gentle indifference

2008

2009-11-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

It's almost 2010, but here is my 2008 mix, late of course, but why not keep this thing up? I had kind of a busy year, what with getting married and publishing two books (yes, I'm bragging), but I'm back now and ready with what is actually a pretty good mix considering 2008 was not a great year for music. Fortunately, '09 is shaping up much better, but enough of that, onto the list!

A lot of R&B again, no surprise considering that the genre continues to dominate charts, even into 2009. Great songs from Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, Usher, and Estelle, plus some old-school soul from one of the many British singers Amy Winehouse paved the way for, Duffy. Fortunately, we only have one convicted domestic abuser on the list, with Chris Brown's "Forever," which was originally meant to be a jingle for Doublemint gum. "Forever" is one of two tracks on this mix that will forever be associated with a television show for me: the Chris Brown song was heavily featured in the wedding of Pam and Jim on the Office (which took their cue from the actual wedding that hit it big on YouTube). The other song is "DLZ" by TV on the Radio, which was used at the end of a particularly intense episode of "Breaking Bad," a show which should be ESSENTIAL viewing for all five people reading this plus everyone else who is alive.

Kanye West again dominates the list with three songs, while Lil' Wayne has two, but the real story here is a slight revival of rock music from the likes of Vampire Weekend, Kings of Leon, and sorta kinda MGMT and Portishead (who, with Third, made the best record of 2008). And yes, that is a Coldplay song. Don't knock it, it's good, and they are still the biggest rock band in the world, even if that title doesn't mean what it once did.

Two artists to single out here, though, are Pitchfork favs Bon Iver and Hercules and the Love Affair. The former deserves every bit of praise he has received for his excellent 2008 indie folk record, For Emma, Forever Ago, and "Skinny Love" is a strong and memorable single. The latter, in this writer's humble opinion, is a tad overrated, but it's hard to hate on "Blind," with vocals from Antony from Antony and the Johnsons. A great dance song, and a good keystone for this mix which rates as one of the more enjoyable of the second half of this decade. Hope you like it:

1. Time to Pretend - MGMT
2. A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
3. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyoncé
4. Closer - Ne-Yo
5. Blind - Hercules & Love Affair
6. Love in this Club Feat. Young Jeezy - Usher
7. Forever - Chris Brown
8. Swagga Like Us - Jay-Z and T.I. feat. Kanye West and Lil Wayne
9. Lollipop (ft. Static Major) - Lil Wayne
10. Love Lockdown - Kanye West
11. DLZ - TV on the Radio
12. L.E.S. Artistes - Santogold
13. Livin Your Life (Feat. Rihanna) - T.I.
14. American Boy (Ft. Kanye West) (Prod. By Will.I.Am) - Estelle
15. Mercy - Duffy
16. Sex On Fire - Kings Of Leon
17. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
18. Skinny Love - Bon Iver
19. The Rip - Portishead

It's like you waited your whole life for this one link.

2007

2008-05-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Now that I've settled into my one post a year rhythm, the time has come for my 2007 mix. All in all a somewhat disappointing year, with everything kind of settling into an R&B routine that, in this writer's humble opinion, reflects the general malaise of the populace. In this shitty modern time, where everything is going in the toilet, it's inevitable people would turn to pop to help them through the hard times.

Still, there is some great pop here, particularly dance-focused tracks ranging from Justice to Chris Brown. Two tracks featuring T-Pain grace the mix - there could have been three with Kanye's "Good Life," (not to mention T-Pain's own work) but I went with "Can't Tell Me Nothing" (which I prefer to "Stronger," which does not approach the original Daft Punk track for energy or quality). Great female R&B is provided from Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and the infamous Amy Winehouse, who despite being a truly depressing human being continues to show enormous promise as an artist if she ever gets her shit together. Let's hope this isn't another Pete Doherty in the making...

Elsewhere, some great indie singles from Arcade Fire and Spoon (who would have thought they would become as big as they are?), another Mac marketing success story, and some honest-to-god hip hop from Pharoahe Monch, southern gods UGK and Outkast (RIP Pimp C), and the phenomenon that is Soulja Boy. There's also a spectacular cut from MIA's Kala, the best record of 2007, and Lil' Wayne's most successful track (out of approximately 4000 released last year). He's already having a huge year in 2008, and it will only get bigger when his official full-length is released.

The year was mostly a holding pattern, but a strong one in some regards. Here's the list, hope you like it:

1. Crank Dat Soulja Boy - Soulja Boy
2. Rehab - Amy Winehouse
3. Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) Featuring Outkast - UGK
4. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
5. Way I Are (Feat. Keri Hilson & D.O.E.) - Timbaland
6. Kiss Kiss (Feat.T-Pain) - Chris Brown
7. Can't Tell Me Nothing - Kanye West
8. You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) - The White Stripes
9. Duffel Bag Boy (Feat. Lil' Wayne) - Playaz Circle
10. Gravity's Rainbow - Klaxons
11. Body Baby - Pharoahe Monch
12. The Underdog - Spoon
13. 1 2 3 4 - Feist
14. Archangel - Burial
15. D.A.N.C.E - Justice
16. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
17. Keep The Car Running - The Arcade Fire
18. Low (Feat. T-Pain) - Flo Rida
19. Umbrella (Feat. Jay Z) - Rihanna
20. No One - Alicia Keys

Download the mix here.

2006

2007-07-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know no one is around, but here I am anyway posting my mix. I've been very behind on this, so I apologize, mostly to myself.

Last year was a fairly strong one for singles. There were three huge smashes in "Crazy," "My Love," and "Irreplaceable." The first is still rough to listen to after so much overplay, but in a few years this will be remembered as the classic track it is. I picked "My Love" over "SexyBack" not only because it is a better song, but because the T.I. verse looks so nice sitting next to the ATL emcee's smash "What You Know" from the best selling hip hop album of 2006. And finally, "Irreplaceable," Beyonce's biggest hit to date and Ne-Yo's best song to date, is a few minutes of perfect pop that this decade could use a lot more of. It's also a shining example of the music that has basically dominated the charts for the past, oh, twenty years. It's all about female R&B when it comes to the hot 100.

The biggest thing to note here is the almost complete absence of rock. 2006 (and so far, 2007) has shown how dead the genre that previously ruled music is. TV on the Radio has heavy electronic influences, which leaves The Strokes and the 20 year olds of Arctic Monkeys as the only representation from this once dominant genre.

Anyway, here's the mix.

1. Wind It Up - Gwen Stefani
2. You Only Live Once - The Strokes
3. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
4. My Love (feat. T.I) - Justin Timberlake
5. What You Know - T.I.
6. Moving Like A Train - Herbert
7. Waters Of Nazareth - Justice
8. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
9. Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio
10. Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
11. Irreplaceable - Beyonce
12. Be Without You - Mary J. Blige
13. I Wanna Fuck You (Feat. Akon) - Snoop Dogg
14. Hip Hop Is Dead - Nas
15. Wamp Wamp (What It Do) (Feat. Slim Thug) - Clipse
16. Wouldn't Get Far (Feat. Kanye West) - The Game
17. Tapped (Feat. JME) - Skream
18. So Sick - Ne-Yo
19. That's Life - Killer Mike
20. Lost Ones (Feat. Chrissette Michel) - Jay-Z

Download the mix here.

2005

2006-08-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

I broke a rule to begin 2005, I put in the awesome, buzzworthy, relevant Boondocks theme just to give the record a nice little opening. As for the rest of the mix, while it is a little hip hop heavy, it's a great set of songs, stuff that really holds up a year later. Listening to it, I really changed my mind about last year and the strength of the lineup. "Welcome to Jamrock," "Still Tippin," "Chicago," and "Banquet" were big hits in their own ways, all major successes that still sound massive. "Chicago," of course, was not actually released as a single (see also "Smells Like Content" and "Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left"), but by 2005 blogs had made actual single releases irrelevant, and now you don't need to have a release or even radio play to have a big individual stand-out.

After jumping forty-five years in one week, does anything remain from 1960? Ray Charles, of course, but past that there seems to be very little you can point to. The slow evolution back in time showed such clear patterns, and yet here we are, looking at pop, the much maligned form of music that never changes, never grows, and always sounds the same, and we can't even recognize it. I find that pretty cool, even in the stretched out context.

So, all things must end, and though this project will go on (all of these lists are constantly being reconsidered, many have already been changed, and I will be making a new one each year) this blog will be in suspended animation for at least the next couple weeks as I am moving and I don't have enough time to come up with anything to do with it right away. I want to thank everyone who has been here from (around) the beginning, and all those who came towards the end. I hope you got even half as much pleasure listening to these mixes as I got making them. Feel free to come back, post on whatever mixes you have ideas for, complain about songs I included or omitted, and tell me what you've grown to love. Nothing would make me happier than that last one, because this project is really about discovering new (old) music and learning to understand and appreciate music history. I don't know how well I succeeded, but it was certainly fun to try.

Here's the mix, enjoy.

1. The Boondocks Theme Song - Asheru - 0:32
2. Banquet - Bloc Party - 3:19
3. Welcome To Jamrock - Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - 3:33
4. Still Tippin' Feat. Slim Thug & Paul Wall - Mike Jones - 4:32
5. Dreams - The Game - 4:46
6. My Friend Dario - Vitalic - 3:37
7. Testify - Common - 2:36
8. One Thing - Amerie - 3:41
9. Ch Ching - Lady Sovereign - 4:45
10. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House - LCD Soundsystem - 5:16
11. Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand - 3:38
12. Stay Fly (Ft. Young Buck and Eightball) - Three 6 Mafia - 3:56
13. Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz - 3:41
14. Gold Digger (Feat. Jamie Foxx) - Kanye West - 3:28
15. A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left - Andrew Bird - 4:59
16. Hate It Or Love It Remix (Feat. G-Unit) - 50 Cent - 4:23
17. Breathe Me - Sia - 4:35
18. Extraordinary Machine - Fiona Apple - 3:44
19. Smells Like Content - The Books - 3:41
20. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens - 6:04

1960

2006-08-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Next week, I'll be publishing my 2005 mix.

Well, we've come to the end of the road. A few people have asked why I picked 1960 as the year to go back to. I though about 1964, and 1950 seemed like a nice round number (which I might still get to if I ever have the time), but 1960 seemed right for a few reasons. First of all, anything earlier would have been very difficult, as it is the nature of references and the internet to be much more current, and considering the fact that I am young, anything before 1960 would have been a lot more work, work that I just didn't have time to do.

But as I look at 1960, I can't imagine a better year to end on. Just the first ten songs here alone are so legendary, so archetypal, so set in the memories of pop fans everywhere, that it's easy to see where this was the beginning of something big. There was poop before 1960, there was a booming music industry, powerful radio stations, even some TV performances, but this was when the local became the national, and the collective consciousness really took hold. That's what is exciting about pop, and it's what I found exciting about these mixes, looking over the great songs of each year, charting national taste and artistic growth. America, in all its flawed glory, has produced fantastic music over the past half decade. I hope everyone enjoys the mix, and come back next week to make a forty-five year jump to last year and the last mix I've finished.

Download here.

1. Money (That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong - 2:37
2. The Twist - Chubby Checker - 2:36
3. Save The Last Dance For Me - The Drifters - 2:30
4. Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers - 2:25
5. Only The Lonely - Roy Orbison - 2:27
6. Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles - 3:39
7. A Fool in Love - Ike and Tina Turner - 2:53
8. All I Could Do Was Cry - Etta James - 2:57
9. Shop Around [national version] - The Miracles - 2:48
10. Chain Gang - Sam Cooke - 2:33
11. Walking to New Orleans - Fats Domino - 2:11
12. Stay (Just a Little Bit Longer) - Maurice Williams - 1:36
13. You're Sixteen - Johnny Burnette - 1:54
14. You Talk Too Much - Joe Jones - 2:39
15. Walk Don't Run - Ventures - 2:07
16. Shakin' All Over - Johnny Kidd And The Pirates - 2:21
17. Back Door Man - Howlin' Wolf - 2:51
18. Alley Oop - Hollywood Argyles - 2:42
19. Harbour lights - The Platters - 3:09
20. Apache - The Shadows - 2:52
21. Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles - 2:44
22. Its Now Or Never - Elvis Presley - 3:12
23. Everybody's Somebody's Fool - Connie Francis - 2:40
24. Baby (You've Got What It Takes) - Brook Benton & Dinah Washington - 2:47
25. Airegin - Wes Montgomery - 4:29
26. Rank Strangers to Me - Stanley Bros. - 3:06
27. In My Little Corner Of The World - Anita Bryant - 2:40
28. Theme From A Summer Place - Percy Faith - 2:31
29. Beyond The Sea - Bobby Darin - 2:53

1961

2006-07-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of songs here that have become novelty songs, mostly because they are immediately identifiable and have been used so much in other contexts. I've talked about this a lot, but it's harder to remember, simply because the songs are so old, a time when "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" or "Hit the Road Jack" were not attached to Disney movies and cracker commercials (or whatever). Or for that matter, "Runaway," "Barbara Ann," "She Thinks I Still Care," Please Mr. Postman," "Michael," Stand By Me," "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You," or the fantastic "Crazy." All of them have been run into the ground to varying success, but divorced from everything they stand up remarkably well, which is the best thing I've discovered from making these mixes. When you take these songs at face value, it's easy to see why they were so successful in their time.

There are some great lesser-known songs here too though. Bobby Blue Bland was a great singer who has been unjustly forgotten by the majority of the population, and "Big Boss Man" may be the best blues song represented on these mixes.

Then there is "At Last," one of the best songs ever and truly deserving of its place at the end of this mix. Hope you enjoy.

Download the mix here.

1. The Lion Sleeps Tonight - Tokens - 2:39
2. Runaround Sue - Dion - 2:34
3. Hit the Road Jack - Ray Charles - 2:01
4. Runaway - Del Shannon - 2:19
5. Tossin' and Turnin' - Bobby Lewis - 2:35
6. Blue Moon - Marcels - 2:15
7. Barbara-Ann - The Regents - 2:16
8. Hello Mary Lou - Ricky Nelson - 2:19
9. Mother-in-law - Ernie K-Doe - 2:36
10. Turn On Your Love Light - Bobby Blue Bland - 2:38
11. Hideaway - Freddy King - 2:36
12. Rainin' In My Heart - Slim Harpo - 2:34
13. Big Boss Man - Jimmy Reed - 2:51
14. Hello Walls - Faron Young - 2:24
15. She Thinks I Still Care - George Jones - 2:35
16. My True Story - The Jive Five - 2:34
17. I Like It Like That - Chris Kenner - 1:58
18. Take Good Care Of My Baby - Bobby Vee - 2:38
19. It Will Stand - The Showmen - 2:25
20. Quarter To Three - Gary U.S. Bonds - 2:30
21. Let's Go Trippin' - Dick Dale & His Del Tones - 2:10
22. It's Gonna Work Out Fine - Ike & Tina Turner - 3:04
23. I Don't Want To Take A Chance - Mary Wells - 2:49
24. Mama Said - The Shirelles - 2:11
25. Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes - 2:30
26. Gypsy Woman - Curtis Mayfield And The Impressions - 2:20
27. Michael (Row the Boat Ashore) - The Highwaymen - 2:45
28. I Can't Help Falling In Love With You - Elvis Presley - 3:05
29. Crazy - Patsy Cline - 2:43
30. Stand By Me - Ben E. King - 2:54
31. At Last - Etta James - 2:58

1962

2006-07-24T10:42:00.001-07:00

Girl groups and ballads were dominant in the early 60s, since it was basically still the stereotypical 50s in America. There were some great songs within that mold though, and black groups were starting to have crossover hits of their own (The Exciters' "Tell Him" is a fantastic example), which would pave the way for Motown to really break through (they have a few classics here already with songs like "Two Lovers" and "You Really Got a Hold On Me"). You've heard most of these songs on your oldies stations, but listening to them as if they were new displays their progressive production and their influential melodies. Like it or not, a lot of your favorite rock and roll came from this music, and while it was cool at the time (and it still is now) to mention blues greats and early R&B favorites, this was the unavoidable music, and it's easy to see how The Beatles first big single, "Love Me Do" can sit right next to them in a mix and seem like little more than a British take on the style of the time.

