Sitting Here in Limbo: Jimmy Traina

Welcome back to Sitting Here in Limbo, where the subject picks 10 albums they would take with them on a desert island, rules for the list here. This week, we’ve got a heavy hitting blogosphere guest. He really needs no introduction, but I’m delusional from interviewing* David Stern and having Shaq foreclose on my house, so he’s getting one anyway.

When Will first asked if I’d be interested in doing this list, my first reaction was to say “no” because I’d be mortified if people knew what kind of music I like. But then I thought about it and realized this could be a liberating experience. I could stand up and say, “My name is Jimmy Traina and I like bad, embarrassing, cheesy music.” If you’re expecting to see “cool” bands on here, you’re gonna be sorely disappointed. If you’re expecting to see bands and singers that every guy seems to fawn over, i.e. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones etc., think again. I like ’80s, I like cheese and I like ’80s cheese. (Ed. Note: Stamos and Show are secretly already fawning over this list.)

If you follow the blogosphere, you best be reading Hot Clicks everyday. Today’s lister culls the hottest sports stories, the best looking women, pop culture nuggets a slew of hysterical videos and sprinkles it with some random sports betting advice and puts it all in the same place. So, uh, basically all our favorite stuff. Oh, and occasionally he tosses in the casual interview with a superstar like Erin Andrews or Jeff Van Gundy (to name some recent ones). Anyway, without further ado, please welcome Jimmy Traina to the Island.

1. Bon Jovi: Slippery When Wet — It’s this simple: I can’t NOT take the CD that has “Livin’ on a Prayer” on it.

2. Bon Jovi: New Jersey — This is the the band’s best CD BY FAR. The opening three tunes of “Lay Your Hands on Me”, “Bad Medicine” and “Born to Be My Baby” get things off to a great start. “Blood on Blood” might be Bon Jovi’s most underrated song of all time, and “I’ll Be There For You” is either their best or second best song ever.

3. Prince: Purple Rain — It’s was almost impossible for me to do this list without being able to take Greatest Hits CDs (hence no Journey, Hall & Oates, Queen, Poison, Aerosmith, etc on this list) or Soundtracks, but luckily the rules allow me to slip this one in. My only disappointment is that this CD doesn’t have “Raspberry Beret” on it.

4. Michael Jackson: Thriller — It’s the top-selling album of all time for a reason. And this would allow me to remember Michael Jackson when he was just a little weird and not completely weird.

5. Meatloaf: Bat Out of Hell — This CD only has seven songs, but they each average about eight minutes in length. Plus, as a die-hard Yankees fan, it’ll be nice to have the dolset tones of Phil Rizzuto with me.

6. Guns N Roses: Appetite for Destruction — At some point on the desert island we’re gonna want something we can blast. And you’re not gonna find a song better than “Sweet Child O’ Mine”.

7. U2: Rattle & Hum — Just a flat-out great CD from start to finish highlighted by “Desire”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”, “Angel of Harlem” and “All I Want Is You”.

8. Arrested Development: 3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of — This would be the perfect change-of-pace CD from all the others. And even though this album came out in 1992, I still sing “Tennessee” whenever I bet the Volunteers on a college football Saturday.

9. Rat Pack: Live and Swingin’ — I could’ve went with just a straight Frank Sinatra CD, but this live recording from the Sands in Vegas also features Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. As a bonus, the trio mixes in some comedy bits among the 20 songs. The opener — Dean Martin singing “Drink To Me Only” should be on every guy’s iPod.

10. Bobby Brown: Don’t Be Cruel — Yeah, yeah, I know you’re laughing, calling me a douche. I’ll put up “Don’t Be Cruel”, “My Prerogative”, “Roni”, “Rock Wit’cha” and “Every Little Step” against anything — anything.

Previous Sitting Here in Limbos:

Will Leitch: Deadspin
Jamie Mottram: Mister Irrelevant
100% Injury Rate
Heavy D
Show: Loud Mouth of Show
Greebs: Reign of Error
JP: Pyle of List
Ghosts of Wayne Fontes
Brinson
Stamos
C. Brahkowski
The Piler

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