Making A Mix Tape

135 Calamity Music

2012-01-12T13:47:00.005-05:00

"We Belong" Big Daddy's Pizza in Brighton has good pizza, excellent hot sandwiches, tasty fried dough bites, the best crab rangoons, and a dance remix of this Pat Benatar on their "hold" music.
"Every Little Kiss" I have wanted this Bruce Hornsby & The Range CD for twenty-five years. The drums and synths sound super-dated, but I don't even care anymore.
"Crash And Burn" The synths on this 'til tuesday song also sound dated, but Aimee Mann is so terrific, I have been trying to squeeze this song onto a mix for 10 years.
"Dawned On Me" My favorite song from Wilco's new album The Whole Love.
"Secret Smile" I have been a fan of Semisonic even since I read the drummer's memoir of their one-hit wonder moment in the spotlight: So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star. This ballad has that post-Achtung Baby "One" production sound.
"She's The One" When I heard this World Party song on the radio, I was immediately reminded of...
"Still Fighting It" Ben Folds
"Kiss From A Rose" When I was a radio DJ in 1994, I played this Seal song on the radio at least 6 times a week for six months, so naturally, I spent most of the last 17 years avoiding it. However, the karaoke version on Community cracks me up and has resurrected the song for me.
"Crazy On You" Heart: The classical guitar intro fits nicely with the baroque feel of the Seal song.
"Calamity Song" I love every song on The Decemberists new album The King Is Dead. This is the latest favorite. Andalusian tribes, indeed! Fits nicely with the "end of the world" 2012 Mayan baloney going around these days.
"Romance" I used to play this R.E.M. song on the radio when I was in high school. It's from their "best of" album Eponymous, released at the end of their contract with IRS records. According to the sleeve notes, the song "used a microsecond in the still despairing Alan Rudolph's 1987 film "Made In Heaven".
"Never There" CAKE
"Crazy Love, Vol. II" Paul Simon
"Long, Long, Long" The Beatles
"I'll Be Back" I forget where I heard that Shawn Colvin covered this obscure Beatles track. She only released it on her Best Of collection, but, in the era of iTunes, you don't have to buy a Best Of collection to get the one new song anymore!

MELLOW GOLD Collection

2012-01-04T22:39:00.005-05:00

The track listing of the three-LP collection MELLOW GOLD. The magic of the Internet: for only $33 (minus whatever songs you already own) you can recreate this collection with mildewy sleeve and no changing the platter five times! I think I have 14 of these songs already, so, assuming nothing's out of print, I am $19 away from bringing this collection BACK TO LIFE!

Side 1

"Sundown" Gordon Lightfoot
"Midnight at the Oasis" Maria Muldaur
"I Say a Little Prayer for You" Aretha Franklin
"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" The Casinos
"Long Train Running" The Doobie Brothers

Side 2
"You Were on My Mind" We Five
"Sunshine" Jonathan Edwards
"Cherish" The Association
"Hey Jude" Wilson Pickett
"Ma Belle Amie" The Tee Set
"That’s the Way I Always Heard it Should Be" Carly Simon

Side 3
"S.O.S." ABBA
"How Can I Be Sure?" The Rascals
"I’d Like to Get to Know You" Spanky and Our Gang
"Everybody’s Talkin’" Nilsson
"My Special Angel" the Vogues
"Love the One You’re With" Stephen Stills

Side 4
"Anticipation" Carly Simon
"Dock of the Bay" Otis Redding
"Doctor My Eyes" Jackson Browne
"Feel Like Makin’ Love" Roberta Flack
"One of a Kind (Love Affair)" The Spinners

Side 5
"Summer Breeze" Seals & Crofts
"Baby, I’m Yours" Barbara Lewis
"Hello, It’s Me" Todd Rundgren
"Send in the Clowns" Judy Collins
"She’s Gone" Daryl Hall and John Oates
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Aretha Franklin

Side 6
"Fallin’ in Love" The Souther, Hillman, Furay Band
"Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues" Danny O’Keefe
"Baby Don’t Go" Sonny and Cher
"Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town" Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
"Everything That Touches You" The Association

When I Was Eleven: 1983

2012-01-04T22:21:00.001-05:00

This is not a "my favorite songs from 1983" playlist. This is a "when I was eleven, this is what I listened to" mix. I even think I thought "Der Kommissar" and "Major Tom" were the same song. If I ever heard a mashup of those two, my brain might melt.

"Der Kommissar" After The Fire
"Major Tom (Coming Home)" Peter Schilling
"Break My Stride" Matthew Wilder
"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" Daryl Hall & John Oates
"Bang The Drum All Day" Todd Rundgren
"Steppin' Out" Joe Jackson
"She Blinded Me With Science" Thomas Dolby
"Who Can It Be Now?" Men At Work
"Only Time Will Tell" Asia
"Rosanna" Toto
"Tainted Love" Soft Cell

When I Was Ten: 1982

2012-01-04T22:14:00.002-05:00

This playlist represents what I remember about pop music just before I began to pick what I wanted to listen to for myself. Basically this is music I was exposed to by my mother, and by whatever Top 40 radio managed to break through to a boy who didn't listen to the radio yet.
I was ten years old in 1982. The mix for 1983 is much, much different.

"Gloria" Laura Branigan
"Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" B.J. Thomas
"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" Crystal Gayle
"When I'm Sixty-Four" is the first song I remember singing with my mother. We would go on to harmonize on several other Beatles songs, including "If I Fell"
"Elvira" Oak Ridge Boys
"Rainy Days And Mondays" The Carpenters
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" John Denver
"Danny's Song" Anne Murray
"Leaving On A Jet Plane" Peter, Paul & Mary
"Monday, Monday" The Mamas & The Papas
"Flowers on the Wall" The Statler Brothers
"The Boxer" Simon & Garfunkel
"You Should Hear How She Talks About You" Melissa Manchester
"Back In Baby's Arms" Patsy Cline
"A Boy Named Sue" Johnny Cash
"Theme From Greatest American Hero (Believe It Or Not)" Joey Scarbury

There should probably be some Ricky Nelson and Barbara Mandrell in there too- I distinctly remember their well-coiffed photos on the covers of their Greatest Hits LPs.

Concert Souvenirs?

2011-12-19T14:23:00.002-05:00

It's always nice when my favorite band releases an official live album to accompany a tour I attended. And every once in awhile an actual performance I saw is recorded and released. These days it's easier than ever for a band to make every recording available. Three concerts I went to were recorded and released on offical live albums:

"Eleanor Rigby" live at the Worcester Centrum February 9, 1990
Paul McCartney: Tripping The Live Fantastic

Unlike the contemporary trend towards releasing an entire concert from one night, McCartney recorded many dates of his 1990 tour. The resulting two-disc live album appears to select the best recording of each performance from the rigid set list. The result? The 37-track album was recorded in ninteen different cities. For example, eight tracks are from an eleven-night series at Wembley Arena, but they're from five different nights, and no two songs from the same night are presented together. I has a great time at the show (I had just turned 18, and had been a rabid Beatles fan for exactly 30 months) even if the Rolling Stone concert review spoiled all the surprises in the set-in-stone set list.
In the spring of 1990, six months before Tripping was released, while in New York City on a school trip, I visited a Greenwich Village record store and bought a three-LP bootleg recorded in Los Angeles the previous autumn. The bootleg was pressed on white vinyl with red, white, and blue spin-art designs in the vinyl. (photos to come)

Pearl Jam live at the Orpheum Theater Boston, April 12, 1994
The best rock concert I ever attended was the penultimate date of the 1994 Vs. tour. Thanks to my friend Meg (Goldstein) Chapman, who sold me her tickets. The show, when they finally started, was amazing. Mudhoney was the opening act, then there was a long interval (at least 45-60 mins) before Pearl Jam came on. I remember loving "Go" and "Animal" and the new song "Not for You". In 2011, Pearl Jam released a three-CD Deluxe Edition of Vs. including a full CD of the Orpheum show. Due to size constraints, the disc leaves out a third of the set list:

Included

Oceans
Even Flow
Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys cover)
Immortality
Glorified G
Daughter
Not For You
Rats
Blood
Release
Tremor Christ
Once
Fuckin' Up (Neil Young cover)
Dirty Frank
Rearviewmirror
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town

Excluded

State Of Love And Trust
Hard to Imagine
Go
Animal
Alone
Better Man
Yellow Ledbetter
I've Got a Feeling (The Beatles cover).

Ben Folds Live at Avalon June 8, 2002
June 8, 2002, three months before we would meet for the first time, my future wife and I would both attend this Ben Folds solo show at the former Avalon nightclub in Boston. It was a lot of fun, even if I am not a fan of the Reinhold Messner album. The live album recorded during that tour features a photo taken at our show (I am not pictured) At least one song from the CD or limited edition bonus DVD was recorded on the night we attended.

Seventies Easy Rock

2011-11-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

Also known as "Yacht Rock", this is another great mix from my wife.

1.    “Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)” Jim Croce
2.    “How Much I Feel” Ambrosia
3.    “On and On” Stephen Bishop
4.    “Sara Smile” Daryl Hall & John Oates
5.    “After the Love Has Gone” Earth, Wind & Fire
6.    “Dance with Me” Orleans
7.    “We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again”, and
8.    “I'd Really Love to See You Tonight”
England Dan & John Ford Coley
9.    “I Keep Forgettin'” Michael McDonald
10.    “This Is It” Kenny Loggins
11.    “Just Remember I Love You” Firefall
12.    “Sailing” Christopher Cross
13.    “Summer Breeze” Seals & Crofts
14.    “I Love a Rainy Night” Eddie Rabbitt
15.    “Steal Away” Robbie Dupree
16.    “Lotta Love” Nicolette Larson
17.    “Arthur's Theme” [live] Christopher Cross
18.    “Baby Come Back” Player
19.    “Listen to the Music” The Doobie Brothers
20.    “Take It Easy” [live & acoustic] Jackson Browne

134 Mayhem

2011-10-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

"Twenty-Five Miles" Edwin Starr (1969), or, as my wife put it, "that song from Adventures In Babysitting"
"Junk Of The Heart (Happy)" The Kooks
"Cold Comfort Flowers" Fountains of Wayne
"Hammer And A Nail" Indigo Girls
Upon listening to "Careful" by Guster last month, I was immediately reminded of "Hammer and a Nail"
"Mayhem" great muscular arrangement and sassy vocals by Imelda May.
Eurythmics "Would I Lie To You?" This song (from Be Yourself Tonight) has always been one of my favorite rave-up fast driving songs. I found this extended edit on a 12 inch single. As far as I can tell, it's the same mix as the LP, but it doesn't fade out until 25 seconds later.
Pearl Jam "Jeremy" [2009 Remix] Thinking about this song a lot lately as "Pumped Up Kicks" has been all over the airwaves.
Gomez: "How We Operate" I love the loud-and-soft dynamics. Reminds me of Led Zeppelin?
"Lost In My Mind" The Head And The Heart
"Ramble On" Led Zeppelin
"It's Only Natural" Crowded House
"Stripped" A cover of the Depeche Mode song from Duncan Sheik's Eighties Covers LP.
"Outta Mind (Outta Sight)" Wilco
"Candy" from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' MOJO LP.
"For You Blue" The Beatles
"She Walks In So Many Ways" As soon as I heard this new Jayhawks song on the radio, I immediately knew (by the two-part harmonies) that it was the Jayhawks, and I knew I wanted to buy it!
"As for Now" Another "thanks to SoundHound" find. This song by newcomer Lindsay Rae Spurlock (the EP is called Heart On) was featured on the Adult Swim show Childrens Hospital. I held my smartphone up to the speaker, triggered SoundHound, and her name popped up!
David Bowie "Modern Love" Nile Rodgers is one of my favorite producers, definitely my favorite producer of the 1980s. Love his drum sound.
The Cadillacs "Speedo" Recently picked up the soundtrack CD for...anyone, anyone? GoodFellas.
"You're The Inspiration" At the Beelzebubs' chapel show at Tufts Homecoming Weekend, the Bubs performance of this Chicago classic (from Chicago 17) was a highlight. Of course, the song is old enough to be the prom theme of the Beelzebubs' parents! Aiee!

133 Paradise by The "C"

2011-08-11T10:51:00.004-04:00

"Cissy Strut" The Meters (1969) The squeaky hi-hat pedal is practically it's own instrument!
"Stranded In A Limousine" Paul Simon, a 'new' song from his Greatest Hits, etc. (1977)
"Options" Gomez
"Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" Beastie Boys featuring Santigold this terrific song from Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is my nominee for Summer Song of 2011, but I think Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" may have edged them out.
"Gimme All Your Lovin" ZZ Top
"Rumour Has It" I didn't dream that Adele could equal the power of "Rolling in the Deep", but she did! I was blown away when I first heard this on the radio.The lyrics! drums! handclaps! backing vocals! Wow.
"Hangman Jury" Aerosmith
and
"Barton Hollow" The Civil Wars, two swampy songs together.
"I'm A King Bee" The Rolling Stones, as heard on the cop show Memphis Beat. A brief aside: Memphis Beat (starring Jason Lee as a Memphis PD detective by day, blues singer by night) is an old-school cop/detective show. It feels like an old Simon & Simon episode. But, they spend a lot of money on music clearances for bands like The Rolling Stones. Actually, now that I think of it, Jason Lee's last show, My Name Is Earl, had lots of brand-name rock music too.
"Monday Monday" Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs, or, as we sing it to our son: "Mango Mango"
"If You Love Somebody (Set Them Free)" This William Orbit remix removes all of Sting's jazz trappings in favor of a synth-heavy dance groove. All of Brandford Marsalis's saxophone is gone.
"Just Another Night" I heard this Ian Hunter song, from his LP You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic, and thought it sounded like a Bruce Springsteen song. Turns out I'm half right: the recording features Roy Bittan (keyboards) Garry Tallent (bass) and Max Weinberg (drums) from the E Street band.
"Freeway of Love" [Extended Remix] Aretha Franklin featuring Clarence Clemons - One of Clarence's best guest spots.
"Did It In A Minute" Daryl Hall & John Oates - the arrangement is a little overcomplicated, but the hook is solid. Maybe their biggest hit which didn't make it onto the 1983 Rock N Soul Pt 1 which I listened to 1,000,000 times as a teenager.I heard this song for the first time when I took their LP Private Eyes (1981) out of the Topsfield Town Library. Yes kids, these things HAPPENED.
"If I Can't Change Your Mind" (Solo Mix) Sugar - This is one of my favorite songs of the 1990s, so when it was selected for the Onion A/V Club's Undercover series, I was excited. The A/V Club invites bands to visit their office a cover a song from a pre-selected list. Somehow, Bob Mould visited and covered his own Sugar song, then, the Decemberists visited and covered it too. Since I can't buy these songs on MP3, I've added the solo mix of "If I Can't Change Your Mind" to my mix-- the B-side which singer Colin Meloy cites as his favorite.
"I Might" Wilco, the first single from their upcoming album The Whole Love
"China Grove" [live at the Greek Theater 1982] The Doobie Brothers
"Paradise By The "C" [live at the Roxy] Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

The Big Man 1942-2011

132 DJ Zoomba

2011-05-26T11:13:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite apps on my Android phone is SoundHound- the app listens to music and identifies it for you. Just press one button, hold the phone up to the speaker, and presto! This is super-handy for identifying songs from the radio, incidental music from TV and movies, and in public spaces. Once it IDs the song, I simply press "bookmark", then I can go back later and buy the songs wherever I want. Unlimited uses are free, so perhaps I overuse it, but the novelty has not worn off yet.

"Breaking The Girl" Anna Nalick sings that song "Breathe (3AM)" which I included in my last mix. I found her cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' song while buying the "Breathe" song on Amazon.
"Tree By The River" Iron & Wine
"Clocks" An amazing salsa-ification of the Coldplay recording by something called 'Rhythms Del Mundo'. It's not a cover- more like a remix.
"Quattro (World Drifts In)" Calexico, from their album Feast Of Wire.
"Untitled" [live] Shockra: One of the coolest experiences of my Emerson College experience was working at WERS. One of the cool experiences of that cool experience is my three-year association with the world-funk-jazz combo Shockra. I was a host and manager of the world music show Gyroscope, and Shockra became our favorite band. We played their music every day, mostly from promo cassettes, we saw them live a dozen times across town, and they came to the studio to perform live in the studio regularly. In 1993 we released a live CD, which included this epic 10 minute track, maybe Shockra's most ambitious song. I was thrilled to be sitting in the studio for the recording, as the host of that day's live music. After their encore, the crowd in the control room went apoplectic; at the end of the CD you can hear (21-year-old) me "out-troduce" the song, then open the control room door to let in the applause.
"Let The Light In" I don't know anything about Bob Schneider, but I heard this song on the radio, and it has a nice thumb-piano part.
"Sound And Vision" from David Bowie's Low (1977). Fun fact: David Bowie's lead vocal does not begin until exactly halfway through this three-minute song.
"Burning Down The House" this live performance, from Stop Making Sense, is far superior to Talking Heads' studio recording.
"One Thing Leads to Another" The Fixx
"On Melancholy Hill" Gorillaz
"Les Yeux De Ton Pere" Fun story here: I used to play this Franco-Clash song ("Eyes of Your Father") from Les Negresses Vertes, regularly on WERS Gyroscope in the early 1990s. Fast forward to the MP3 era, the LP is out of print and the song is not available for 99c download. The song was also included in the movie French Kiss, and its soundtrack CD. I wasn't about to pay $17 for one song, but so I have kept my eye out for it--- until May 2011, when I finally found the French Kiss CD at a church tag sale. Persistence pays off!
"You, Now" I heard this Greg Laswell song on the "Adult Alternative" channel on my cable TV.
"Mandolin Rain" This recent live performance from Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers is a little too "jazzy" for me. I don't know if he has discarded most of the melodic hooks for artistic reasons, or because he's too old to hit the notes anymore, but it's not the same melody anymore.
"Sweet Love" Anita Baker
"Come and Find Me" Josh Ritter: As heard on the ABC-TV show Castle!
"To Kingdom Come" Passion Pit
"Jane Says" Jane's Addiction
"Time To Pretend" MGMT

(Some Titles Are) Parenthetical

2011-05-23T12:17:00.001-04:00

The parenthetical song title is a unique phenomenon to music. Why do song titles have parens? This morning, I read a post on theawl.com with a list of 169 parenthetical song titles. Each title fits into a type:

The title is too short/not descriptive, so they add more words "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
The title is too long, so they chop it off "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"
The record label worries that people won't recognize the song they heard on the radio because the title is not the chorus. Sometimes these parens only appear on the 45, not the LP:

"Pride (In The Name of Love)"
"Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)"
"Train In Vain (Stand By Me)"

Beck just being weird "Truckdrivin’ Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)"
REM just being weird "Auctioneer (Another Engine)"
Movie Theme Songs (Theme From "This Blog")
Silly jokes "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)"
Completely arbitrary "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)"

I have selected 75 parenthetical song titles, and severed the main title from the paren part. Print out this page, and try and match them back up again. Remember, some parens go in front, some at the end. Good luck! (Answers here).

December 1963	(500 Miles)
4th of July, Asbury Park	(All Night)
A Natural Woman	(And I Feel Fine)
Against All Odds	(And That's the Truth)
All Night Long	(Anthony's Song)
Bang A Gong	(Are Made of This)
Chelsea	(But I Like It)
Da Doo Ron Ron	(But I Won't Do That)
Died In Your Arms	(Come Out Tonight)
Don’t Forget Me	(Coming Home)
Don't Go Away Mad	(Don’t Go Back To)
Don't Know What You Got	(Don't Fear)
Don't You	(Enjoy What You Do)
Dude	(Everything I Do)
Earth Angel	(For Me)
Escape	(For My Love)
Exhale	(Forget About Me)
Falling in Love	(Get It On)
Fascination	(Gonna Be Alright)
Fight For Your Right	(I Can’t Get No)
Good Riddance	(I Don’t Want to Go to)
Happy Xmas	(I Feel Good)
He Hit Me	(I Just)
Higher and Higher	(I Like It)
I Believe	(I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time)
I Can't Go for That	(I'm Only Bleeding)
I Do It For You	(I'm Sorry)
I Got You	(Is Hard on the Knees)
I Knew You Were Waiting	(It Felt Like A Kiss)
I Never Loved a Man	(It's in His Kiss)
I Ran	(I've Been)
I Wanna Dance with Somebody	(I've Had)
I’m Gonna Be	(Just Go Away)
I'd Do Anything for Love	(Just Like)
I'd Lie for You	(Keep Feeling)
In Hammersmith Palais	(Let Me Be Your)
Instant Karma	(Looks Like a Lady)
Istanbul	(Man in Motion)
It’s The End of the World As We Know It	(Naive Melody)
It's Alright, Ma	(Nine to Five)
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll	(No Can Do)
Jump	(Not Constantinople)
Major Tom	(Not to Come)
Mama Told Me	(Oh, What A Night)
Money	(Pretty Young Thing)
Morning Train	(Put a Ring On It)
Movin' Out	(Sandy)
Norwegian Wood	(Say So Much)
P.Y.T .	(Shoop Shoop)
Peace, Love and Understanding	(Sittin' On)
Red Shoes	(So Far Away)
Rocket Man	(Take a Look at Me Now)
Rockville	(That's What I Want)
Rosalita	(The Angels Wanna Wear My)
Sad Songs	(The Final Acclaim)
Satisfaction	(The Piña Colada Song)
Searchin' So Long	(The Right Stuff)
Separate Ways	(The Way I Love You)
Single Ladies	(This Bird Has Flown)
So. Central Rain	(Till It's Gone)
St. Elmo’s Fire	(Time of Your Life)
Starting Over	(to Everything There Is a Season)
Sweet Dreams	(War Is Over)
Teddy Bear	(We All Shine On)
That's the Way	(What’s So Funny ‘Bout)
The Dock Of The Bay	(When He Walked Me Home)
The Reaper	(When I Fall in Love it Will Be Forever)
The Shoop Shoop Song	(When I’m Gone)
The Time of My LIfe	(White Man)
This Must Be the Place	(Who Loves Me)
Tonight's the Night	(Will You Be Mine)
Turn! Turn! Turn!	(Worlds Apart)
Wham Rap!	(You Gotta)...(To Party!)
You Got It	(You Make Me Feel Like)
You're in My Heart	(Your Love Has Lifted Me)

131 Spring Forward

2011-03-21T15:35:00.002-04:00

"Got To Give It Up, Part 1" Marvin Gaye: From the campfire scene in Paul.
"Fun, Fun, Fun" Pharrell; From the movie Despicable Me.
"Old Days" Chicago
"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" Paul McCartney & Wings: Special version from the film One Hand Clapping, the first half showcases Paul's soulful solo vocal and piano, which then is spliced into the full final arrangement.
"Lasso" Phoenix
"Velcro Fly" ZZ Top has the same drum part as the "Lasso".
"F.M." Steely Dan
"Seven Chinese Brothers" R.E.M.
"I'm A Loser" The Beatles
"Victoria" I just saw The Old 97's play "Victoria" at a free show at SXSW.
"It's Bad You Know" R.L. Burnside
"Freeway" Aimee Mann
"Morning Moon" I am not saying I am going to become a superfan, but when I heard this song on the radio, I thought to myself "this is terrific! where has The Tragically Hip been all my life?"
"Dreams" Fleetwood Mac
"All Over The World" Electric Light Orchestra: the closing credits song from Paul, previously in the movie Xanadu.
"Loving You Is Easy" Sarah McLachlan: a pleasingly ordinary 4/4 chugging piano riff from Ms McLachlan.
"All My Nights I've Been Waiting [Liz Lemon's Theme] Tina Fey & Christopher Cross: what started as a gentle Christopher Cross joke on 30 Rock crossed over to reality when Mr Cross recorded an actual song based on the joke. When Worlds Collide!
"See The Lights" Simple Minds
"Breathe (2AM)" I learned Anna Nalick's name after holding my Android phone up to the radio and activating the SoundHound app.
"Good Is Good" Cool George Harrison-y guitar riff. From Sheryl Crow's Lance Armstrong period. Isn't it retroactively embarrassing to dedicate an LP to him?

