In 1979, Greil Marcus edited an anthology titled STRANDED, in which most of the era's leading rock critics picked the album they would take to the proverbial desert island. At the end of the book, Marcus himself, instead of selecting one entry, presented a personal discography of rock's first 25 years that he called "Treasure Island". I transcribed the list, dividing it into albums and singles, and sent it to Henrik, who plans to incorporate it into the Acclaimed Music database at some point post-genre expansion; in the meantime, he asked me to post it here in the Forum. Here is the list of albums; it's long, but fascinating. (The book is out of print, but it's worth tracking down for the essays and for Marcus' pithy annotations in the discography, such as calling The Stooges' debut "The sound of Chuck Berry's Airmobile - after thieves stripped it for parts.")
____________________________________________

GREIL MARCUS’ TREASURE ISLAND: ALBUMS

* = compilation

Johnny Ace
Again … Johnny Sings*

Adverts
Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts

Allman Brothers Band
Eat a Peach

Animals
Best of the Animals*

Band
Music from Big Pink
The Band
Rock of Ages

Beach Boys
Best of the Beach Boys, Vol. 2 (1967)*
Beach Boys’ Party (1965)
Wild Honey (1967)

Beatles
Live! At the Star Club
Please Please Me
With the Beatles
A Hard Day’s Night
Beatles for Sale
Rubber Soul
Revolver
The Beatles

Belmonts
Cigars, Acapella, Candy (1972)

Chuck Berry
More Chuck Berry (1960)*

Richard Berry
Richard Berry and the Dreamers*

Big Youth
Screaming Target (1973)

Bobby “Blue” Bland
Two Steps from the Blues

Blondie
Blondie

Gary “U.S.” Bonds
Greatest Hits*

Boston
Don’t Look Back

David Bowie
Hunky Dory
Pin-Ups

James Brown
Live at the Apollo / Live at the Apollo, Vol. 2

Roy Brown
Good Rocking Tonight*

Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield (1973)*

Burning Spear
Garvey’s Ghost

Byrds
Mr. Tambourine Man
Turn! Turn! Turn!
The Notorious Byrd Brothers

John Cale
Vintage Violence (1970)

Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
Mirror Man (1965/rel. 1973)
Trout Mask Replica

Chantels
The Chantels (1959)

Ray Charles
The Ray Charles Story, Vol. One*
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul (1963)
A 25th Anniversary in Show Business Salute to Ray Charles*

Chi-Lites
Greatest Hits*

Clash
The Clash

Jimmy Cliff
The Harder They Come

Clovers
Their Greatest Recordings - The Early Years*

Coasters
Their Greatest Recordings - The Early Years*

Sam Cooke
The Best of Sam Cooke*

Elvis Costello
My Aim is True
This Year’s Model

Cream
Fresh Cream

Creedence Clearwater Revival
Green River
Willy and the Poor Boys

Crystals
The Crystals Sing Their Greatest Hits*

Derek and the Dominos
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

Bo Diddley
Got My Own Bag of Tricks (1972)*

Dion and the Belmonts
Everything You Always Wanted to Hear by Dion and the Belmonts … But Couldn’t Get!*

Fats Domino
Legendary Masters*

Dominoes
The Dominoes Featuring Clyde McPhatter*

Donovan
Sunshine Superman

Doors
The Doors

Drifters
Their Greatest Recordings - The Early Years*
Golden Hits*

Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde on Blonde
The Royal Albert Hall Concert [bootleg - Henrik, obviously this should be added to Live 1966’s total]
The Basement Tapes
John Wesley Harding
Blood on the Tracks

Everly Brothers
Original Greatest Hits*

Fairport Convention
Fairport Chronicles*

Bryan Ferry
“These Foolish Things”
The Bride Stripped Bare (1978)

Sonny Fisher and the Rocking Boys
Texas Rockabilly (1979)*

Five Keys
The Five Keys*

“5” Royales
Dedicated to You (1958)

Fleetwood Mac
Greatest Hits (1971)*
Fleetwood Mac
Rumours

Fleetwoods
Greatest Hits*

Frankie Ford
Let’s Take a Sea Cruise With Frankie Ford (1960)

Four Tops
Greatest Hits*

Aretha Franklin
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha’s Gold (1969)*

Alan Freed
Rock ‘n’ Roll Dance Party (1957) [various artists]

Marvin Gaye
Super Hits*

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Greatest Hits*

Grateful Dead
Live at the Pyramids [Henrik: A joke entry -- I’m not even sure there ever was such an album. The Dead apparently did some concerts at the Pyramids in ‘78, and Marcus writes, “Who knows what it’ll sound like: the concept is staggering.”]