Enjoy the mix, I'm almost done here, can't believe it's been more than 40 weeks... By the way, if anyone has any suggestions as to what I should do with the site once I'm finished, let me know in the comments section. Thanks!

Download the mix here.

1. Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance) - Contours - 2:54
2. Tell Him - The Exciters - 2:39
3. Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares - 2:21
4. He's a Rebel - The Crystals - 2:26
5. The Loco-motion - Little Eva - 2:25
6. Let Me In - Sensations - 3:06
7. Big Girls Don't Cry - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - 2:23
8. Wah-Watusi - Orlons - 2:30
9. Don't Make Me Over - Dionne Warwick - 3:23
10. Stop The Wedding - Etta James - 2:51
11. You Really Got a Hold On Me - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - 2:58
12. Up on the Roof - Drifters - 2:40
13. Two Lovers - Mary Wells - 2:48
14. Cry To Me - Solomon Burke - 2:36
15. Twisting The Night Away - Sam Cooke - 2:43
16. Telstar - The Tornados - 3:20
17. Green Onions - Booker T and the MG's - 2:55
18. Boom Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker - 2:33
19. Backdoor Man - Howlin' Wolf - 2:49
20. Desafinado - Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd - 5:47
21. I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Tony Bennett - 2:51
22. If I Had a Hammer - Peter, Paul, and Mary - 2:11
23. I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles - 4:14
24. She's Got You - Patsy Cline - 3:00
25. Love Letters - Ketty Lester - 2:36
26. Roses Are Red (My Love) - Bobby Vinton - 2:39
27. Love Me Do - The Beatles - 2:24

1962

2006-07-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

1963

2006-07-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, artists had very little control over their music, people rarely put out full albums, and so songs were never more than three and a half minutes (let’s ignore Jazz, it just wanted to be respectable). Hell, most songs were two minutes long. No extended dance mix, no five minute guitar solos; get in, get out, get paid. So instead of ending up with a mix like 1991 with 16 songs, or even the average 19 or 20, 1963 has a whopping 29 songs on it.

Fortunately, there is more than enough to fill up 80 minutes. "Please Please Me" was the first Great Beatles Song, Phil Spector started to show his talents, and "Louie Louie" was investigated by the FBI on suspicion of indecency. Then there's the surfing trend, big while the Beach Boys were still a trend (where is the Surfaris' Pet Sounds?).

There are so many movements here it is hard to keep track of them. Girl groups, folk hits, Motown, Pop Vocals, and The Singing Nun all in one year. Crazy stuff.

Download here.

1. Louie Louie - Kingsmen - 2:46
2. Please Please Me - The Beatles - 2:04
3. Be My Baby - The Ronettes - 2:39
4. Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals - 2:35
5. He's So Fine - The Chiffons - 1:54
6. Denise - Randy & the Rainbows - 1:59
7. Heat Wave - Martha and the Vandellas - 2:47
8. Wipe Out - Surfaris - 2:37
9. Surfing USA - Beach Boys - 2:28
10. Pipeline - Chantays - 2:20
11. Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash - 2:33
12. Six Days On The Road - Dave Dudley - 2:23
13. Act Naturally - Buck Owens - 2:21
14. On Broadway - The Drifters - 3:06
15. I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March - 2:29
16. It's My Party - Lesley Gore - 2:22
17. My Boyfriends Back - The Angels - 2:39
18. South Street - The Orlons - 2:14
19. Pushover - Etta James - 2:57
20. Another Saturday Night - Sam Cooke - 2:25
21. Fingertips Part 2 - Little Stevie Wonder - 3:12
22. The Girl from Ipanema - Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto - 5:24
23. Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan - 2:48
24. We Shall Overcome - Joan Baez - 3:37
25. Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul & Mary - 3:26
26. Dominique - The Singing Nun - 2:56
27. The End Of The World - Skeeter Davis - 2:37
28. Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton - 2:51
29. Danke Shoen - Wayne Newton - 2:36

1964

2006-07-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

Beatlemania was at its peak in 1964, but don't let that make you think that there wasn't other music at the time. Of course there were those other great 60s rock bands: the Kinks, the Zombies, and the Rolling Stones all had some of their biggest early hits. But there was also strong soul and pop at the time. I love Dave Clark Five's "Because" way more than "Glad All Over," so I included the former, and the Beach Boys were still making summery pop at the time with "I Get Around." On that soul tip, there's the Supmeres, The Four Tops, and Dionne Warwick's version of "Walk On By," which was also performed by Isaac Hayes in 1969; it's one of the few songs included twice (on purpose).

Closing out the mix are three great socially relevant songs. There's "A Change is Gonna Come," by the legendary Sam Cooke (I prefer Otis's version, but that's just me), followed by "The Times They Are A Changing," which is an obviously political song, no matter what Dylan says these days. Finally, I included a live recording of Where Have All the Flowers Gone," a classic folk song that saw a revitalization at the beginning of "the 60s" which '64 really was in a lot of ways, considering Kennedy had been killed the November before, and Vietnam was escalating. It was also the year of the Daisy ad, so nuclear war was certainly on the minds of Americans.

Anyway, I won't run my mouth (too much) this week and instead just let you enjoy the mix.

Download here.

1. A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles - 2:39
2. You Really Got Me - The Kinks - 2:16
3. House of the Rising Sun - Animals - 4:31
4. She's Not There - Zombies - 2:25
5. Where Did Our Love Go - Diana Ross and the Supremes - 2:31
6. Baby I Need Your Lovin - Four Tops - 2:46
7. Needle In A Haystack - The Velvelettes - 2:32
8. Remember (Walking In The Sand) - Shangri-Las - 2:19
9. Time Is On My Side - The Rolling Stones - 2:55
10. Because - Dave Clark Five - 2:23
11. I'm Into Something Good - Herman's Hermits - 2:29
12. I Get Around - Beach Boys - 2:13
13. Who Do You Love - The Sapphires - 2:44
14. Walk On By - Dionne Warwick - 2:57
15. Wishin' And Hopin' - Dusty Springfield - 2:55
16. Under the Boardwalk - Drifters - 2:41
17. Downtown - Petula Clark - 3:11
18. Viva Las Vegas - Elvis Presley - 2:21
19. Um Um Um Um Um Um - Major Lance - 2:21
20. Walking In The Rain (stereo) - Ronettes - 3:20
21. The Way You Do The Things You Do - The Temptations - 2:43
22. What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am) - Tams - 2:01
23. Dancing In the Streets - Martha and the Vandellas - 2:38
24. My Guy - Mary Wells - 2:54
25. Stay With Me Baby - Lorraine Ellison - 3:32
26. A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke - 3:14
27. Times They Are a Changing - Bob Dylan - 3:12
28. Where Have All The Flowers Gone - Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger - 4:20

1965

2006-07-05T10:57:00.001-07:00

I wonder if Roger Daltrey regrets singing "hope I die before I get old." My guess is no, considering the fact that his life has turned out pretty well since that fateful line made its way into rock history. Perhaps if it had been sung with any irony, with a slight wink at the naivete of youth, I might be able to forgive the currently depressing "Who" tour, not to mention the never ending disappointment that is The Rolling Stones (and here's "Satisfaction," that could have been sung at the first Super Bowl). But then if you didn't believe he honestly wanted to die, would it have had the same impact? Part of the appeal of rock n roll is that the artists throw themselves so completely into their work (probably the reason why The Killers and She Wants Revenge and The Darkness are so shitty, ironic removal from your music has never worked). Unfortunately for rock stars, it is also what makes it so embarrassing to get older, kind of a more unforgiving "I Can't Believe I Wore That."

But then, why does it not seem as depressing for James Brown to hop around at 70? "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" has just as much rebellious youth in it as "Satisfaction," but somewhere along the line Rock became music for young people. Most likely it is because old white men are the status quo, they look like the establishment, and there's no amount of weird spiky haircuts, tightly fitting t-shirts, and tattoos that can cover up this fact. Though it is infinitely more pleasurable to watch Mick Jagger jump around on stage than to watch Brian Wilson be handed a guitar by three people that he can't even really manage to play himself, the middle ground is to simply get older and display that in your art. To reference another artist that had one of his best songs in '65, even if Paul Simon is starting to resemble Dr. Evil, at least he appears to be writing about things that matter to people his age (though he had a head start - he never would have made any assertion about younger being better in the first place). There's only so much you can do to maintain a genre as fleeting as rock n roll. And that's what makes it so fucking great.

One last thing, check out the Shangri-Las, the greatest girl group ever, for some dark, awesome pop. There's more of them to come as rock fades away and early 60s pop comes into stronger focus in the early 60s.

Download the mix here.

1. My Generation - The Who - 3:17
2. Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan - 6:09
3. Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones - 3:46
4. Shotgun - Junior Walker & The All Stars - 3:04
5. Papas Got A Brand New Bag - James Brown - 4:19
6. Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds - 2:22
7. Gloria - Them - 2:41
8. California Dreaming - Mamas and the Papas - 2:41
9. We Can Work It Out - The Beatles - 2:15
10. Uptight (Everything Is Alright) - Stevie Wonder - 2:54
11. California Girls - Beach Boys - 2:35
12. I Can Never Go Home Anymore - Shangri-Las - 3:12
13. The Tracks Of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - 2:55
14. It's The Same Old Song - Four Tops - 2:49
15. In The Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett - 2:30
16. Keep On Running - Spencer Davis Group - 2:43
17. Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye - 3:00
18. My Girl - The Temptations - 2:45
19. We Gotta Get Out of this Place - The Animals - 3:16
20. For Your Love - Yardbirds - 2:31
21. See My Friends - The Kinks - 2:48
22. Flowers On The Wall - The Statler Brothers - 2:25
23. King of the Road - Roger Miller - 2:27
24. I've Been Loving You Too Long - Otis Redding - 2:57
25. The Sounds of Silence - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel - 3:06
26. It Was A Very Good Year - Frank Sinatra - 4:28

1966

2006-06-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

These 60s mixes really make themselves, don't they? Start a mix with "Paint it Black" and end it with "Good Vibrations" and you can pretty much put the whole debut by She Wants Revenge in between it and still come out with an amazing mix. Not to compare "I Hear a Symphony," "These Boots Are Made for Walking," "River Deep Mountain High," and "Sunny Afternoon" to modern dreck. This is mostly soul and garage rock, with some great tracks from a couple lesser knowns like the 13th Floor Elevators, The Outsiders, Sam and Dave, and The Beatles. Some people like "Paperback Writer," I like "Rain," one of the first commercial records to feature music being played backwards.

The most difficult choice here was to exclude all of Pet Sounds. "Good Vibrations" was released the same year, and although it was included on Smiley Smile, the song was already huge in '66, so it wouldn't make much sense to include it in later years. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best Beach Boys single, beating both "God Only Knows" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice," which is saying a lot.

These picks are all pretty straightforward, and as you may have noticed there are 26 of them. As we go farther back in the decade, fewer and fewer songs were intended to fit on anything that could hold a song longer than about three and a half minutes, so very few songs (unless they were jazz) top that maximum. Where some mixes in the 90s were sixteen songs long, a couple mixes are 28 or 29 songs, which is great because I get to include more songs, but also more difficult because once you get back into the early 60s, there isn't as much that has lasted. I did my best to represent those years, but we'll get to that later. For now, here's 66 in all its glory. Enjoy.

Download here.

1. Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones - 3:45
2. You're Gonna Miss Me - 13th Floor Elevators - 2:28
3. This Old Heart of Mine - Isley Brothers - 2:46
4. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) - Marvin Gaye - 3:02
5. I Hear A Symphony - Diana Ross & The Supremes - 2:41
6. Knock On Wood - Eddie Floyd - 3:03
7. Psychotic Reaction - Count Five - 3:07
8. Time Won't Let Me - The Outsiders - 3:02
9. 96 Tears - ? And the Mysterians - 2:57
10. Walk Away Renee - Left Banke - 2:42
11. I'm a Believer - The Monkees - 2:46
12. These Boots Are Made for Walking - Nancy Sinatra - 2:46
13. Aint Too Proud To Beg - Temptations - 2:34
14. Hold On, I'm Coming - Sam And Dave - 2:38
15. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Dusty Springfield - 2:50
16. Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) - Loretta Lynn - 2:08
17. When A Man Loves A Woman - Percy Sledge - 2:55
18. Just Like a Woman - Bob Dylan - 4:54
19. River Deep, Mountain High - Tina Turner - 3:37
20. I'll Be There - Four Tops - 2:59
21. Summer in the City - Lovin Spoonful - 2:40
22. I Fought the Law - Bobby Fuller Four - 2:17
23. Eight Miles High - The Byrds - 3:37
24. Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks - 3:31
25. Rain - The Beatles - 2:59
26. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys - 3:39

1967

2006-06-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

"Waterloo Sunset" is one of the great pop songs, Ray Davies's masterpiece, and representative of just about everything great about the Kinks (though there's little sarcasm in the track). It's the best song on this mix, and that's saying a whole lot, considering that we are talking about 1967, the year of Purple Haze, and White Rabbit, and Sunshine of Your Love, and Ruby Tuesday, and A Whiter Shade of Pale, and do you get the idea yet?

Rock, pop, and soul all had a towering year, and each track here deserves its due. Not the best Van Morrison song, but "Brown Eyed Girl" is pretty damn good, and while I'm not Doors fan, "Light My Fire" does a pretty good job of just that. I picked "White Rabbit" rather than "Somebody to Love" because I simply like it better, but "Purple Haze" is here instead of "Hey Joe" for time reasons. "Foxy Lady" isn't as good as either of them.

The two biggest songs on this mix are undoubtedly Aretha Franklin's cover of "Respect" and The Beatles' "All You Need is Love." The former is the singer's most famous single, and while I've probably heard it 3.4 million times, it hasn't quite passed the point where I've contemplated suicide when it comes on the radio, unlike similarly overexposed songs. It's undoubtedly lost some of its power, though, and I do wonder: who calls radio stations to hear this song? Haven't they heard it enough? The latter was the track John wrote for the first satellite broadcast, sent around the world in 1967. It's a simple song that he probably tossed off in an afternoon, and its universal appeal and timeless nature illustrates John's genius perfectly. He was never a craftsman in the same way Paul was (though there are plenty of examples of songs John slaved over). Music came to him, and the inspiration he got wasn't from hard work, but from creativity; if John had talent, Paul had skill. The song Paul brought in for the broadcast was "Your Mother Should Know," which was eventually put on the Magical Mystery Tour EP, and I can only imagine what Paul felt like when he heard "All You Need is Love." Probably similar to the way John felt as he watched Paul, alone on stage with his guitar, playing the staggeringly overrated "Yesterday" to screaming crowds. "All You Need is to Have Similar Attitudes and Working Styles."

Anyway, enjoy one of the great years in history, 1967.

Download here.

1. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks - 3:16
2. Itchycoo Park - Small Faces - 2:49
3. The Letter - Box Tops - 2:02
4. The Rain, The Park and Other Things (Flower Girl) - Cowsills - 2:59
5. Respect - Aretha Franklin - 2:27
6. Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley - 2:21
7. So Happy Together - The Turtles - 2:52
8. You Keep Me Hangin' On - Diana Ross and the Supremes - 2:43
9. I Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - 2:48
10. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye - 2:27
11. Higher And Higher - Jackie Wilson - 2:53
12. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison - 3:03
13. See Emily Play - Pink Floyd - 2:47
14. Purple Haze - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - 2:55
15. White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane - 2:32
16. Light My Fire - The Doors - 7:06
17. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream - 4:13
18. Kind Of A Drag - Buckinghams - 2:13
19. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield - 2:37
20. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procul Harum - 4:01
21. Ruby Tuesday - The Rolling Stones - 3:19
22. Seven & Seven Is - Love - 2:25
23. Heroin - The Velvet Underground - 7:12
24. All You Need Is Love - The Beatles - 4:00

1968

2006-06-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

My favorite singer of all time (and the creator of my favorite record Live at the Whiskey a Go Go) is Otis Redding. I guess everyone has their reasons for loving an artist, and I have lots of rational ones, like the fact that I think he has a spectacular voice, picks great bands to work with, and writes perfect songs, many of which have gone down in history as the greatest of all time. But a lot of people have a great voice and surround themselves with great talent. So it's not anything in particular that I can identify about Otis Redding that sends shivers down my spine every time I hear him sing. Maybe it's the aching in his voice, the fact that he can be gritty or smooth and come across world-weary and hopeful. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay)" was his last single, a posthumous release (the first ever to go to Number One), and, with the possible exception of "Respect," the greatest song he ever wrote. His plane crash remains one of the great tragedies in music history - we often wonder if artists that die early are lionized simply because of their deaths, but Otis, like his idol Sam Cooke, is never part of that conversation. It's possible that "Dock of the Bay" wouldn't have quite the same emotion in it without that back story, but something tells me it doesn't need any more emotion than Otis put into his rendition that can be found right in the song.

Speaking of artists that died too early, 1968 begins with Bob Dylan's favorite version of "All Along the Watchtower," with the most underrated overrated guitar solo in history. Hendrix was maybe the greatest, and though we've all heard this song a million times, its power cannot be diminished by soundtracks, frat boys, or snobs trying to turn their backs on it. "Piece of My Heart" has been equally attacked, but it will withstand any pressure just as well: along with her cover of "Summertime," it's Janis Joplin's crowning acheivement.

Looking over this mix, it's difficult to find a song that hasn't been co-opted in one way or another. "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," "I Say a Little Prayer for You," "With a Little Help From My Friends." This music is so powerful and important that it's not surprising that it has been used time and time again to prop up art or products that don't measure up. Fortunately, I have yet to see an "I'm Black and I'm Proud" commercial for licorice or something, though I'm sure The Kinks' brilliant "Days" (which was a non-album single almost included on The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society) is ready to be included in a Day's Inn ad or something.

But I'm not bitter. This is still a stellar set of songs, if not quite as good as '69. Good Stevie Wonder, good Band and Simon and Garfunkel, a track from the best Van Morrison record (Astral Weeks is also one of my personal favorites if anyone is keeping score), and though I would have preferred to include "Revolution," "Hey Jude" is too big to ignore if it can fit. And makes for a nice coda to any mix (with a brief epilogue from Otis).

Okay, I've rambled enough. Enjoy the mix.

Download here.

1. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix - 4:00
2. White Room - Cream - 4:57
3. Piece Of My Heart - Big Brother & The Holding Co - 4:14
4. I Say A Little Prayer For You - Aretha Franklin - 3:36
5. The Way Young Lovers Do - Van Morrison - 3:18
6. I Heard it Thru Grapevine - Marvin Gaye - 3:10
7. I Wish It Would Rain - Temptations - 2:53
8. The Weight - The Band - 4:33
9. Mrs. Robinson - Simon and Garfunkel - 3:50
10. Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette - 2:41
11. Israelites - Desmond Dekker - 2:36
12. Say It Loud, I'm Black And I'm Proud - James Brown - 3:02
13. Everyday People - Sly and the Family Stone - 2:22
14. Days - The Kinks - 2:52
15. For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder - 2:50
16. La La Means I Love You - Delfonics - 3:23
17. Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells - 5:28
18. With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker - 4:55
19. Jumping Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones - 3:44
20. Hey Jude - The Beatles - 7:02
21. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding - 2:45

1969

2006-06-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

There has been a recent movement in Popular Music Criticism away from the focus on the 1950s and 60s as the birth of pop. It's a pretty legitimate argument, yet it (I think/hope unintentionally) risks forcing people to the polar opposite of what has been thought forever: before the Beatles and Motown, there was nothing. This is, of course, not true, but the idea that the Beatles and Motown changed nothing is equally misinformed (of course, just as misinformed as the notion that the Beatles and Motown were all that mattered in the 60s).

So as I post these, quite honestly, fucking awesome mixes from the 1960s, keep in mind that music was excellent before this, and it has been excellent since. Then ignore that and be totally floored by the wide-ranging brilliance of the pinnacle of popular music that is the late 60s.

There is not one single afterthought on this exactly 80-minute mix. Every song here is spectacular, and every song is important for its own reasons. Beatles and late (but still great) Supremes are there, but so are the Stooges, The Kinks, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Stevie Wonder, Simon and Garfunkel, and even Frank Sinatra.

I included the single version of Isaac Hayes 12 minute epic cover of "Walk On By" that has been sampled by Portishead and Wu Tang for two equally amazing classics. I also placed "Time of the Season" on 1969's mix: even though the record was released in 68, the song didn't hit big until 69. Gospel makes its only appearance here, with the Edwin Hawkins Singers singing "Oh Happy Day," really the only big Gospel song during the modern era.

Damn, Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, Sly and the Family Stone, and one of the best Stones songs ever to top it off. How can you not love the 60s?

Download here.

1. I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges - 3:12
2. Walk On By - Isaac Hayes - 4:34
3. Hot Fun In The Summertime - Sly and the Family Stone - 3:03
4. Someday We'll Be Together - The Supremes - 3:28
5. The Ballad of John and Yoko - The Beatles - 2:59
6. Victoria - The Kinks - 3:39
7. Space Oddity - David Bowie - 5:08
8. Whipping Post - The Allman Brothers Band - 5:19
9. Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 2:19
10. Build Me Up - The Foundations - 2:59
11. Suite Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby Stills Nash and Young - 7:28
12. My Cherie Amour - Stevie Wonder - 2:51
13. Son Of A Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield - 2:29
14. Time Of The Season - Zombies - 3:34
15. The Boxer - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel - 5:10
16. Je T'aime Moi Non Plus - Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - 4:17
17. My Way - Frank Sinatra - 4:37
18. Oh Happy Day - Edwin Hawkins Singers - 5:27
19. You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones - 7:27

1970

2006-05-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

Great year. 1970 was smack dab in the middle of the popular music peak of 1967-1973, and while it was definitely a transition year, that didn't stop the quality from rising. A great John Lennon single, my girlfriend's favorite Velvet Underground song, the most famous (though far from the best) Kinks song, and one of the most popular Neil Young songs.

What 1970 really was was the pinnacle of "Classic Rock." Though they aren't the legendary songs they are made out to be, "Oye Como Va," "Spirit in the Sky," "Who'll Stop the Rain," and "Layla," are all great, and they have been downright worshipped by a generation of kinda sorta music fans who went on to have children and drive station wagons. Add onto those a great Dead song, and a classic Crosby, Stills, and Nash track and you've got 95% of a Classic rock radio station's rotation (side question: which stock radio station plays a smaller range of songs, oldies stations or classic rock stations?).

Okay, okay, I've gotten through two paragraphs without mentioning it, but maybe someone already noticed: The Beatles. They were this little band from Britain, I know most people don't know them, but I really like their music, and I think if I include them on these mixes, maybe they can finally get the exposure they deserve. Seriously, though, I've decided to do something a little different with the Beatles. Since everyone has their records, or at least has heard the major songs from them a thousand times, I'm putting all non-album singles (until I get down to the early records, where this is impossible). This is a great way to avoid having to make really difficult decisions, but it's also good for the mixes to have something a little more unusual. For 1970, I picked an alternate version of "Across the Universe." It's my favorite version of the song, and it's one of my favorite John songs, probably second only to "Girl," which also happens to be my favorite Beatles song.

Enjoy the mix, and next week, the 60s. I'm quivering in anticipation.

Download the mix here.

1. Sex Machine - James Brown - 5:15
2. Down On The Street - The Stooges - 3:43
3. Lola - The Kinks - 4:03
4. Moondance - Van Morrison - 4:36
5. Sweet Jane - The Velvet Underground - 3:18
6. Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield - 3:37
7. Oye Como Va - Santana - 4:17
8. Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum - 4:02
9. Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 2:29
10. Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell - 2:14
11. Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Neil Young - 3:08
12. Instant Karma - John Lennon - 3:20
13. Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn - 3:01
14. Joshua - Dolly Parton - 3:00
15. Across The Universe - The Beatles - 3:47
16. O-o-h Child - Five Stairsteps - 3:14
17. The Tears Of A Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - 3:00
18. Casey Jones - Grateful Dead - 4:24
19. Teach Your Children Well - Crosby, Stills & Nash - 2:54
20. Layla - Derek & The Dominos - 7:05
21. My Sweet Lord - George Harrison - 4:43

1971

2006-05-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

1971 gave birth to two of, if not the, most important protest songs ever. "What's Going On" and "Imagine" have both been extremely co-opted by people who don't seem to have the ability to listen to lyrics. Fortunately, all of this has done nothing to lessen the impact of the two songs, both of which have as much urgency in them as they did thirty-five years ago.

Elsewhere, Loretta Lynn continues her sharp commentary, Bill Withers sings one of his best songs, and Leonard Cohen makes his only appearance. The Stones' "Wild Horses" is their best ballad, and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" is their shining moment. Isaac Hayes won an Oscar for Shaft's theme song, and The Who won some new fans with "Baba O'Riley," which really should have been called "Teenage Wasteland."

A note about Led Zeppelin. I have spent a ong time trying to like Led Zeppelin. Bottom line is that I do not like Robert Plant's voice, and no matter how much I appreciate John Bonham and Jimmy Page, Plant gets on my nerves so much that I can't stand to listen to Zeppelin for more than a(n instrumental) minute. So there's not much Zeppelin on these mixes. In fact, this is it folks, which means no "Stairway" (probably the biggest omission in all of the mixes). Sorry to all Zeppelin fans, but I hope you understand.

Enjoy the mix.

Download the mix here.

1. Baba O'Riley - The Who - 5:08
2. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers - 2:06
3. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - 3:52
4. Imagine - John Lennon - 3:04
5. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 2:39
6. Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin - 4:33
7. Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone - 3:04
8. Clean Up Woman - Betty Wright - 2:48
9. One's On The Way - Loretta Lynn - 2:39
10. Just My Imagination - The Temptations - 3:51
11. Way Back home - Jr. Walker and the All Stars - 3:14
12. Changes - David Bowie - 3:33
13. Paranoid - Black Sabbath - 2:52
14. Bang A Gong (Get It On) - T.Rex - 4:24
15. Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes - 4:36
16. Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones - 5:44
17. Famous Blue Raincoat - Leonard Cohen - 5:09
18. Coat Of Many Colors - Dolly Parton - 3:05
19. Take Me Home Country Roads - John Denver - 3:12
20. I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King - 3:00
21. When The Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin - 7:07

1972

2006-05-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

One of the more wide ranging mixes in this project, 1972 includes Al Green, The Rolling Stones, Randy Newman, Can, Melanie, Jimmy Cliff, and Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris. Lots of huge huge songs, plus the only Can song, the only Steely Dan song, and (I think) the only Roxy Music song. This may be the only Elton John song, too, I'm not a big fan of his at all.

There are two songs on this I want to point out. Babe Ruth's "The Mexican" is a monster song, a major dance crossover success that was played in the discos downtown and, even five years later, the hip hop clubs uptown. It's a great song that deserves bigger exposure. Second, Denise LaSalle's "Trapped By a Thing Called Love" is an early 70s soul gem, one of the few songs in history I consider truly perfect. Everything is right where you want it.

I also included "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," a seven minute latter-day masterpiece by the Temptaions. If you've never heard this full version, you're in for a treat.

Enjoy.

Download the mix here.

1. Let's Stay Together - Al Green - 3:18
2. Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed - 4:16
3. Tumbling Dice - The Rolling Stones - 3:42
4. Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie - 3:13
5. Rocket Man - Elton John - 4:42
6. Sail Away - Randy Newman - 2:51
7. Use Me - Bill Withers - 3:50
8. The Mexican - Babe Ruth - 5:46
9. Spoon - CAN - 3:04
10. Virginia Plain - Roxy Music - 2:58
11. Reelin' In The Years - Steely Dan - 4:37
12. Love Train - The O'Jays - 3:01
13. Trapped By A Thing Called Love - Denise LaSalle - 2:40
14. Everybody Plays The Fool - Main Ingredients - 3:24
15. Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations - 7:00
16. Superstition - Stevie Wonder - 4:26
17. Brand New Key - Melanie - 2:22
18. Freddie's Dead (Theme From "Superfly") - Curtis Mayfield - 3:20
19. The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff - 3:41
20. Pink Moon - Nick Drake - 2:06
21. We'll Sweep The Ashes Out In The Morning - Emmylou Harris & Gram Parsons - 3:12

1973

2006-05-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

I been really tryin' baby...

A lot of emotions are too powerful to get just right in art without making people feel uncomfortable, and wanting to fuck the shit out of someone just happens to be one of them. If "Let's Get It On" has a flaw, it's that it's too good at what it does, and making the perfect song about sexual desire immediately renders it useless when related to sexual desire. So it's near impossible to put on "Let's Get It On" and then proceed to do just that (unless, of course, you and your partner have a healthy sense of humor). But the song is so damn good, so damn sexy, that it becomes what it is talking about. Maybe people like crying to songs about crying and dancing to songs about dancing, but in this case, the two have to be separated. "Let's Get It On" is getting it on.

Marvin's work has also been ruined by cheesy joke uses in advertising, which seems to be the running theme in this mix. "Who's That Lady," "The Big Payback," and "20th Century Boy" have all been reappropriated and overused in a number of commercials. Plus, "Stuck In The Middle With You" is forever associated with ear cutting, and "I Can't Stand the Rain" was lifted in its near entirety by Missy Elliot. It's a shame, because all of these songs stand on their own as great tracks, and some of them have probably been almost ruined. Only with a real open ear out of the contexts they've been unfairly placed in can these songs stop being the novelties they were never meant to be and start being great songs again.

I also want to mention Pink Floyd's "Money," from the still-charting Dark Side of the Moon and The Stooges' "Search and Destroy," from the still-dangerous Raw Power. Both records are still definitive today, and even if they aren't the greatest work from the two groups, these songs really merged the defining sounds of the times with the kind of lasting power that really embodies what these mixes are all about.

Here is the mix and the tracklisting. Enjoy.

The mix.

1. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye - 4:51
2. Call Me - Al Green - 3:04
3. Who's That Lady - The Isley Brothers - 5:36
4. Apache - Incredible Bongo Band - 4:54
5. Cosmic Stop - Parliament - 5:17
6. The Big Payback - James Brown - 7:41
7. Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel - 3:23
8. Ramblin Man - Alman Brothers Band, The - 4:42
9. Baby's On Fire - Brian Eno - 5:19
10. 20th Century Boy - T Rex - 3:35
11. Search And Destroy - The Stooges - 3:29
12. Money - Pink Floyd - 6:22
13. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan - 2:29
14. You're So Vain - Carly Simon - 4:18
15. Get Up Stand Up - Bob Marley - 3:16
16. Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder - 3:42
17. I Can't Stand The Rain - Ann Peebles - 2:31
18. Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight and the Pips - 4:35

1974

2006-05-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, not totally back to normal here, but ready to put up a mix nonetheless.