130 Warm Spell

2011-02-21T15:26:00.004-05:00

"Silly Love Songs" GLEE Cast Version: I won't apologize for loving this supremely uncool song.
"Plane" Jason Mraz
"I Still Have That Other Girl" Elvis Costello & Burt Bachrach
"Find My Way" The Gabe Dixon Band: the opening credits song from the Sandra Bullock movie The Proposal.
"Gimme Shelter" The Rolling Stones
"Rolling In The Deep" Adele: This whole mix revolves around the awesome song. It totally gives me chills. "Gimme Shelter" is as close as I could come to equaling the drama and goosebumps it evokes.
"Dead American Writers" Tired Pony
"Learning To Fly" Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
"Settled Down Like Rain" The Jayhawks
"Ring of Fire" Johnny Cash
"Home" Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes
"She Runs Away" Duncan Sheik: I have this on an promo only alternative music sampler from 1997.
"Rain In The Summertime" The Alarm
"3,000 Miles" (remix) Ellis Paul [from Sweet Mistakes]
"Windows Are Rolled Down" The first time I heard this new Amos Lee song, I was instantly reminded of "3,000 Miles."
"Run Through The Fields" Does anyone else remember Nuclear Valdez? I have this on a promo only alternative music sampler from 1990.
"Hi Hi Hi" Paul McCartney & Wings
"Jungle Love" Steve Miller Band
"Battlestar Galactica Theme" Jonathan Coulton feat/John Hodgman: Who knew there were words to the Battlestar Galactica theme song?
"Valerie" Mark Ronson feat/Amy Winehouse

129 Twenty Eleven

2011-02-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

"I Got More Than A Feeling" A clever mashup of Boston vs. Black Eyed Peas, from Mad Mix Mustang. Found on Best of Bootie 2009
"Fuck You" Cee Lo Green
"Garbage Truck" Sex Bob-Omb
"Down By The Water" The opening drums-and-harmonica of this new Decemberists song reminds me of a song... or maybe many many songs?
"Settled Down Like Rain" The Jayhawks
"Rocks Off" The Old 97'S cover the Rolling Stones (and R.E.M. too!) on their 2010 Mimeograph EP.
"Up Around The Bend" Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Bossa Nova Baby" This Elvis Presley song was featured during a montage in the movie No Strings Attached.
"California Gurls" (feat. Snoop Dogg) Katy Perry
"Rush" I chose this Big Audio Dynamite II song because it pokes fun at stuffy English aristocracy in the same way the following track does...
"You're A Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)" The Dukes Of Stratosphear was a 1960s-psychedelic pop side project of XTC. This song has a rustic English beer-barrel pub atmosphere mixed in.
"Effington" Ben Folds Presents : University A Cappella! includes many terrific university groups. This particular track is Ben multi-tracked over and over (with some help from his kids!)
"It Won't Be Long" The Beatles: has some of the same antic energy as "Effington."
"Ain't Good Enough For You" Bruce Springsteen writes these inconsequential freewheeling party rockers all the time, but they usually don't make it onto the album. This one is no different. Bruce recorded it during the Darkness On The Edge of Town sessions. Obviously it doesn't fit with that album's atmosphere, so he sat on it, until the 2010 release of The Promise.
"Stop Playing With My Heart" A fascinating "concept" album, with a authentic 1980s vibe, from Ryan Adams & The Cardinals.
"I'll Be Alright Without You" Journey
"Caravan" Van Morrison
"Boys Don't Cry" I heard this Grant-Lee Phillips cover of the Cure song on his all-covers CD nineteeneighties, and years later on an episode of How I Met Your Mother.
"Stay Gold" Stevie Wonder recorded this treacly ballad in the early 1980s for the movie Rumble Fish. I thought Emily was pulling my leg when she told me this story... until I found it on iTunes!
"Stand Together" The Beastie Boys

Christmas Mix 2010

2010-12-25T15:38:00.000-05:00

If you never noticed how melancholy many Christmas songs are, you'll notice it here...

"Valley Winter Song" Fountains of Wayne, a bittersweet wintertime travelling song.
"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" U2's soundcheck recording, from the first A Very Special Christmas charity album, is my favorite version of this sad Christmas song.
"Baby It's Cold Outside" Ray Charles & Betty Carter, or, as my wife calls it, the almost date-rape song? No means no, Ray!
"Christmas Wrapping" The Waitresses' charming New Wave white-girl rap. Why hasn't there been a romantic comedy movie based on this song?
"Sleigh Ride" Ella Fitzgerald, a terrific Christmas record.
"Have Yourself Christmas Trouble" Mr Fab & The RIAA rearrange all the words of Bing Crosby's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to tell a bleaker story: "Hang yourself up upon the highest bough", "Faithful friends who are dear to us, will be far away"...
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band Aid was the ideal post New Wave supergroup for me, 12 years old, going on 13, for Christmas 1984.
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Judy Garland sings it with the original, super melancholy lyrics.
"I'll Be Home For Christmas" Aimee Mann, another hopeful Christmas song.
"Winter Wonderland" Ray Charles' version, as heard in When Harry Met Sally...
"White Christmas" Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters, maybe my favorite recording of this song.
"Evil Santa" Bill Murray & Gilda Radner, from the National Lampoon Radio Hour.
"Santa Claus is Coming To Town"[live] One of my all-time favorite Bruce Springsteen performances. Electric!
"Christmas Song" [live] Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
"Let It Snow" Vaughn Monroe, as heard at the end of Die Hard.
"Auld Lang Syne" [live] Guy Lombardo
"Skating" Vince Guaraldi Trio

(I assembled this mix in 2010 but never posted it to the blog until 2011. That's why it's backdated to 12/25/2010.)

128 Teenage Dream

2010-12-12T10:11:00.001-05:00

"Holiday" Vampire Weekend
"No One's Gonna Love You" Band Of Horses: I bought this song after Cee Lo Green covered it on this new album.
"Sweet Thing" Van Morrison
"Teenage Dream" Glee Cast Version: No one's going to believe me when I say I have no patience for the TV show, but I love The Warblers cover songs. This one gives me chills.
"Satisfied" Cee Lo Green: Anyone who wears their love of Prince so proudly has my support.
"I Would Die 4 U" Prince & The Revolution
"Blue Jean" David Bowie: I used to try to minimize the number of songs which reappeared on mixes over and over again. Over the years this habit became calcified to the point where mixes were loaded with: new songs + old songs which I didn't love. I am trying to loosen up and include some "golden oldies" where appropriate!
"The Suburbs" Arcade Fire: I like this song, even if the rhythm section is super-cliche'd, and it's a little too long.
"You Are The Best Thing" Ray LaMontagne: great fun, even if he's super derivative.
"The Difference" The Wallflowers
"The Word" The Beatles
"Way Down Now" World Party
"Ruthless People" Mick Jagger: The edit of this song which opens the eponymous movie is much shorter and better. This one drags on for 4m30s.
"I Belong To The Band" Mavis Staples
"Crazy About You" Whiskeytown
"No More No More" Aerosmith: Does anyone remember when Aerosmith was an active rock and roll band which didn't record ballads for movies? Me neither.
"It's Only Wednesday" Crash Kings: I think I heard this song in the movie Zombieland?
"Valerie" The Zutons: what the heck is a Zuton?

"Recycled" Cover Songs: Yankee Swap 2010

2010-12-11T09:19:00.063-05:00

The theme of the Yankee Swap this year was "Recycled Christmas" so I assembled (with editing help from Emily) an all-covers mix:

"I Saw Her Standing There" The Smithereens recorded their own song-by-song remake of Meet The Beatles, called Meet The Smithereens.
"Don’t Bring Me Down" (Live) The New Pornographers covering the ELO classic, Live from Soho.
"Hackensack" (Live) Katy Perry unplugged, covering Fountains of Wayne. Who knew she had such good taste?
"Every Little Thing (He) Does Is Magic" From Shawn Colvin's all-covers album Cover Girl
"Burning Down the House" A terrific remake of The Talking Heads from Bonnie Raitt's live Road Tested album. Perhaps the most radical remake of the mix.
"It's My Life" It's great to hear a remake of a New Wave one-hit wonder, especially so well done by No Doubt.
"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" Wilco covers Steely Dan for the Me, Myself, and Irene movie soundtrack.
"This Charming Man" Death Cab For Cutie increases the tempo on this Smiths classic. From their CD You Can Play These Songs With Chords.
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing Baby" An Ashford & Simpson oldie from Michael McDonald's Motown album.
"Everyday Is A Winding Road" Who knew Prince was a Sheryl Crow fan?
"Train In Vain (Stand By Me)" Annie Lennox covers The Clash on her all-covers CD Medusa.
"Teenage Dream" This a capella cover of Katy Perry might be the most exciting performance I've ever heard on the TV show Glee.
"People Get Ready" In the a capella theme, The Housemartins cover Curtis Mayfield's song on their album London 0 Hull 4 (that might be a soccer reference?)
"High & Dry" British wunderkind jazz pianist Jamie Cullum covers Radiohead on this album Twentysomething.
"Mrs. Robinson" The Lemonheads' cover of Simon & Garfunkel was a late addition to their album It's A Shame About Ray... after it was a surprise hit as a standalone single.
"Whole Lotta Love" Carlos Santana's manager must have noticed there's two types of albums which aging icons sell well-- covers albums and collaborations. Why not put them together for Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics Of All Time? Chris Cornell was born to sing Led Zeppelin.
"...Baby One More Time" I think Fountains Of Wayne covered Britney Spears ironically. From their odd-and-ends collection Out-Of-State Plates.
"I Will Survive" I know for certain that Cake covered this Gloria Gaynor disco classic ironically. From their CD Fashion Nugget.
"In Between Days" Ben Folds covers the awesome Cure song on his EP Speed Graphic.
"Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" Ray Charles & Elton John duet on Ray's album Genius Loves Company.
"More Than This" The Charlie Hunger Quartet are joined by Norah Jones on the Roxy Music song, on their CD Songs from the Analog Playground.
"Green Onions" Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers cover the Booker T & The MG's instrumental -- best known as the song they play during pitching changes at baseball games -- on their Live Anthology box set.

127 The Whiskey River

2010-11-01T16:44:00.003-04:00

The first four tracks on this mix all clumped together. I started with "Horchata", from Vampire Weekend's second album Contra. (FYI, a horchata is a traditional beverage, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley, or tigernuts.) With "Horchata" as the germ, I built three other songs with fun and exotic instrumentation around it: the pseudo-reggae of "Last Night", the steel drums of the least-cool Rod Stewart song ever, and the accordion of "Gumboots", from Paul Simon's Graceland (aka "You don't feel you could love me/But I feel you could")

"Last Night" Traveling Wilburys
"Horchata" Vampire Weekend
"Love Touch" Rod Stewart
"Gumboots" Paul Simon
"Peace Train" 10,000 Maniacs; I just saw Yusuf, aka Cat Stevens, at Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity.
"An Innocent Man" Billy Joel
"Sentimental Heart" She & Him
"Ruby Tuesday" The Rolling Stones
"Summer" Buffalo Tom
"We Are Sex Bob-Omb" from Sex Bob-Omb dovetails nicely into...
"Yer Blues" The Beatles
"Rollin' and Tumblin'" Muddy Waters inspired the title of this mix:

If the river was whiskey, and I was a divin' duck
I would dive to the bottom, never would I come up

"Damn Good" David Lee Roth: Have you ever completely forgotten a song? Forgotten a song so completely that you don't even remember knowing it in the first place? I recently bought David Lee Roth's solo CD Skyscraper for $1. David Lee Roth's solo career took off when I was a teenage Van Halen fan, so me and my friends had a lot of loyalty to Diamond Dave. I wanted the CD for the hit single "Living In Paradise", but for the heck of it I listened to the whole disc one day. That's when I rediscovered "Damn Good", an acoustic ballad (with nice guitar work from Steve Vai.) It's NOT a "damn good" song, BUT the point is, I had not heard the song in 22 years! It was weird dusting the cobwebs off this teenage memory.
"Put Me On Top" Aimee Mann
"Bang Bang Bang" Tracy Chapman
"Smoke On The Water" Deep Purple
"Hunger Strike" Temple of the Dog
"I Hate Myself For Loving You" Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, the original version, before it was appropriated for Monday Night Football.
"I Love Your Smile" Shanice I think I added this song because I saw someone on TV named Shanice?
"Shadowboxer" Fiona Apple

126: Summerbeast

2010-09-01T15:32:00.002-04:00

"Run" Vampire Weekend
"Driver 8" The Old '97s. A slightly harder-rocking, slightly less subtle version of one of my favorite R.E.M. songs.
"Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" Icicle Works. Rediscovered on a VH1 1980s video showcase.
"Jealous Again" The Black Crowes. A live, in-studio, acoustic performance, from the new Crowes album.
"Never" Heart. So richly imbued with Eighties-ness, it's hard to mix this track among other less exuberantly artifical songs...
"TiK ToK" ...until Ke$ha came along.
"Wash Your Face In My Sink" The Dream Warriors. Was this Canadian hip-hop duo a one-hit wonder, or was this song popular only among me and my friends at WERS in 1991?
"The Distance" Cake. Before I met my wife, I only new Cake as the 1990s alt rock band which covered "I Will Survive". I mostly hate disco, and this Gloria Gaynor song is one of my least-favorite hits in a genre I hate already. To sum up: Cake's cover is a boring, overlong, overly ironic remake of a song I hated in the first place. It turns out my wife has, like, four Cake CDs, and in the intervening years, I have found a bunch of their songs I actually like, including "The Distance", one of my new ringtones.
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" I don't listen to Jimi Hendrix enough. I gotta start putting him on more mix CDs. Mostly this song makes me think of a) hippies, and b) that scene it's in in Almost Famous, when the band trades in their bus for the jet plane.
"Free Fallin" [live], from the comprehensive new Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live Anthology. Great sing-along from the audience.
"One True Love" Semisonic is another one-hit 1990s alt-rock band, whom I have gotten to know better. Around the turn of the century I really got into their almost-hit "Chemistry", and later, the drummer wrote a memoir which could have been titled "What It's Like To Be A One Hit Wonder."If you want to dig deeper into 1990s nostalgia, check it out. Jen Trynin also wrote a book about her year in the spotlight, which could have been called "I Would Have Been Alanis Morrisette (If It Weren't For Alanis Morrisette.)"
"Via Chicago" Wilco. We went to Wilco's music and arts festival in North Adams this summer. This track is from Wilco's album Summerteeth.
"Stratford-On-Guy" Liz Phair. I have the complete Rolling Stone magazine, cover-to-cover, on DVD (1967-2007.) Around the time I was assembling this mix I re-read Liz' 1994 Rolling Stone cover story.
"Do You Love Me" Ridiculously catchy new Guster song, with pleasant Wall of Sound production.
"Can't Do A Thing (To Stop Me)" Chris Isaak. Apparently there's a cable channel called FUSE, which aired a special Fifty Sexiest Music Videos Ever. My wife and I were not surprised to find the "Wicked Game" video at Number One, which inspired including this Isaak song.
"Hackensack" [live, acoustic] The fact that Katy Perry has heard Fountains of Wayne, and recorded a nice cover song, has raised my opinion of her. It's still unfortunate that she married Russell Brand.
"Ugly Truth Rock" Matthew Sweet
"1901" Phoenix. It's like Duran Duran and Joy Division had a love child in France with Bryan Ferry as the midwife.
"Pictures of Matchstick Men" Camper Van Beethoven
"It Ain't The Cold War Harry" Grant-Lee Phillips

124: The Hank Scorpio Dictionary of Soul

2009-12-01T15:28:00.002-05:00

"These Days" R.E.M. Live at the Olympia. Have you ever continued to follow your favorite band long after their creative peak, then looked back in regret, wishing you hadn't bought their last four albums? I used to be a big fan of R.E.M. I have all their CDs up through Reveal (2001). Not long after that, I looked back at the previous decade, and wished I had given up the R.E.M. habit after Automatic for the People in 1992. If anyone is interested in buying used copies of Monster (1994), New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996), Up (1998), and Reveal, let me know...
Soap on a Rope" Chickenfoot. A unabashedly retro hard rock supergroup: Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith. I got this single for free on Amazon.
"I Hate My Generation" Cracker
"Camera One" Josh Joplin Group sounds remarkably like R.E.M.
"(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" Weezer. I have never been a particular fan of Weezer, but this song is a lot of fun.
"Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell has very similar guitar rhythm to the Weezer song, above.
"Carol Brown" by Flight of the Conchords turns "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" back on the guy. I love Jemaine talking back to his ex-girlfriend backing chorus.
"Already Gone" might be my favorite Eagles song.
"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" (Extended Club Mix) Hall & Oates. I am a collector of 12-inch dance remixes, specifically remixes of 1980s rock and pop songs (non-disco.) I have never heard of a group re-releasing their remixes as part of catalog reissues, but I found some Hall & Oates remixes re-released on Amazon.
"Mississippi" Sheryl Crow. Thanks to RDM for including this song on a mix CD he gave me. Bob Dylan's original version is one of the first songs my son heard on our iPod the day after he was born.
"I'm Looking Through You" The Beatles. I have liked singing to my son since Day One (literally.) I sang this song to him on Day One. I don't know how I chose this song, but there you go.
"Rock Me On The Water" Jackson Browne
"In Your Room" The Bangles. In November 2009, I saw one of my favorite musicians, Matthew Sweet, live onstage in Arlington MA (!!) as part of his "Under The Covers" side project with ex-Bangle Susannah Hoffs. One of the final performances of the night was an acoustic version of "In Your Room". NOTE: Susannah and I share a birthday!
"Planet Claire" The B-52's. I saw a cheer group dance to this song in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2009.
"Poker Face" Lady Gaga
"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" Tina Turner. I also used to sing the chorus of this song to my newborn son. Who knows why.
"Free Will" Rush
"Maggie May" Susannah Hoffs & Matthew Sweet
"Singalong Junk" Paul McCartney. Another singalong to my son.

LEFT: Me and my son, 2009.
RIGHT: Paul and Mary McCartney, 1970.

123 No Man Can Say

2009-09-01T17:31:00.002-04:00

This mix is not particularly inspired- it's overloaded with random songs pulled from CDs and LPs I had recently bought at yard sales.

"Mais Que Nada" Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 • One of those instrumentals I have heard a thousand times and never knew the name. I heard it in the movie Joe Versus The Volcano, so I was able to find the title in the end credits and VOILA here we are. Also known as Music From A Baseball Pitching Change.
"Too Many Dicks [On the Dancefloor]" Flight of the Conchords • I am glad to hear that FOTC is not going to continue for a third season on HBO. I loved season 1, but season 2 was nowhere near as good. This song was a highlight!
"White Lines [Don't Do It]" Duran Duran feat. Grandmaster Flash • Craig Ferguson once lip-synched this song (with a puppet chorus) as the cold open of The Late Late Show, I shit you not.
"We'll Be Together" • Sting
"I DoWanna Know" REO Speedwagon • I had not heard this song in 20 years when I found the LP at Antiques USA in Arundel, ME, for $2. Not exactly a rock 'n' roll classic, I had seen the video for it as a teenager, on Boston's UHF video channel V-66. For some strange reason, this completely ordinary rock song's catchy chorus stuck with me into the 21st century. Listening to it again for the first time in two decades was like watching a video of a long lost dream. Very trippy.
"Sonny Feeling" • Wilco
"Bittersweet" • Hoodoo Gurus
"Baby You're A Rich Man" [mono mix, 2009 remaster] • The Beatles
"Sugar Magnolia" Matthew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs • A Grateful Dead cover from their second disc of classic rock cover songs, Under The Covers Vol 2. I went to see the dynamic duo play an acoustic set, with my friends George and Mandy, in November.
"Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)" Hall & Oates • From Hall & Oates early seventies era.
"It Hasn't Happened Yet" John Hiatt • From John Hiatt's pre-fame era.
"Slowly [oh so slowly]" • Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band
"Rock'n Me '76 Slow" Steve Miller Band • An outtake from the Fly Like An Eagle sessions, it's a slow acoustic version of the rock classic.
"Across The River" • Bruce Hornsby & The Range
"Don't Change" • INXS

"Girl Of 100 Lists" The Go-Gos • I was inspired to include this song after reading a 1983 Rolling Stone cover story about the Go-Gos.
"Time Stand Still" The Hooters • Only after I bought this song on iTunes did I realize why it sounded so good- it's a unintentional remake of their own song "Satellite". Oh well.
"Rollin' And Tumblin'" Canned Heat • I first heard this blues standard covered on Eric Clapton Unplugged.
"Hey Ya" Booker T. • The organist/leader of Booker T. & The MG's covers the Outkast song on the organ!

Fifty Bands

2009-08-04T12:41:00.005-04:00

This post was inspired by a Facebook meme that's going around.

"Test your memory and your love of live music by listing 50 artists or bands (or as many as you can remember) you've seen in concert. List the first 50 acts that come into your head. An act you saw at a festival and opening acts count, but only if you can't think of 50 other artists. Oh, and list the first concert you ever saw (you can remember that, can’t you)?" I tried to leave out:

bands you've never heard of;
bands I saw at Lollapalooza;
bands I saw for free;
and bands whose concerts I have no memory of!