Great Society with Grace Slick
Conspicuous Only in Its Absence (1968)

Al Green
Greatest Hits*
Call Me
The Belle Album

Hackamore Brick
One Kiss Leads to Another (1970)

Wilbert Harrison
Let’s Work Together (1969)

Jimi Hendrix Experience
Are You Experienced
Electric Ladyland
Live at the Monterey International Pop Festival

Justin Hines and the Dominoes
Jezebel (1976)

Buddy Holly
The “Chirping” Crickets
The Complete Buddy Holly*

John Lee Hooker
Detroit Special (1972)*

Howlin’ Wolf
Howlin’ Wolf

Impressions
The Vintage Years*

Elmore James
The Best of Elmore James*

Tommy James and the Shondells
The Best of Tommy James and the Shondells*

Jan and Dean
Legendary Masters*

Elton John
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Kaleidoscope
Side Trips / Beacon from Mars (1967)

Chris Kenner
Land of a Thousand Dances*

Ernie K-Doe
Mother-in-Law (1961)

Carole King
Tapestry

Kinks
The Kinks’ Greatest Hits!*
Something Else by the Kinks

Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV

Jerry Lee Lewis
Ole Tyme Country Music (1956/1970)*
Rockin’ Up a Storm*

Little Richard
Little Richard’s Grooviest 17 Original Hits!*

Lovin’ Spoonful
Do You Believe in Magic

Nick Lowe
Pure Pop for Now People

Barbara Lynn
You’ll Lose a Good Thing (1963)

Lynyrd Skynyrd
Street Survivors

Lonnie Mack
The Wham of That Memphis Man! (1964)

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (1972)

Martha and the Vandellas
Greatest Hits*

Marvelettes
Greatest Hits*

Dave Mason
Alone Together (1970)

John Mayall
Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton

Maytals [Toots and the Maytals]
Monkey Man (1971)
Funky Kingston

Paul McCartney and Wings
Band on the Run

MC5
Back in the USA

Steve Miller Band
Children of the Future (1968)

Miracles [Smokey Robinson and the Miracles]
The Miracles’ Greatest Hits from the Beginning*
Greatest Hits, Vol. 2*

Moby Grape
Moby Grape

Moldy Goldies: Colonel Jubilation B. Johnston and His Mystic Knights Band and Street Singers Attack the Hits (1966) [Marcus describes this as a bizarre album of covers recorded shortly after the Blonde on Blonde sessions, “when producer Bob Johnston and his pals were still glued to the ceiling”]

Van Morrison
Astral Weeks
Moondance
Van the Man [bootleg, 1971]
Tupelo Honey
Saint Dominic’s Preview
“It’s Too Late to Stop Now”
Veedon Fleece
Into the Music

Mother Earth
Living With the Animals / Make a Joyful Noise (1968/1969)

Mothers of Invention
Absolutely Free

The Motown Story [various artists]

Mott the Hoople
Mott

National Lampoon
Radio Dinner (1972)

Ricky Nelson
Legendary Masters*

Aaron Neville
Tell It Like It Is (1967)

New York Dolls
In Too Much Too Soon

Randy Newman
Sail Away

Roy Orbison
All-Time Greatest Hits*

Graham Parker and the Rumour
Howlin Wind / Heat Treatment

Junior Parker
Junior Parker*

Carl Perkins
Original Golden Hits*

Persuasions
Chirpin’ (1977)

