The Art of the Mix Tape

If you care enough about music, eventually you will make a mix tape or a compilation cd or something. 

Something that you present to someone, or maybe you keep it for yourself. Think of the options

Break up songs

I love you songs

Songs to fuck to

Songs to listen to while you work out

The list could go on and on… 

Maybe you have scoured the internet for guides, or have watched videos. Maybe you looked for themes; maybe you have a million ideas.

Wanna know what I think?  There are no fucking rules!!!

Sure some of the guides make sense, but at the same time, no one has ever made the album you are making. You aren’t remastering Rubber Soul.  This is a new thing

Sure maybe someone else made a cd for Pamela Johnson, but that dude didn’t have your style.  He opened with something from the Lion King; you can open with Frank Zappa

So, I decided to make a mix tape, and just tell you about it.   I will tell you as we go along, maybe the theme will come to you…

If there even is a theme. 

There doesn’t always have to be a theme

In fact, the mix that I am going to give you, has an almost anti theme, that I will explain at the end….

Maybe…

      1.     Feels Like Summer – Weezer

So I am just starting out with a song that I am anticipating.  Weezer has an album coming out at some point, tentatively titled “The Black Album” which means it will just be another self-titled album.

 I love it. It is supposed to be darker, edgier and sadder.

 Pinkerton 2.0? 

Let’s not get our hopes up.  But still

I think it’s a great way to start off

       2.     The Beatles - Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!/I Want You (She's So Heavy)/Helter Skelter

I have been fixated on The Beatles Love experience from Cirque du Soleil.  So much so that I want to go to Vegas badly.  Just to see this and go home.  Of course, that’s not much of a trip.  But I’ve had shorter trips to Vegas in the past.

So the whole album is just one flowy mind fuck from beginning to end.  It’s wild man. 

There are other songs that you can trip out to, but I just like the way this one ends, especially when added to a comp cd

       3.     The Beach Boys – Caroline, No

Just a continuation of the mind fuckery.   I think if you read these long enough, you know how I feel about The Beach Boys. 

So the main reason I picked this was due to the comma in the title, which was the result of misheard lyrics.

Look it up for yourself

      4.     Frank Ocean – Crack Rock

When your lead in is the closing song of Pet Sounds, where do you go from there? 

Something that touches you deep from a different point of view.  

The extension to me is the depth that a break up can spiral to.

That is, if you see Caroline, No as a break up song.  2 months later you are alone high and quivering. And that’s where it goes

Plus then, near the end, there is that discussion on the value of a cop versus the value of a drugged out, depressed black dude.

But let’s not get into that political discussion

      5.     Bob Dylan – Forever young

I can’t find a video containing a full version of this song

But it is real and legit

It is almost 3 minutes long.  Somehow I wish I could get it to you, but I don’t know where I got it

  Let’s move on.  I just added this track to pick the mood back up

      6.     Jimi Hendrix – Foxy Lady

The first 7 seconds of this song are so quiet, they are there and they are good, but...

That’s the way they suck you in,  You turn it up to hear the twang and just as you do, the control volume goes up, and now you are rocking and screaming and near deaf.

Then you rock for 3 minutes,

Then silence again

Fuck yeah

     7.     Jack Johnson -  Banana Pancakes

It’s just a simple happy tune about what to do on a rainy day. 

This is a fun song.  How many happy songs are there about rainy days, (besides Bus Stop by The Hollies)?

I like the random lyrics and the simplistic nature of the recording

     8.     Simon and Garfunkel - The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)

This is nothing more than an older version of Banana Pancakes

It’s just a happy little ditty about having a lazy day

The title of the song for the sake of the lord says “Feeling Groovy”

It is less than 2 minutes long.

If I write anything more it will surpass the length of the song.

     9.     Cat Stevens – The First Cut is the Deepest

Yes I am well aware that this is probably not the version of the song that you know

But this is the fucking original.

Rod Stewart’s was just an interpretation. And Sheryl Crow’s version was an interpretation of that. 

The real reasoning for me picking this song is that it is not Father and Son.  I put that on so many mix tapes that well, it’s played out

This whole album is beginning to sound like a break up album

It is not

I am happily married

     10.                         Ben Kweller – On My Way

So, first off, it is not Ben Folds.  I usually put a folds song on for filler.  

Of all the Kweller songs that I could have used this is the most delicate, and it’s a fresh start

The lyrics continue down the path of mistakes, but in the end, it’s a happy song.

At least to me it is

And here is the bonus of the day

     11.                        Bob Marley & The Wailers – No Woman No Cry (Live)

My wife hates live recordings, I don’t get it.

There is a trueness to live music. It is as it is intended.  Do I love what studio bands can do?  Sure, but they each have their own place, and for me someone who can perform a song live and still sound original.  That’s talent

So I just wanted to take a step back and clear the mind of the listener.

Just something to take the edge off.

Reggae has a way of relaxing you. Whether you are into the extra-curricular activities or not.

I love Bob Marley, not because I am a stoner, but because of the message.  It is a shame he was taken from us too soon. 

Almost sooner too.

Just think about that.

     12.                         Hanson – MmmBop (Acoustic)

In 1997 people thought it was junk. 

Maybe it was, but they are still selling out shows.  They must be doing something right.

I like this acoustic, live setting, because it is intimate enough to feel what is happening, without overpowering you with too much

Ok, so it’s a guilty pleasure, but it’s mine.  And this song has helped me progress any live sets I have needed a cool filler for.  Girls my age are nostalgic for this shit.

     13.                         Sublime - Badfish

Originally this was going to come on earlier, but it needed to be after the Bob Marley break. 

