, and Worm Ouroboros. He runs the blog Cosmic Hearse.
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