Wilson Pickett
The Best of Wilson Pickett*

Elvis Presley
The Sun Sessions*
Good Rocking Tonight* [Sun outtakes]
Elvis’ Golden Records*
Jailhouse Rock [EP] (1957)
Elvis is Back!
Elvis’ Golden Records, Vol. 3*
Elvis [TV Special]
From Elvis in Memphis
A Legendary Performer, Vol. 1*

Put Your Cat Clothes On (1973)* [various artists, Memphis rockabilly]

Otis Redding
Pain in My Heart (1964)
Otis Blue
The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
Live in Europe
The Dock of the Bay

Lou Reed
Street Hassle (1978)

Charlie Rich
The Many New Sides of Charlie Rich (1965)
The Best of Charlie Rich*

Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
Rock ‘n’ Roll With the Modern Lovers (1977)

Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
12 x 5
The Rolling Stones, Now!
December’s Children (and Everybody’s)
Aftermath
Between the Buttons
Beggars Banquet
Let It Bleed
LIVE’r Than You’ll Ever Be [live bootleg, 1969]
Exile on Main Street
Some Girls

Ronettes
Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica (1964)

Diana Ross and the Supremes
Greatest Hits*

The Roxy London WC2 (Jan.-Apr. ‘77) [early live punk]

Roxy Music
Stranded
Siren

Savage Rose
Your Daily Gift (1971)

Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs (1969)

Jack Scott
Jack Scott*

Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols

Del Shannon
The Best of Del Shannon*

Shirelles
Greatest Hits*

Percy Sledge
The Best of Percy Sledge*

Sly and the Family Stone
Greatest Hits*
There’s a Riot Goin’ On

Huey “Piano” Smith
Huey “Piano” Smith’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival!*

Warren Smith
Warren Smith*

Phil Spector
A Christmas Gift for You

Spinners
Best of the Spinners*

Dusty Springfield
Dusty in Memphis

Bruce Springsteen
Darkness on the Edge of Town

Stax-Volt Revue
Live in London (1967)

Steely Dan
Countdown to Ecstasy
Pretzel Logic
Katy Lied

Rod Stewart
Every Picture Tells a Story

Stooges
The Stooges

Swamp Dogg
Total Destruction to Your Mind (1970)

Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor (1970)

Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon
The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon (1957)

Temptations
Anthology*

Them
Here Comes the Night [US version of The Angry Young Them]
Them Again (1966)

Peter Townshend
Who Came First (1972)

Traffic
Traffic

Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm
I’m Tore Up (1976)*

Velvet Underground
Velvet Underground (1970)* [MGM anthology]
Loaded

Gene Vincent
Greatest*

Wailers [Bob Marley and the Wailers]
Catch a Fire
Burnin’
Live!

Muddy Waters
Sail On (1969)*

Who
The Who Sing My Generation
Happy Jack [A Quick One]
The Who Sell Out

Chuck Willis
I Remember Chuck Willis*

Jackie Wilson
Greatest Hits*

Jesse Winchester
Jesse Winchester (1970)

Johnny Winter
Second Winter (1969)

Wire
Chairs Missing

Stevie Wonder
Greatest Hits (1968)*
Innervisions

X-Ray Spex
Germfree Adolescents

Yardbirds
Shapes of Things (1978)*

Neil Young
Decade*
Tonight’s the Night
Rust Never Sleeps

Youngbloods
The Youngbloods (1967)

Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon

This list is absolutely awful. Even "Rolling Stone" lists aren't this bad. No progressive, electronic or avantgarde music of any kind, barely any hard rock, punk or new wave but the Rolling Stones' or Van Morrison get half of their entire discographies in.
Critics like these make me sick. They pretend to be open-minded, but in fact they only like two or three genres and think everything else is rubbish.

Um, exactly how much punk and new wave are you expecting in a list that was compiled in _1979_?!? Considering its vintage, I would say that Marcus does a pretty good job of including a lot of the best of the then-current punk: the Pistols, Clash, Adverts, Wire, X-Ray Spex, etc.

The Ramones and Television are two criminal omissions in the punk department, but punk is just one of many genres which is underrepresented/not represented, presumably to make space for every album the Rolling Stones released to that point.