Ask anyone about his or her all-time favorite album, and there's usually a long pause.

How do you pinpoint just one? That's what "desert island disc" lists are for, so that you have some wiggle room.

I've switched gears on my "favorite" over the years, from stuff like Grand Funk's "Shinin' On" in the very, very early days (haven't heard that one in decades) to Jefferson Airplane's "Bless Its Pointed Little Head" to the Mothers of Invention's "We're Only In It for the Money."

More recently, I've come to the conclusion that Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" is the best album ever recorded, especially considering that something so listenable and well-played is basically a series of largely improvisational first or second takes.

Favorite, though? I keep coming back to an album I first heard around 1977, when I was exploring as far as I could beyond the crap they were playing on the radio then.

At first glance, this particular album doesn't seem like much: two extended covers of Bo Diddley tunes that segue into a couple of instrumentals, culminating in the first verse of a Roy Rogers & Dale Evans song (that's the only verse the guys in the band could remember when they recorded it).

But Quicksilver Messenger Service's "Happy Trails" is one heck of a ride, from John Cipollina's screaming guitar notes to open the 25-minute version of "Who Do You Love" to the dissonant whistling that gives the whole recording a great touch of audio verite as the title track fades into the sunset.

As far as I know, Capitol Records still offers the title on CD, albeit with the mastering job from back in '88. Come on, guys! Let's work the digital magic on those tapes and come up with a pristine new version for the 21st century!