Here's what remains, in pure stream-of-consciousness order:

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mother's Milk tour, Orpheum 1988? Still the loudest concert ever.
Peter Gabriel is the first concert I saw, at Great Woods in 1987, with Youssou N'Dour opening. My mom went with me. I saw PG again on the US tour, and again on the UP tour.
ZZ Top, the Worcester Centrum...
...and The Black Crowes opened for ZZ Top on the Recycler tour in 1990!
Paul McCartney 1989 and 2001
The Dead Milkmen
Violent Femmes, Orpheum, 1994? I thought the balcony was going to collapse during "Blister in the Sun".
Billy Joel at the old Boston Garden, on the Storm Front tour; even in 1990 he could not sing the high parts in "An Innocent Man" anymore.
AC/DC, I think it was the Blow Up Your Video tour, with Cinderella opening.
Aerosmith: December 31, 1989, at the old Boston Garden, with Skid Row opening.
Wilco 2002, 2003, 2009
Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band
Ben Folds, 2002- the cover photo of Ben Folds Live was taken at the show I went to.
Letters to Cleo, Avalon
Bob Dylan 1999, 2004?
Natalie Merchant, twice in the 1990s
Liz Phair 1998, 2003
The Breeders
Bob Mould
John Hiatt
Nick Lowe
Sting 1987, 1988
Sinead O'Connor
Bruce Springsteen 1992, 1995, 2001
Fountains of Wayne
The Thorns
The Jayhawks
Chicago
The Beach Boys
Little Feat
Steve Miller Band
George Thorogood
Spin Doctors
The Lemonheads
R.E.M.
Barenaked Ladies twice
Buffalo Tom
New Pornographers
At this point, I could not think of any more off the top of my head, so I read some old blog posts to jar my memory...
Lucinda Williams
Squeeze
John Wesley Harding
Pearl Jam at the Orpheum, on the Versus tour, maybe the best show I have ever seen.
Ellis Paul
Robert Plant at SXSW is the closest I have been to a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer- me, my wife, and our friends were all up against the barricades for this show.
Prince
Hall & Oates
The Cranberries
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Indigo Girls
Guster

They said you was going to put me on the shelf...

2009-06-19T14:09:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been totally overexposed to your favorite band, TV show, or movie, that you never want to see them again? I saw the movie Pulp Fiction six times in the theater in 1994 and 1995, and in the 14 years since, I don't think I have seen it once. The same thing has happened to me with classic rock. There was a time about ten years ago when I was tired of classic rock. I had been listening to classic rock as a fan and as a DJ since I was a teenager. Ten years later, I was oversaturated. In 1999, creaky old bands from the 1970s were at the low ebb of coolness. Around that time, I sold a bunch of my CDs at a yard sale. Normally I never get rid of any CDs, but I was at a place in my life where I never thought I would want to listen to these bands again:

JOURNEY: Greatest Hits
CHICAGO's Greatest Hits
The EAGLES Their Greatest Hits 1971-75
The EAGLES Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
RUSH: Chronicles

Fast-forward to the 21st century. I have spent most of the 2000s NOT listening to classic rock, both on the radio and around the house. I have started to miss these bands. I want to invite "25 or 6 to 4", "Already Gone", and "Limelight" back into my life. Thankfully, I can reclaim these hits collections without giving Don Henley any more of my money. My mother-in-law gave me access to her old records, where I found Chicago's Greatest Hits, Volumes 1 AND 2; I have picked up copies of Journey's Evolution (1979) and Escape (1981); and I found The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 at a yard sale last weekend. That particular collection has sold 42,000,000 copies worldwide, so I was glad to find a used copy lying around!

I have been reunited with my classic rock roots. Perhaps in a few years I will be ready for Pulp Fiction again too?

122: All The Music That Fits

2009-05-26T14:29:00.002-04:00

While packing and preparing to move to a new apartment, I did a Thoreau-ian "simplify, simplify" purge of my possessions. Part of that project is recycling Rolling Stone back issues from the 1980s. Since I bought the complete Rolling Stone 1967-2007 on DVD-ROM, technically I don't need ANY of those back issues clogging up my bookcases anymore. Rather than unilaterally toss 'em all out, I only discarded the issues which were too tattered to keep, and/or the issues I had scissored to ribbons during my teenage collage-making days.

After placing those issues aside, but before dropping them in the recycling bin, I leafed through the stack: about a dozen issues, all from 1985-1989. This quick skim inspired some MP3 purchases from that era (see below).

Another side-effect of packing? A slew of new music discoveries. Since I hardly ever hear new music on the radio, I tend to find new music on the RCN Music Choice channel: Adult Alternative. And when do I listen to this channel? When packing boxes!

"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" by Vampire Weekend is my wife's new ringtone.
"All Around the World Or The Myth of Fingerprints" [demo], Paul Simon
"On A Night Like This" Los Lobos (from the movie soundtrack Masked and Anonymous)
"Take The Joker & Run" Steve Miller Band: I found a special re-release of Miller's Fly Like An Eagle, which includes several outtakes, including this one. It's a early version of "Take The Money & Run", but the arrangement is exactly like "The Joker". It's really funny and odd to hear it like that!
"Waiting for a Miracle" Bruce Cockburn
"Real Love" Lucinda Williams
"Smoking Gun" Robert Cray Band
"Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters" Elton John (I just bought his album Honky Chateau, and re-discovered this great song.)
"People Got A Lotta Nerve" Neko Case
"Satellite" The Hooters
"Trashcan" Delta Spirit
"Lips Like Sugar" Echo & The Bunnymen
"The Big Bang Theory (Theme)" Live in Concert, Barenaked Ladies
"Mykonos" Fleet Foxes
"Hurt Feelings" Flight of the Conchords
"Folsom Prison Blues" Merle Haggard & The Strangers: I like putting together the faux badasses of FotC next to the faux badass of this song.
"I Know" [live] Pat McGee
"I Want to Make The World Turn Around" I had completely forgotten this Steve Miller Band song until I read a review of the LP in my old Rolling Stone magazine...
"Used To Be Bad" A completely ordinary blues duet between two old fogies: Paul McCartney & Steve Miller.
"Absolutely Still" Better Than Ezra
I liked "OK It's Alright With Me" the first few times I heard it, but Eric Hutchinson is starting to sound like a second rate Jamie Cullum or Maroon 5?
"Phantom Limb" The Shins

Moving

2009-05-15T11:34:00.000-04:00

A lovely mix CD from my wife!

1.       "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" She & Him Volume One
2.       "I Got You (At the End of the Century)" Wilco Being There
3.       "Deep Red Bells" Neko Case Live from Austin
4.       "Los Angeles, I'm Yours" The Decemberists Her Majesty The Decembrists
5.       "Right Moves" Josh Ritter The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
6.       "Classic Cars" Bright Eyes Cassadaga
7.       "Cab" Train For Me, It's You
8.       "As Long As You Follow" Fleetwood Mac
9.       "One Sweet Duet" John Craigie A Picnic On the 405
10.   "Put Your Records On" Corinne Bailey Rae
11.   "The Way I Am" Ingrid Michaelson Girls and Boys
12.   "David" Nellie McKay Get Away from Me
13.   "Viva la Vida" Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
14.   "Campus" Vampire Weekend
15.   "The Underdog" Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
16.   "Keep the Car Running" Arcade Fire Neon Bible
17.   "Chocolate" Snow Patrol Final Straw
18.   "Come On Get Higher" (live) Sugarland Love On the Inside
19.   "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" Amos Lee
20.   "Passing Afternoon" Iron & Wine Our Endless Numbered Days

Easy Rockers of the 1970s

2009-03-19T14:59:00.002-04:00

In a prior life, I was a radio DJ at a series of radio stations in Maine and New Hampshire. The gig I'm talking about today was Portland's 93.1 WMGX. I was the overnight DJ at WMGX starting in 1996. When I joined WMGX, the music format was what we now jokingly call "Yacht Rock" or "Easy Rock". It was heavy on the early- to mid-seventies pop-rock. We played some contemporary music too, but the most memorable music we played was the Yacht Rock.

Back when I was a DJ, radio studios had special cassette decks which were wired to record only when the announcer's microphone was on. I could record all my "breaks" over a six-hour shift onto one side of a 60 minute tape. I have literally dozens of "aircheck" tapes of my nights on WMGX. I have listened to a few of these tapes recently, which has brought back a lot of memories of that line of work, and my life in the mid 1990s.

I had fun talking on the radio, and I actually liked the music we played. Deejaying can be a lot of fun, during the daytime, anyway, when the building is full of people. Overnights, however, is a lonely and boring shift. I basically played the music, read magazines, and killed time, between the spots where I actually talked. This was before there was free and easy Internet, so I couldn't sit and browse the Web, update my Facebook, and blog about how bored I was. If I have ever shared with you a mind-bendingly obscure bit of music trivia (did you know Melissa Etheridge is from Leavenworth, Kansas? Did you know Linda Rondstadt sings backup on "Heart of Gold"?), I know this stuff because I literally read every liner note, every music trivia book, and The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits cover to fucking cover.

I actually spent a lot of time making mix tapes in the studio down the hall- I would use my own CDs from home + CDs I borrowed from the enormous collection in the studio. I would start a song in the main studio, leave the studio doors ajar, and crank up the speakers. While working on a mix tape down the hall, I would half-listen to the music from the main studio. When a song I was playing over the air wound down, I would hustle back and press START on the next track, then back to the tape!

I also pilfered a ton of LPs from the station's old vinyl collection, which was literally packed away in a storage closet. I had zero guilt about taking home stacks of LPs that would never be used again, or, in a lot of cases, had never been used in the first place.

So working overnights paralyzed my social life, and crippled my weekends too- I never had a problem sleeping during the day, but on the weekends, I would attempt to switch back to a regular schedule, so I could spend time with my girlfriend, but I ended up staggering about in a zombie-like haze, trying to stay conscious during daylight hours.

Last but not least, all DJs are paid peanuts. If you don't like the pay, there's a dozen people happy to take less to do your job.

Here's a representative sampling of the "easy rockers" I played every night on WMGX, in no particular order.

NOTE: When in the following list I say we played "lots of" or "plenty of" an artist, that means we played the same few songs every day, NOT that we played a wide variety of their songs. I would guess we played no more than 6 or 7 songs by each of these artists, but we played all of these acts at least 4 or 6 times a day.

Lots of Van Morrison, including "Moondance" and "Brown-Eyed Girl" (of course), but also "Wavelength", a song I have never heard anywhere else.
I think the Program Director had a crush on Rod Stewart, because we played him constantly, including "Reason To Believe", "The First Cut is the Deepest", "Tonight's The Night", and "You're In My Heart".
Lots of Jackson Browne, including "The Pretender", "In The Shape Of A Heart", "You Love The Thunder" and "Running On Empty"
Lots of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, including "Southern Cross", "Carry On", and the ultimate bathroom break song, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes".
Billy Joel: Lots of the Piano Man, including "It's Still Rock n Roll To Me", "You May Be Right", and "Movin Out"
Lots and lots of Elton John, mostly "Levon", "Tiny Dancer", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight"
Plenty of James Taylor, but the least timeless of these songs has to be "Your Smiling Face".
All of The Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 1.
"Baker Street" and "Right Down The Line", by Gerry Rafferty
Classic one-hit wonder "Romeo's Tune", by Steve Forbert
"Crazy Love" by Poco
After voluntarily listening to Jimmy Buffett for the first time in a decade, I was struck how he is a mediocre singer, and his songs are all midtempo and dull. How is the Margaritaville myth so strong that "parrotheads" pay big bucks to see him every summer? We played lots of "Margaritaville", "Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes", "Cheeseburger In Paradise", and so on.
Pure Prairie League, "Amie"
"Dreamweaver" by Gary Wright
"Nights In White Satin" by The Moody Blues
The Doobie Brothers, "Black Water"
I think "Old Man" and "Heart of Gold" were the only two Neil Young songs we played. Trust me, I wanted to play "Cinnamon Girl", "Needle & The Damage Done", or "Rockin In The Free World" instead.
Plenty of Steely Dan, including "Do It Again" and "Reelin In The Years"

Coming soon: a sampler of the contemporary pop-rock I played back then.

121: More Records Than The KGB

2009-03-07T17:06:00.005-05:00

Mix 121 is named for a lyric from the song "Paper Planes" by M.I.A., which I also just bought as my new default mobile ringtone!

"A Venture", from The Yes Album, their debut LP. I bought this entire album on MP3 from the Amazon.com MP3 store for a dollar!
Paul McCartney wrote "Wings of a Nightingale" for The Everly Brothers' "comeback" album EB'84. I had heard OF this song for 25 years before I finally acquired a used copy of the LP and heard it for the first time. It's quite nice, but unexciting.
"The Frown Song" Ben Folds
"Looking Over My Shoulder" is from 'til tuesday's debut album Voices Carry. When I was a teenager, I borrowed this LP from the Topsfield Public Library, and I have had a crush on Aimee Mann ever since. I still think she looks incredibly sexy (if a bit intense!) in this cover photo.
I am a big fan of Squeeze. The only album of theirs which I hadn't listened to was 1985's Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti. A few months ago at a used record fair in Providence, R.I., I bought two 12-inch singles from that album: "King George Street" and "Last Time Forever". The 12-inch remixes were nothing special, but they inspired me to include the LP version of "King George Street" on this mix.
I first heard "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. in the awesome trailer for Pineapple Express. Since I don't listen to music on the radio, I didn't hear it again until I saw the railroad montage in Slumdog Millionaire.
"Crackin' Up" Bo Diddley
"Slippery Hips" is from the debut album by actresses Shawnee Smith & Missi Pyle. Smith is best known for the TV show Becker, and the five Saw movies. Pyle was in Galaxy Quest, Bringing Down The House, and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. I bought the album because I met Missi Pyle at the stage door of the Broadway show Boeing Boeing, and now I must do anything she tells me to!
"Creature From The Black Lagoon" Dave Edmunds
"Radiation Vibe" We just saw Fountains of Wayne at the Paradise Rock Club, on a all-acoustic, we're still working on the new album tour. They played ALL the songs we wanted to hear, including this one. We left that night 100% satisfied.
"Flaming Pie" This silly two and a half minute Paul McCartney piano boogie is infectious. I listened to it in the car three times in a row the other day.
"Function At The Junction" Shorty Long
"The Makings Of You" Curtis Mayfield
"Queen of the Supermarket" This might be the prettiest Bruce Springsteen song ever, and maybe the most romantic. Also, I can't recall another Springsteen song where he drops the F-bomb?
"It's All My Fault" John Wesley Harding
"Strange Overtones" David Byrne & Brian Eno
"15 Step" Radiohead
"Love Comes Tumbling" This is a b-side from U2's "Pride" 12-inch single. I put it on the mix because it reminds me of an old high school friend of mine who helped turn me into a diehard U2 fan. I already liked the song "Pride", and I had already seen the "Sunday Bloody Sunday" video, but she showed me why they were awesome! Meredith, this one's for YOU!

Ranking All 185 Beatles Songs

2009-01-23T16:11:00.009-05:00

Writer "JBev" completed a Herculean and thankless task: he ranked and reviewed all 185 Beatles songs (written by the Fab Four), from 185^st to 1^st. (NOTE: I am sorry to report that his website has disappeared since I first found it in 2009.) Of course I don't agree with all of his choices, but that's not the point.
I think it's kind of arbitrary to be so precise in your rankings- after all, how do you choose which song is 112th as opposed to 113th? -- but I have attempted something a little less precise. I have ranked all 185 original Beatles songs from 1/10 stars, to 10/10 stars, with two additional special categories- a 11/10 Stars Best of the Best, and a 0/10 Stars Bottom Ten list. Enjoy and Discuss!
NOTE: Each list is in alphabetical order.

0/10 Stars Bottom Ten
“Blue Jay Way”
“Don’t Bother Me”
“It’s All Too Much”
“Maggie Mae”
“Only A Northern Song”
“Revolution 9”
“Run For Your Life”
“Tell Me What You See”
“The Night Before”
“Wild Honey Pie”

1/10 Stars
“Dig It”
“I’ll Be Back”
“Julia”
“Little Child”
“The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill”
“Think For Yourself”
“Wait”
“When I Get Home”
2/10 Stars
“Ask Me Why”
“Doctor Robert”
“Hold Me Tight”
“I Wanna Be Your Man”
“I’ll Get You”
“I’m Happy Just To Dance With You”
“Love You To”
“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”
“Magical Mystery Tour”
“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”
“One After 909”
“Sun King”
“Tell Me Why”
“The Inner Light”
“The Word”
“Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?”
“Within You Without You”
“You Like Me Too Much”
“Your Mother Should Know”
3/10 Stars
“Another Girl”
“Baby’s In Black”
“Dig A Pony”
“Every Little Thing”
“Fixing A Hole”
“For You Blue”
“Hello Goodbye”
“Honey Pie”
“I Me Mine”
“I Need You”
“Not A Second Time”
“P.S. I Love You”
“Piggies”
“Savoy Truffle”
“Sexy Sadie”
“Thank You Girl”
“The Fool On The Hill”
“What Goes On”
“What You’re Doing”

4/10 Stars
“All Together Now”
“Baby You’re A Rich Man”
“Because”
“Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite”
“Cry Baby Cry”
“Day Tripper”
“Flying”
“Good Night”
“I Call Your Name”
“I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party”
“I Feel Fine”
“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
“I’ll Follow The Sun”
“Long, Long, Long”
“Rocky Raccoon”
“She’s A Woman”
“There’s A Place”
“You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)”

5/10 Stars
“All I’ve Got To Do”
“For No One”
“Good Day Sunshine”
“Her Majesty”
“I Am The Walrus”
“I Want To Tell You”
“I’m So Tired”
“Love Me Do”
“Martha My Dear”
“Mean Mr. Mustard”
“No Reply”
“Octopus’s Garden”
“Old Brown Shoe”
“Polythene Pam”
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
“You Never Give Me Your Money”
“You Won’t See Me”
6/10 Stars
“Ballad Of John And Yoko”
“Do You Want To Know A Secret”
“Don’t Pass Me By”
“Drive My Car”
“Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey”
“From Me To You”
“Get Back”
“Glass Onion”
“I Want To Hold Your Hand”
“I’ll Cry Instead”
“I’ve Got A Feeling”
“If I Needed Someone”
“It’s Only Love”
“She’s Leaving Home”
“Things We Said Today”
“This Boy”
“We Can Work It Out”
“Yes It Is”
“You Can’t Do That”

7/10 Stars
“All You Need Is Love”
“And I Love Her”
“And Your Bird Can Sing”
“Any Time At All”
“Come Together”
“Eight Days A Week”
“Good Morning Good Morning”
“Happiness Is A Warm Gun”
“Hey Bulldog”
“I’m A Loser”
“I’m Down”
“I’m Looking Through You”
“I’ve Just Seen A Face”
“Lovely Rita”
“Michelle”
“Oh! Darling”
“Revolution 1”
“She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”
“Yer Blues”

8/10 Stars
“All My Loving”
“Birthday”
“Can’t Buy Me Love”
“Don’t Let Me Down”
“Girl”
“Got To Get You Into My Life”
“Helter Skelter”
“I Will”
“If I Fell”
“Misery”
“Nowhere Man”
“Paperback Writer”
“Taxman”
“When I’m Sixty-Four”
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
“With A Little Help From My Friends”
“Yellow Submarine”
“You’re Going To Lose That Girl”

9/10 Stars
“A Hard Day’s Night”
“Back In The U.S.S.R.”
“Getting Better”
“Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End”
“Help!”
“Here Comes The Sun”
“I Should Have Known Better”
“I’m Only Sleeping”
“It Won’t Be Long”
“Lady Madonna”
“Mother Nature’s Son”
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
“Penny Lane”
“Please Please Me”
“Revolution”
“She Said She Said”
“Ticket To Ride”
“Two Of Us”
“You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”
10/10 Stars
“A Day in the Life”
“Blackbird”
“Eleanor Rigby”
“Here, There, And Everywhere”
“In My Life”
“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
“Tomorrow Never Knows”

11/10 Stars Best of the Best
“Across The Universe”
“Dear Prudence”
“Hey Jude”
“I Saw Her Standing There”
“Let It Be”
“Rain”
“She Loves You”
“Something”
“Strawberry Fields Forever”
“The Long And Winding Road”
“Yesterday”

120: Everything In Its Right MIX

2009-01-08T14:19:00.003-05:00

I have been listening to this mix in the car for a few days, and I think it's done. Now I just have to give it a title!

"Cleanin' Up The Town" by The Busboys is from the movie Ghostbusters. The words tell the story of the movie!
"Barbara Ann" from The Beach Boys Party, an album recorded to sound like a house party where the Beach Boys are sitting around the living room, jamming on their favorite songs unplugged.
"Nutmeg" by John Legend, is a sexy and hilarious song about the ultimate eggnog condiment, from A Steven Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!
"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" My mother listened to a lot of pop-country when I was growing up. One of my strongest, earliest memories of music is this Crystal Gayle song.
The Replacements' "Skyway" is about those heated passageways between buildings in Minneapolis, to keep the public warm in the wintertime.
I heard "Tulsa County" by Son Volt on my iPod Shuffle All Songs function.
I first heard "Guitars, Cadillacs" by Dwight Yoakam in the background of the honky tonk scene in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, where the Terminator acquires his biker clothes at the beginning of the movie. At the same time I bought this song on iTunes, I also picked up his cover of "Suspicious Minds". The review of his Best Of CD said that Yoakam is the first choice of alt-rock hipsters who want to buy some legit contemporary country music.
"Here Comes The Weekend" Dave Edmunds
"Topaz" I really enjoy the entire B-52's album Cosmic Thing.
"Carry On" Maybe my favorite song from Crosby Stills Nash, and Young.
"She's My Baby" I have been listening to a lot of the Traveling Wilburys lately.
"Love is For Lovers" The Db's were a one-hit wonder; lead singer Peter Holsapple might be more famous for his work with R.E.M. This song was a near-miss single, which I have on the POPTOPIA Power Pop collection from Rhino. Holsapple wrote an extended blog posting about the making of this song for the New York Times.
I love the guitar hook on "Rumbleseat", from John Cougar Mellencamp.
"Another Done Somebody Wrong Song", My mother listened to a lot of pop-country when I was growing up. One of my strongest, earliest memories of music is this B.J. Thomas song. Thomas's biggest hit was "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head".
"Tighten Up" Archie Bell & The Drells
"Everything In It's Right Place" Somehow, the structure of this Radiohead song reminds me of the following track...
When you hear "Motown", people usually think of fun and good times. "You Keep Me Hangin On" by Diana Ross & The Supremes is as serious as a heart attack! Such drama in the words and the music.
I love the super-1980s drum sound on the J. Geils Band's "Flamethrower".
The Futureheads' song "Robot" is a leftover song from my mix The Future.
"Hip-Hug Her" is an instrumental by Booker T. & The M.G.s, better known for their "pitching change at a ballgame" instrumental "Green Onions".

