"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
I have been making music mixes since I was 15. Fast forward to the 21st century and I have recorded over 100 mix tapes, CD-Rs, and iPod playlists. The mixes I make tell a story of my life. I never kept a diary, but these tapes are sometimes just as revealing. I still have a lot of tapes left undescribed here, but I will continue to dig through old cassettes, post track listings, and talk about where I was that day, why I liked that song, and what it says about me.
Notes
The posting dates correspond with the date the mix was recorded, from 1988 through the present. The music mixes and packaging described in this blog are created for my own personal use only. Fair Use applies. I have zero intention of copying, distributing, or selling copyrighted music or images.
