A practical answer to the 'desert island CD' question.

Dear Dr. Spin,

Aside from the Beatles themselves, who was the biggest artist signed to the Beatles’ Apple label?

Apple Jack

Dear Jack,

The band most associated with Apple Records besides the Beatles (and the Beatles as solo artists), is Badfinger. Badfinger both benefited and suffered as the Beatles’ “protégés,” receiving the blessing of having the former Beatles write and produce some of their material, yet never quite emerging from behind the Beatles’ shadow. Badfinger is best known for “Come and Get It,” “No Matter What,” “Day After Day” and “Without You,” which was recently covered by Mariah Carey.

But the biggest star to come out of the Beatles’ failed Apple records was James Taylor. Though Taylor recorded only one album with Apple, it was his debut album. Taylor’s first album generated “Carolina On My Mind” (which Paul McCartney played bass for), but it wasn’t until his second album, Sweet Baby James, (recorded for Warner Brothers) that Taylor was launched into superstardom. However, it was the Apple Studios that gave JT his first big break.

Other notable acts under the Apple label were Mary Hopkin, Billy Preston, and Jackie Lomax.


Dear Dr. Spin,

Recently presidential candidates have been using Rock music as their campaign slogans (Bill Clinton used “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac, Al Gore used “You Can Call Me Al” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”). If you were a political candidate, what song would you use for a slogan?

Sincerely,
H. Dean

Dear Dean,

I had to think about this for a while but I think my choice would depend on my campaign. My first choice would be “Even Better Than The Real Thing” by U2, though I don’t know how apropos the song would be. Anti-Bush campaigners may want to use “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” (doubly mean, if anyone has seen “The Daily Show”), though with the line “the party on the left is now the party on the right,” it could come back to haunt you. With all the guff Bush is taking, he could use “My Way”; Al Sharpton should use “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag.” Other good choices might be “Going the Distance” by Cake, “Invincible” by Pat Benatar, “Get This Party Started” by Pink (you’d really get the younger vote), and if you’re really bold “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” I would really be impressed by a candidate that used “Get Off This” by Cracker (the chorus states, “if you wanna change the world/shut your mouth and start to spin it”).

Songs I would definitely NOT use would be “Taxman,” “Take the Money and Run,” “The End,” “Dark Side of the Moon” (“the lunatic is in my head”), “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” (“everybody must get stoned!”), or “Push” by Matchbox 20.


Dr. Spin,

If you were stuck on a deserted island and had just one CD with you, which one would it be?

-Sandman

Dear Sandy,

I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think I would most likely want a Britney Spears CD, or possibly that Justin Timberlake CD. That way I wouldn’t feel bad about using the little booklet for kindling when I wanted to start a fire. I could also use the shiny side for signaling planes or passing boats, maybe even as a mirror if I found a way to shave. If I found a monkey to tame, maybe I could teach him to play Frisbee ™ with it. Perhaps I could break the CD and use the shards for fishing hooks, arrowheads, or maybe some sort of digging tool.

If I kept it in tact and found a way to listen to it, it would serve as a constant reminder why I should be in no hurry to join the “civilized” world.