Yankee Swap 2008: "The Future"

2008-12-12T11:31:00.003-05:00

The theme of this year's Yankee Swap was THE FUTURE. I was very pleased when a CD-R of my mix got "swapped" several times around the party!

When I first thought of this idea, all I had in mind was "In The Year 2525" by Zager & Evans, "Mr Roboto" by Styx, and "The Body Electric" by Rush. I had an OK first draft done when I asked my lovely wife for her perspective. She thought it was too focused on robots and spaceships, and she started suggesting songs about "things that will happen someday" which are NOT sci-fi oriented. Her ideas vastly improved the mix, as you will see...

Battlestar Galactica Theme: My brother used this song (from the classic 1970s TV show) as his wedding ceremony recessional theme. I kid you not.
"1999" Prince: A 26-year-old song, about partying 9 years ago, IS about the future.
"Fly Like An Eagle" Steve Miller Band, aka "Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin... into the future!"
"Until The End of the World": My wife thought of this one.
"Robots [live]" From the Flight of the Conchords CD THE DISTANT FUTURE: 'It is the distant future. The year 2000.'
"The Body Electric" Rush
"Someday I Suppose" I found this Mighty Mighty Bosstones song because it's next to "Someday, Someway" in my iTunes.
"My Science Fiction Twin" Elvis Costello: Another suggestion from my wife.
"The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" Timbuk 3
I found the Leonard Cohen song "The Future", from the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, by searching for FUTURE in iTunes.
I bought the Flaming Lips song "One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21" especially for this mix,
"Robot Chicken Theme" The show Robot Chicken isn't actually about the future per se, but this Les Claypool instrumental is short and fun.
"Pets" by Porno for Pyros song is perfect for this mix. I first heard this song as Beavis & Butthead were watching the video for it on MTV!
"In The Year 2525" The words to this Zager & Evans hit are kinda weird!
"Robot Parade" There were many They Might Be Giants songs to choose from.
"Mr. Roboto" Styx
The Jetsons Theme: I could not find the original theme song on iTunes, so I settled for this barely-better-than Casio keyboard recording.
"Attack El Robot! Attack!" Calexico
"When I'm Sixty Three and a Half" After the Beatles recorded "When I'm Sixty-Four" in late 1966, Paul McCartney, intending to make his voice sound "younger", asked producer George Martin to speed up the master tape, just enough to shift the key of the song a half-step sharp. To undo this change, I have pitch-shifted the song a half-step down (flat), to match the key in which McCartney originally sang it. The tempo has not been changed.)
"Someday We'll Know" New Radicals
"Someday, Someway" Marshall Crenshaw
"My Flying Saucer" Billy Bragg & Wilco
Star Trek Theme
"Tomorrow Never Knows" The Beatles

Two Minutes, 42 seconds

2008-12-08T16:21:00.002-05:00

As I write this, I am listening to a mix of songs which only have one thing in common- they're all 2 minutes, 42 seconds long. There's this internet "meme" going around which says that 2:42 is a "magic number" for great songs, so I'm putting it to the test. I sorted my entire iTunes library by length (13,000 songs). Then I selected ALL the songs which clock in at 2:42. Then I weeded it down to about 30 songs, down to a small group of songs or bands I especially like. I haven't sequenced this group at all. Here's the result:

"Under The Boardwalk" The Drifters
"Streets of Fire" New Pornographers
"Lighten Up" Beastie Boys
"Oceans" Pearl Jam
"September Gurls" The Bangles
"The Way You Do The Things You Do" The Temptations
"In My Room" Grant Lee Buffalo
"Divine Hammer" The Breeders
"Sheila Take a Bow" The Smiths
"Revolving Dora" Fountains of Wayne
"Leggy Blonde" Flight of the Conchords
"Lovely Rita" The Beatles
"Poison Ivy" The Coasters
"May Queen" Liz Phair
"Come See About Me" Supremes
"Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" Nick Lowe
"Don't Worry Baby" Beach Boys
"From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)" Bruce Springsteen
"Pictures of Lily" The Who
"I Second That Emotion" Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
"You Never Can Tell" Chuck Berry
"Go Home" Barenaked Ladies
"California Dreamin'" The Mamas & Papas
"Teen Beat" Fleetwood Mac

Not surprisingly, the mix leans heavily on the early 1960s, and the 1970s and 1980s are barely present!

119: ROCK You Can Believe In

2008-11-04T14:43:00.002-05:00

Use of my iPod's "Shuffle Songs" tool continues to heavily influence my song selection: letting pure chance pick out great unknown songs from my favorite bands is paying dividends!

"Dropped" Phantom Planet: A great kick-off song. I find a lot of new songs and new artists these days from the soundtracks of TV shows. For example, NBC's action-comedy Chuck includes a lot of alt-rock music on the soundtrack. But where do I go when I want to hear more from the band whose song was featured in that chase sequence? Most popular shows have fansites which list songs from each episode. I love the Internet!
"Sarayushka" Andy West, Henry Kaiser, & Michael Maksymenko: This is a faithful cover of the ZZ Top song "La Grange", sung in Russian. The LP is called Crazy Backwards Alphabet. In college, I was the host of a radio show Gyroscope on WERS-FM Boston, which featured world music, plus all sorts of avant garde jazz, and whatever else the college DJs felt like. Having no world music background, I specialized in covers of classic rock: The Gipsy Kings covering "Hotel California" in Spanish, Tito Puente covering "Day Tripper", A polka rendition of "People Are Strange", a bluegrass cover of "Brain Damage", and this nugget.
"Wild Rock Music!" is a mashup: Madonna singing "Music" over Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". Mashed up by smash@mash-ups.co.uk
"27 Jennifers": Mike Doughty is the former lead singer of Soul Coughing. The singles off his solo CDs (this song is from Golden Delicious) are decidedly more "poppy" and less "out there" than Soul Coughing (which I appreciate!)
"Should've Been In Love" from Wilco's debut album A.M.
"Sweet Soul Dream" World Party: All my favorite contemporary bands in high school were heavily Beatles-influenced, including World Party. I found this track thanks to my iPod's "Shuffle Songs" setting.
"Nobody's Child", The Traveling Wilburys donated this maudlin track to Nobody's Child, a CD to benefit Romanian orphans.
"Debra" An exceedingly silly "white soul" classic from Beck.
"Smile On" Deee-Lite
"Proto-Pretty", The Wondermints were a one-hit wonder. I found this song on the Power Pop collection Poptopia.
"My Bird Performs", XTC: I did not like the XTC album Nonsuch at first, but it's grown on me.
"Great DJ", The Ting Tings: I heard this song featured on the podcast of a good friend of mine. Check out Radio Free Jersey.
"Something Beautiful": Back in the late 1990s, I was a big fan of Tracy Bonham's first two albums, The Burdens of Being Upright and Down Here, but I had lost track of her over the last decade. I went on iTunes and bought a few more recent tracks of hers, including this gem.
"The Twist", Frightened Rabbit: This song (also featured on the TV show Chuck) needs a better arrangement, but it's catchy nonetheless.
"Dance Me to the End of Love": All I know about Madeline Peyroux is that she sounds just like Billie Holliday.
"Dark Side of Night": Foxboro Hot Tubs are a "secret" side project of Green Day. They're going for a mid-1960s garage rock sound here.
"Borrowing Time", Aimee Mann
"You Don't Know Me", Ben Folds featuring Regina Spektor: There aren't many artists whose CDs I will buy automatically when they come out. Aimee Mann and Ben Folds are on the list. This Ben Folds song, a duet with Regina Spektor, is insanely catchy. The album, Way To Normal, is hit-or-miss, but the several gems make up for some underbaked dross. I think I mixed too many metaphors there!
"Chelsea Dagger", The Fratellis: Also known as "the song from that Amstel Light commercial."
"The 20th Century Is Over", Ellis Paul: My wife and her parents are huge Ellis Paul fans. I think he's great too, but I am still getting to know his stuff, including this dark, non-folky track from his album Sweet Mistakes.
"Fake Empire" The National: This song was featured on at least one Obama campaign video, including the one played in Chicago soon before Barack stepped onstage on Election Night. My friend Julie heard it and identified it for us. Obama's campaign slogan CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN was the inspiration for this mix's title.

118: I Hear The Bells

2008-10-07T12:59:00.002-04:00

Aye Davanita - Pearl Jam. I found this brief instrumental from Vitalogy thanks to the Shuffle Songs feature on my iPod.
Watch The Sunrise - Big Star. Ditto.
Viva La Vida - Coldplay. Another iPod commercial song!
Use It (live) - The New Pornographers perform one of my favorite songs of theirs (an iTunes exclusive.)
You Can Call Me Late - Paul Simon. I went to a wedding this summer where the awesome wedding band played "You Can Call Me Al" followed by "Late in the Evening." A few months later, as I deejayed a birthday party for a friend, I cross-faded these two songs together, right at the bass solo in "Al." The birthday girl had danced at the wedding, so I hoped she would get a kick out of dancing to these two songs again. It worked!
Hanging Upside Down - David Byrne. Another iPod shuffle discovery.
Too Much of Nothing - Peter, Paul and Mary. Ditto.
Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? - She & Him.
Celebrity Sanctum - Dogs Die in Hot Cars. Another iPod shuffle discovery. DDIHC are also known as "That Band That Sounds Exactly Like XTC. Seriously, It's Uncanny."
Good Times - Hoodoo Gurus, featuring The Bangles on backup vocals. The Bangles have also contributed backing vocals to a Tom Petty song, "Waiting For Tonight."
I Hear The Bells - Mike Doughty.
Stars & Planets - Liz Phair.
Shine - Tracy Bonham was a alt-rock star for one season in the Alanis Morrisette Era, with her song "Mother Mother". I have two of her CDs, and I am glad to hear she's still making music.
High & Dry - Jamie Cullum
I Feel It All - Feist
I Still Want You - The Del Fuegos. I found the Del Fuegos' LP Boston, Mass. at a hipster's yard sale in Arlington last summer. The Del Fuegos were one of those early 1980s rock bands who got signed to a major label, put out one LP, and were never heard from again. Every local music scene has that band which "shoulda been a contender", but never caught anyone's attention at the national level. The Del Fuegos have become a footnote to lead singer Dan Zanes' successful second careeer as a children's music star.
Scare Easy - Mudcrutch. This boring Tom Petty song is from his reunion-ized early 1970s band Mudcrutch.
F.N.T. - Semisonic. I read the rock memoir from the drummer of Semisonic. Titled "So You Want to be A Rock & Roll Star", it might as well have been called "Diary of a One-Hit Wonder." I like their music: their hit "Closing Time" might be my least-favorite song of theirs. After reading about the endless touring and promotional interviews for their singles, I felt obliged to buy a few of these songs from iTunes!
Sweet Sweet Baby (I'm Falling) - Lone Justice
Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen.

Sharon's Birthday Dance Party

2008-09-27T15:45:00.005-04:00

Here's a playlist I assembled in preparation for a four-hour birthday dance party for my friends Sharon and Marc. Of course, there's no way to play 100 songs in four hours, so many of these songs didn't get played that night, but this was my roadmap for the night's voyage.

Instrumental Background Music: these ten instrumentals were set aside for the first hour when the guests were arriving.

Groove Holmes • Beastie Boys
Mick's Up • Style Council
Cantaloupe Island
Guero Canelo • Calexico
The Staunton Lick • Lemon Jelly
Untitled Instrumental • Bo Diddley
Flying • The Beatles
Homage to Patagonia • Lemon Jelly
S'il vous Plait • Fantastic Plastic Machine
Rodney Yates • David Holmes

Swing & Soul: It's important to play some golden oldies at the outset, to give the older early birds (parents, grandparents) something easy to dance to before they split.

A String of Pearls • Glenn Miller
Flip, Flop, and Fly • Big Joe Turner
Jump, Jive, and Wail • Louis Prima
Rock Around The Clock • Bill Haley & His Comets
Mustang Sally • Wilson Pickett
Lonely Teardrops • Jackie Wilson
Tequila • The Champs
Diner • Martin Sexton
Little Bitty Pretty One • Clyde McPhatter
Let's Stay Together • Al Green
Mr. Big Stuff • Jean Knight
Ruby Baby • The Drifters
Sweet Soul Music • Arthur Conley
Tears Dry on Their Own • Amy Winehouse

Birthday • The Beatles
Let's Get This Party Started • Black-Eyed Peas
Mr. Blue Sky • ELO
History Repeating • The Propellerheads featuring Shirley Bassey
My Sharona • The Knack
You Dropped a Bomb On Me • The Gap Band
Best of My Love • Emotions
I'm Coming Out • Diana Ross
What I Like About You • The Romantics
September • Earth, Wind, and Fire
Atomic Dog • George Clinton
If You Don't Know Me By Now • Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Take a Chance On Me • ABBA
Like A Virgin [ext dance mix] • Madonna
Faith • George Michael

Totally Eighties: Alternative & New Wave

Kiss Me On The Bus • The Replacements
This Charming Man • Smiths
Just Can't Get Enough • Depeche Mode
Bizarre Love Triangle • New Order
Tainted Love • Soft Cell
Don't You Want Me • Human League
The Safety Dance • Men Without Hats
Don't Bring Me Down • ELO
Borderline [new mix] • Madonna
Don't Stop Til You Get Enough • Michael Jackson
Wake Me Up Before You Go Go • Wham!
Love Shack • The B-52's

Hip Hop

Hey Ladies • The Beastie Boys
Bust A Move • Young MC
Me Myself and I • De La Soul
Fantastic Voyage • Coolio
Cantaloop • US3
Connected • Stereo MC's

Soul

Dashboard • Modest Mouse
Jackie Wilson Said • Van Morrison
The Underdog • Spoon
Everyday People • Sly & The Family Stone
Sly • The Cat Empire
Short Skirt, Long Jacket • Cake
Tenderness • General Public
Close To Me • The Cure
When The Stars Go Blue • Blake Lewis
Sexx Laws • Beck

Groove Is In The Heart • Deeee-Lite
Shotgun • Junior Walker & The All-Stars
Do You Love Me? • The Contours
Good Times • Chic
Come On Eileen • Dexy's Midnight Runners
Private Eyes • Hall & Oates
Soul Finger • The Bar-Kays
Night Fever • The Bee Gees
Waterloo • ABBA
Signed, Sealed, Delivered • Stevie Wonder
Hey Ya! • Outkast
Raspberry Beret • Prince & The Revolution
I Wanna Dance With Somebody • Whitney Houston
Machine Gun • Kool & The Gang
Superstition • Stevie Wonder
It Wouldnt Have Made Any Difference • Todd Rundgren
Ain't Too Proud To Beg • The Temptations
I Got Ants In My Pants • James Brown
Tears of A Clown • Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Good Lovin' • The Rascals
You Can Call Me Al/Late In The Evening • Paul Simon
Suspicious Minds • Elvis Presley
Poison • Bel Biv Devoe
Creep • TLC

Last Call: The Party Wraps Up. Because I knew that I had over-scheduled the playlist, I set aside 10 songs for the end of the night. I went to this section when I discovered the "last gasp" of the party about to arrive.

Been Caught Stealing [12" remix] • Jane's Addiction
Love Rollercoaster • The Ohio Players
Rock Your Body • Justin Timberlake
Smile • Lily Allen
The Sweet Escape • Gwen Stefani
Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex • CSS
Get Ur Freak On • Missy Elliott
Dancing Queen • ABBA
Dancing With Myself • Billy Idol
Let's Go Crazy • Prince & The Revolution

117: Empress Zhangsun

2008-05-14T12:41:00.000-04:00

I got the title and "artist" of this mix from a posting on the Brainiac blog at Boston.com. The game was to create a real-sounding artist and CD title from random Wikipedia entries, and real-looking cover art from random images on the Web.
ARTIST: Empress Zhangsun
TITLE: Effect of a Habit

Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
Music is My Hot, Hot Sex - CSS (from an iPod Touch commercial.)
Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
Hold Your Head Up - Argent (one of the true one-hit wonders. I don't think Argent ever had another Top 40 single.)
The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani (aka my ringtone)
Don't Bring Me Down (live) - A cover of the ELO song by The New Pornographers (an iTunes exclusive)
Sweet Emotion - Mike Gordon and Leo Kottke (a mellow cover of the Aerosmith song)
Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well - Mike Doughty
From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) - Dave Edmunds covers a fun, late-1970s Bruce Springsteen song. Edmunds is one of the rare rockers of the singer-songwriter era to specialize in covering his contemporaries' material. I bought this LP at a yard sale exclusively for this song.
Everybody Went Low - John Hiatt
Reggae Merengue - Tommy McCook & The Supersonics (this instrumental was sampled by Lily Allen for her song "LDN")
Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band (how are you supposed to find instrumentals like this when there's no lyrics? Also, DJs don't announce all their songs anymore. I may have gone online to check a station's online playlist to track down this frequent movie soundtrack staple.)
Gotta Get Back - Shelby Lynne
Please Read The Letter - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Precious (live) The Pretenders, live at the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, December 1979. I bought the two-LP set in Central Square, Cambridge, last winter.
Thankful - Glenn Phillips (This song from the former Toad The Wet Sprocket singer was a free download from iTunes. I think I was given this promo download as a credit-card-style coupon at SXSW in 2007?
Blue - The Thorns
Gypsy March - Grand Ole Party (I saw the GOP at the free party for BUST Magazine, at SXSW 2008.)
Bodysnatchers - Radiohead
Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) - The Temptations

116: Soup Du Jour

2008-02-17T12:36:00.006-05:00

I don't know why I haven't called a mix "Soup of the Day" before?

The Cover: A collage of snaps from our digital camera, including a view of New York City, me playing guitar at this very desk, our cat Max and his needlepoint doppleganger, and our infant friend Isaac.

The Tracks: Only six of the songs are from the 20th century:

Oh Well- Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon (a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song)
Smile (Mark Ronson Remix) - Lily Allen
Pressure Drop - Keith Richards and Toots & The Maytals (free? on iTunes)
Tenderness (Live at the Channel 1984) - I really like this modern soul song from General Public. Too much of the soul music of the Eighties has aged poorly, but this track still sounds good. I found this live recording on a cancer benefit record called LIVE! for LIFE, which we had in the library of my high school radio station, WBMT 88.3 FM. In those days, I had a negative bias against live recordings, but now I am totally into finding rare live records like this. I also like the idea that this was recorded in Boston, a mere 28 miles from where I was living my 12-year-old existence, playing air guitar along with "Footloose" and dreaming of seeing Bruce Springsteen at Giants Stadium.
Union, Jack - Big Audio Dynamite (I only heard this song once before: when I was interning for Neal Robert at WFNX in 1993, he played this track, whose drum track sounds like a sample from "Honky Tonk Women". Fast forward 14 years, and I buy a used vinyl copy of Megatop Phoenix at a record shop in Red Bank, NJ, for $2, and here we are...)
You Only Live Once - The Strokes (I think I found this song while listening to the Adult Alternative channel on my cable TV.)
Hollywood - Collective Soul (I heard this shameless Cars style-ripoff on WXRV and I knew it would make it onto a mix someday.)
If You're Into It - Flight of the Conchords
The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson (I am only a little embarrassed when I include songs from iTunes commercials on my mixes.)
Dark Horse - The title track from the George Harrison LP best known for George's rough, laryngitis-damaged vocals.
Everywhere I Go - I really like the chorus of Shawn Mullins's almost-hit.
Fair - This piano arrangement on this recording-- from Ben Folds's 1990 solo demo tape-- sounds like "Virtual Insanity", which never ceases to amuse me.
Make It Easier - My high school radio station, WBMT 88.3 FM, was on the mailing list of only a few select record labels. Because we had nearly no budget for buying music, we ended up playing a lot of music from artists whose music we got for free. One of those labels who sent us free records was Epic, home of Living Coloür and Indigo Girls, along others. That's the long story of where I got to know Indigo Girls's music from the very beginning.
Ride - The Vines
Fell In Love with A Boy - Joss Stone
Long Limbed Girl - Nick Lowe (from his latest album "At My Age")
To Know Him Is To Love Him (Napster live session) - Amy Winehouse
Someone To Love - Fountains of Wayne
Yellow Ledbetter - A great Pearl Jam B-side from the Versus era. This song always reminds me of my old friend Meg (Goldstein) Chapman, who was the biggest PJ fan in the world back then.
September Gurls - From The Bangles second LP, Different Light, which I got for a penny from the RCA record club.
Wake Up - Rage Against The Machine (aka the closing credits song from The Matrix.)

115: Eye In The Sky

2008-02-17T12:29:00.004-05:00

#115 and 116 were composed simultaneously. The Cover: My wife's new commute route takes her past this monstrosity on a hill every day- that's her woodsy pondside road cutting diagonally through this Microsoft Visual Earth photo.

This disc is very current-heavy: over half the tracks are from the last five years, and seven of them are from 2007:

Tears Dry On Their Own - Amy Winehouse
Winning Ways - The Vines (I found this song on Music Choice channel 414.)
Hero Takes a Fall (Live in London 1986) - The Bangles
Robots (Live in NYC 2007) - Flight of the Conchords
LDN - Lily Allen
Our Town - Marshall Crenshaw
Traffic and Weather - Fountains of Wayne
Don't You Evah - Spoon
A Life Without You (Is No Life at All) - John C. Reilly (Reilly as Dewey Cox, singing a Roy Orbison-style torch song.)
Eye In The Sky - Jonatha Brooke (an interesting cover song, discovered on iTunes while looking for songs for my "1982" mix. I actually met Ms. Brooke circa 1992, when her former folk duo The Story visited WERS-FM.)
The Breakup Song - Greg Kihn (heard on the PA system before a New Pornographers concert.)
Casimir Pulaski Day - Sufjan Stevens (My wife included this song on a mix. Possibly the saddest song of the year!)
Uncle Walter - Ben Folds Five
Seen The Doctor - Michael Penn
All In My Head - Shawn Mullins
Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Getting Better (Live 2002) - Paul McCartney (I only bought this song because I remember liking the newly-arranged ending when I saw this show at the Meadowlands with my friend Robert.)
Happier (Live In Portland 2003) - Guster
Are We Ourselves? - The Fixx
Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
The Melee - Beastie Boys

1980s Party Playlist

2008-01-19T20:32:00.021-05:00

January 2008: My wife and I threw a birthday party for me at the local Elks lodge. We dragged my turntable, speakers, and an old receiver borrowed from my Dad from the back of my little Honda, we hung up some of my vintage 1980s T-shirts on the wall, and dressed up like the way we thought was cool in 1986 (see right).
Anticipation is half the fun, so I worked out a playlist in advance. I didn't have a mixer, so the transitions were all going to stink, but I wanted to be prepared. Besides bringing almost all of the 60 songs on vinyl, I also burned CD-Rs of the playlist and borrowed my wife's laptop + iTunes to play music too. I don't remember exactly how closely we stuck to the playlist, so I've edited the list below to reflect as many of the changes as I can recall.
Fifteen songs per hour is average, but many of these are extended remixes from 12-inch singles, so these 60 songs are closer to 5 hours of music.
I have learned the hard way not to start off too big. At the beginning of a party, no one's dancing yet anyway. The first half hour at least should be mood-setting, almost background music.