This is a great mix, in my opinion, one of my favorites of the decade, and one that I've listened to a great deal. First of all, George McRae's "Rock Me Baby" is one of my all-time favorite songs. It puts me in a good mood no matter what. Then I managed to include "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" - twice. How did I manage to do it? Well, they are two different songs, record by two very different artists, but in the same year, and both were fairly sizable hits. A pretty unique occurence, especially considering the fact that it's not just a one word title.

A lot of people don't like "Rebel, Rebel," but I think those people are wrong, and while it isn't Bowie's strongest single, it fits in with The Raspberries' "Overnight Sensation" and Neil Young's "Walk On." Similarly, the pairing of "Help Me" and "Jolene" is a nice combo, both beautiful songs by strong female artists.

The mix begins and ends with live tracks, and they both slightly break my rules. "Distant Lover" was originally on 1973's Let's Get it On, which will obviously be represented on next year's mix by the title track. However, since this is a live performance, the one per album rule still works, and this was a major, major live track, one that hit the charts and stayed there. Similarly, the live performance of "No Woman, No Cry" has had a much bigger life than the studio version, going so far as to be included on Legend. I broke a rule pretty blatantly by including it here, as this performance wasn't released until 1975, even though the studio performance was 1974 (the studio version, by the way, is awful, and most of you probably haven't even heard it). I included it here for time and quality reasons, and I would hope you look the other way and don't think too much less of me.

Enjoy the mix.

Download the mix here.

1. Distant Lover (Live) - Marvin Gaye - 6:22
2. Rock Your Baby - George McRae - 5:36
3. Never Can Say Goodbye - Gloria Gaynor - 6:16
4. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night - John Lennon - 3:20
5. September Girls - Big Star - 2:49
6. Tell Me Something Good - Rufus/Chaka Khan - 3:28
7. Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang - 3:06
8. Lady Marmalade - Patti Labelle - 3:56
9. People Say - Meters - 5:16
10. Take Me To The River - Al Green - 3:47
11. Can't Get Enough of Your Love - Barry White - 4:34
12. Can't Get Enough of Your Love - Bad Company - 4:15
13. Overnight Sensation - The Raspberries - 5:22
14. Rebel, Rebel - David Bowie - 4:30
15. Walk On - Neil Young - 2:42
16. Help Me - Joni Mitchell - 3:22
17. Jolene - Dolly Parton - 2:37
18. No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley - 7:07

Tragedy Strikes the BZA

2006-04-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

My computer crashed this weekend. Fortunately, I was able to recover all of my info, which is now sitting on a hard drive in my care, but I'm not going to be able to publish a mix this week. Sorry for the inconvenience, and we should be back up and running by next week. For the time being, tell me things I don't know in the comment section.

1975

2006-04-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Because 1975 was a pretty weak year, I was able to include the 13 minute Fela Kuti track “Expensive Shit” without losing anything I’m really going to miss. It’s a great song, and while Fela didn’t have the huge impact he deserved in America, he’s certainly the biggest African musician to ever hit over here.

But to say that this is a weak year is to take nothing away from the few great tracks there were, as everything here is pretty fantastic. Although a lot of people don’t like “Young Americans,” I get a big kick out of it, and “Born to Run,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Low Rider” are really fun cuts. “Shame, Shame, Shame” and “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker” are both great party tracks, and Little Johnny Jewel” was the first (and best) Television song, a lesser known track because it was not included on a record.

Two woman had big records in 1975, Patti Smith with her cover/reworking of Van Morrison’s “Gloria,” and Loretta Lynn’s feminist anthem “The Pill,” and both were easy selections for this compilation, as they are both extremely important and fucking awesome. On the other side of the singer/songwriter sexual coin, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan had two of their biggest hits. “Tangled Up In Blue,” in particular, comes pretty close to being my favorite Bob Dylan song. He’ll be included in a few more mixes, obviously.

Finally, a note about J.D. Crowe. I know most people who take a look at this blog every week don’t know or care too much about Bluegrass, but as someone who has only recently (within the past two years) been delving into the genre, I have to include what I think is one of the most important records in the modern bluegrass era, and one of the best songs from that album. Great musicianship and beautiful recordings, J.D. Crowe and the New South is highly recommended for anyone interested in the genre, and if you like the song I included, the rest of the album is equally enjoyable.

Enjoy and comment below.

Download the mix here.

1. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen - 4:31
2. Young Americans - David Bowie - 5:09
3. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen - 5:53
4. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd - 5:17
5. St. Elmo's Fire - Brian Eno - 3:03
6. Low Rider - War - 3:13
7. Tear the Roof off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk) - Parliament - 3:41
8. Shame, Shame, Shame - Shirley & Company - 4:05
9. Little Johnny Jewel (Parts 1 & 2) - Television - 7:09
10. Gloria - Patti Smith - 5:56
11. The Pill - Loretta Lynn - 2:38
12. Old Home Place - J.D. Crowe & The New South - 2:49
13. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon - 3:32
14. Tangled Up in Blue - Bob Dylan - 5:41
15. King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown - Augustus Pablo - 2:31
16. Expensive Shit - Fela Kuti and The Africa 70 - 13:13

1976

2006-04-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Ramones and the Sex Pistols are widely considered the creators of Punk, and if the genre was around before them under a different name, then the least that can be said for the two groups from opposite sides of the Atlantic is that they kick started a movement. What’s obvious even from first listen is how different they are, it’s hard to imagine any genre that would include them both. But The Ramones were doggedly persistent in their pop structure musically, and the Sex Pistols molded themselves into the image of a pop group, albeit a kind of pop group that had never been seen before. I’m not particularly a huge fan of either group – the Sex Pistols have survived because of image and three great songs, and if you’ve heard one Ramones song you’ve heard them all – but both bands have an undeniable appeal in style and presentation that has influenced hundreds, if not thousands, of groups since. Sitting next to an average Bowie single and some strong if not exciting rock ‘n’ roll on this mix, it’s easy to see why punk seemed so relevant in the late 70s.

Elsewhere, 1976 was a great year for reggae, and I included three great songs: Max Romeo’s “War In a Babylon,” Culture’s “Two Sevens Clash,” and one of the greatest reggae singles ever, Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves.”

This also marks the first appearance of Stevie Wonder, from his last great record, Songs in the Key of Life. There will obviously be much more from him as we go back into the soul era.

And of course, there’s some cowbell.

Enjoy, and comment below.
Download the mix.

1. Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones
2. Police And Thieves - Junior Murvin
3. Roadrunner - The Modern Lovers
4. X Offender - Blondie
5. (I'm) Stranded - The Saints
6. Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
7. Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band
8. Wild Is The Wind - David Bowie
9. Young Hearts Run Free - Candi Staton
10. I Wish - Stevie Wonder
11. The Bottle - Gill Scott Heron
12. Legalize It - Peter Tosh
13. Love Hangover - Diana Ross
14. Two Sevens Clash - Culture
15. New Rose - The Damned
16. Anarchy In The UK - Sex Pistols
17. American Girl - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
18. War In A Babylon (w/Lee Scratch Perry) - Max Romeo W
19. Love and Affection - Joan Armatrading
20. Tom Traubert's Blues - Tom Waits

1977

2006-04-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry to come in late this week, I was on a plane yesterday, so Tuesday will have to for 1977.

This is a very similar - if slightly better - mix to 1978: lots of punk, and some mid-era disco. The biggest difference here is the reggae, two very different tracks from great artists. The Congos self-titled LP is one of the great reggae albums ever, and Jamming may be one of Bob Marley's most famous songs. I also decided to pick the live version of "Got to Give it Up." It was Marvin Gaye's last number one, and it's a sexy, sexy track.

Two notable tracks are Giorgio Moroder's "First Hand Experience in Second Hand Love" and the Giorgio Moroder-produced track "I Feel Love." The latter was one of the first songs backed completely by electronics to hit the charts (maybe the first, but I could be mistaken). Both are cheesy as hell, but so fun and infectious as to not matter in the least.

I open with "Lust for Life," which our generation probably remembers from Trainspotting and the younger generation will probably remember from Norwegian Cruise line commercials, a very sad fate for such a great song. All this reappropriation for commercials in recent years hasn't really been questioned, and call me old-fashioned, but I really think artists should think twice before forever associating their music - and their legacy - with a product, essentially turning their songs into jingles. While many of the songs used recently don't have the same emotional connection that, say, "Revolution" had when it was sold to Nike ("Just What I Needed" for Circuit City is pop going pop), it's still sad to think that young kids will see that commercial and, never having heard the song before, will assume it is a Circuit City jingle, and will never discover it in its original context. I know those ads are made for people old enough to recognize the song, but commecials are played for everyone. Maybe we need a different kind of v-chip, to block out good songs from being spoiled by crappy commercials.

Anyway, enjoy.

Download the mix here.

1. Lust For Life - Iggy Pop
2. Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
3. Blank Generation - Richard Hell and the Voidoids
4. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker - The Ramones
5. Orgasm Addict - Buzzcocks
6. In The City - The Jam
7. Oh Bondage Up Yours! - X-Ray Spex
8. Complete Control - The Clash
9. See No Evil - Television
10. Heroes - David Bowie
11. Allison - Elvis Costello
12. Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
13. I Feel Love - Donna Summer
14. Fist Hand Experience in Second Hand Love - Giorgio Moroder
15. Flash Light - Parliament
16. Best of My Love - Emotions
17. Trans-Europe Express - Kraftwerk
18. Got To Give It Up - Marvin Gaye
19. Congoman - The Congos
20. Jamming - Bob Marley

1978

2006-03-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

If any of you have read my profile, you'll notice that the only group under music that I have listed is The Kinks. They are my favorite group, and starting here, I take a few liberties with the rules in order to get their songs on here. "Misfits" is a great track, though, an underrated gem and I think everyone can appreciate it. Certainly easier to argue for its exclusion than, say, "Waterloo Sunset," but nevertheless these are my mixes and I'll do what I want with them.

This is the second mix of the 70s to start with a Clash song, but really, can you blame me? When you get down to it, there weren't many other bands in the late 70s (an era of singles if there ever was one) that were making consistently important music. There were some great young bands here that would have major growth periods: The Cure, The Talking Heads, The Cars, and Devo all matured greatly after this major year for all of them, and Elvis Costello had one of his biggest hits, one which catapulted him into critical favor for the next decade.

One thing that has been really difficult about the 70s is the differences in production styles. The two major movements of the era were obviously Punk and Disco, and not coincidentally they are polar opposites when it comes to the quality of their production. Punk is raw and fuzzy, and many of the records were created on small budgets by producers who were talented at capturing the moment rather than shaping a sound. Conversely, disco thrives in the studio, where its style can come to the forefront. This creates a disappointingly segregated mix, because unlike the 90s and 00s, where sprinkling hip hop throughout the mix was acceptable, these two styles are so different that any mingling would be immediately jarring.

Anyway, just a thought. Enjoy the mix, and comment below.

Unfortunately, sendspace doesn't appear to be working today, so here's a yousendit for now. When it's blocked, let me know in the comments section. Thanks.

Download the mix here.

1. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash
2. Is This Love - Bob Marley
3. Down in the Tubestation at Midnight - The Jam
4. Ever Fallen in Love? - The Buzzcocks
5. Human Fly - The Cramps
6. Where Were You - The Mekons
7. I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones
8. Just What I Needed - The Cars
9. Peace Love And Understanding - Elvis Costello
10. Because The Night - Patti Smith
11. Misfits - The Kinks
12. Killing an Arab - The Cure
13. Take Me To the River - Talking Heads
14. Definitive Gaze - Magazine
15. Heart of Glass - Blondie
16. Le Freak - Chic
17. One Nation Under a Groove - George Clinton
18. Das Model - Kraftwerk
19. Ambition - Subway Sect
20. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Devo
21. Beast Of Burden - The Rolling Stones

1979

2006-03-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

At the end of the 80s, Rolling Stone named their greatest records of the decade, and coming out on top was The Clash's third record, their masterpiece, London Calling. That the record was released in 1979 says less about the mediocrity of the 80s and more about the strength of the record, it's influence on the group's genre and beyond was tremendous, and even in a mix with "Rapper's Delight" its title track is the most important song on this mix. Currently, Gang of Four's Entertainment has become a popular influence, and it's also represented here.

There's also some straight-ahead rock, like Tom Petty and Neil Young (is this the first live track I've used?). The ~~last~~ Talking Heads, the first Pink Floyd, the best XTC single I feature, and the first big Cure single.

This was the last year disco was really big, so I picked a bunch of great records from the era. "Got to Be Real" and "I Will Survive" are two of the records which have withstood the backlash over the years and really maintained their status as classics. "There But for the Grace of God" should be in that same category, and lesser-known disco gem from New York-based Machine.

Finally, hip hop fades away with the last song on the mix, "Rapper's Delight." Though not technically the first rapping on record, and certainly not from the most talented group of the early era, "Rapper's Delight" is nevertheless the Colombus of the genre, the one that everyone else sat up and took notice of. For this reason, it's the first representation of its genre, and the last we'll see of hip hop as we go back.

Enjoy.

Download the mix here.

1. London Calling - The Clash
2. Damaged Goods - Gang of Four
3. Gangsters - The Specials
4. Making Plans for Nigel - XTC
5. Chuck E's in Love - Rickie Lee Jones
6. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure
7. Cars - Gary Numan
8. Life During Wartime - Talking Heads
9. Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) - Pink Floyd
10. Refugee - Tom Petty
11. Hey Hey, My My - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
12. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
13. Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
14. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
15. There But For The Grace Of God - Machine
16. I Want Money - Flying Lizards
17. Rapper's Delight - The Sugarhill Gang

1980

2006-03-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

Jeez, it feels like I started this two weeks ago, and here we are, on the cusp of the '70s. Time really goes by fast.

Okay, 1980, another great year, up there with the best in my opinion. Two of my favorite songs ever are included on this mix, the essential Talking Heads single "Once in a Lifetime" and the great, great "Mirror in the Bathroom" by the Beat, or, as they are known in America, the English Beat. Check out DK and DJ Food's Solid Steel mix for a great drum and bass remix of the song.

The rest of the mix is basically self-explanatory. Joy Division's single, a few great one hit wonders in "Shack Up" and 'Never Say Never," more tail-end punk in "Los Angeles" and "Holiday in Cambodia," arena rock at it's highest peak with Queen and AC/DC, and the last big single from one of musical heroes, "(Just Like) Starting Over." There's more to come from the ex-Beatle, of course, just as we haven't seen the last of Bob Marley, who by this point had made the shift from political figure to pop star, but still had the ability to make deeply moving music.

Blondie's "Rapture" was the first big hip hop crossover, with Debbie Harry (kind of) rapping and name-checking Grandmaster Flash (which he would later sample). Similarly, Kurtis Blow was the first hip hop solo star, and "The Breaks" is his best, party-starting song.

Next week, the 70s. It's a big transition as we go furthur back, because we are moving into years that I wasn't alive to experience. This obviously changes my perspective, and it makes me rely more on charts and second hand accounts of what was popular at the time. I'm trying to reserve only a small portion of each mix to music that would only make it simply because it lasted longer, but this will happen more and more the further back I go, simply because some music sounds dated now and I wasn't around to experience it first hand. I'm sure ten or twenty years from now a lot of the music that I loved simply because it was of the the time will fall by the wayside; in fact, I'm sure a lot of it already has. But this is inevitable, and the best I can do is talk to my elders, read the books, check the charts, and wish for the best.

This is as good a time as ever to remind everyone that these are works in progress, so if you have any suggestions (or you were around when I wasn't) please don't hesitate to let me know where I got it wrong. I want to make these as good as possible, and while my taste dictates many of my decisions, I may have included one song and neglected another because of a misguided assumption about what mattered in, say, 1974.

Anyway, 1980 is here, so enjoy some far-reaching pop from the beginning of the me decade.

