Let's be honest - if you brought four CDs with you on a deserted island, you'd probably use them for anything other than listening to music. You could sharpen the edges and use them as weapons to hunt birds or fish. Or shine them to reflect sunlight in hopes of catching the eye of a nearby boat or plane. Really, there are tons of uses for these things.

But, the trope is there for a reason. Music helps us to remember great things in our lives, or get us through tough periods. And being stuck on a deserted island is probably up there in terms of "tough periods".

Michael, Richard and Jeff talk about the albums that shaped their lives and they would want to listen to again and again. So gather around the fire you've started using flint, rocks and seaweed and get ready to listen.

SHOW NOTES

Michael's Picks

"Weezer (aka the Blue Album)" - Weezer

• "The Blue Album At 20: Looking Back at Weezer's Debut, Track by Track" - Grantland
• "20 Facts You May Not Know About Weezer's Blue Album" - Alternative Press

"69 Love Songs" - Magnetic Fields

• "500 Greatest Albums of All Time - 36. Magnetic Fields '69 Love Songs'" - Rolling Stone
• "My Favourite Album" "69 Love Songs" by Magnetic Fields - The Guardian

"Play" - Moby

• "'Play' Review" - AV Club
• "'Play' Review" - Pitchfork

"Kid A" - Radiohead

• "How Radiohead Shocked the World: a 15th Anniversary Salute to 'Kid A'" - Rolling Stone
• "SPINfighting: What Song on Radiohead's 'Kid A' Has the Most Lasting Influence?" - SPIN

Richard's Picks

"The Harder They Come" - Soundtrack

• "Wait, You've Never Heard: Jimmy Cliff - 'The Harder They Come'" - Consequence of Sound
• "'The Harder They Come' Soundtrack" - My Husband's Stupid Record Collection

"Skylarking" - XTC

• "Counterbalance: XTC's 'Skylarking'" - Pop Matters
• "Still in Rotation: 'Skylarking' (XTC)" - Midlife Mixtape

"Otis Blue" - Otis Redding

• "With 'Otis Bue,' Otis Redding Changed the Landscape of Soul Music" - AV Club
• "All-Time 100 Albums: 'Otis Blue'" - TIME

"Naked City" - John Zorn

• "There Are 8 Million Stories in John Zorn's Naked City" - New York Times
• "On Second Thought - John Zorn 'Naked City'" - Stylus Magazine