Is It Love • Mr. Mister: Not many people give a crap about Mr. Mister, and I must be the only person on Earth who still remembers this song. I got the LP from the RCA Record & Tape Club. That's how old school I am.
You Might Think • The Cars
Sanctify Yourself • Simple Minds
Raspberry Beret • Prince & The Revolution: Midtempo and not really danceable, but everyone loves Prince.
Sussudio • Phil Collins
Sledgehammer (extended dance remix) • Peter Gabriel: Petey was my first concert (the tour for this album in 1987) and I bought all the 12" singles for the So LP.
We Close Our Eyes (club mix) • Go West: File next to Mr Mister under "Bands Only I Remember Anymore"
Say Say Say • Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Like a Virgin (extended dance remix) • Madonna: There's lots of Madonna on this playlist. She never fails!
Be Near Me (munich mix) • ABC
Too Shy • Kajagoogoo
Dancing In The Dark (blaster mix) • Bruce Springsteen released three 12 inch singles from the album Born In The U.S.A. comprised of disco-fied remixes by dance producer Arthur Baker. This is the best of the bunch.
Freeway of Love (Extended Remix) • Aretha Franklin
Two Hearts (club mix) • I was totally surprised to find a 12 inch single of U2 remixes from so early in their career. I own several remixes of songs from Rattle & Hum and Achtung Baby, but finding this vinyl was a total surprise. The remix is tasteful, and seems to preserve Larry Mullen's original drum track.
Love Bites • Def Leppard

Here's the "Late 80s English Alternative" section:

Why Can't I Be You? • The Cure
Kiss Me On The Bus • The Replacements
This Charming Man • The Smiths
Just Can't Get Enough • Depeche Mode
Bizarre Love Triangle • New Order
New Sensation (nicks mix) • INXS
I Cant Wait (dutch mix) • Nu Shooz
I'll Tumble 4 Ya (12" remix) • Culture Club
Borderline (new mix) • Madonna
Drive • The Cars: A note on ballads. Only play 1 at a time, and space them out, every 20 or 30 minutes max.
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go • Wham!

Here's the "Late 80s Novelty Hip Hop" section:

Hey Ladies • Beastie Boys
Bust a Move • Young MC
Me Myself And I • De La Soul

Wild Wild Life (extended mix) • Talking Heads
Escapade • Janet Jackson
Big Time • Peter Gabriel
Something About You • Level 42
Poison Arrow (remix) • ABC
Angel (extended dance remix) • Madonna
Hello • Lionel Richie
Rio • Duran Duran
Tenderness • General Public: Nobody knows this band, but everyone loves the song.
Steppin' Out • Joe Jackson
True • Spandau Ballet
Don't You Want Me • The Human League
The Safety Dance • Men Without Hats: People LOVE dancing to this song. Any dance song which is also a novelty hit song works great.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) • Whitney Houston
Billie Jean • Michael Jackson
Heaven • Bryan Adams

I Feel For You • Chaka Khan
Material Girl (extended dance remix) • Madonna
Things Can Only Get Better • Howard Jones
Take On Me • A-Ha
That's Why They Call It the Blues • Elton John
Come On Eileen • Dexy's Midnight Runners: Another must-have.
Angel • Aerosmith
Hungry Like The Wolf • Duran Duran
Girls Just Want To Have Fun • Cyndi Lauper
When I Think Of You • Janet Jackson
Relax • Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Dancing With Myself • Billy Idol: People literally rushed to the dance floor like someone threw hundred-dollar bills everywhere.
Let's Go Crazy • Prince & The Revolution: The ideal last-song capper.

What did I take away from hosting my first live dance party?

People like to dance to novelty hits from their youth.
People like to dance to songs they know already. I tried playing some very danceable Style Council ("My Ever-Changing Moods"), and nobody danced. "But this song shows how cool I am!" I thought to myself. On the flip side (not literally), I didn't want to play "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" because it is hopelessly uncool. My wife forced me to play it AND SHE WAS RIGHT. The whole crowd danced their asses off.
Don't blow your wad right away. I hosted a dance party once where the first five songs were super hot and danceable, yet everyone was still saying "hi" and settling in, so no one danced.
I didn't think anyone would dance to "Dancing With Myself", but it really worked.
If you want to rock the "jacket with the sleeves pushed up" look (see my photo, top), you have to roll them up BEFORE you put the jacket on.

114: Living In The Now

2007-10-14T11:48:00.004-04:00

The Cover: Quite uninspired, actually. Just some mucking about with Photoshop. I do like the font choice.

The Tracks: Heavy on the new music, with a selection of vinyl:

I'm Shipping Up To Boston | DROPKICK MURPHYS
Dashboard | MODEST MOUSE
Runaway | TRAVELING WILBURYS (Another reason to love iTunes: the Traveling Wilburys recently released a box set, including their two albums, five extra tracks, etc. Since I already own the two albums, I was able to spend $4.96 to buy the five extra tracks a la carte, instead of shelling out for the whole box!)
Australia | THE SHINS (aka my wife's ringtone)
In The Mood | ROBERT PLANT
1,2,3,4 | FEIST (Another mildly embarrassing song from an iTunes commercial.)
Mary Lynn | MICHAEL PENN
All Through The Night | JULES SHEAR (Shear is better known for his songwriting for other people; I found one of his LPs with this song, vastly improved in Cyndi Lauper's cover version.)
What Light | WILCO (a Volkswagen commercial?)
The Underdog | SPOON
Smile (edit) | LILY ALLEN
Wouldn't It Be Good | DANNY HUTTON HITTERS (from the Pretty In Pink soundtrack, a cover of this song was on the HBO show "Extras".)
Young Folks | PETER, BJORN, & JOHN
I Trained Her To Love Me | NICK LOWE
Gone Daddy Gone | GNARLS BARKLEY (I heard this cover version on a cable show called "Live From Abbey Road".)
Sleeping With The Television On | BILLY JOEL (My favorite Billy Joel song which no one else knows.)
Rehab | AMY WINEHOUSE
Everything I Need | MEN AT WORK (The single from their third LP which no one bought.)
Ever Present Past | PAUL McCARTNEY
Running Up That Hill | PLACEBO (This cover has been on a few TV shows, trailers, and commericals.)
Your Own Worst Enemy | BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (so so so SAD!)

113 Man Band

2007-07-31T11:59:00.003-04:00

The Tracks: This is the first mix I composed after purchasing a "USB" turntable. A miracle of modern technology, a "USB" turntable is simply a record player with both traditional "RCA" output wires and a USB cable output. This feature makes it easy to play music from vinyl on your PC and record it. Since I bought this new turntable, I have listened to dozens of LPs and 45s which I haven't played in years. All I have to do is press RECORD, and I can save these songs as MP3s, import them into iTunes, and I can add them to playlists. I may never buy an album recorded before 1987 again, when I can find a used LP at a record store or a yard sale for 99¢ ! Number 1 on this mix is Marvin Hamlisch's solo piano "Solace", a melancholy track from The Sting movie soundtrack. The LP was a birthday gift from my wife in 2005, with autographs from stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford!

The Title: While composing this mix, I started to notice there were a bunch of tracks where the artist played all the instruments themselves, either live or multitracked. So I called the mix One (Hundred and Thirteen) Man Band.

The Cover: I did a GIS for the artwork, and the font inspired the pink and grey color scheme.

Solace - Marvin Hamlisch - Solo piano
The Hardest Button To Button - The White Stripes - As heard on The Simpsons
Zak & Sara - Ben Folds - My sister-in-law Sara's name would have been Zak had she been a boy!
Don't Look Back - Barry & The Remains (A Boston-based band most famous for opening for The Beatles on tour.)
Midnight Blue - Lou Gramm - HMV cutout bin
Slipping Away - Dave Edmunds (Edmunds let Jeff Lynne (ELO) produce this LP, and as a result, the normally roots rockin' Dave sounds distinctly New Wavy here.
I Wanna Know - The Mavericks - Scrubs TV show
Let's Live For Today - The Grass Roots (I still have a hard time believing that the same Creed Bratton who played guitar on this song is the same guy from The Office.)
Trouble - Lindsay Buckingham - Austin TX record store
How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? - Prince (the great B-side to "1999")
I Think She Likes Me - Treat Her Right - Providence RI yard sale
Diner - Martin Sexton - Scrubs TV show
My Favorite Waste of Time - Marshall Crenshaw - One Man Band
Strapped For Cash - Fountains of Wayne
All For Leyna - Billy Joel - Birthday present, circa 1986
When The Stars Go Blue - Blake Lewis - American Idol
It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference - Todd Rundgren - One Man Band
What Matters - Matthew Sweet
Roscoe - Midlake - CD swap with George
What Can I Say? - Brandi Carlile - Tower Records liquidation sale
Daylight Fading - Counting Crows - Yard sale
More Than This - Norah Jones

111 and 112: Odyssey

2007-03-15T12:08:00.007-04:00

Mixes 111 and 112 were composed at the same time. I used a photo taken of an art installation for the cover photos. We had just returned from a trip to Texas, where we visited an art museum. The cover for #111 (in orange) is the original color of the art installation; #112 (in blue) is the "negative" image of the same photo.

The Title: Odyssey is the name of an avant-garde Journey cover band we saw perform while we were visiting Texas.

The Tracks: I really dug deep into the history books for some of these songs:

Claire - The Push Stars
In the Meantime - Spacehog
Hey Jude / Sgt. Pepper (Reprise) - From The Beatles "LOVE"
Why Does This Always Happen to Me? - "Weird Al" Yankovic featuring Ben Folds on piano
In Between Days - Ben Folds
One-Sided Love Affair - Elvis Presley
Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up - (the only) Paula Abdul (song I like)
Big Bang Baby - Stone Temple Pilots
Cinnamon Girl - Suzanne Hoffs & Matthew Sweet
Poison - Bel Biv Devoe
You Only Live Twice - Pat DiNizio (the Smithereens lead singer, on solo piano, covering the Bond theme song.)
Divine Intervention (DEMO) - Matthew Sweet
Where Or When - Dave Edmunds
Hey Porter - Johnny Cash
Memphis - Chuck Berry
See the World - Gomez
Speed of Sound - Coldplay
Help Me, Suzanne - Rhett Miller
Better Days - Bruce Springsteen, featuring Randy Jackson on bass
Age Of Consent - Grant Lee Phillips

Sly - The Cat Empire
Driven To Tears - The Police
Tell Her This - Del Amitri
Nothing Lasts - Son Volt
You're So Damn Hot - OK Go
What'd I Say, Pts 1 & 2 - Ray Charles
Life On A Chain - Pete Yorn
New Frontier - Counting Crows
TLC: Creep
Going Through The Motions - Aimee Mann
Think I'm In Love - Beck
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - Jet
Sold Me Down The River - The Alarm (I put this Alarm song next to the Jet song because they both remind me of the Rolling Stones.)
I Want It All - Queen (I heard this Queen song on a Coca-Cola commercial.)
Jesusland - Ben Folds
Somebody Told Me - The Killers
Get Back - The Beatles, from the CD "Love"
Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order

110: S**T Blended Up

2006-10-21T12:13:00.002-04:00

The title was inspired by a monologue we heard at the comedic showcase Mortified- the woman was reading from her teenage diary, an entry about summer camp and the so-called "food" the campers were fed.
The Cover: the top half is my face, with my vintage sunglasses I bought from an Indonesian man on eBay; the bottom half is my wife brushing her teeth.
The tracks: the blend is a little forced. I try not to use the same tracks on mixes repeatedly, but I should not have used that particular Jennifer Trynin song. I had just read her autobiography Everything I'm Cracked Up To Be, and I wanted to include a song of hers, but I should have stuck to one of the "hits" instead of trying to include a "deep cut". I need to learn that I don't have to be adventurous with EVERY choice! On the other hand, I dug deep for the Semisonic track "El Matador", which I now really love. I had just read the drummer's autobiography, So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star, which inspired that choice. The last track is U2's "Vertigo", which I shoulda left off. I was sick of that song at the time, and I am sick of it now:

Battle Without Honor or Humanity TOMOYASU HOTEI (aka That Song from Kill Bill)
Let Keane In KEANE vs PAUL McCARTNEY (a great mashup)
Crazy GNARLS BARKLEY
Give Judy My Notice BEN FOLDS a very early-70s country-rock vibe.
Least Complicated INDIGO GIRLS
Monkey COUNTING CROWS
Lose Yourself EMINEM (an awesome song on its own, even better in the context of the movie 8 Mile.)
Let It Be Me SHAGGY vs THE BEATLES
El Matador SEMISONIC
Pictures of You LIT (an okay cover of the Cure song. The original was in those Hewlett-Packard computer printer commercials at the time.)
Come Around RHETT MILLER
Any Little Town THE PUSH STARS
When You Were Young THE KILLERS
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again) WILCO
Rock Your Body JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
Time Won't Let Me THE SMITHEREENS
Bad Reputation JOAN JETT
Vertigo U2

109: American Talk Show Rest Stop

2006-08-08T12:40:00.004-04:00

The Cover: my wife and our friends looked sorta like a rock band in this photo I snapped on the street after our attendance of a "Daily Show" taping (summer 2006.) This visit also informed the title, based on the Phil Ayoub track "American Highway Rest Stop":

A Life Of Illusion - the opening titles song from The Forty-Year-Old Virgin by Joe Walsh;
Just Pretend - The Bens (Folds, Lee, and I can't remember the third?);
Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae;
Right Time,Wrong Place - Bonnie Raitt and BB King;
Hearts For Sale - The Rolling Stones (a song I nearly forgot from Steel Wheels);
The Edge Of Forever - This Dream Academy song is from the soundtrack of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, when Ferris and Sloane say goodbye at the end of the day;
Break (A mashup of The Beastie Boys over Queen's "I Want To Break Free";
Listen (A mashup of "Shake Your Rump", "Root Down", and "Radio Ga Ga";
If You Talk Too Much - People In Planes (I saw this CD advertised in a TV commercial, of all places, and I liked this song. I bought the CD on sale at Target for $4.99);
Closer To You - Liz Phair;
Sunday Morning - Maroon Five;
Day Tripper - The Beatles - with a false start included, and no fadeout;
Always The Last To Know - Del Amitri;
American Highway Rest Stop - My friend Robert is a fan of Phil Ayoub, so he came up to Cambridge from NYC to see Phil at a CD release party, and Robert invited me along.
I Know There's Something Going On (I heard this song on the PA system at a restaurant, and I remembered the song but had no idea who it was. It sounded like Phil Collins on drums, and I was right- it's Frida, one of the ladies from ABBA, and her sole solo single hit);
September - Earth Wind and Fire;
Sexx Laws - Beck;
Rockin' Down The Highway - The Doobie Brothers;
Point of Know Return - Kansas;
Feel Flows - The Beach Boys song from the closing credits of "Almost Famous"

Our Wedding Favor Music Mix

2006-07-02T10:56:00.005-04:00

It was surprisingly hard to select and agree on 80 minutes worth of music that was personal, appropriate, and fit well together. Artists that are our favorites, like Bruce Springsteen, didn't quite fit. On the other hand, bands which are barely on our radar (Haircut 100) made it when the song was just perfect for the moment. Read on for more about our wedding favor mix...
1. “Across The Universe” The Beatles • It was tough picking just one song. This is Emily’s favorite.
2. “I Love Every Little Thing About You” Stevie Wonder • I once bought three Stevie Wonder CDs in one day, and lived to tell the tale.
3. “Radio Sweetheart” Elvis Costello • We both love Elvis, and Emily used this song at the start of her college radio show.
4. “Fearless Love” Bonnie Raitt • This is an old favorite – I heard it as background music in the movie Sideways.
5. “Fair” Ben Folds Five • If our love for music were a Venn diagram, Ben Folds would be at the center of the overlap. We actually attended the same BF concert two months before we met. A very When Harry Met Sally moment, wouldn't you say?
6. "Kiss On My List" Daryl Hall & John Oates • The first cassette I bought from the Record & Tape Club was Hall & Oates Rock 'n' Soul Pt. 1. Of course, I still have the tape.
7. "Come Rain Or Come Shine" Ella Fitzgerald • For Emily, it’s impossible to pick a favorite American songbook standard, but it had to be Ella.
8. “Sunday Morning” Maroon Five • This song sounds like the soundtrack to our own screwball romantic comedy.
9. “Black Coffee In Bed” Squeeze (live 1990) • Yes, this is a breakup song, but it means a lot to us. I wrote in my online personal ad that my "most humbling moment" was when I couldn't hit the high notes in this song anymore! Emily was naturally charmed, and the rest is history.
10. “I’ll Be Your Mirror” Clem Snide • A cover version of Emily’s favorite Velvet Underground song.
11. “Lovely Day” Bill Withers • The soul classic that also reminds Emily of rollerskating up and down the driveway, circa 1982.
12. “What A Fool Believes” The Doobie Brothers • Song of the Year from 1979, this one goes out to Miss Amy Armstrong, our fellow Michael McDonald-o-phile!
13. “The Good Part” Wilco (live) • On our second date, we went to see a documentary about Emily’s favorite band. It's hard to find a Wilco song with a positive outlook on love, but this fits the bill.
14. “The Painter” Neil Young • From the album Prairie Wind, we first heard this in the amazing concert film Neil Young: Heart of Gold.
15. “This Old Heart Of Mine” The Isley Brothers • We had to include some Motown here, and Nat has a soft spot for this 1965 hit as it's prominently featured in his favorite “Moonlighting” episode!
16. "Love Plus One" Haircut 100 • This song sounds like the soundtrack to our own John Hughes 80’s teen drama.
17. “Drive South” John Hiatt • I once got John Hiatt’s autograph, but I was too nervous to engage him in conversation, can you believe it?
18. “Waiting For My Real Life To Begin” Colin Hay is the lead singer from Men At Work, a teenage favorite for both me & Em, all grown up here.
19. “Delirious Love” Neil Diamond • Another classic from our youth reincarnated!
20. “Age of Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine” featuring the Cast of The Forty-Year-Old Virgin • Feel free to sing along, just like the end of the movie...

Wedding Reception Background Music

2006-07-02T10:49:00.003-04:00

When planning our wedding reception, my wife and I decided to omit dancing. We were more interested in the "family and friends reunion" reception than the "dance party" reception. We decided to hire a classical guitarist for the "cocktail" hour, followed by background music.

Emily and I had a lot of fun putting this playlist together. It's Nat & Em's Greatest Mellow Hits 1940-2006! There are a lot of covers of popular songs on here- it's a nice way to include a fresh take on an overplayed hit song. With the Amazon MP3 store and iTunes, it's easier than ever to browse for a cool cover song, or seek out that long-lost nugget, without paying for a full CD.

This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) • Shawn Colvin
She's No Lady (She's My Wife) • Lyle Lovett (live)
I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year) • Donald Fagen
Tupelo Honey • Cassandra Wilson
Magic In The Air • Badly Drawn Boy
As Time Goes By • Billie Holiday
Your Sweet Voice • Matthew Sweet
God Only Knows • The Beach Boys
A Mi Manera (My Way) • The Gypsy Kings
Words • Ellis Paul
Landslide • Fleetwood Mac
Love and Some Verses • Iron & Wine
Baby Now That I've Found You • Alison Krauss & Union Station
Better Be Home Soon • Crowded House
The One I Love • David Gray
Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You? • Diana Krall
Rain King (live, acoustic) • Counting Crows
Calico Skies • Paul McCartney
Come and Find Me • Josh Ritter
Ooh La La • The Faces
Pink Moon • Nick Drake
I Will • Alison Krauss & Tony Furtado
Tonight You Belong To Me • What I really wanted was the recording in the movie The Jerk where Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters sing on the beach. I found this very similar version by Eddie Montana instead.
You Belong To Me • Patsy Cline
Stranded • If you insist on including Van Morrison in your wedding, please select one of his dozens of great ballads that are NOT "Have I Told You Lately"!
Razor Love • Neil Young
They Can't Take That Away From Me • Lisa Stansfield
Real Love • John Lennon recorded this as a demo only. It first appeared in the documentary John Lennon Imagine in 1988, and was later transformed into a Beatles reunion track in 1995.
Green Eyes • Coldplay
Honeymoon Suite • Suzanne Vega
More Than This • Charlie Hunger Quartet, featuring Norah Jones
One on One • Hall & Oates
Nightswimming • R.E.M.
When You Wake Up Feeling Old • Wilco
It Had To Be You • Billie Holiday
Sea of Love • The Honeydrippers
She Will Have Her Way • Neil Finn
Last Train to Clarksville • Cassandra Wilson
Runaway Feeling • The Thorns
Conceived • Beth Orton
Color My World • This totally retro Chicago song was my in-law's wedding song.
The Long and Winding Road • This version of the Beatles' classic is from the Let It Be Naked album, which strips away Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound strings and choir tracks, thank goodness!

108: Love Is Strong

2006-03-23T12:43:00.004-05:00

The cover was inspired by the sexiest photo ever taken of actress Scarlett Johansson, from the cover of Interview magazine. The combination of a beautiful actress, and a horizontally striped sweater is irresistible. I was not satisfied with just admiring her beauty from afar; I wanted to incorporate her beauty into my cover design, even if she has ZERO to do with the contents of the CD.
I used the photo as a jumping-off point for the cover concept- I would mock up my own magazine cover, with headlines which include the titles of the songs.
At the same time, I was beginning to experiment with attaching the text to non-straight paths, and what better template than the horizontal stripes of Ms. Johansson's sweater?