Download the mix here.

1. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
2. Whip It - Devo
3. What I Like About You - Romantics
4. Never Say Never - Romeo Void
5. Shack Up - A Certain Ratio
6. Another One Bites The Dust - Queen
7. Back in Black - AC/DC
8. Ace of Spades - Motorhead
9. Holiday In Cambodia - Dead Kennedys
10. Totally Wired - The Fall
11. Los Angeles - X
12. Precious - The Pretenders
13. Rapture - Blondie
14. The Breaks - Kurtis Blow
15. When You Were Mine - Prince
16. Video Killed the Radio Star - Buggles
17. Mirror In the Bathroom - The English Beat
18. Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads
19. People Who Died - Jim Carroll Band
20. Redemption Song - Bob Marley
21. (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon

1981

2006-03-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a Rolling Stones household. My Mother loved - and still loves - Mick Jagger, and so I grew up surrounded by the Rolling Stones. Although I appreciated a lot of their music, it was, of course, the worst way to explore a band. Unless I had thrown myself into the group with the same enthusiasm, the only possibility was that I would grow to feel rather indifferent towards them. This was pretty much how I felt until I (re)discovered them myself. It was with Between the Buttons, but that was just an in for me to be able to explore what is undoubtedly one of the greatest catalogues in pop music history. There are a lot of heavily represented groups on this project, groups that took a big chunk of music history and made it their own. There's no shortage of Beatles, Bowie, Marvin Gaye, the Kinks. But at current count, the Rolling Stones have ten songs on this project, more than any other artist. It begins, as does this mix, with "Start Me Up" a great stadium rock song from the Stones last solid record (although their last one was pretty decent). It's been sold and marketed so many times that it's difficult to just hear it as a song, but if you listen with an open mind, you can still hear a band going strong sixteen years after they broke. It's quite an accomplishment.

Elsewhere on the mix, some really great songs stretch their legs out. The full version of "Tainted Love" is too good to cut, even at nine minutes it stands as a near perfect pop song, shoving two great covers together to create one great new wave classic. The similarly epic "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club is truly fun, especially mixed in with "Super Freak" and Heaven 17's debut single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang." The last seven minute-plus track is the revolutionary "Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel." One of the great early displays of the DJ on record, keep in mind that Flash was not using any samplers or multi-track recording. This was all done on the fly with turntables and wax.

Rick Springfield, Bowie and Queen, and Psychedelic Furs we all know, along with one of the better songs by Depeche Mode and the best song by Billy Idol. But 13-16 might be new to some people (to varying degrees). Japan are actually british, and "Ghosts" was their biggest hit in their home country. Then it's three punk classics from three very different punk scenes, the mostly straightforward Boston punk scene, and D.C. and L.A.'s very different hardcore scenes. The best of the three is probably Mission of Burma's "That's When I Reach for My Revolver," though there's little doubt that Bad Brains are one of the most important hardcore bands in that genres history.

81 is an odd year, where leftovers from the late 70s meet some 80s start ups. But the transition is not as surprising as one would expect. There has always been a strong contingent of Punk/New Wave fans, and looking to groups like Devo and The Talking Heads it is no surprise. That one genre has been so unfairly maligned in recent years while the other continues to stand as a defiant alternative to the mainstream is partially due to Mtv's new wave push causing backlash, but also because of the other influences that New Wave added to its basically Punk roots. Like disco before it, new wave suffered from homophobia and people who were mostly turned off by the gender neutral aspects of many of the genres biggest stars. The fact that the music was essentially dance music obviously didn't help it either. Certain bands have been totally immune to this backlash, like the Cars and The Talking Heads, mostly because they were on the fringe of the movement and focused more on its rock and roll roots. I'm not saying that this was the only reason; certainly everything from the 80s has been hurt by the dated nature of so many of the trends that were meant to seem futuristic, but only ended up becoming dated. I just find it sad how many decent genres have been hurt over the years not because of its quality (as you'll see in the late 70s, there is some fantastic disco), but because of universal biases that people still haven't gotten over.

Sorry to be so depressing. The mix is exactly the opposite, so get listening.

Download the mix here.

1. Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones
2. Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
3. Under Pressure - David Bowie and Queen
4. Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs
5. Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode
6. Dancing With Myself - Billy Idol
7. Tainted Love - Soft Cell
8. Super Freak - Rick James
9. (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang - Heaven 17
10. Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club
11. Don't You Want Me Baby - Human League
12. Ghost Town - The Specials
13. Ghosts - Japan
14. That's When I Reach for My Revolver - Mission of Burma
15. Banned In D.C. - Bad Brains
16. Rise Above - Black Flag
17. Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

1982

2006-02-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Probably my favorite mix of the 80s, 1982 had some classic, classic records, and the inclusion of nearly everything on here is self-explanatory. Here is "Billie Jean" my pick for the best of Thriller, "Planet Rock" and "The Message," maybe the two most important hip hop songs of the first wave, "Come On Eileen" and "I Melt With You," fantastic songs by underrated groups.

Two of the greatest appear on the timeline for the first time: The Clash had their biggest hit with "Rock the Casbah" and the record it came from, and even if it doesn't measure up to their other work, it's a great pop song. Then there's the last big single from Marvin Gaye, who would be killed just two years later. Both artists were integral to their respective genres, and there will be a lot more of both of them in this project.

Two artists I wish I could have fit in more are XTC and Frank Zappa, both included here with huge songs that aren't quite typical of their sound. Though both have strong cult followings, neither made much of an impact in the mainstream, and while Zappa was extremely influential as a musician, his particular songs didn't have the same impact, so his music is, currently anyway, underrepresented.

Elsewhere on the mix, "Temptation" is my favorite New Order song, and closing out the mix are three of the biggest 80s singles from the essential 80s groups Culture Club, Duran Duran, and Flock of Seagulls, who are playing in Los Angeles soon. I'll probably miss the show, unfortunately.

Enjoy 1982, and comment below. I used ysi again, so we'll see if it gets cancelled. Hopefully it wont, but let me know if it maxes out before next monday.

~~Download the mix here.~~

EDIT: Well, it happened again. I'll be using sendspace from now on, because someone doesn't like me. Oh well.

The new link.

1. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
2. Planet Rock - Afrika Bambata
3. The Metro - Berlin
4. Come on Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
5. Senses Working Overtime - XTC
6. Rock The Casbah - The Clash
7. I Love Rock and Roll - Joan Jett
8. Valley Girl - Frank Zappa
9. Town Called Malice - The Jam
10. Save It For Later - The English Beat
11. The Message - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
12. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
13. I Melt With You - Modern English
14. Only You - Yazoo
15. Temptation - New Order
16. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club
17. Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
18. I Ran - Flock of Seagulls

1983

2006-02-21T22:40:00.000-08:00

1983 is one of those transition years, where things are kind of in a holding pattern. "White Lines" and "Lesson 1" are huge songs for hip hop, but "The Message" and "Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" had already trailblazed in those areas. Run DMC's first big single came in 1983, but their success didn't really start until the next year.

As for rock, most of my choices are major groups having major singles, but not really pushing anything forward. "Burning Down the House" and "Our House" go great together, and "Always Something There to Remind Me" is another one of those classic 80s jams. But the stand-outs are probably "Blister in the Sun," which is still a hit at the teenage parties, and "Sweet Dreams are Made of These," easily the best single from the Eurythmics. Bowie also had his last big hit with "Let's Dance," just before plunging into self-parody.

Maybe the only really really major song here is New Order's "Blue Monday," still one of the best selling singles ever, I believe. Most of the rave scene and British dance music in general can be traced back to this song by the former members of Joy Division. Indeep's "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" is a notable track as well, not just for it's sparse bubblings, but for the simple statement that titles it, a saying that would become essential to the movement, and would also title an excellent book about the history of DJ's.

Enjoy, and comment below.

~~Download the mix here.~~

EDIT:Someone must have blocked the file, because I'd be really surprised if it maxed out this quickly. Anyway, here is the re-up. It can't be blocked.

1983

1. Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
2. Lesson 1 (The Payoff Mix) - Double Dee & Steinski
3. Let's Dance - David Bowie
4. The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
5. Blue Monday - New Order
6. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life - Indeep
7. Atomic Dog - George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
8. White Lines - Grandmaster Melle Mel
9. Sweet Dreams Are Made of These - Eurythmics
10. Burning Down the House - Talking Heads
11. Our House - Madness
12. Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes
13. Rockit - Herbie Hancock
14. It's Like That - Run DMC
15. Institutionalized - Suicidal Tendencies
16. Little Red Corvette - Prince
17. Every Breath You Take - The Police

1984

2006-02-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

The titular Orwellian year provides us with some enjoyable developments on many fronts. Perhaps you know a few Straight Edge people, perhaps you don't. Either way, they got their start with this Minor Threat track, a 45 second tour de force that couldn't segue better into "You Might Think," the best Cars single not on their self-titled record.

Tina Turner made her big comeback in 84, and Chaka Khan had her biggest hit with a Prince cover. But there are some other huge female-sung hits on here: Sheila E's "Glamorous Life," Sade's excellent "Smooth Operator," and Nena's "99 Luft Ballons." The Nena song was recorded in both German and, once it became a hit, English. I've included the original German version here.

There are three straightforward rock songs on here, the arena-ready "Jump," the blue collar "Born in the USA," and the sexy cool "Back on the Chain Gang," while The Replacements (one of the more underrated bands of the decade) gives a more contemporary, indie-style take on the genre, and Echo and the Bunnymen give the lone moody 80s contribution in the absence of New Order or Depeche Mode.

But through it all, Prince prevails. "Purple Rain." You know you love it.

Enjoy, and comment below.

Download the mix here.

1. Straight Edge - Minor Threat
2. You Might Think - The Cars
3. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
4. 99 Luft Balloons - Nena
5. La Di Da Di - Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick
6. Jump - Van Halen
7. Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
8. Back On The Chain Gang - The Pretenders
9. Smooth Operator - Sade
10. What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner
11. I Feel For You - Chaka Khan
12. Glamorous Life - Sheila E
13. You Spin Me Round - Dead Or Alive
14. The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen
15. Unsatisfied - The Replacements
16. Freaks Come Out At Night - Whodini
17. Rock Box - Run-D.M.C.
18. Purple Rain - Prince

1985

2006-02-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

85 is really where the 80s we know and love from Time Life compilations advertised on late night tv comes out to shine. Tears For Fears had two big singles with "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule The World," I picked the one I like better. "Take On Me" is, of course, one of the great one hit wonders of the 80s, if not of all time, and "Don't You Forget About Me" is one of the most important songs of the 80s, most notably for its inclusion in the 80s Teen archetype The Breakfast Club. Also note the inclusion of Oingo Boingo's best song, "Dead Man's Party." I left out "Weird Science," which may have been a bigger hit, but the band in general is most notable for being Danny Elfman's launch pad into film scoring, where he created the original Batman score and the Simpsons theme.

Still, some great seminal artists can be found making great music in 1985. I included Prince, Talking Heads, Husker Du, Tom Waits, and The Pogues. Jesus and Mary Chain put out their classic, Psychocandy, and my favorite Smiths song was released.

I managed to also include "No UFOs" by Model 500 aka Juan Atkins, the godfather of Detroit Techno. It's a dance classic, and one of the most important Techno tracks ever. As hip hop recedes further, only two songs make the cut, with Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's classic "The Show," and LL Cool J's "Rock The Bells," off his best record, the definitively old school Radio. It wouldn't be hard to argue that LL is the most consistent star in rap history. Though he has fallen out of fashion at times (and his more recent music is certainly not respected) the fact that he was in on hip hop from its commercial infancy is most impressive. Similar contemporaries like Run DMC toil in relative obscurity now.

Mostly, though, the mid 80s were a holding pattern, with little changing or evolving. It's odd to see the beginning of Mtv, which has been so often criticized for short attention spans and constantly changing trends and fads, create music that, year after year, didn't alter very much. With the exception of "Model 500," there are no real music developments here. Everyone was simply looking for the next synth splash, while people who avoided that stuff had to "settle" for the gritty punk.

Enjoy, and comment below.

~~Download the mix here.~~

EDIT: Here is the new link.

1. Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears - 4:11
2. And She Was - Talking Heads - 3:39
3. Take On Me - Ah-Ha - 3:50
4. Raspberry Beret - Prince - 3:32
5. Material Girl - Madonna - 3:53
6. Would I Lie To You - Eurythmics - 4:26
7. Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo - 6:22
8. No UFOs - Model 500 - 3:24
9. The Perfect Kiss - New Order - 4:49
10. Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds - 4:21
11. Downtown Train - Tom Waits - 3:53
12. Cruisers Creek - The Fall - 4:15
13. Makes No Sense at All - Husker Du - 2:42
14. A Pair Of Brown Eyes - The Pogues - 3:42
15. The Show - Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick - 6:38
16. Rock The Bells - LL Cool J - 4:00
17. How Soon Is Now - The Smiths - 6:41
18. Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain - 3:03

1986

2006-01-30T10:35:00.000-08:00

Well, it's my birthday today, and I only wish I had started this blog earlier to coincide with the year I was born. Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle for this.

I know it's difficult for some people to stand, but metal had a huge year in 1986, with Slayer and Metallica arguably releasing their best records. I started and ended this mix with a track from each, both to emphasize their importance and to give people to chance to use their skip button conveniently.

Other than that, 1986 was a step up from 87, though we're still in the dog days of the 80s. "Kiss" is a great Prince song, and "Don't Dream It's Over" is quickly becoming my favorite easy listening pop song. But mostly, the year was filled with soulless rock. I chose "My Adidas" over "Walk This Way," not just because I hate the latter, but because the former was the first real commercial tie in in hip hop.

A good New Order song and a good Pet Shop Boys song represent the dance music of the time (with a cheesy showing by Yello that most people will remember from the greatest movie of the 80s, Ferris Beuller's Day Off). Then there's Paul Simon, whose Graceland was, despite my joke that every song sounds the same, a major work of art and an important political development.

That's about it for this one, I hope you enjoy.

Download the mix here.

EDIT:Here is the new link.

Also, from now on I will not be re-upping mixes in later weeks, though I will continue to put them up like this if they max out before the Friday of the week they go up. So get 'em while they're hot, folks. And thanks for letting me know, Claire.

1. Angel of Death - Slayer - 4:51
2. Fight For Your Right - The Beastie Boys - 3:27
3. My Adidas - Run-D.M.C. - 2:47
4. Nasty Boys - Janet Jackson - 4:03
5. Kiss - Prince - 3:46
6. Walk Like an Egyptian - The Bangles - 3:24
7. Cities In Dust - Siouxsie & the Banshees - 4:07
8. Living on a Prayer - Jon Bon Jovi - 4:10
9. Oh Yeah - Yello - 3:02
10. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys - 3:57
11. Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel - 4:55
12. Graceland - Paul Simon - 4:51
13. Don't Dream Its Over - Crowded House - 4:00
14. Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths - 3:14
15. Dear God - XTC - 3:37
16. Bizzare Love Triangle - New Order - 6:42
17. Rise - Public Image Limited - 6:16
18. Master of Puppets - Metallica - 8:37

1987

2006-01-23T10:50:00.000-08:00

The 80s are often maligned for bad music, bad movies, and bad presidents. Though it's hard to argue with that last one, you can find some good stuff in the first two categories if you just know where to look; after all, any decade that started the Coen Brothers' career can't be all bad. Musically, there were a number of great developments, two of which are featured on Coldcut's Seven Minutes of Madness mix of Eric B and Rakim's "Paid in Full." That record really began (or at least peaked) the remix craze and Rakim's modern era rhyme style featured on the duo's debut Paid in Full is basically where all modern rhyming comes from.

