Distillation:

1.    Bach's Mass in B Minor - Hey, if I only get ten pieces of music, a cd player and unlimited batteries, a two-hour mass will come in handy.  Where am I going?  Trivia - The mass is actually quite upbeat and primarily written in D major.
2.    Bach's Goldberg Variations - Never tiring.  Always stimulating.  If a version is demanded, Gould's 1955 recording.
3.    Mozart's Violin Concertos - Hunting, fishing and meal preparation requires music.
4.    Mozart's Jupiter Symphony -  Number 41 in C major is the best way to start the day.
5.    Mozart's Piano Sonatas - We must think our way off the island.  Nothing stimulates thought better than the Piano Sonatas.
6.    The Beatles Abbey Road - "I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus's garden."
7.    Springsteen Born to Run - An album for an endless summer night.
8.    Donald Fagen's The Nightfly - If I must choose just one sampling of Fagen's work, this coming-of-age portrait would be it.
9.    Sinatra's In The Wee Small Hours - Something for evenings by the fire.  Sing along stuff.
10.  George Jones I Am What I Am - "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "I've Aged Twenty Years in Five," Brother to the Blues," "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)," and "I'm Not Ready Yet," will satisfy the country needs any day.

I warn any boat passing by, I can belt out an off-key George Jones with the best of them.