Fascination Street THE CURE
Cold Turkey JOHN LENNON (A great dance remix by IDC)
Love Is Strong The ROLLING STONES
She's Gone ERIC CLAPTON
Hypnotized FLEETWOOD MAC
Don't Fear The Reaper WILCO (a low fidelity live recording)
I'm On Fire (live at Giants Stadium 8-19-85) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Begin the Begin (live 11-19-92) R.E.M.
Use Me BILL WITHERS
Me Myself I - DE LA SOUL
40 Days, 40 Fights BADLY DRAWN BOY
I Want Love ELTON JOHN (I picked this track off my wife's 2CD Greatest Hits collection, for two reasons: a> it was produced by Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys), and b>Ringo Starr plays drums.
What Would It Take (from JEFF LYNNE's little-known solo album Armchair Theater.)
You Can't Get What You Want (Til You Know What You Want) JOE JACKSON
Stuck in the Middle vs. Nasty Girl (A silly mashup of Stealer's Wheel and Vanity 6.)
Big Time PETER GABRIEL
Lazy Sunday CHRIS PARNELL & ANDY SAMBERG
Cantaloupe Island YESKA (sampled by US3 for their song "Cantaloop", aka "dip trip, flip fantasia...")

107: Chairlift

2006-02-05T12:53:00.001-05:00

The cover photo is a self-portrait, while riding the chair lift at Mt Wachusett.

The Title: This disc has no title. I created the packaging for #105, 106, and 107 all in one shot, and I was not inspired with titles.

Ponta de Lanca Africano (Umbabarauma) - The best song about a futbol player EVER.
Use It - My favorite New Pornographers song.
Jump Into The Fire - This Harry Nilsson song was used in the movie GoodFellas.
Shine - Trey Anastasio
I Want It That Way - You cannot deny the perfection of this song.
Just the Two Of Us - Bill Withers w/Grover Washington
Don't Let Me Lose This Dream - Aretha Franklin
Just One Smile - Dusty Springfield
Diamonds From Sierra Leone - Kanye West
If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go - Curtis Mayfield
Protection - This Donna Summer song was written by Bruce Springsteen after he cancelled plans for her to duet with him on "Cover Me".
This Charming Man - Death Cab For Cutie
The Way We Make A Broken Heart - John Hiatt
You Can't Resist It LIVE in TEXAS- Lyle Lovett & His Large Band
Can't Turn You Loose LIVE in EUROPE- Otis Redding
Heavy Metal Drummer LIVE IN CHICAGO - Wilco
It Ain't Me Babe - Johnny and June Carter Cash
Memo From Turner - A Rolling Stones song used in the movie GoodFellas
Riding to Vanity Fair - Paul McCartney

106: Sunrise

2005-11-12T12:56:00.004-05:00

The cover is a snap I took just before daybreak in Elizabeth, New Jersey on Thanksgiving morning 2005, as my wife and I awoke extra early to go see the Macy's parade.

The Title: This disc has no title. I created the packaging for #105, 106, and 107 all in one shot, and I was not inspired with titles.

Don't Stop Me Now - Queen, as heard in Shaun Of The Dead.
Lovely Day - Bill Withers
Deacon Blues - "Steely Dan is not one guy!"
I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt
Walk In The Sun - Bruce Hornsby
Thin Line Between Love and Hate - The Persuasions (1973)
Margarita - The Traveling Wilburys
Wild Mountain Honey - When I was a teenage DJ at WBMT 88.3 FM, We played a LOT of Steve Miller. Our Steve Miller Band Greatest Hits LP got a lot of use. It was nice to include Mr. Miller on one of my mixes for the first time in at least 10 years!
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart - You might think it impossible to include this Wilco song on a mix, but I think I pulled it off. Sandwiched between a trippy 1970s song and a loopy 1980s song, I think it works.
America Is Waiting - When I was a college DJ at WERS 88.9 FM, I played this sample-heavy experiment-rock track from David Byrne & Brian Eno on the afternoon world music/jazz fusion/experimental show Gyroscope.
Screenwriter's Blues - Soul Coughing
Desire - The "Hollywood Remix" of the U2 song.
Mass Romantic - New Pornographers
All The Right Friends - A surprisingly retrograde R.E.M. song from the Vanilla Sky movie soundtrack.
Panic - The Smiths
Soap Star Joe - This Liz Phair track brings the mix to a dead halt. I should have cut it out.
Frere Jacques - The famous nursery rhyme, recorded in the style of "The Space Between" by Dave Matthews Band, credited to "Dave Math Shoes". I found the web site advertising this collection and I loved it.
A Bit Of Alright - Paul Peña wrote the song "Jet Airliner" which Steve Miller made a smash hit. This song was (at the time) used in Boston.com/jobs TV commercials.

105: Apple

2005-11-01T13:00:00.002-05:00

The cover photo is my wife's hand holding a freshly-picked apple October 16, 2005.

The Title: This disc has no title. I created the packaging for #105, 106, and 107 all in one shot, and I was not inspired with titles.

Never Destroy Us - I found this song by The Dears when researching music for our SXSW trip earlier that year.
Count On My Love - I don't apologize for liking all phases of Liz Phair's career, from the lo-fi indie rock to the current hi-fi power pop.
When My Baby's Beside Me - You can only read so many critics saying how awesome Big Star are before you buy their CD for yourself.
Who Did You Think I Was? - This is from John Mayer's attempt to be taken seriously as a blues-rock trio.
Times Like These - Foo Fighters
Chest Fever - The Band
Diddley Daddy - Bo Diddley
Hickory Wind - You can only read so many critics saying how awesome Sweetheart of the Rodeo is before you go buy the CD for yourself.
Photograph - The first time I heard this Jamie Cullum song, I thought he sounded *exactly* like Paul McCartney. The rest of this CD is a little too jazz-y for my taste.
Fine Line - Paul McCartney
Something Wild - Maia Sharp was the female singer Du Jour on the radio that week.
No Way To Treat A Lady - Canadian rocker Bryan Adams had a flourishing sideline as a tunesmith for other artists. Along with his writing partner Jim Vallance, Adams contributed songs for KISS, Krokus, .38 Special, and Joe Cocker, among others. Two women named Bonnie covered this song: Bonnie "Total Eclipse of the Heart" Tyler, and Bonnie "A dozen Grammys" Raitt.
Get Your Hands off My Woman - Ben Folds
Don't Pass Me By - The Georgia Satellites cover Ringo's song as a Southern-fried rave up.
Free Girl Now - I had this Tom Petty CD single lying around for 5 years without listening to it. I finally cracked the seal and gave it a slot on this mix.
Eight Years Old - I generally like Ben Lee, but I was trying too hard to find new music when I picked this track off one of his CDs for this mix.
Paul Newman's Eyes - I saw Dogs Die In Hot Cars at SXSW that spring.
Forty Feet - Franz Ferdinand
Vox Humana - I saw this terrible Kenny Loggins video on "V-66" when I was a teenager, and I bought the cassette.
Sleeping Bag - ZZ Top

104th Of July

2005-07-30T12:29:00.003-04:00

The cover photo of my friends Kim and Laura looked like a band photo, maybe a female Steely Dan? The sunglasses, the way they're looking away from the camera, the angle, it all says "album cover" to me.
1 THE STYLE COUNCIL: "Mick's Up" (a instrumental track from their odds & sods collection.)
2 ELVIS COSTELLO: "...This Town..."
3 LIZ PHAIR: "It's Sweet"
4 GENESIS: "Turn It On Again" (I liked this song long before it was in those Chevrolet commercials.)
5 THE B-52's: "Dry County"
6 RAY CHARLES: "Let The Good Times Roll" I love the way the horns and vocals are nearly overmodulating. Sounds like a hot session!
7 GORILLAZ: "Feel Good Inc." (I first heard this song in a TV spot for those "NOW Thats What I Call Music!" collections.)
8 THE SHORE: "Waiting For The Sun"
9 KEANE: "Everybody's Changing" (When The Shore and Keane charted these big hits, I could never remember which band was which.)
10 DANNY ELFMAN: "Veruca Salt" Elfman wrote and recorded original music for the Charlie & The Chocolate Factory movie, with lyrics taken directly from the book.
11 COUNTING CROWS: "The Ghost In You" (A great cover of the Psychedelic Furs song, live at KBCO Boulder 8/28/93; from the Clueless soundtrack.)
12 PSYCHEDELIC FURS: "Love My Way"
13 MODEST MOUSE: "Ocean Breathes Salty"
14 R.E.M.: "Talk About The Passion"
15 PAUL McCARTNEY: "Momma Miss America" (used to good effect in the "travel montage" in Jerry Maguire)
16 THE WHO: "Summertime Blues" (Live at Leeds 2/14/70)
17 MARK KNOPFLER & JAMES TAYLOR "Sailing to Philadelphia"
18 NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE: "Changing Highways"

103: The Effects of a Texas Festival on a Musical Mix

2005-05-09T14:40:00.003-04:00

I think the title says it all: I composed this mix after attending the South By Southwest Music Festival for the first time. There's no better time to escape dreary Boston winter weather than mid-March; and Austin, Texas, is not a bad place to escape to: T-shirts and jeans abound, tequila flows like water, the roads are paved with pork ribs, the Dr. Pepper is sweetened with cane sugar, and the steaks are chicken fried.
This mix is peepered with music we heard on our trip: read on...

HUDDLE FORMATION; I saw The Go! Team perform at a UK Pop showcase. The show was a circle-jerk of music industry weasels with corporate credit cards. It was like the Black Hole Of Calcutta of self-congratulation. The Go! Team had a UK record deal but was pimping themselves for a US deal- the hype was so thick I had to burn my sneakers afterwards. The band members knew it, and they were so smug I wanted to slap the bass player around to regain my self respect. Having said all that, I like this song.
BRIGHT FUTURE IN SALES; Fountains of Wayne
F.I.N.E.; I was reminded of this Aeromsith song when I heard the new Billy Idol song on the radio.
SCREAM; Billy Idol
SISTER SURROUND; We saw The Soundtrack of Our Lives from the front row as they opened for Robert Plant on our first night in Austin. The Scandinavian sextet did great imitation 1970s rock, with one Keith Richards clone, one Pete Townshend clone, and the lead singer was a beefy bearded man in a mumu who looked like Mick Fleetwood. Between sets, I ran into "Mick" near the bar. I gave him a quick soggy hug and yelled in his ear "you guys are FABULOUS!"
BIBLE CYST; The Legendary Shack Shakers also opened for Robert Plant, and they put on a hell of a show. Think of a hillbilly Stray Cats on amphetamines and you're close to the mark.
OH WELL, PT. 1; Fleetwood Mac
SON OF A PREACHER MAN (live 1991); Joan Osbourne
SHOW SOME EMOTION; Joan Armatrading
LOUNGER; Dogs Die in Hot Cars was also in the UK Pop showcase - I was drawn to them because they play power pop and their lead singer sounds like the guy from XTC. Their CD was pretty good, and their set was OK.
TAKE ME OUT; Franz Ferdinand
ONE (live 1992); 'Automatic Baby' was a hybrid of R.E.M. circa Automatic for the People and U2 circa Achtung Baby:
- Michael Stipe, vocals
- Mike Mills, guitar
- Adam Clayton, bass
- Larry Mullen Jr, percussion
This one-off ensemble covered U2's "One" at an awards show. I really liked Stipe's interpretation of the lyrics. He sang the same words as Bono did, but his style is so different! Back in the early 1990s, it was damn near impossible to find a one-time-only performance from a TV show- if you didn't record it on VHS, you were out of luck. Somehow I found the recording on a benefit CD completely unrelated to the awards show.
CLOSER TO YOU; The Wallflowers
SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS; The Postal Service, since used in UPS commercials?
BOULEVARD OF BROKEN SONGS; A great mashup of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Wonderwall"; A year after I discovered this mashup, we heard it on the set of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart- it was one of the high-octane songs they play during commercial breaks to keep the crowd pumped up.
KINGDOM OF RAIN; I always liked this song by The The because Sinead O'Connor sings on it. I finally bought the CD at a yard sale that spring.
CATCH MY DISEASE; Ben Lee, I always love tinkly kiddie piano!
RENT A COP; Ben Folds
PERHAPS, PERHAPS, PERHAPS; Cake
GUERO CANELO; A memorable song in 12/4 time, from Calexico- we saw them live at SXSW too.

102: Mashups

2005-02-26T14:28:00.002-05:00

I created this mix at the zenith of my interest in "mashups". Mashups, in their simplest definition, are DIY music remixes where DJs will disassemble rock and pop music and mash up the vocal tracks of one song with the rhythm section of another. Thanks to audio mixing and processing software, it's possible for a DJ to isolate discrete vocal and instrumental tracks, change the pitch and/or tempo with precision, and endlessly loop the smallest instrumental break to fit their needs. Most of the mashup titles are include words from both/all the songs sampled; I have included notes to help clarify the provenances, and I have credited the DJs who created these mashups. This collection represents the best mashups I discovered in 2004:

(1) MACA-MUPPET by Pilchard | The Doors vs The Muppets vs The Macarena!
(2) SWEET SECRET by Soundwasta | Madonna vs Mick Jagger
(3) CHOCOLATE CAKE, REVISITED by Lenlow | featuring Bill Cosby "Chocolate Cake For Breakfast"
(4) SEE
(5) BITE by The Kleptones | Queen vs KRS-One, Queen vs O.D.B.
(6) SAY LADY SAY by Brat Productions | The Beatles vs Paul McCartney
(7) WHATCHA WANT, LADY?
(8) MOTHER NATURE'S RUMP
(9) SURE-LA-DI, SHOT-LA-DA by DJ BC | The Beastie Boys vs The Beatles
(10) TO THE TAX-MOBILE! by Lenlow | Batman vs The Beatles vs "Wipeout"
(11) PAPERBACK BELIEVER by Go Home Productions | The Beatles vs The Monkees
(12) BABY YOU'RE A PURE MAN by Brat Productions | The Beatles vs All Saints
(13) CRAZY LITTLE FOOL by Go Home Productions | The Beatles vs Queen
(14) YOU WON'T SEE YOU'RE ALL I NEED TO GET BY by DJ Nite | The Beatles vs Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
(15) DREAMING IN YOUR SLEEP by Brat Productions | The Romantics vs Depeche Mode
(16) WRAPPED DETECTIVE by Go Home Productions | The Police, Lionel Richie, Elvis Costello, Peggy Lee, Bob Marley
(17) THIS IS HOW WE DOOBIE by DJ Jay-R | Montell Jordan vs The Doobie Brothers
(18) J-LO vs K-CO vs S-WO by Lenlow | Jennifer Lopez vs Nirvana vs Stevie Wonder
(19) CALL ON VALERIE by Mixomatosis | Steve Winwood's "Valerie"... Remixed

100: Centennial Mix

2005-02-07T15:54:00.001-05:00

I wanted to celebrate the 100^th mix (almost 12 years since my first numbered mix tape) with some kind of retrospective. At first, I tried assembling a 20-song collection of my favorite songs of all time. That proved to be to all-encompassing. Eventually I settled on a 20-track collection of the best songs which had appeared on my mixes in the "CD-R" era, which began with Mix #49.

The definition of "best" is a flexible one. Many of these songs are some of the best songs of their time, but in this collection, "best" also means a song which fits well on a collection, many of them are fun to sing along with, have a good beat, or have some strong emotional connection for me. The songs don't necessarily date from 2000-2004, but they all appear on one of the 50 mix CDs I had made in that five year span. The track listing below includes info about what CD the songs originally appeared on.

The cover design (main photo covered with checkerboard of smaller images) was inspired by Sheryl Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club. I am not as pretty as Sheryl, but that photo of me (taken by my friend Robert) may be the best photo of me ever. If it weren't for that photo, at the top of my online personal ad, my now-wife may not have ever met me!

01> Sick Of Myself (MIX 65; My favorite Matthew Sweet song and a hell of an opening track.)
02> Chemistry (MIX 65; the second would-be hit from one-hit wonder Semisonic.)
03> Bohemian Like You (MIX 84; Speaking of one-hit wonders, this is the only Dandy Warhols song I know.)
04> Supernova (MIX 72; Maybe Liz Phair's best song.)
05> Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town (MIX 62; this Pearl Jam acoustic b-side is better than the album version.)
06> Clocks (MIX 94; this Coldplay song is WAYYY overplayed and overdone now, but it was THE song of the year at the time.)
07> Forget About It (MIX 52; this melancholy Alison Krauss song means a lot to me.)
08> Einstein on a Beach (for an eggman) (MIX 57; a leftover song from the August & Everything After sessions, this is my favorite Counting Crows song.)
09> Peace Tonight (MIXES 60 & 78; from the Indigo Girls album when they hired the "JB" horns to add some muscle to their sound.)
10> Some Fantastic (MIX 50; a "deep cut" from Barenaked Ladies that I always liked.)
11> High & Dry (MIX 77; a perfect song from Radiohead.)
12> Barrel of a Gun (MIX 55; I love trying to sing the harmonies on this Guster song.)
13> Murder (or a Heart Attack) (MIX 55; a cool song from The Old 97s about a lost housecat.)
14> Malibu (MIX 55; liking Courtney Love's music is a guilty pleasure.)
15> Circles (MIX 80; this hypnotic Soul Coughing song has me in its spell.)
16> Little Plastic Castle (MIX 88; I love the 12/4 time signature and the awesome rhythm section on this Ani DiFranco song.)
17> It's My Life (MIX 99; a great No Doubt cover of a cool 80s New Wave classic.)
18> Heavy Metal Drummer (MIX 81; it was tough picking only one Wilco song.)
19> Not The Same (LIVE 2002; this Ben Folds Live cut makes its debut here- recorded on the tour where my wife and I went to the same concert, one month before we met for the first time.)
20> Frying Pan (MIX 14; breaking the rules a little here- this Evan Dando solo acoustic cover of a Victoria Williams song originally appeared on mix tape #14, but I re-made that mix on CD-R in 2001.)
21> Strange Condition (MIX 86; a good ending from Pete Yorn.)

101: Chicks Rawk (aka Womyn In Music)

2004-12-20T16:24:00.001-05:00

CHICKS RAWK was composed as a Christmas present for my sister-in-law Sara. It's all women, obviously. My wife offered some guidance of the artist and track selection.

After I gave a copy to Sara, I created cover art for the collection. The cover is the only photo of Madonna I could find online from her video for "Open Your Heart". My 14-year-old self was already deeply in lust for Madonna when that video came out in 1986, and her gold-nippled costume didn't cool things off any.
1 Sinead O'Connor "The Emperor's New Clothes"
2 The Breeders "Divine Hammer"
3 Go-Gos "Head Over Heels"
4 Liz Phair "Why Can't I?"
5 Sheryl Crow "Hard To Make A Stand" (my wife loves this song- I had never heard it before)
6 Garbage "Stupid Girl"
7 No Doubt "Hey Baby"
8 Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
9 Madonna "Open Your Heart"
10 Lucinda Williams "Right In Time"
11 The Bangles "If She Knew What She Wants"
12 The Cranberries "Empty"
13 Aimee Mann "Save Me"
14 Alison Krauss "Baby, Now That I've Found You"
15 Bonnie Raitt "Fearless Love" (I thought I was the only person who liked this song, until I heard it in the movie Sideways.)
16 k.d. lang "Constant Craving"
17 The Pretenders "Don't Get Me Wrong"
18 10,000 Maniacs "Candy Everybody Wants"
19 Indigo Girls "Peace Tonight" (18 & 19 go together because they both feature bands with newly-hired horn sections.)
20 Suzanne Vega "Tombstone"

99: Afternoon Delight

2004-10-31T12:04:00.000-05:00

Assembled shortly after the Boston Red Sox won the 2004 World Series:

Let's Get It Started - The Black Eyed Peas (this song was used in one of the many montages of baseball excitement on TV.)
Staring At The Sun - Simple Kid
Life Less Ordinary - Carbon Leaf (Worst band name ever. The song is good- they sounds like Mr Mister for the 21st century.)
Old Days - Chicago (from the Starsky & Hutch movie soundtrack.)
IGY (International Geophysical Year) - Donald Fagen (I see Donald Fagen's The Nightfly album in yard sales and used record bins all the time!)
Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra (from the theatrical trailer for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.)
Ride - The Kleptones
Float On - Modest Mouse
The Spirit Of Radio - Rush
Gimme All Your Lovin - ZZ Top
Love Song - 311 (An inventive cover of the Cure song)
Sleepwalker- The Wallflowers
Look What You've Done - Jet
History Repeating - The Propellerheads featuring Shirley Bassey
Afternoon Delight - Will Ferrell & The Channel 4 News Team (I love the scene in the movie where they spontaneously sing this song a capella!)
The Waiting - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (also used in Red Sox montages.)

98: The First iTunes Mix

2004-09-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

I think the title is pretty self-explanatory. Songs I bought on iTunes are in Bold:

The Bar-Kays - Soul Finger (as heard in the 1980s comedy Spies Like Us)
The Pointer Sisters - Automatic
Philip Bailey & Phil Collins - Easy Lover (I always loved singing along with the harmonies in this song, but it only appeared on Philip Bailey's solo LP, and I wasn't about to buy a whole album for this one track. Long-story-short: this song is what 99c downloads were meant for!
Hall & Oates - Private Eyes
The Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
Prince - When You Were Mine (later covered by Cyndi Lauper)
Wilco - I'm A Wheel
The Rolling Stones - Can't You Hear Me Knocking (Used to great effect in the movie Goodfellas.)
Jet - Get What You Need (obviously owes a debt to #8 above)
The Isley Brothers - This Old Heart of Mine (used to great effect in an episode of Moonlighting.)
R.E.M. - Harborcoat
Guster - Amsterdam (Live in Portland, ME December 2002)
Paul McCartney & Wings - Call me Back Again
Ray Charles - Half As Much
Trey Anastasio - Alive Again
Los Lobos - I Got Loaded (used in Bull Durham, when they turn on the field sprinklers and go on a drunken escapade.)
Tommy McCook & The Skatalites - GOldfinger (a ska song about the movie)
Crystal Waters - Come On Down (A dance track whose chorus is based on the closing credits theme to The Price Is Right TV show.)
Laura Branigan - Gloria (a big hit single right around the time I started listening to music.)

97: The California Mix

2004-05-16T11:53:00.001-04:00

The Title: I made this mix for my wife, who was travelling to California for a wedding. I loaded the mix with California bands, or bands associated with California, anyways.

The Cover: I wanted to splice together very similar photos of Jakob Dylan and Dave Matthews from the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. But where to stitch them together? All of my surgical options ended up looking like Mr Potato Head crossed with Robert De Niro as Frankenstein. I eventually had a brainwave and simply slashed a diagonal line across them both.