But now that we are really smack dab in the middle of the 80s, you can see where the reputation comes from. For the most part, this was a really, really weak year, all the more so if, like me, you think Joshua Tree is a monotonous, self-important, overrated piece of trash which committed the unforgivable crime of inspiring Scott Stapp to make music. Though I would love to forget about it entirely, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a decent enough song for me to not ignore what was, sadly, the most important record of the year.

There are, of course, a couple great songs on here. "Alex Chilton" and "Just Like Heaven" are great rock songs, displaying the best of two different sides of the 80s rock coin. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris collaborated on Trio, an extremely traditional country record that proved there is always an audience for traditional country, even if the industry is so stupid they need to rediscover this fact every fifteen years. Their cover of "To Know Him is To Love Him" is equal to, though worlds apart from, the Phil Spector version.

Check out an early Bjork on the Sugarcubes' "Birthday," and a late Michael Jackson off his last worthwhile record on "Bad." And I even had enough to stick some true cheese on here: the quintessential eighties-ness of "I Think We're Alone Now" and the now-punchline ready "Faith" (I couldn't bare to use "I Want Your Sex").

And then there is "Boyz in the Hood," orignally released in 1986, but included on the 1987 debut by NWA, N.W.A. and the Posse. Spare and gritty, it's the beginning of a new form of hip hop, and it's an unforgiving classic. Maybe the eighties weren't so bad after all.

Download the mix here.

1. Paid In Full (7min of madness) - Coldcut - 7:09
2. Sign O The Times - Prince - 4:56
3. Sweet Child Of Mine - Guns n' Roses - 5:56
4. Alex Chilton - The Replacements - 3:15
5. Just Like Heaven - The Cure - 3:32
6. To Know Him Is To Love Him - Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris - 3:50
7. I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For - U2 - 4:38
8. Lips Like Sugar - Echo And The Bunnymen - 4:54
9. Birthday - Sugarcubes - 3:59
10. Hit the North Part 1 - The Fall - 4:01
11. The Bridge Is Over - Boogie Down Productions - 3:27
12. Top Billin' - Audio Two - 3:35
13. Push It - Salt N Pepa - 3:29
14. I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston - 4:52
15. Bad - Michael Jackson - 4:06
16. I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany - 3:45
17. Faith - George Michael - 3:16
18. Boyz In The Hood - N.W.A. - 5:38

1988

2006-01-17T09:10:00.000-08:00

I was on holiday yesterday, but now I'm back a ready for some action.

Now the shorthand reference to the golden age of Hip Hop, '88 was the year in the young genre's development. It seems ridiculous to believe the hype and buy into the idea that some "golden" year changed everything, but the evidence is undeniable: Eric B and Rakim, EPMD, Stetasonic, Big Daddy Kane, NWA, MC Lyte, Slick Rick, Boogie Down Productions, and Marley Marl were all putting out classic music at the top of their game, just to name a few. Two of the records produced in that year, It Takes a Nation of Millions to hold Us Back and Straight Outta Compton are without a doubt the two most important Hip Hop records of all time. The mix here reflects this leap forward by featuring an unusual amount of one genre. As we go further back, hip hop will be a smaller and smaller component, until pre-1979 when it completely disappears.

Rock, on the other hand, was in a serious slump, at least in terms of popularity. Sonic Youth and the Pixies were putting out great records, but not too many would be looking at their style of rock for another few years, this was when their sound was truly "alternative." Metallica put out a decent single surrounded by their most commercial record until their next one, and everyone else just kind of waded in the water.

Two really notable songs here are Nenah Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" and the Cowboy Junkies' spectacular cover of The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane." The former is one of the greatest singles of the Eighties, and deserves a big rediscovery, while the latter, which gained renewed interest in the mid-90s after being featured in Natural Born Killers, is evidence of the capacity for good that soundtracks afford music supervisors.

Hope you enjoy this week's offering.

Download the mix here.

1. Bring The Noise - Public Enemy - 3:45
2. Teen Age Riot - Sonic Youth - 6:57
3. Waiting Room - Fugazi - 2:54
4. You Gots To Chill - EPMD - 4:28
5. Children's Story - Slick Rick - 4:02
6. Talkin' All That Jazz - Stetsasonic - 4:47
7. I Need You Tonight - INXS - 3:02
8. Voodoo Ray - A Guy Called Gerald - 3:40
9. Buffalo Stance - Nenah Cherry - 4:03
10. Where Is My Mind??? - Pixies - 3:53
11. Freak Scene - Dinosaur Jr. - 3:38
12. Crash - The Primitives - 3:14
13. Colors - Ice T - 4:28
14. Express Yourself - N.W.A. - 4:25
15. One - Metallica - 7:24
16. Microphone Fiend - Eric B. & Rakim - 5:17
17. Jane Says - Janes Addiction - 4:46
18. Sweet Jane - Cowboy Junkies - 3:34

1989

2006-01-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

A little late this week, but here none the less.

The Eighties are everyone's ironically favorite decade, made of crappy movies and crappier fashion. Probably the worst decade since the seventies, the eighties were also where Mtv came from, so naturally it's where one-hit wonders began to take over.

Yeah, there are some established stars on here, like Madonna, The Beastie Boys (whose Paul's Boutique was a massive bomb when released), and Public Enemy, who created "Fight the Power" for Spike Lee's now-classic Do the Right Thing. And in fact, there are primarily memorable artists on this mix, even more than 1990. But the tail end of the decade is still the decade, and there are also the ones you only hear about on late-night commercials for Time Life comps: Fine Young Cannibals, Young MC, and let's be honest here, Biz Markie.

A couple tracks I included, 808 State's "Pacific" and Lil' Louis's "French Kiss" you might not know, but they were major club hits, with Lil' Louis's "French Kiss" often cited as the classic of House's commercial peak. I think it's the sexiest beat ever made, even without the simulated orgasm.

1988 will see the golden age of hip hop, but this year was when rock tried to reestablish its dominance, a move that would eventually culminate in Nirvana. But stripped of the excess pop of the early nineties, and (mostly) past the dated production techniques of the mid-eighties, 1989 seems to be a broad year encompassing some of the strongest music each genre has to offer. I hope you enjoy.

Download the mix here.

1. I Wanna Be Adored - The Stone Roses - 4:52
2. Debaser - Pixies - 2:52
3. Just a Friend - Biz Markie - 4:06
4. Me So Horny - 2 Live Crew - 4:36
5. Love Shack - B-52's - 5:23
6. Like A Prayer - Madonna - 5:50
7. Hey Ladies - The Beastie Boys - 3:47
8. Pacific - 808 State - 3:46
9. Back To Life - Soul II Soul - 3:52
10. French Kiss (The Original Underground Mix) - Lil Louis - 4:51
11. Epic - Faith No More - 4:53
12. Head Like A Hole - Nine Inch Nails - 4:59
13. Fight The Power - Public Enemy - 4:42
14. Free Falling - Tom Petty - 4:09
15. She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals - 3:36
16. Bust A Move - Young MC - 4:26
17. Me Myself And I - De La Soul - 3:50
18. Love Song - The Cure - 3:30

1990

2005-12-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, let's do this thing. Remember there will not be a mix next week, but instead I'll be putting up all the older mixes, 1991-2004 if I can do it.

But 1990 is this week, and let me tell you: there is some great, great music in here. Okay, maybe it isn't 1994. In fact, maybe it doesn't come close. But 1990 was a year for singles, when one-hit wonders and unabashed pop was de riguer, and mainstream rock was basically a wasteland. C+C Music Factory is a total joke now, but there was a time when they were the future of dance music. Coming out of the house music scene in england, they became a brief fad in America and ended an almost comeback of dance music, a comeback that was already in full swing in England, as demonstrated by the rock dance combo of Primal Scream.

Some fabulous singles to be had here, from "Poison" to "Tom's Diner," which was originally done illegally by taking a Suzanne Vega spoken word piece and laying it down over music; Vega liked it so much when she heard she allowed them to release it officially. I can still remember the Fly Girls dancing to it on In Living Color. "Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinead's cover of a Prince original, is also not to missed.

I don't have the ability to copy and paste my playlist from this computer, and I don't feel like typing it out, so the list is going to have to be a surprise this time. I'll put it up when I get home.

Download the mix here.

EDIT: Here you go.

1. Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C+C Music Factory - 4:06
2. Tom's Diner - DNA feat. Susan Vega - 3:49
3. Everybody Everybody - Black Box - 4:04
4. Poison - Bell Biv Devoe - 4:20
5. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor - 5:07
6. Vogue - Madonna - 5:17
7. Kool Thing - Sonic Youth - 4:05
8. Kinky Afro - Happy Mondays - 3:56
9. The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground - 5:42
10. Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice - 4:26
11. You Can't Touch This - MC Hammer - 4:17
12. Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction - 3:32
13. Hold On - En Vogue - 5:03
14. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest - 4:04
15. Welcome To The Terrordome - Public Enemy - 5:25
16. Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode - 4:21
17. Loaded - Primal Scream - 7:02

1991

2005-12-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

Things are heating up around here, so it's been a little difficult to put together an intro this week. Just so you know what's going on, I'm going to be in Boston and New York next week. I will be updating the site next monday, but the monday after that I will be on a plane home, so you'll have to wait for the 80s a little bit longer. That week, the first week of the new year, I will be putting up old mixes that some of you latecomers may have missed. Hopefully, I'll be able to put them all up, but if there is a specific one you have missed that you would like (and please don't say 1992-2004, pick one) please request them below either this week or next week.

Okay, 1991. Three of the most important albums of all time in their respective genres: Loveless, Smells Like Teen Spirit, and Blue Lines, and that's without mentioning Tribe's The Low End Theory and The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is, of course, the 800 Pound Gorilla here (I saw Kong yesterday). But there are some other notable rock hits on the mix: the commercial peak and slow artistic decline of Metallica, awkward hand movements from Anthony Kleidis of Red Hot Chili Peppers in the "Under the Bridge" video, and Guns 'N' Roses' pompous epic.

1991 was my first conscious music year. I still remember when Nirvana hit, when Slash stood on the piano at the Mtv Music awards and wailed his way through the "November Rain" solo, and when Michael Stipe hopped around on Saturday Night Live (probably one of the first episodes I ever saw of that at its regular time). I was too young to notice Negativland, too American to notice Massive Attack or The Orb, and too white to notice Geto Boys or Black Sheep (though everyone knew Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P." - even nine year olds). But what evolved out of 1991 was the music that defined the nineties, and the music that would shape my taste. I do often wonder what nine year olds are exposed to these days, what music they have to look up to (or more importantly, look forward to), and maybe I'm not as pessimistic as would be expected. As evidenced by the year end lists that come around about this time, and my own arranging of my 2005 mix, I can see how much music has changed, but how much artists have remained the same. They are still pushing boundaries, exploring new sonic territory, and creating new genres and subgenres for future generations to discover.

Sorry for the ramblings. Carry on.

Download the mix.

1. Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine - 4:17
2. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana - 5:01
3. Enter Sandman - Metallica - 5:31
4. Mind Playing Tricks On Me - Geto Boys - 5:05
5. O.P.P - Naughty By Nature - 4:30
6. The Choice Is Yours - Black Sheep - 3:23
7. Finally - Cece Peniston - 4:40
8. Losing My Religion - REM - 4:28
9. She Moves In Mysterious Ways - U2 - 4:03
10. U2 (special edit radio mix) - Negativland - 5:48
11. Summertime - Will Smith - 4:30
12. Scenario - A Tribe Called Quest - 4:09
13. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack - 5:08
14. Little Fluffy Clouds - The Orb - 4:26
15. Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chile Peppers - 4:24
16. November Rain - Guns n' Roses - 8:55

1992

2005-12-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Download the mix here.

1992 was kind of the beginning of the Nineties. Sure, Nirvana had already hit, but Pearl Jam, Blind Melon, and Stone Temple Pilots came along to cash in on the grunge explosion. There were still back in the day hip hop tracks like "Jump," "It Was a Good Day," and the classic among classics, "T.R.O.Y." but 2Pac was coming up, and more importantly, what is still maybe the most important record in hip hop history came along: The Chronic.

This is where rap rock begins, basically, with one of the few decent bands and the only great band of the genre, and it's also R&B strong, with Mary J., En Vogue (who are waaay more talented than you remember), and Boyz II Men (you know you love it). There were also two strong women who broke through in '92. Tori Amos had a minor hit with "Crucify," and PJ Harvey was put on the commercial map with "Sheela Na Gig," both promting the way for commercial successes like Alanis Morisette and Sheryl Crow, as well as artistic successes like Fiona Apple and Ani Difranco, the latter of whom was around by this point, but didn't really explode until '94 or '95.

I didn't have too much difficulty with '92, but the last adjustment I made was to eliminate my only Aphex Twin track, "Digeridoo." It was a difficult choice, but ultimately I know my audience, and it is a dance track, not something to listen to at home.

Enjoy, and don't hesitate to comment below.

1. Killing In The Name Of - Rage Against the Machine - 5:14
2. Nuthin' But A "G" Thang Feat. Snoop Dogg - Dr. Dre - 3:58
3. Real Love - Mary J Blige - 4:32
4. My Lovin' You're Never Gonna - En Vogue - 4:41
5. Jump - Kriss Kross - 3:17
6. It Was a Good Day - Ice Cube - 4:21
7. Tennessee - Arrested Development - 4:32
8. Trigger Cut - Pavement - 3:16
9. Sheela Na Gig - PJ Harvey - 3:10
10. Plush - Stone Temple Pilots - 5:13
11. Jeremy - Pearl Jam - 5:19
12. No Rain - Blind Melon - 3:39
13. Creep - Radiohead - 3:55
14. They Reminisce Over You - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - 4:45
15. Crucify - Tori Amos - 4:58
16. Brenda's Got A Baby - 2 Pac - 3:53
17. End of the Road - Boyz II Men - 5:50
18. Friday I'm in Love - The Cure - 3:38

1993

2005-12-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

Download the mix here.

First an announcement. You can now email me. There's a link on the side of the blog, so if you want to ask me something or make a comment that you don't want everyone else to know about, don't be shy. Okay, on to the mix:

Punk disappears one year back from ‘94, and hip hop takes a step back to what was basically the state of the art in the early nineties. Digable Planets, Pharcyde, and Souls of Mischief give us some great singles that crossed over big with white audiences, but of course the biggest crossover was Snoop’s Doggystyle, which had spillover success from Dre’s Chronic.

Beck had what is still his biggest hit, the Pumpkins jumped on the grunge bandwagon (though they hardly belonged in the category), and Nirvana put out their best – and last – studio record. Kurt would be dead the next year, but at this point it really seemed like the trend still had legs on it. Pearl Jam broke Soundscan records with Vs. and had a few huge hits, including the stellar “Daughter,” and The Breeders showed grrl power on the larger scale that a better, but more radical, band like Bikini Kill couldn’t ever get to.

Still, there are signs of the future on this mix. Bjork appears on the scene to infuse vocal pop with beat-centric electronic flourishes, and The Flaming Lips get playful (though they wouldn’t truly break through for nearly another decade). But then there’s probably the most important song on here, “C.R.E.A.M.” which signals the emergence of the Wu Tang, who would completely change the face of hip hop in so many ways it deserves its own book.

Some songs I left off the mix: Stereo Mcs: “Connected”; 4 Non Blondes: “What’s Going On?”; Belly: “Feed the Trees”; Naughty By Nature: “Hip Hop Hooray”; Porno For Pyros: “Pets”; Sheryl Crow: “All I Wanna Do”; Snow: “Informer”; Tag Team: “Whoomp! There it is “; Us3: “Cantaloop”; Morphine: “Cure For Pain”; and anything from Black Moon: Enta Da Stage.

