Music to colonise by
 

I think I did something similar once (someone probably did) but what the hell, consider the situation:

For reasons which will never be adequately explained, and defying all logic and precedent, you have been chosen to participate in the colonisation of, let's say, a moon.

You will be there for probably a few years. Some geeky sci-fi explanation says that music doesn't travel openly on this rock, so to hear anything you have to use your NASA-issued ipod. But due to massive government cutbacks, and the absolute necessity for every member of Congress to take a big holiday and buy a new car, there is only funding for the crappiest of players, that will take a maximum of ten songs.

Please do not try to use logic to query this: it will not work. Why are the ipods so small? Why does music not work naturally? Maybe the inverse reaction of the polaron emitters is going through a cascade failure, or maybe just shut up, that's why!

The question is: which ten songs would you have NASA officially load on your ipod (which is not interchangeable with the ipods of any of the other colonists, in case you were wondering) that you could happily listen to for years as your only music, without running out onto the surface and removing your helmet, which would be a BAD thing and would not end well?

I suppose I wouldn't be allowed to cut entire albums together into single MP3s to maximize the potential of my 10 songs?

Perhaps something like ..

Hatfield and the North - Mumps
National Health - Tenemos Roads
Yes - Close to the Edge
ELP - Tarkus
Pink Floyd - Dogs
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
Harmonium - Hostoires Sans Paroles
Soft Machine - Slightly All the Time
Caravan - Nine Feet Underground
Rush - 2112

I like all these songs a lot and they also add up to a little more than 3.5 hours of music :)

Now don't tell me you expect the senator for Iowa to go without his Caribbean cruise break! Come on, have a heart! NASA isn't made of money, you know.

Ten songs, man, that's it. Not ten albums. Nice try, but the NSA (isn't it odd how with just the removal of one letter a relatively benign organisation, primarily involved in exploration and solving mysteries becomes a dark, shadowy one that will throw you in jail for the same sort of thing?) have their eye on you. You want on that rocketship, cut those albums down to ten songs, or turn in your quantum space suit!

What, intentionally deface government property? You want to be sent to the Android Penal Colony Gamma, where you'll have to spend the next few years trying to convince the warder you're NOT a robot and that red-hot sealing wax on your private parts is not pleasurable, but dangerous? They removed all thier ears, you know...

Hey, that is a list of ten songs. The ones that share titles with albums (Close to the Edge, 2112, Thick as a Brick, Tarkus) are title tracks from those albums. ;)

Hmm. I think a committee will have to be convened immediately to research, and investigate, at the taxpayers' expense of course, your claim. A preliminary report should be due in about two years' time...

As to the fact that the research will take place in the Seychelles, Bermuda and Jamaica, the spokesman for the department has no comment.

I'd put on the Flaming Lips' 24 hour track.

I could put longer much tracks on, but I tried to find some that I genuinely love.

But after giving it some thought, wouldn't you grow to love just about anything you put on that ipod if you were in that situation? Maybe length is the thing to go for.