1. “Mrs. Potter's Lullaby” COUNTING CROWS
2. “Superstar” SHERYL CROW
3. “It's My Life” NO DOUBT (I thought I was the only one who loved this New Wave classic!)
4. “Shimmer” SHAWN MULLINS
5. “Rock Me On The Water” JACKSON BROWNE
6. “One Down” BEN FOLDS (recorded live 6-12-02, on the tour where my wife and I saw Ben on the same night, a few weeks before we met for the first time.)
7. “Go Where You Wanna Go” The MAMAS & PAPAS (I think this song was in a commercial for Claritin.)
8. “Gypsy” (alternate mix) FLEETWOOD MAC
9. “The Difference” The WALLFLOWERS
10. “Metal Firecracker” LUCINDA WILLIAMS
11. “Firecracker” RYAN ADAMS
12. “Drown” (acoustic) SON VOLT (from Napster, circa 1999)
13. “Bigger Than My Body” JOHN MAYER (a solo acoustic performance, downloaded from the KISS-108 FM Web site.)
14. “Crash” DAVE MATTHEWS (see #13)
15. “Seven Bridges Road” The EAGLES (live 1980)
16. “Please Don't Tell Her” BIG HEAD TODD & THE MONSTERS (from Napster, circa 1999)
17. “Cars Can't Escape” WILCO (downloaded from the Wilco Web site)
18. “Waiting For My Real Life To Begin” COLIN HAY

96: Highway To Heck

2004-05-01T11:38:00.001-04:00

The Cover: I had recently bought the AC/DC album with its legendary cover photo, so I did some half-assed photoshopping to put the heads of my wife and a friend of ours on the cover. It was much more fun designing the CD/96 logo!

1. TEARS FOR FEARS Everybody Wants to Rule The World (My wife mentioned she used to sing this song in her college a capella group.)
2. ERIC CLAPTON Hello Old Friend
3. PEARL JAM Alone (A favorite b-side of mine, Pearl Jam played this song when I saw them at the Orpheum in Boston on the Versus tour.)
4. PETE YORN Come Back Home
5. WILCO & BILLY BRAGG California Stars
6. STEELY DAN Black Friday
7. PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
8. THE CARS Don't Cha Stop
9. UTOPIA Love In Action (I had recently listened to both The Cars debut album and The Best Of Todd Rundgren, and I noticed a similarity in the choruses of these two songs.)
10. SUZANNE VEGA Caramel
11. SMITHEREENS w/SUZANNE VEGA In A Lonely Place
12. R.E.M. w/KATE PIERSON Me In Honey (a pair of women duet-ing on other records.)
13. THE ENGLISH BEAT Save It For Later
14. NICK LOWE (I Love The Sound Of) Breaking Glass
15. JEFF LYNNE Don't Let Go (We heard the original version of this song on the PA at Krispy Kreme in Everett, after the party where Mandy's photo was taken for the cover.)
16. JET Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Yes, another iTunes commercial song!)
17. THE CURE Close To Me (I think this is on here because the bass line reminds me of the Jet song.)
18. OUTKAST Hey Ya!
19. THE ROLLING STONES Undercover Of The Night (I always had a soft spot for this excessively Eighties sounding track from the Stones. I included it here because David Chase used this song as a closing credits track on the Sopranos.)
20. AC/DC Highway To Hell

95: Fireworks Factory!

2004-02-08T14:24:00.003-05:00

The Cover: A photo taken at our New Year's party 2004. I think the camera thought the flash was on but it wasn't!

The title "Fireworks Factory" comes from the episode of The Simpsons "Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie": During an I&S short, there's a delay in the plot where Milhouse whines "When are they going to get to the fireworks factory?!"

1. Elvis Presley "A Little Less Conversation" 1:42
(Davis/Strange) Live A Little, Love A Little Soundtrack 1968
2. Stevie Wonder "Sir Duke" 3:45
(Wonder) Songs In The Key Of Life 1976
3. Nikka Costa "Everybody Got Their Something" 4:20
(Costa/Stanley) Everybody Got Their Something 2001
4. Weezer "Island In The Sun" 3:20
(Rivers Cuomo) Weezer 2001
5. Nick Lowe "American Squirm" 2:31
(Lowe) from the Radar single 1984
6. Freedy Johnston "Bad Reputation" 4:10
(Johnston) This Perfect World 1994
7. The Minus Five "Retrieval Of You" 3:51
from Down With Wilco 2003
8. Michael Penn "Lucky One" 3:58
(Penn) MP4(Days Since A Lost Time Accident) 2000
9. Fountains Of Wayne "Stacy's Mom" 3:17
(Collingwood/Schlesinger) Welcome Interstate Managers 2003
10. Rolling Stones "Shattered" 3:47
(Jagger/Richards) Some Girls 1978
11. R.E.M. "Can't Get There From Here" 4:10
(Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe) Fables Of The Reconstruction 1985
12. The Statler Brothers "Flowers On The Wall" 2:23
(Lew DeWitt) Flowers On The Wall 1966
13. Apollo Sunshine "The Egg" 3:18
(Apollo Sunshine) Katonah 2003
14. New Pornographers "Letter From An Occupant" 3:46
(New Pornographers) Mass Romantic 2000
15. Ben Folds Five "Julianne" 2:30
(Ben Folds) Ben Folds Five 1995
16. Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band "You Done My Brain In" 1:40
(Neil Innes) Keynsham 1969
17. The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" 3:51
(Jack White) Elephant 2003
18. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Universally Speaking" 4:19
(Flea/Frusciante/Kiedis/Smith) By The Way 2002
19. Bruce Springsteen "Tougher Than The Rest" (live) 4:02
(Springsteen)
20. Pete Yorn "Crystal Village" 3:46
(Yorn) Day I Forgot 2003
21. Sheryl Crow "If It Makes You Happy" 5:23
(Crow/Trott) Sheryl Crow 1996
22. The Beatles "Flying" 2:16
(Harrison/Lennon/McCartney/Starr) Magical Mystery Tour 1967

93 and 94: Whitfield Roommates

2003-12-11T14:34:00.002-05:00

I composed, burned, and packaged these two mixes at the same time.

The Cover: I used a photo of my girlfriend and her two roommates for the cover, because they looked vaguely like a lo-fi indie rock trio. I gave the two mixes titles from random quotes of the week which I have totally forgotten.

Mix 93: Critical Darlings of Your Choice

Supercollider | Fountains of Wayne
Planet Telex | Radiohead
Sweet Emotion | Aerosmith
School Of Rock | From the School of Rock movie soundtrack.
Sink The Pink | This AC/DC song is here because the guitar riff on the SoR song sounds so similar.
In The Street | Big Star
The Banana Splits Song | From a CD collection of covers of Saturday morning children's cartoons.
Set You Free | The Black Keys
So Whatcha Want | Beastie Boys
I'm An Adult Now | An old college buddy of mine claims to have been childhood penpals with Moe Berg, the lead singer of The Pursuit of Happiness.
Gentlemen | When I was interning at WFNX in 1993-94, I met Afghan Whigs lead singer Greg Dulli.
Love Comes And Goes | Sweetwater
I'll Wait | Van Halen
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face | Coldplay
Guns Of Brixton | The Clash
Burning Down The House | The Talking Heads Live at the Pantages Theatre, Hollywood December 1983
Thorns | The Thorns
Photograph | Def Leppard

Mix 94: Wild, Unexpected, and Altogether Memorable

The same cover photo, just cropped slightly differently.

Good Vibrations | The Beach Boys
Running Out Of Time | Joan Osbourne
Mississippi | Sheryl Crow
Gotta Serve Somebody | This Bob Dylan song, from his "re-born Christian" phase, had been recently featured on the closing credits of The Sopranos.
Go West | Liz Phair
Two of Us | The Beatles
Red-Eyed and Blue | Wilco
Maria's Beautiful Mess | Ellis Paul
Angeles | Elliot Smith
Please Forgive Me | David Gray
A Sort of Homecoming | U2
Clocks | Coldplay
Still Be Around | Uncle Tupelo
I Started A Joke | The Wallflowers covering the Bee Gees on the Zoolander soundtrack.
I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) | Hall & Oates
Valley Winter Song | Fountains of Wayne
Sara | Fleetwood Mac
Tangerine | Led Zeppelin

Covered Road

2003-10-19T15:42:00.002-04:00

My all-time favorite artist fits any occasion: The Beatles. The challenge is to find Beatles songs which haven't been played to death. One of the ways I make their music fresh is with cover versions. I collect covers of Beatles songs. Whenever I go yard sale-ing, and I find a carton of LPs, I scan track lists for Beatles titles.

"A Hard Day's Night" John Bayliss (in the style of Bach)
"I Call Your Name" The Mamas & Papas
"Two of Us" Aimee Mann & Michael Penn
"I Will" Tony Furtado & Alison Krauss
"The Ballad of John & Yoko" The Persuasions
"The Miser/Taxman" The Deighton Family
"Here Comes The Sun" Nina Simone
"I'll Be On My Way" Johnny Society
"Don't Let Me Down" Paul Weller
"Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me & My Monkey" Kristen Hersh
"Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" Lydia Lunch
"Tomorrow Never Knows" Five O'Clock Shadow
"Happiness Is A Warm Gun" World Party
"Girl" Tiny Tim with Brave Combo
"All I've Got To Do" Toxic Audio
"We Can Work It Out" Stevie Wonder
"Day Tripper" [live] Otis Redding with the Mar-Keys and Booker T. & The MGs
"I've Got A Feeling" [live] Pearl Jam
"With a Little Help From My Friends" [live] Joe Cocker
"Being for The Benefit of Mr. Kite" Les Miserables Brass Band

92: Missing Summer

2003-10-02T15:01:00.002-04:00

I based the cover photo on one of my favorite photos of the E Street Band, circa 1980, on Central Park South. I Photoshopped Max Weinberg out of the group and inserted a photo of myself in a tuxedo between Clarence Clemons and Roy Bittan.

I named the CD "Missing Summer" because it was recorded in the fall of 2003, near the end of a six-month period where my future wife and I were on a break.

1/You Wreck Me TOM PETTY
2/Couldn't I Just Tell You TODD RUNDGREN
3/Any Major Dude Will Tell You - A fun cover of the Steely Dan song by WILCO.
4/Barrytown STEELY DAN
5/The Night Is Still Young - One of those new songs added to a greatest hits collection because a>the label can push it as a single to radio to promote the album, and b> it's an incentive for true fans to re-buy music they already own. In this case, it's one of two songs added to one of the best-selling greatest hits collections ever, from BILLY JOEL.
6/It's Different For Girls(Live in London 9/02) JOE JACKSON BAND
7/Into Your Arms THE LEMONHEADS
8/Red Dragon Tattoo FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE
9/Heart & Soul HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS
10/Workin' On The Highway BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (Live at Giants Stadium 8/19/85)
11/Maybellene CHUCK BERRY
12/Run Through The Jungle CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
13/I Feel You DEPECHE MODE
14/Going To California LED ZEPPELIN
15/Can't Find My Way Home BLIND FAITH
16/Try Not To Breathe R.E.M.
17/Beercan BECK
18/Losing Lisa BEN FOLDS
19/Where Do They Make Balloons? THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS (sung by DANNY WEINKAUF)
20/H.W.C. LIZ PHAIR

91: Life During Wartime

2003-07-20T15:17:00.001-04:00

I found the super-hi-res photo of Liz Phair as a free download on her official Web site. I had the Iraq war and the Patriot Act on the brain at the time, hence the title, and Liz's Army rucksack fit the theme.

YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND | QUEEN
STEP INSIDE LOVE | KATE PIERSON & JOHNNY SOCIETY From a fascinating collection of Lennon/McCartney covers, but NOT Beatle songs, but songs John and Paul gave away to other artists.
A MAGAZINE CALLED SUNSET | From an EP available for free download at the offical WILCO Web site.
JUST ANOTHER | PETE YORN
HUMPTY DUMPTY | AIMEE MANN
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU | EVAN DANDO
PEG | STEELY DAN
STARFISH AND COFFEE | PRINCE
BOMBS AWAY | THE POLICE
LIFE DURING WARTIME | TALKING HEADS Live at the Pantages Theater, Hollywood; December 1983
KING OF BIRDS | R.E.M.
DRAGONFLY | THE THORNS
I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME | THE JAYHAWKS
THE COMMON KISS | JOHN WESLEY HARDING
OUR LOVE | RHETT MILLER
ROCK ME | LIZ PHAIR
BYE BYE LOVE | THE CARS
AWKWARD AGE | JOE JACKSON BAND
MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL | XTC
JANE SAYS | JANE'S ADDICTION (LIVE)
FIGHT THE POWER | Yes, it's a cover of the Public Enemy song by BARENAKED LADIES

Mix 89: Antipodean

2003-03-23T12:22:00.000-05:00

The cover is a still from the best movie ever, L.A. Confidential, with my head pasted onto Guy Pearce's body. Not even Russell Crowe as "Bud" White can hold me back!

The title "Antipodean" celebrates not only the nationality of Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce, but the purpose of the CD- my wife was travelling to Australia for a wedding!

Batman theme - I like the Style Council and Spandau Ballet, so I bought a CD from The Jam, but I could never get into them.
(Don't Go Back To) Rockville - A cover of one of my favorite R.E.M. songs, a B-side from 10,000 Maniacs.
Gone - A saw John Hiatt live and acoustic at the South Shore Music Circus the previous summer.
True Fine Love - Steve Miller Band
Dream a Little Dream - The Mamas and the Papas
Electrical Storm - A U2 song I found for free on the Internet, but I never heard it again anywhere. Totally dropped off the face of the earth.
Remedy - The Black Crowes
Badlands - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, live at Arizona State University, 11/5/1980
The Bitch Is Back - Elton John
Hanging on the Telephone - Blondie
Need You Tonight - INXS
The Magnificent Seven - The Clash
"45" - I saw Elvis Costello & The Impostors on the tour to support this CD When I Was Cruel, 6/14/2002.
Faces & Names - I saw Dave Pirner on tour to support this CD 8/5/2002.
Annie Waits - I saw Ben Folds on tour to support this CD in the summer of 2002.
Centerfold - J. Geils Band
Everything In The World - Squeeze
Lift Me Up - Jeff Lynne
South City Midnight Lady - "Goddamnit, The Doobie Brothers broke up! When did that happen?"
One Sweet World (live 1993) - Dave Matthews Band

Mix 90: Ably Backed

2003-03-23T12:06:00.001-05:00

I don't listen to this mix often, mainly because I made it for my then-girlfriend, shortly before we broke up. The good news is, we reunited six months later and are now married, but this mix, while perfectly OK, reminds me of a lousy period in our relationship.

The cover is an elaborate inside joke. My wife and I often quote our favorite movies, and I often get the quote mostly correct while my wife gets every quote exactly right. This scene from the movie Singles was the first time I ever caught her in a misquote.

Overture/It's A Boy - I included this Who song because it had been in a Claritin commercial recently.
It's Oh So Quiet - Bjork
Too Much Passion - The Smithereens
Waiting for Somebody - Paul Westerberg
Go All The Way - The Raspberries
Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
Lovely Rita - The Beatles
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey - I found this Kristen Hersh cover of the Beatles song on one of those free CDs they include with your purchase of UNCUT magazine.
Can't Cry Anymore - Sheryl Crow
Take The Money and Run - For some reason, the "whoo hoo" at the opening of this Steve Miller Band song always made my wife laugh.
The World (and all it's problems) - John Wesley Harding
Brown-Eyed Handsome Man - Chuck Berry
Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang
Cat Handcuffs - Steve Martin
All-Star - Smash Mouth
Stay Up Late - Talking Heads
Fa Fa - Guster
Where You Get Love - Matthew Sweet
Uptight (Everything's Alright) - This Stevie Wonder classic had been recently featured on Six Feet Under.
Outta Site Outta Mind - A live version of the Wilco song from a "Live At The Hard Rock Cafe" collection.
Swan Swan H - A live and unplugged performance by R.E.M., and possibly the worst mix-ending song ever!

Highway 88 Revisited

2002-12-10T12:43:00.002-05:00

"Nigel Stubleigh" was a silly alter ego my wife and I invented when we were still just dating. I took the album Highway 51 Revisited, pasted my head (wearing a tinfoil hat + goggles, naturally) onto Bob Dylan's body, and PRESTO! Instant classic.

NOTE: A bunch of these songs were borrowed from my wife's CDs.

Junior Walker & The All-Stars' "Shotgun" is a perfect opening track.
Cherry Bomb - John (Cougar) Mellencamp
Richard Thompson - I Feel So Good
Bruce Springsteen - "Pink Cadillac" is one of my favorite Springsteen songs: it was released as the B-side to "Dancing In The Dark".
Michelle Shocked - Hello Hopeville
Fountains of Wayne - Leave The Biker
Jonatha Brooke - Linger
Howard Jones - I copied this remix/edit of "No One Is To Blame" from my old mix tape 12 (August 1993)
Lindsay Buckingham - No One Is To Blame (alternate version)
The Faces - Ooh La La
Ani DiFranco - Little Plastic Castle
Shelby Lynne - Life Is Bad
Live - I Alone
Dave Pirner - "Start Treating People Right" is from Dave's soulful solo debut, Faces & Names
Cream - I Feel Free
Eric Clapton & The Band - "Further On Up The Road" Live at "The Last Waltz", Winterland SF, 11/26/1976
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - "Watching The Detectives" live at Hollywood High School
The Beastie Boys - Sneakin Out The Hospital

Mix 87: Ex Libris Anita Curleigh

2002-11-23T11:45:00.002-05:00

The Title: This mix was created when my wife and I first started dating. We had silly faux-English nicknames for each other, and her nickname was "Anita Curleigh". I borrowed a bunch of her CDs for this mix, which led to the title.

To create the cover art, I took my teenage head off, and pasted it onto one of my favorite photos of John Lennon. I added tint to my eyeglasses too.

The song "Pressure Drop" from the Specials was taken from the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack. I added some dialog from Minnie Driver and John Cusack too.
One of my favorite R.E.M. songs is "I Believe"
Van Morrison "Back on Top"
Aretha Franklin "Rock Steady"
The Police "On Any Other Day"
The Pursuit of Happiness "She's So Young"
Fountains of Wayne "She's Got A Problem"
Dave Edmunds "I Hear You Knocking"
Beastie Boys "I Don't Know" is a non-rap, semi-instrumental, totally boring track from Hello Nasty.
Sheryl Crow "Home"
Tori Amos "Mr Zebra" is a short and silly Beatlesque track from Boys for Pele.
Joni Mitchell "River"
I always liked the combination of Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham's voices on Fleetwood Mac's "Hold Me"
Counting Crows "Rain King" (live and acoustic)
"Ripple" is the one and only Grateful Dead song I have ever included on a mix.
World Party "Put The Message In The Box"
Stevie Wonder "Hey Love"
From John Lennon's LENNON box set, this is a live recording from an Elton John concert at Madison Square Garden: Elton bet Lennon that if "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" reached Number One on the charts, Lennon would sing it with Elton live in concert. Lennon lost the bet, and this recording is the result!
The Band "Acadian Driftwood" from The Last Waltz

077: This Charming Mix

2002-02-20T12:42:00.001-05:00

Always Something There To Remind Me A cover of the Burt Bacharach - Hal David song by Naked Eyes.
This Charming Man The Smiths
Heather- A mostly instrumental ode by Paul McCartney to his crazy, gold-digging, one-legged second wife, Heather Mills.
Boy Blue [edit] Electric Light Orchestra
Englishman In New York Sting
Chopsticks Liz Phair
Avery M. Powers Memorial Beltway Fear Of Pop was the "name of an experimental recording project by Ben Folds (of Ben Folds Five) and Caleb Southern (Ben Folds Five's long time producer), along with John Mark Painter (Fleming and John), William Shatner and others. Their first album, Volume 1 was released in 1998.
I Think I'm Paranoid Garbage
Spider [edit] They Might Be Giants
Peur Sur La Ville From "The Big Gundown", an album of Ennio Morricone songs performed by John Zorn.
Stray Cat Strut Stray Cats
"Pads, Paws And Claws" Elvis Costello (cowritten by Costello and Paul McCartney)
Rikki Don't Lose That Number Steely Dan
Johnny Strikes Up The Band Warren Zevon
High & Dry Radiohead
Senses Working Overtime [edit] XTC
Alive and Living Now The Golden Palominos, featuring Michael Stipe on lead vocals
Annabella's Song Everclear. From the Album Songs From An American Movie Vol. 1: Learning How To Smile
The Obvious Child Paul Simon
Sabrosa Beastie Boys

076: Chocolate Covered Mothballs

2002-02-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

The title of this mix was inspired by an episode of the improv comedy TV show "Whose Line Is It Anyway"- Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh was a guest, and he was surprisingly funny on the show. I think he somehow worked the phrase "Chocolate Covered Mothballs" into a skit.

"Sara Smile" Daryl Hall & John Oates
"Fall At Your Feet" Crowded House
"Rosealia" Better Than Ezra
"This Moment" Matthew Sweet recorded this cover for a Victoria Williams benefit CD called Sweet Relief
"A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own" Tom Petty
"Everyday Is A Winding Road" Prince covering Sheryl Crow!
"Like a Prayer" [live] Guster covering Madonna (I found this on Napster).
"Save It For Later" [live] Pete Townsend covering The English Beat (I found this on Napster).
"Burning Down the House" [live] Bonnie Raitt covering Talking Heads.
"September Gurls" Big Star
"In My Room" Grant Lee Buffalo covering the Beach Boys
"There She Goes" The Boo Radleys covering The La's immortal one-hit wonder.
"Victim Of Love" The Eagles
"Love Is The Drug" Roxy Music
"Mysterious Ways" (Solar Plexus Club Mix) U2
"Go Your Own Way" The Cranberries covering Fleetwood Mac on the CD Legacy: A Tribute to Rumours
"Stop Whispering" From Radiohead's debut album Pablo Honey
"Border Song" Elton John
"Everyday" Dave Matthews Band

075: Baby, We're The Same

2001-12-01T12:20:00.001-05:00

"88 Lines About 44 Women" The Nails
"People Who Died" Jim Carroll Band
"Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar" Bob Dylan, from the Biograph box set
"Change The Locks" performed by Lucinda Williams, later covered by Tom Petty.
"Cinammon Girl" Neil Young & Crazy Horse
"Wicked Game" Chris Isaak
"Easy" The Commodores
"Slow Love" from Prince's Sign 'O The Times album
"If I Were You" (Single Version) k.d. lang
"Could've Been Anyone" Aimee Mann
"We're The Same" Matthew Sweet
"Lady In The Front Row" This one-hit wonder from Redd Kross reminds me of my year interning at WFNX in 1993-94.
"No More No More" Aerosmith
"Give It Everything" I think I found this Al Green song on a soundtrack CD, but I don't have the CD anymore.
"Mr. Wendal" Arrested Development
"I Know" (single edit) Dionne Farris used to be in Arrested Development. This single is from her solo debut, Wild Seed Wild Flower.
"I Found A Love" I found this song, with an awesome drum solo, on Eric Clapton's Crossroads box set.
"What Is Life" George Harrison had just passed away from cancer (after a lifetime of cigarette smoking) when I made this mix.