1. Today - Smashing Pumpkins - 3:19
2. Heart Shaped Box - Nirvana - 4:41
3. Sober - Tool - 5:03
4. Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill - 2:37
5. Loser - Beck - 3:55
6. Insane In The Brain - Cypress Hill - 3:32
7. Gin And Juice - Snoop Dogg - 3:31
8. Shoop - Salt N Pepa - 4:08
9. Mesmerizing - Liz Phair - 3:55
10. Cannonball - Breeders - 3:36
11. Passing Me By - Pharcyde - 5:03
12. '93 'Til Infinity - Souls Of Mischief - 4:46
13. C.R.E.A.M. - Wu-Tang Clan - 4:12
14. Halftime - Nas - 4:20
15. Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) - Digable Planets - 4:21
16. Daughter - Pearl Jam - 3:50
17. She Don't Use Jelly - The Flaming Lips - 3:43
18. Venus as a Boy - Bjork - 4:42
19. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star - 4:55

1994

2005-11-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Download the 1994 mix here.

Undoubtedly the most difficult year post-1970, 1994 had so many things coinciding at once that I could have easily made two 80 minute mixes that were every bit as relevant as any other year of the 90s. The last gasp of grunge, the year punk broke, the year Brit Pop exploded, and some fantastic singles, from Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” and “Hurt,” to the Meat Puppets’ “Backwater.”

As major as all of those things are, 1994 was really owned by hip hop. Not since 1988 had hip hop had so many classics, and you can look at most of the music on later mixes as direct descendents of this music: Illmatic, Tical, Resurrection, Regulate, Ready to Die, Word… Life, Ill Communication, Boxcar Sessions, The Main Ingredient, Hard to Earn, Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik, Genocide and Juice, Fear Itself, Fadanuf Fa Erybody, Blowout Comb. All in 1994. That’s music from northern and southern California, Altanta, Chicago, Houston, and New York, all at the top of its game, representing the best they have to offer. So you understand the difficulty I had in narrowing down this list. I made a few tough choices: I went with the one-hit wonder “Flava In Ya Ear,” which basically started Bad Boy off, and I moved Nas to 1993, where “Halftime” first hit, and hit big (in New York).

But rock’s showing isn’t exactly shabby. Green Day’s “Longview,” Stone Temple Pilots’ “Big Empty,” Pavement’s “Cut Your Hair”… Does music get any better than this? 1994. Wow.

Songs I didn’t include: Nirvana: “The Man Who Sold the World”; Urge Overkill: “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon”; Soul Coughing: “Screenwriter’s Blues”; Outkast: “Player’s Ball”; Ace of Base: “I Saw the Sign”; Ahmad: “Back in the Day”; Coolio: “Fantastic Voyage”; Crystal Waters: “100% Pure Love”; Goldie: “Inner City Life”; Ini Kamoze: “Hot Steppa”; Primal Scream: “Get Your Rocks Off”; Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue: “Whatta Man”; Veruca Salt: “Seether”; Bad Religion: “21st Century Digital Boy” and “Infected.”

1. Corduroy - Pearl Jam - 4:37
2. I Used To Love H.E.R. - Common - 4:38
3. Big Poppa - The Notorious B.I.G. - 4:12
4. Bring The Pain - Method Man - 3:09
5. Big Empty - Stone Temple Pilots - 4:56
6. Long View - Green Day - 3:59
7. Backwater - Meat Puppets - 3:41
8. Doll Parts - Hole - 3:31
9. Sabotage - The Beastie Boys - 2:58
10. Flava In Ya Ear - Craig Mack - 3:36
11. Regulate - Warren G - 4:08
12. Cut Your Hair - Pavement - 3:06
13. Buddy Holly - Weezer - 2:39
14. Girls & Boys - Blur - 4:50
15. Live Forever - Oasis - 4:38
16. Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden - 5:17
17. Sour Times - Portishead - 4:14
18. Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley - 4:35
19. Hurt - Nine Inch Nails - 6:14

1995

2005-11-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

Download the 1995 mix.

Oh jeez, this takes me back. Punk broke big in the end of 94, so along came The Offspring (Smash it Up came out in '94, but broke big in '95) and No Doubt, as well as And Out Come the Wolves..., one of the best Punk records ever. Bush tried to keep Grunge afloat with their huge success, and Brit Pop continued its renaissance with Pulp's Different Class and Oasis's What's The Story (Morning Glory)?

I kicked off the mix with four straight females, but I neglected to include "You Oughta Know," simply because I do not like that song anymore, and I cannot bear to listen to it. It's probably the biggest song I've left off of any mix, but I'm the boss, so there.

I hadn't noticed this, but looking at my order, this is probably the most segregated of my mixes. The back to back Wu triumphs were inevitable, and "Crossroads" sits so nicely next to "Waterfalls" (which was released in '94 but didn't hit big until "Creep" was worn out). Tricky's "Black Steel" was the bigger song, but got switched because of time for an equally appealing track.

Some songs I left off: Smashing Pumpkins: "1979"; Garbage: "Stupid Girl"; D'Angelo: "Brown Sugar" or "Shit, Damn, Motherfucker"; The Presidents of the United States of America: "Lump"; Blur: "Country House"; Foo Fighters: "This is a Call"; Mobb Deep: "Shook Ones, Pt. II"; anything from Liquid Swords.

1. Stutter - Elastica - 2:22
2. Just A Girl - No Doubt - 3:32
3. Missing - Everything but the Girl - 4:58
4. Down By The Water - PJ Harvey - 3:14
5. Hell Is Round The Corner - Tricky - 3:47
6. Ice Cream - Raekwon - 4:13
7. Shimmy Shimmy Ya - Ol' Dirty Bastard - 2:41
8. Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio - 4:01
9. You're All I Need - Method Man & Mary J Blige - 5:09
10. Crossroads - Bone Thugs N Harmony - 3:49
11. Waterfalls - TLC - 4:39
12. Aeroplane - Red Hot Chili Peppers - 4:44
13. Common People - Pulp - 5:51
14. Everything Zen - Bush - 4:38
15. Self Esteem - Offspring - 4:18
16. Ruby Soho - Rancid - 2:37
17. Hyper-Ballad - Björk - 5:21
18. Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead - 4:50
19. Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis - 4:47

1996

2005-11-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

Download the 1996 mix.

I don't think you have to be from California to like "California Love," but it definitely helps. I stuck it up front, along with two huge Los Angeles songs, "What I Got," which broke Sublime nationally (and posthumously) and "Where It's At," the very successful (though not as big as "Loser," still Beck's biggest hit) first single off the now-classic Odelay. I also picked another lone representer: Squirrel Nut-Zipper's "Hell" didn't hit big nationally until early 1997 when the swing revival totally took hold, but the record was released in 1996 and was already pretty well-established in LA, certainly after Swingers was released that year.

What really comes through on this mix though is hip hop. Dr. Octagon exposed a huge population to the underground hip hop world, and Shadow's Endtroducing... is probably one of the best records ever. The Fugees hit huge, and NaS had a big hit with the female Fugee that sounded nothing like his previous record and basically ruined the next five years of his career. And Outkast was Outkast, making unique, brilliant hip hop that didn't quite sound like anything else of the time.

I'm particularly proud that I was able to fit "Born Slippy" on the mix. At ten minutes, it's one of the longer tracks included, and it's also a great dance song, one of the best of the decade, and a great indication of the style of the time. It was so difficult to leave off some excellent dance tracks, particularly because they were too long, so whenever I get the chance to fit one on I like to push it.

I also know I have to explain my Fiona Apple choice. "Criminal" was of course her big song. It was the hit that everyone knows and her label expects from her. It's also one of her weakest songs, and a great deal of Fiona fans (including one who has access to where I sleep) would be very upset with me if I included it. The other big singles from the album were "Shadowboxer" and "Sleep to Dream." I like both about equal, but the latter - along with being a minute shorter than the former - is a more representative track, thus its inclusion.

This was a really big year for catchy throwaway singles, here's some stuff I left off, throwaway or not: Busta Rhymes: "Woo Hah!"; Butthole Surfers: "Pepper"; Folk Implosion: "Natural One"; Photek: "The Hidden Camera"; Spice Girls: "Wannabe"; R. Kelly: "I Believe I Can Fly"; The Wallflowers: "One Headlight"; Rage Against the Machine: "Bulls on Parade"; Cake: "The Distance"; Everclear: "Santa Monica"; Collective Soul "The World I Know"; Space : "Female of the Species"; The Primitive Radio Gods: "Standing Outside a Broken Phonebooth; anything from If You're Feeling Sinister or Reasonable Doubt.

1. California love - 2pac - 4:01
2. Where It's At - Beck - 5:30
3. What I Got - Sublime - 2:51
4. Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai - 3:45
5. Lovefool - The Cardigans - 3:18
6. If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) - NaS - 4:42
7. Ready Or Not - The Fugees - 3:46
8. No Diggity - Blackstreet - 5:04
9. Earth People - Dr. Octagon - 4:44
10. Hell - Squirrel Nut-Zippers - 3:12
11. El Scorcho - Weezer - 4:03
12. Down - 311 - 2:52
13. Novocaine For The Soul - Eels - 3:08
14. Stink Fist - Tool - 5:10
15. Sleep To Dream - Fiona Apple - 4:09
16. ATLiens - Outkast - 3:50
17. Born Slippy - Underworld - 9:44
18. Midnight In A Perfect World - DJ Shadow - 5:02

1997

2005-11-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

Download the 1997 mix here.

This disc is a mix of songs from modern classics (Homogenic, OK Computer, Homework) and songs from people who... didn't do much else (Sneaker Pimps, Harvey Danger, Cornershop). The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are going to be the only representatives of the brief Ska revival, and The X-Ecutioners' "Turntablist Anthem" will have to represent the DJ movement at the end of the nineties, which wasn't really a singles movement anyway.

Looking at this mix now, I can see why it seemed like Electronic was going to take over the world. Bjork, Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, and Roni Size were all at the top of their games in very different styles, and that's without Prodigy and Cornershop, who had Fatboy Slim remix their hit, "Brimful of Asha," to great success (I included the original here because I like it more). The nineties, I believe, are going to be explored more by music historians, because I think the decade was a battle in a lot of ways between the systemic racism of the music industry and the desire of the consumer, which by this time was for hip hop to take over the world. Rock tried with Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but by 1997 the whole genre had basically cooled off - even OK Computer had electronic elements and was a step away from the classic sound. I would argue that Foo Fighters' The Colour and The Shape was the last really strong rock album of the 90s that worked both commercially and critically. The predominantly white music magazine business (especially in Britain, where NME is notoriously biased) needed new heroes, and so they threw their full weight behind Electronic. It failed for a number of reasons (which you could write a book about), but we know the result: hip hop took over the world, which by this point was pretty unstoppable.

By the way, I knocked off "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen" at the last moment. While that was a huge song, it just became too much of a chore to listen to, and anyway "Bittersweet Melody" is certainly the song to start off this mix with, one of the great anthems of the 90s.

Other songs not included: Missy Elliot: "Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", OMC "How Bizarre," Chumbawamba: "Tubthumping," Hanson "Mmmbop," Green Day: "Good Riddance," anything from Camp Lo's Uptown Saturday Night, Wu Tang's Forever, or Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind. However, I'm thinking about including some Bob Dylan songs in the 60s. not really sure yet.

Comment below.

1. Bittersweet Symphony - Verve - 5:58
2. Block Rockin' Beats - The Chemical Brothers - 5:13
3. Song 2 - Blur - 2:01
4. Hypnotize - The Notorious B.I.G. - 3:49
5. On & On - Erykah Badu - 3:45
6. 6 Underground (Nellee Hooper Edit) - Sneaker Pimps - 3:54
7. Everlong - Foo Fighters - 4:10
8. Brimful Of Asha - Cornershop - 5:16
9. Walking On The Sun - Smash Mouth - 3:26
10. The Impression That I Get - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - 3:14
11. Paranoid Android - Radiohead - 6:24
12. Around The World - Daft Punk - 7:09
13. Firestarter - Prodigy - 4:41
14. Brown Paper Bag (Full Vocal Mix) - Roni Size - 4:43
15. The Turntablist Anthem - The X-Ecutioners - 3:48
16. Autumn Sweater - Yo La Tengo - 5:14
17. All Is Full Of Love - Björk - 4:33

1998

2005-10-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

Download the 1998 mix here.

A few last minute changes on this one knocked off Hole's Celebrity Skin (which was really just there because it was short) and Marilyn Manson's "Dope Show" ("Sweet Dreams" was also considered for an earlier mix). "Praise You" replaced "Rockafeller Skank" because of time issues. While I think "Praise You" is the far better song, "Rockafeller Skank" is way more important, so I'm sad to see it go, but this is probably a better mix without it.

Overall, this is a pretty good set. Lauryn Hill, Black Star, Outkast, and some great electronic, most notably Air's "Sexy Boy," which revolutionized the downtempo scene, and Stardust's "The Music Sounds Better With You," the solo single from one half of Daft Punk, which predicted the house bliss of the group's Discovery. And then, of course, there's "Teardrop," which is really one of the best songs of the decade, though it's not even the best song on Mezzanine.

There are some great one hit wonders in the late to mid 90s, with acts like Marcy Playground, Harvey Danger, and Beenie Man from this year alone. One I couldn't put on here that I highly recommend is Dub Pistols' "Cyclone." One of my favorite singles ever, but just not well-known enough to make it on here.

Some songs I left out: Fastball: "The Way," Juvenile: "Ha," Natalie Imbruglia: "Torn," Sugar Ray: "Every Morning," Beastie Boys: "Intergalactic," New Radicals: "You Get What You Give," Pulp: "This is Hardcore," Semisonic: "Closing Time," Cher: "Believe" (one of the worst songs ever), and yes: Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

Post comments below.

1. Praise You - Fatboy Slim - 5:23
2. Hard Knock Life - Jay-Z - 3:57
3. Doo Wop (That Thing) (Edit) - Lauryn Hill - 3:57
4. Music Sounds Better With You - Stardust - 4:20
5. Ray Of Light - Madonna - 5:19
6. Sexy Boy - Air - 4:57
7. The Boy Is Mine - Brandy & Monica - 3:55
8. Gone Till November - Wyclef Jean - 3:26
9. (Sim Sima) Who Am I - Beenie Man - 3:15
10. Definition - Black Star - 3:26
11. You Know My Steez (edit) - Gang Starr - 3:44
12. Rosa Parks (edit) - Outkast - 4:23
13. Ghetto Supastar - Pras Michel Ft ODB and Mya - 4:25
14. No Shelter - Rage Against the Machine - 4:03
15. Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger - 3:35
16. Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground - 2:53
17. Waltz #2 - Elliott Smith - 4:40
18. Pure Morning - Placebo - 4:16
19. Teardrop - Massive Attack - 5:30

1999

2005-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Download the 1999 mix here.

Like probably many of you, the nineties was my decade, my coming of age years, and my formative music years. Most of the songs I have the strongest connections to come from these years, and as we go further back in the mixes, it becomes harder and harder for me to seperate the actually worthwhile stuff from the stuff that was either important to me or has a big enough cheese factor in my life as to be impossible to ignore. You'll notice that the early nineties may be where I make my biggest concessions to the mainstream, and I just can't help it. I apologize in advance for Kriss Kross.

As for 1999, well, it was the big year for Dre, who broke Eminem and put out Dre 2001. The hard rock phenomenon hit bigger with KoRn, Limp Bizkit, etc. I'll be ignoring that pretty much, although I like Incubus enough to include their first single ("Drive" was bigger, but it didn't fit on 2000). One last minute change here was replacing Everlast's "What It's Like" with Fiona Apple's "Fast As You Can." It was a simple case of not being able to listen to the former song, whereas I think Fiona's work was fairly important musically, as it showed a more unusual side of the conventional female singer-songwriter genre.