073: I'm Feeling Good...For Now.

2001-10-14T12:09:00.002-04:00

Mis-labeled "74".

Better Than Nothing Jennifer Trynin
Here We Go Again Everclear
5-Piece Chicken Dinner, and
Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun- Beastie Boys
Personal Jesus (7" Version) Depeche Mode
Why Don't We Do It In The Road? An out-there cover by Lydia Lunch. This is the only Beatles cover I have ever heard which includes a sample of the original Beatles song! There's some car-crash sound effects too...
Blind Talking Heads
You're All I've Got Tonight The Cars
I Love Every Little Thing About You Stevie Wonder
Somebody To Love Queen
Down the Line Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (This is a very odd, rare track from Tom Petty's box set. The production has a very slick soulful R&B flair.)
Darling Lorraine Paul Simon
Wishlist Pearl Jam
Be Mine R.E.M.
Winona Matthew Sweet
32 Flavors Ani DiFranco
Silver Springs Fleetwood Mac (The original 1976 B-side, not the performance from the live reunion album.)
Northern Sky Nick Drake
Crossroads Tracy Chapman

072: Brevity Is The Soul Of Wit

2001-09-01T11:57:00.004-04:00

"All Songs Three Minutes Or Less...Guaranteed!"

This is a good mix to listen to in the car if you're taking lots of short trips! I had made similar "short song" cassettes in the past: Mixes 21 and 32 were very similar.

[Untitled Instrumental] Bo Diddley
One Week Barenaked Ladies
In God's Country U2
Get Up (Live) R.E.M.
Tears Of A Clown The English Beat
Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard Paul Simon
Second Hand News [alt mix] Fleetwood Mac
Waterloo ABBA
The Apartment Song [demo] Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks
Let My Love Open The Door Pete Townshend
Is That Love Squeeze
Crazy Love Van Morrison
Time Wounds All Heels Nick Lowe
(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes Elvis Costello
She's Too Good For Me Sting
I Fought The Law The Clash
When I Come Around Green Day
War (live at the LA Coliseum) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Supernova Liz Phair
Sunshine Paul Westerberg
Come To California (demo) Matthew Sweet
Blood Makes Noise Suzanne Vega
Someone Keeps Moving My Chair They Might Be Giants
In Between Days The Cure
The Break Soul Asylum
The Great Big No The Lemonheads
Stop Your Sobbing The Pretenders
Something So Strong Crowded House
Groove Holmes The Beastie Boys

(My typical mix on an 80 minute CD-R will hold about 20 songs.)

67: UNusual Suspects

2001-06-02T14:12:00.001-04:00

The title Unusual Suspects refers to my effort to populate this mix with artists I don't normally (or ever) include in mixes. The cover features singer Tracy Bonham. I had to do a major edit to Track 10, "Midnight Voyage", because the song, as featured on my Sixteen Greatest Hits CD, includes an extended breakdown in the middle, where the singers work out the harmonies. Track 12, "Chinese Firedrill", is from an odd solo CD from Minutemen lead singer Mike Watt: Ball-Hog or Tugboat? is like a "Mike's friends who are Alt-Rock Stars" variety show:

These included fellow SST Records alumni like former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins, members of Sonic Youth, Curt and Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Nirvana's Pat Smear, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl, Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros drummer Stephen Perkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers's Flea, Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner, former Pixies singer Frank Black, The Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando, and Mike D and Adam Horowitz of the Beastie Boys.

Sinead O'Connor: The Emperor's New Clothes
Tracy Bonham: Second Wind
Pearl Jam: Nothingman
Dire Straits: I included "Brothers In Arms" due to it's inclusion in the West Wing TV show season finale.
The Smiths: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
Nick Drake: Cello Song
Caetano Veloso: O Leaozinho
Ben Folds Five: Selfless, Cold, and Composed
Extreme: More Than Words
The Mamas & Papas: Midnight Voyage [edit]
World Party: Is It Like Today?
Mike Watt featuring Frank Black: Chinese Firedrill
Prince: 4 The Tears In Your Eyes
Duran Duran: Save A Prayer
Hall & Oates: One on One
Oasis: Champagne Supernova
The Black Crowes: Thorn In My Pride

53: Three Doors

2001-04-16T12:36:00.003-04:00

This mix is heavily influenced by my then-recent stint at AAA radio station WCLZ in Portland. In fact, you could argue that this entire playlist would easily fit on that station in 2001- perhaps not Alan Parsons Project, but the rest for sure. The cover art is from the CD insert for whitechocolatespaceegg, from Liz Phair, plus some Photoshop effects.

Alan Parsons Project: Don't Answer Me (due to a faulty MP3, this song is cut off halfway through.)
'til tuesday: Coming Up Close
John Hiatt: Drive South
Bruce Springsteen: Where The Bands Are
Lucinda Williams: Passionate Kisses
Billy Bragg: Sexuality
Richard Thompson: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Liz Phair: Uncle Alvarez
Ben Folds Five: Steven's Last Night In Town
The Old '97s: Nineteen
Buffalo Tom: Kitchen Door
R.E.M.: The Great Beyond
Moby: Porcelain
The Eels: Novocaine for the Soul
Sinead Lohan: Diving To Be Deeper
Patty Larkin: Wolf At The Door
Pete Townsend: Let My Love Open The Door [E.Cola Mix] (as heard in the film Grosse Pointe Blank)
Nick Drake: Pink Moon

60: Your Sweet Voice

2001-01-01T12:46:00.001-05:00

The story of Track 13, the Beatles' Abbey Road Medley is complicated, and fascinating to me. The medley appears on side 2 of the LP Abbey Road.

I am going to quote Wikipedia's entry on "Her Majesty" to tell the rest of the story:

"Her Majesty", tacked on the end, was originally part of the side two medley, appearing between "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam", like this:
"You Never Give Me Your Money"
"Sun King"
"Mean Mr. Mustard"
"Her Majesty"
"Polythene Pam"
"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"
"Golden Slumbers"
"Carry That Weight"
"The End"
McCartney requested "Her Majesty" be removed from the medley. However, second engineer John Kurlander had been instructed never to throw out anything, so Kurlander spliced 14 seconds of red leader tape onto the end of the reel, and spliced "Her Majesty" immediately after the leader tape. When Malcolm Davies at Apple received the tape, he (also trained not to throw anything away) cut a playback lacquer which included the 14-second gap and "Her Majesty". The Beatles liked this effect and this sequence was retained for the album:
"You Never Give Me Your Money"
"Sun King"
"Mean Mr. Mustard"
"Polythene Pam"
"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"
"Golden Slumbers"
"Carry That Weight"
"The End"
(14 seconds of silence)
"Her Majesty"
The reason the all-acoustic "Her Majesty" opens with a loud, crashing chord? That's the last note of "Mean Mr. Mustard", which was not needed when "Mustard" is spliced directly into the first note of "Polythene Pam". Meanwhile, the final note of "Her Majesty" is missing on the LP because it was left behind in the medley, as part of the first note of "Polythene Pam".

Track 13 on this mix is a bootleg copy of the original rough mix of the medley. Thank you Napster!

Walls (No. 3): Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Some Guys Have All The Luck: Rod Stewart
When Heroes Go Down: Suzanne Vega
Hero Takes a Fall: The Bangles
I'm Going Down: Bruce Springsteen
The Real Life: John Cougar Mellencamp
"Peace Tonight" I really like this Indigo Girls song, not only for its melody and lyrics, but I love the horn section. Every song is better with a horn section!
Dirty Boulevard: I am not a Lou Reed fan. At all. However, I liked this song when it came out when I was in high school, and the advent of Napster allowed me to acquire the song (on MP3) without paying anything. Score!
Footprints: Squeeze
You Get What You Give: New Radicals
Next Year: Foo Fighters
Your Sweet Voice: Matthew Sweet
"Abbey Road Medley" [rough mix] The Beatles
Fifty Years After The Fair: Aimee Mann
What Makes You Happy: Liz Phair

49: Tripping, Running, Escape!

1999-01-01T12:25:00.003-05:00

This mix marks the first mix I made which was not recorded to cassette. This mix existed only as a Winamp playlist for a few years, between when I first installed Napster and Winamp on my PC circa 1998-1999, and when I finally upgraded to a new PC with a CD burner in 2001.

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams
A Higher Place, Tom Petty - I will never forget a Liz Phair concert at Avalon: "A Higher Place" was the last song played on the PA system, after the lights were dimmed, but before Liz emerged onstage.
Fastball's hit single was "Out of My Head", but I always liked "Fire Escape" better.
"Tripping Billies" may be my favorite Dave Matthews song.
"Eileen's Song" Burlap to Cashmere was a total one-hit wonder. I have the album "Eileen's Song" is on. I listened to it once all the way through, and I remember thinking that none of the other songs sounded like this.
"Holding Back the Years" I always liked this Simply Red song, but I never managed to get it onto a mix until now. It feels very dated now.
"Stolen Car" Beth Orton
"Ray of Light" Madonna
"Alcohol" Barenaked Ladies
I recently scored 100% on ROCK BAND 2 while singing "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit.
"I'm Not Running Anymore" John Mellencamp
"Sunflower" Paul Weller
"Circus" Eric Clapton
"Sally Ann" I found this song on 10,000 Maniacs' CD single for "Candy Everybody Wants".
"Last Night of the World" Bruce Cockburn

48: I Don't Care Anymore

1998-02-01T11:50:00.007-05:00

An appropriate title for this collection, as this would be the last numbered cassette music mix I would record. I could check my records, but I must have changed jobs around this time and I no longer had hours to kill on the overnight shift.

SIDE A

If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free, Sting
Sanctify Yourself, Simple Minds. This album Once Upon A Time, was the moment where they had the most potential to be the Next U2. The production quality is the cleanest and rockingest, and the songs were the strongest.
Blame it on Cain, On his debut My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello was backed by most of Huey Lewis' band Clover (someday to become The News.) Listen for Elvis's vocal to distort during the loud parts.
What I Am, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
32 Flavors, Alana Davis was a one-hit wonder around the turn of the century. She charted with this Ani DiFranco cover.
Song For The Dumped, This Ben Folds Five album, Whatever and Ever Amen, was the one playing on the stereo at Newbiy Comics in South Portland. It was the cliche'd moment where I asked the clerk "who is this awesome artist?" That never happens to me!
Get Out of This House, Shawn Colvin's most rocking song!
Darkness on the Edge Of Town, Bruce Springsteen
Time Of Your Life (Good Riddance), This Green Day song has become their crossover hit. In 2011 it still gets played on every type of radio station!
Girl, The Beatles
Happy, The Rolling Stones
Hooked on a Feeling, Blue Swede

SIDE B

Rain King, Counting Crows
Without Expression, John Mellencamp
Surrounded, Chantal Kreviazuk
Three Marlenas, The Wallflowers
Positively Fourth Street, Bob Dylan
Somewhere Down The Crazy River, Robbie Robertson
Adios Hermanos, Paul Simon
No Cheap Thrill, Suzanne Vega
(Everybody's Else's) Girl, Tori Amos
I Don't Care Anymore, Phil Collins

Between 1999 and 2001, I collected MP3s from Napster onto my home PC and assembled music mix playlists with Winamp. My PC did not allow me to rip or burn CDs, so I downloaded all the tracks from Napster, including songs which I owned on CD but I could not rip them to my hard drive. In the spring of 2001 I bought a new PC with a CD-R drive, and the new era began.

The First New Mix Tape In A While: No.47

1997-11-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

90 minutes

The Siblings Tape #46

1997-05-26T11:46:00.002-04:00

A real odd mix of music. Very atonal. From the cassette insert: "Recorded May 26-29, 1997. Kate and Jon contributed CDs to this mix."

SIDE ONE

"Weird Al" Yankovic: "Polkas on 45"
"Hooked On Polkas"
"Polka Party!"
"Polka Your Eyes Out"
"The Alternative Polka"
"I Should've Known" Aimee Mann
"You Got Lucky" Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
"The Impression I Get" The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"Modern Woman" Billy Joel
"Elvis Is Dead" Living Colour

SIDE TWO

"Swingtown" Steve Miller Band
"Galileo" Indigo Girls
"Daughter" Pearl Jam
"How?" John Lennon
"Lost In The Supermarket" The Clash
"Atlantic City" Bruce Springsteen
"Cure for Pain" Morphine
"Something Ain't Right" David Byrne
"Semi-Charmed Life" Third Eye Blind
"Close To Me" The Cure
"My City Was Gone" Pretenders

Mix Tape 45: All Mixed Up

1997-03-01T11:45:00.001-05:00

Also known as "Scripty Cursive" I later remade this cassette mix on CD-R. 100 minutes cassette.
SIDE ONE

"All Mixed Up" 311
"Looking For A Song" Big Audio (aka the third iteration of Mick Jones' Big Audio Dynamite)
"Eggman" Beastie Boys
"Annie Get Your Gun" Squeeze
"Possession" Sarah McLachlan
"God" Tori Amos
"Empty" The Cranberries
"You And The Mona Lisa" Shawn Colvin
"Something So Right" Paul Simon
"Philadelphia" Neil Young
"Believe What You're Saying" Sugar
"Without You" Bruce Springsteen
"Paper In Fire" John Cougar Mellencamp

SIDE TWO

"We've Arrived (And To Prove It We're Here)" The Rutles
"There Goes The Neighborhood" Sheryl Crow
"Baby, Now That I've Found You" The Foundations
"Stranger Than Fiction" Joe Jackson
"Running On Ice" Billy Joel
"When Love Comes To Town" U2 with B.B. King
"Electrolite" R.E.M.
"Behind Every Good Woman" Tracy Bonham
"Monkey Gone To Heaven" The Pixies
"Nearly Lost You" Screaming Trees
"Little Bird" Annie Lennox
"Peg" Steely Dan

44: The Damage Done

1997-02-01T11:44:00.001-05:00

A collection of dark music, this cassette was later re-made as a CD-R. 94 minutes.

The Golden Days of 1984

1997-01-15T16:50:00.002-05:00

SIDE A

"1984/Jump" Van Halen
"Oh Sherrie" Steve Perry
"Separate Ways (World Apart)" Journey
"Love is a Battlefield" Pat Benatar
"Infatuation" Rod Stewart
"Say It Isn't So" Hall & Oates
"Cuts Like a Knife" Bryan Adams
"Be Good Johnny" Men At Work
"Hungry Like The Wolf" Duran Duran
"Stay The Night" Chicago

SIDE B

"Footloose" Kenny Loggins
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" Cyndi Lauper
"Borderline" Madonna
"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" Elton John
"You Take Me Up" Thompson Twins
"Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" Phil Collins
"Heart & Soul" Huey Lewis & The News
"All Night Long (All Night)" Lionel Richie
"Billy Jean" Michael Jackson
"Say Say Say" Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
"Let's Hear it For The Boy" Denice Williams

(94 minute Sony cassette)

Mix Tape Forty-Three

1997-01-07T11:42:00.002-05:00

This mix was a little under-baked. I couldn't even fill a 60 minute cassette with music I liked. Several of these tracks I actively dislike!

Forty-Two: Merry Christmas 1996!

1997-01-02T11:41:00.001-05:00

My second mix to highlight music received as Christmas presents.

41: Columbus Day Weekend Tape

1996-10-12T11:38:00.000-04:00

100 minutes

40th Commemorative Mix Tape

1996-08-18T11:31:00.002-04:00

I didn't "commemorate" anytihng with this mix. This was my first mix started at my new job at WMGX. As a result, it's chock full of easy classic rock from the WMGX CD library. 100 minutes.

N's Unfinished Mix Tape. Number Thirty-Nine

1996-07-05T11:29:00.001-04:00

"Recorded July 5, 1996, just before Bob fired me."

38th Mix...Mastering the Fine Art of Compromise

1996-06-01T11:28:00.001-04:00

"No Springsteen, No Joel, No McCartney!!!" 90 minutes

Mix #37: The Mistie Trip Mix

1996-04-20T11:25:00.002-04:00

"Especially for the trip to Boston to see Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie."

Mix #36: Guys And Dolls

1996-02-09T11:23:00.002-05:00

"a work in progress..."
"recorded February 9th - 21st, 1996"
Side A was all bands with guys singing, Side B was all ladies. 90 minutes

35: The Politics of Dancing

1996-01-01T11:22:00.001-05:00

"Serious Songs about Serious Issues...Recorded Jan '96, re-recorded May '96." 90 minutes

Mix Tape No.34

1995-12-01T11:21:00.000-05:00

100 minutes

33: Haphazard, Humdrum, and Humble.

1995-10-03T11:20:00.000-04:00

100 minutes.

32: Brevity Is The Soul Of Wit, Volume 2

1995-10-02T11:19:00.001-04:00

"All songs under 3 minutes or less.. guaranteed!" 120 minutes

Mix #31 (Thirty-one)

1995-09-15T11:17:00.002-04:00

"mostly from the CD library of 103-7 'Peak' FM"

30: The Fast Driving Mix Volume II

1995-09-14T16:28:00.002-04:00

"The 30th Anniversary Mix. Recorded at Peak FM, of course."
There are plenty of disadvantages to working the overnight shift. One of the advantages of working all alone in the office is that no one is around if you want to do two things at once, and risk possibly not doing your paid job as well as your boss would like. That is the exact scenario I often found myself in at "Portland's Best Music!" 103.7 "Peak" FM. I would play Ace of Base and Seal in the master control studio, while recording cassettes of my personal music in the second production studio across the hall. I would simply 'chock' both doors open, and leave the monitor speakers on high enough to warn me when the Madonna record was running out. I'm not saying I never missed my cue, but there's no need for me to sit there listening to that same Hootie & The Blowfish record all the way through. This is one of the reasons why so many DJs have been replaced with computers in the last 15 years.

"Been Caught Stealing" (12 inch remix) Jane's Addiction: My 1993-1994 internship at WFNX was my trial by fire into the world of alternative rock. I did odd jobs for Neal Robert in the afternoons, and he used to play this version of this song off the CD single.
"Jumpin Jack Flash" The Rolling Stones
"Runnin Down A Dream" Tom Petty, featuring Mike Campbell tearing off one of my all-time favorite guitar solos.
"Animal" Pearl Jam: I can't overstate the impact Vs. had on the world in 1993. Pearl Jam were already one of the biggest bands on Earth when Vs. was released in September. The album set a record for copies sold in one week (unbroken for 5 years!) and it's gone 7x platinum since. This is for a band which didn't grant interviews and released no promotional videos. They succeeded on merit. We'll never see a physical album or CD fly off the shelves like that again. I would guess WFNX regularly played seven tracks off the record. "Animal" still sounds great in 2011. The snare drum sounds a little "1990s", but the rest of the recording and performance are full-tilt amozzing. I still have a vinyl LP copy !mint!sealed! if anyone wants to make me an offer? Serendipitously, Pearl Jam recorded and released the Orpheum Theater show I saw on the tour, April 12, 1994. Unfortunately, a single CD can't hold the entire concert, so their performance of "Animal" didn't make the cut.
"Few and Far Between" 10,000 Maniacs: Man I love the arrangement on this song. The drums sound amazing, the horn section is terrific too.
"Closer to Fine" Indigo Girls
"If I Can't Change Your Mind" Sugar
"Gee Angel" Sugar
"Rockin Stroll" The Lemonheads
"Sold Me Down The River" The Alarm
"Stop!" Jane's Addiction
"Cannonball" The Breeders
"Are You Gonna Go My Way?" Lenny Kravitz
"Divine Thing" Soup Dragons
"Interstate Love Song" Stone Temple Pilots
"Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" Van Morrison
"Jump In Line (Shake Shake Senora)" Harry Belafonte: this is why I bought this soundtrack CD. I could not wait 15 years for iTunes to be invented.
"Werewolves of London" Warren Zevon
"No Surrender" Bruce Springsteen wanted this song as the leadoff single from Born In The U.S.A. Jon Landau convinced him that he needed to broaden his audience with "Dancing In The Dark" instead. It's a testament to the LP's depth that the album spawn SEVEN top 10 singles, and in the end, "No Surrender" wasn't ever a single.
"After Midnight" (alternate mix) Eric Clapton, from the Crossroads box set.
"Cult of Personality" Living Colour
"Monkey On My Back" Aerosmith
"Hazy Shade of Winter" The Bangles, sounding their best thanks to killer production quality from Rick Rubin.
"Demolition Man" The Police

90 minute cassette

29: Acquaintances

1995-07-22T16:26:00.002-04:00

"Exclusively collected from the WZPK "Peak" FM Music Library." However, the collection is not full of Top 40 songs which I played on the air. The mix contains mostly AAA and alt-rock. 100 minutes.

28: Revisited!

1995-05-01T16:23:00.002-04:00

My notes on the cassette insert say "Side 2 originally recorded May 1995, both sides re-recorded March 23, 1996. The collection is chock-full of contemporary music, including plenty of alt-rock, and music I was then playing on the Top 40 radio station 103.7 "Peak" FM. 90 minutes.

25, 26, 27: The History of My Compact Discs

1995-03-29T16:17:00.002-05:00

Like a band who releases a "Greatest Hits" collection with only two albums' wirth of music, perhaps this was an idea whose time had not come yet. I created a three-cassette series collecting music from CDs over the previous 9 years. By focusing so closely on such short time periods, I ended up capturing particular memories well.

Mix 25 - Compact Discs: The Early Years 1987-1989; 90 minutes

Mix 26 - Compact Discs: The Emerson College Years 1990-1992; 60 minutes

Mix 27 - Compact Discs: The WFNX Years 1993-1994; 90 minutes

24: Really Zany Mix

1995-02-25T16:15:00.001-05:00

Featuring music, stand-up comedy, sketches from comedy CDs, and TV theme music.
100 minutes

23: Join Together

1995-02-23T16:13:00.002-05:00

This mix contains songs I liked to play on the guitar.
90 minutes