Blackalicious's contribution will be especially enjoyable for those who haven't heard it, and I defy any Macy Gray doubters to listen to "I Try" again and not admit that it is a thoroughly enjoyable song. I'm also ignoring Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, because I'll be ignoring most teeny bop music (sorry NKOTB fans).

I left a lot out on this one, but here are the big ones: ODB: "Got your Money," Aphex Twin: "Windowlicker," Blink 182: "What's My Age Again," Chemical Brothers: "Let Forever Be," Madonna: "Beautiful Stranger," Santana: "Smooth."

1. My Name Is - Eminem - 4:28
2. Still D.R.E. - Dr. Dre - 4:30
3. Guerilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine - 3:26
4. Pardon Me - Incubus - 3:43
5. Steal My Sunshine - Len - 4:08
6. No Scrubs - TLC - 3:34
7. Umi Says - Mos Def - 5:10
8. I Try - Macy Gray - 3:59
9. Simon Says - Pharoahe Monch - 2:53
10. Back That Ass Up - Juvenile - 4:28
11. I See You Baby (Fatboy Slim Mix) - Groove Armada - 5:43
12. Red Alert - Basement Jaxx - 4:17
13. You Got Me - The Roots - 4:19
14. Fast As You Can - Fiona Apple - 4:40
15. Race For The Prize - The Flaming Lips - 4:18
16. Tender - Blur - 7:40
17. Alphabet Aerobics (The Cut Chemist 2 1/2 Minute Workout) - Blackalicious - 2:13
18. Debra (Edit) - Beck - 5:35

2000

2005-10-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

For anyone who wants earlier mixes, I will be reposting the first four mixes later today and tomorrow, so check back later in the week and they will all be up. Okay, moving forward.

Download the 2000 mix here.

2000 was a great year for hip hop, some of which is not represented on this mix. If you've ever talked about hip hop with me, you probably know that Supreme Clientele is one of my favorite hip hop records of all time, and I also really love Blackalicious's Nia and Reflection Eternal's Train of Thought. All three of these records are not represented because I didn't feel any single defined them well enough. Perhaps "Too Late" or "Cherchez La Ghost" should have been included, but I like my choices here better. There will be a Blackalicious song represented next year, however.

Some great electronic music this time around: "Crazy Love" will be the lone representative of the much-maligned Garage movment, "Lebanese Blonde" is a great Thievery Corporation song, and opener "Frontier Psychiatrist," while it hit bigger in the States in late 2001, was already making waves world wide the year before. Since I Left You is probably my album of the decade, by the way.

One last thing about this mix: I chose "Down to the River to Pray" to represent the O Brother sountrack. I did this because it was probably my favorite new recording on the album, and because it featured Alison Krauss, whom I am a big fan of and who will not be included on later mixes, even though her music made quite a splash in the early to mid nineties within the bluegrass community. I highly recommend her music, even for people who aren't big country music fans. She has a beautiful voice.

Here's the list, post suggestions and comments below if you are so inclined.

1. Frontier Psychiatrist - The Avalanches - 4:48
2. The Light - Common - 4:21
3. Stan - Eminem - 6:44
4. B.O.B. - Outkast - 5:04
5. One Armed Scissor - At The Drive-In - 3:44
6. Hip-Hop - Dead Prez - 3:33
7. Country Grammar - Nelly - 4:19
8. Try Again - Aaliyah Ft. Timbaland - 4:40
9. Say My Name - Destinys Child - 4:30
10. Crazy Love - MJ Cole - 3:27
11. Gravel Pit (Edit) - Wu Tang Clan - 4:17
12. Idioteque - Radiohead - 5:09
13. Bohemian Like You - Dandy Warhols - 3:31
14. Lebanese Blonde - Thievery Corporation - 4:48
15. Down To The River To Pray - Alison Krauss - 2:55
16. Yellow - Coldplay - 4:29
17. Untitled (How Does It Feel) - D'Angelo - 7:10

2001

2005-10-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Download the 2001 mix here.

Not much to say on this one. This is undoubtedly the worst year of the decade so far for music (among other things), though I managed to cobble together a pretty decent mix. I stuck "The Takeover" and "Ether" on here to represent the most talked about hip hop feud ever, and there are some great songs, to be sure. "Romeo" has had enormous influence in the ensuing years, and "Digital Love" is my jam. The rock revival at the end of the year redeemed it somewhat, with the Strokes and the White Stripes in particular, though both groups didn't truly take hold until the next year. You'll also see I used the Bjork single "Our Hands" rather than anything off of Vespertine. I love Vespertine, but I think " Our Hands" stands alone much better than "Pagan Poetry."

"New Slang" presented a difficult decision, since the song was so big in 2004 because of Garden State ("here, this is "New Slang," by the Shins, off of their record "Oh, Inverted World" available wherever records are sold"). I decided to put it in 2001 because the song made a slight splash in the indie world then, and also because I've kind of decided not to include songs because they hit big on soundtracks. For the most part, I've stuck those songs in their original years. I'm not really sure why.

This is also the first time that I have edited a track, due to the inclusion of a skit before or after the song. "The Life" originally had a skit that led into the next song, but I cut it off for your listening pleasure. Enjoy, and don't be afraid to post suggestions below.

1. Romeo - Basement Jaxx - 3:36
2. Let Me Blow Ya Mind Ft. Gwen Stefani - Eve - 3:49
3. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz - 5:42
4. Hash Pipe - Weezer - 3:07
5. Last Night - The Strokes - 3:17
6. Agenda Suicide - The Faint - 3:58
7. Purple Pills - D12 - 5:06
8. Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue - 3:49
9. Digital Love - Daft Punk - 4:58
10. Fallin' - Alicia Keys - 3:30
11. The Takeover - Jay-Z - 5:13
12. Ether - NaS - 4:37
13. Fell In Love With A Girl - The White Stripes - 1:50
14. Witness (One Hope) - Roots Manuva - 4:15
15. The Life (edit) - Mystic - 3:32
16. Destiny - Zero 7 - 5:37
17. Our Hands - Bjork - 4:18
18. New Slang - The Shins - 3:51
19. Pyramid Song - Radiohead - 4:48

2002

2005-10-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Download the 2002 mix here.

I made a lot of personal choices on this mix. I like "Gossip Folks" better than "Work It," "Time For Heroes" better than "Wot a Waster," and "I Luv You" better than "Fix Up Look Sharp." Plus, I stuck "My Block" on the mix, which isn't too important, but I just think is a fantastic single.

Similarly, I think "Do You Realize???" is more important than "Fight Test," I think "Cry Me a River" is bigger than "Like I Love You," or "Rock Your Body," and don't even complain about "Lose Yourself" over something from Eminem Show; it won an oscar for chrissakes.

Then there are the unusual choices. I love the remix of Dinah Washington's "Is You Is" by Rae and Christian off Verve Remixed (not to mention I think the remix fad is a pretty noteworthy movement). Ms. Dynamite didn't hitnearly as big as Britain expected her to, but that song is so fantastic I don't want to ignore it (and I want to get as much female hip hop represented as I can).

I will also point out that there are two of the best neptunes beats ever on this mix: "Hot in Herre," and "Grindin'."

A big song I'm leaving out is "A Stroke of Genie-us" by Freelance Hellraiser. Certainly the most famous mash up (of the recent era anyway), it was actually released as an offical single once it got so popular that they figured they could at least make a little money off of it. I didn't put it on here because it sucks. It's terrible, and every time I try to listen to it, I feel a part of my soul die inside.

Songs I left out besides that: Weezer's "Burndt Jamb" or "Dope Nose," Beck "Lost Cause," The Walkmen's "We've Been Had," Coldplay "Clocks" and "In My Place," DJ Shadow "Six Days," Hot Hot Heat "Bandages," The Coral, "Dreaming of You," the Vines "Get Free," the remix of Elvis's "A Little Less Conversation (A Little More Action)," anything from Thought For Food, Bright Eyes' Lifted, RJD2's Deadringer, or Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Oh, and I hate "Danger! High Voltage!"

I also plan to add the Chris Martin version of "Dry Your Eyes" to my 2004 post later in the day, so look for that if you are interested. Post comments on this mix below.

1. Losing My Edge - LCD Soundsystem - 7:51
2. Hot In Herre - Nelly - 3:48
3. Lapdance (feat. Lee Harvey & Vita) - N*E*R*D - 3:29
4. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby (Rae & Christian Remix) - Dinah Washington - 4:58
5. Cry me a river - Justin Timberlake - 4:52
6. The Way We Get By - Spoon - 2:40
7. Hate To Say I Told You So - The Hives - 3:22
8. No One Knows - Queens Of The Stone Age - 4:14
9. The Seed (2.0) - The Roots - 4:27
10. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee - Ms. Dynamite - 3:39
11. Lose Yourself - Eminem - 5:31
12. Made You Look - NaS - 3:22
13. Gossip Folks (featuring Ludacris) - Missy Elliott - 3:54
14. Grindin' - Clipse - 4:24
15. I Luv You - Dizzee Rascal - 4:05
16. Time For Heroes - The Libertines - 2:40
17. Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips - 3:32
18. My Block - Scarface - 3:31
19. Weak Become Heroes - The Streets - 5:32

2003

2005-09-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Download the 2003 mix.

I remember the first time I heard "Hey Ya." I had already heard the original first singles ("She Lives in My Lap" and "Ghettomusik" were posted on the Arista website) a number of times, and I had been somewhat disappointed in the Andre song; a little too much Prince. I was searching for two new Speakerboxx songs, new single "The Way You Move" and "Church" (which, in my opinion, turned out to be the best song on the album) when I came across "Hey Ya," the now first single from The Love Below. The guitars took me by surprise, and the hand claps were simply shocking. Outkast making pop? I had no idea the song would blow up the way it did, but it's catchiness is immediately obvious. It's a fantastic song, and the first real monster on any of these mixes.

The rest of this mix is not exactly made up of runner ups. An easy observation to make from these two mixes is that pop had a much better year in 2003. "In Da Club," "Seven Nation Army," "Move Your Feet," "Ignition (Remix)," is there any pop genre that did not have a smash? Add on to that the dance punk fad, some My Bloody Valentine-like electronic tracks and that excellent Johnny Cash cover, and you've got a really spectacular set of songs.

Some songs I left off: Killer Mike: A.D.I.D.A.S., Alicia Keys: If I Ain't Got You, Radiohead: There There, and anything from Shine a Light, Lemon of Pink, and Greetings From Michigan. I also decided to ignore crunk, though I know it is a big omission. Perhaps this will be addressed in the 2005 mix (possibly with a song from Hustle and Flow). For now, get your crunk on Mtv like everyone else does.

If you have comments, suggestions, or complaints, please don't hesitate to post them below.

1. Hey Ya! - Outkast - 3:55
2. Such Great Heights - The Postal Service - 4:26
3. Jacknuggetted - Manitoba - 3:29
4. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes - 3:51
5. Milkshake - Kelis - 3:06
6. Crazy in Love - Beyoncé - 3:55
7. Ignition (Remix) - R Kelly - 3:09
8. Slow - Kylie Minogue - 3:14
9. In Da Club - 50 Cent - 3:13
10. Lucky Star (Feat Dizzee Rascal - Basement Jaxx - 4:31
11. Move Your Feet - Junior Senior - 3:01
12. House of Jealous Lovers - The Rapture - 5:05
13. Me and Guiliani Down by the Schoolyard - !!! - 9:04
14. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 3:39
15. Hurt - Johnny Cash - 3:38
16. He War - Cat Power - 3:31
17. Bird Stealing Bread - Iron And Wine - 4:21
18. Run Into Flowers - M83 - 4:09
19. She Moves She - Four Tet - 4:41

2004

2005-09-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Let's see how this goes, shall we?

2004

Last year was pretty decent, though there weren’t any seriously huge singles. There were a few difficult choices: picking “Jesus Walks” over “Slow Jamz,” putting a Danger Mouse remix over a Black Album original, and “Dry Your Eyes” over “Fit But You Know It.” There are a few lesser known songs on here, most notably Mirah’s “Jerusalem” which displays the Indie rock/Folk crossover nicely, and Wiley’s “What You Call It,” which is a great track about the difficulty in naming Grime/Garage/Eskibeat/2-Step/Urban.

I originally had “Banquet” on here, since it was technically released in 2004 and was a huge hit in Britain, but I’m American so I’ll hold onto that track for this year.

Some other notable tracks I left off: Ghostface: Run, Fabolous: Breathe, Annie: Heartbeat, and Usher: Yeah! I hate that last song almost as much as I hate: J-Kwon: Tipsy.

The basic gist here is if you have suggestions or complaints, post them below. Be kind, as I am but one man, and I'm not pretending to have a final word on all music that is important.

1. Can't Stand Me Now - The Libertines - 3:23
2. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) - The Arcade Fire - 5:12
3. Jesus Walks - Kanye West - 3:13
4. Jerusalem - Mirah - 2:20
5. Dry Your Eyes - The Streets - 4:31
6. Oceania - Björk - 3:24
7. Mosh - Eminem - 5:17
8. Why (Remix) - Jadakiss feat. Styles P, Common, & Nas - 4:02
9. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Green Day - 4:20
10. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand - 3:56
11. Ladyflash - The Go! Team - 4:09
12. Toxic - Britney Spears - 3:24
13. Galang - M.I.A. - 3:27
14. Float On - Modest Mouse - 3:29
15. Drop It Like It's Hot - Snoop Dogg - 4:26
16. Dirt Off Your Shoulder - DJ Danger Mouse - 3:59
17. All Caps - Madvillian - 2:10
18. What You Call It - Wiley - 3:17
19. The Rat - The Walkmen - 4:27
20. Your Cover's Blown - Belle & Sebastian - 6:03

UPDATE: Here is the Chris Martin version of "Dry Your Eyes" for replacement.

Mix By Year

2005-09-12T04:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the rules:

1. Each mix must only include songs from the specified year. In the cases where a song came out one year but became popular in a different year, the correct year is arguable.

Ex: The Hives' Veni, Vidi, Vicious was released in 2000. However, the song "Hate To Say I Told You So" was not a huge success until 2002, during the rock revival. This song will be on the 2002 mix.
However, "Cry Me a River," from Justin Timberlake's Justified was released in 2002, yet did not become a single until 2003. Since the record was out in 2002, people were talking about it, and the only reason it did not become a single until 2003 is that they wanted "Like I Love You" to get time as the first single. Therefore, "Cry Me a River" will be on the 2002 mix.

2. There are five main ways in which songs will be evaluated for inclusion:

a) Quality.

The most important measure, quality is also the most subjective. Many people will object to some of the inclusions on this ground, just as while I recognize the importance of the song, I will never have "Get Ur Freak On" on any mix of mine.

b) Cultural importance.

This includes popularity which places the song in the collective memory of the public ("Hey Ya"), but it also includes major trends (The Rapture's "House of Jealous Lovers").

c) Influential sounds.

This will become more important as the mixes get older, but generally this includes songs that will affect musical trends in future years. Dizzee Rascal's "I Luv U" is a good recent example of this.

d) Stand-alone strength.

There will be times when it will be tempting to include a song simply because the record surrounding it is so strong. This is will be avoided as much as possible, as the purpose of this mix is not to create a sampler, but rather a collection of singles which represents a specific time.

e) Broadness of genre.

It is a goal of this project to include as many important genres as can be included in an 80 minute cd (this is a specific reference to the length of many dance songs). I'm aware that there are hundreds of musical genres that I'm not aware of, and so it can be clearly understood that the purpose of this project is to create mixes that represent the popular and critical opinion of American music listeners. Genres will be ignored if it can be legitimately argued that there is no case for true development and attention.

3. All mixes will be posted here, after which there will be an amount of time for people to respond to the mix and suggest alterations. Eventually, the final mix will be constructed and reposted.

4. Any of these rules can be broken when I feel like it.