I think this is just the heart almost of the CD

Remember I don’t follow rules

So I can build you as slow as I want

     14.                         The Dirty Mac – Yer Blues

In 1968 The Rolling Stones put together their Rock N Roll Circus.

They invited some great musicians.  The Dirty mac was:

John Lennon (as "Winston Leg-Thigh") – vocals, rhythm guitar (from The Beatles)

Eric Clapton – lead guitar (from Cream)

Mitch Mitchell – drums (from The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

Keith Richards – bass (from The Rolling Stones)

How the hell could they go wrong plus they do just such a romping number. 

Yer Blues was from the Beatles White Album, but this has Clapton and Richards

Some would say that it is a faux pas to put 2 Beatles songs on 1 album.

I disagree

It’s fucking sonic craftsmanship

     15.                        The Monkees – Zilch

And the mind fuck comes to an end

The Finished product

So as a whole, there is no theme. 

It’s sort of an anti-thematic mix.

 It is as much noise as I could put on in 15 songs. 

I tried to find songs with as much extra noise as possible, songs that start soft and finish strong, that was my only real guiding force, extra noise and louder at the end

And that is my 1 rule; don’t fill the disc just because you can.  And now, now that we can make digital playlists there is no track limit.  But that doesn’t mean you should just keep adding

All I wanted was an album that I could watch the stars with.  Get high and sit on a roof.  Each song brings you something new to think about or talk about.

So my final thought is, Fuck it, and make your mix. Have fun, get loud. Just do it.

I encourage you to just sit for a few hours and make 1 playlist 1 great mixtape, 1 cool comp cd. Hell, I put my life story on 2 discs once.  All the way to my funeral

I love you.  See you soon

It’s good to be back

This is just the beginning

A few months back I produced a list of what I felt were some great opening lyrics.

Well, after a weekend of blasting numerous genres every which way but loose, I have another list. 

This list is very non emo; the last list was full of it.  Look Here!

So here is list number two, a better looked over list and one that doesn’t include as many personal moments.  Yet still producing those, “What the fuck did they just say?” moments.

This is a list of 9, because the other is a list of 11. So now you can make a kickass 20 song Music Notes From The Past compilation CD or playlist or however you listen to music.

Also, I want to note right now, that talking doesn’t count. On a few of these, the first thing that you hear is some sort of talking intro.  I am only counting where I think the lyrics start.   Ok, so anyways.  Here goes.

There must be some kind of way outta here

Said the joker to the thief

There's too much confusion

I can't get no relief

Jimi Hendrix- All Along the Watchtower

First off, Yeah, I know it’s a Bob Dylan song.  But Bob Dylan’s version never went anywhere on the charts. And if you really want to know, I find the Bob Dylan version to be almost unlistenable.

It may be because I know the Hendrix version exists, but generally, I usually prefer Dylan to those covering him.

Dylan himself prefers the Hendrix version too, stating:

"It overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent; he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there. He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using. I took license with the song from his version, actually, and continue to do it to this day… I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way... Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

So lyrically, the song doesn’t really go anywhere. But at the same time it makes sense and invokes its own odd reaction.

There’s no damn chorus

And if you read the lyrics, it seems that the 3^rd verse should be the first, it uses the song’s title and introduces the joker and thief. (I think)

Well, have at her. And see what you think for yourself.

Here I stand head in hand

Turn my face to the wall

If she's gone I can't go on

Feeling two foot small

You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away – The Beatles

So we go from a Bob Dylan song, to a song John Lennon wrote during his “Dylan period.” 

And now you kind of get why Dylan won a fucking Nobel Prize; his way of writing inspired other people

The lyrics to the song have always been under scrutiny. 

Was it about Lennon being married, but that marriage being kept a secret from the fans?

Was it a reference to Brian Epstein’s homosexuality?

Was it about an affair, or some other secret love?

Some people even think it was a reflective piece about the image that he kept as the “cool” Beatle, even though he was just a very loving guy.

Personally, I always thought that it was just a break up song.   At least the first line sort of reflects that. 

The song is featured in the movie Help!  And somehow still looks cool and holds up 52 years later.

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away from chika etoda on Vimeo.

Miss Jones taught me English

But I think I just shot her son

Cause he owed me money

With a bullet in the chest you cannot run

Slow Motion – Third Eye Blind

I’ve spoken about this song before, so I will quickly rehash that. 

This was off their second studio album, however the album version did not feature the verses, and it was instrumental other than the choruses.

The song itself is a joke about Hollywood’s glorification of violence, and drugs and other such chaos.

Supposedly the lyrics were left off because it reminded people of the Columbine High School massacre, but the song was written years before that happened.

If you think about the joking content, it makes sense.  The label wouldn’t allow these lyrics on an album in 1999. But the same company released  Eyes Wide Shut, South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut, House on Haunted Hill , Any Given Sunday , True Crime, A perfect Murder, all in 1998 and 1999.  

So really the band had a point.

So here it is, in an entirely different fashion than I gave you last time.

You were workin' as a waitress in a cocktail bar

When I met you

I picked you out, I shook you up and turned you around

Turned you into someone new

Don’t You Want Me – The Human League

If you follow me regularly, you are probably aware that 80s synthpop, or synthpop at all isn’t something that I normally talk about.

Ironically it was this song that made me want to do another list of opening lyrics.

This is one of the top songs in British chart history, so it definitely is worth talking about.

The song is a back and forth sort of break up song.  In fact the second verse which is sung by the lady character revises the opening lyric to reach her point of view. which reads as :I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, That much is true, But even then I knew I'd find a much better place, Either with or without you

Some people also see this song as like a sexual/friendzoned angry male depiction of life, followed by the real story provided by the woman. 

But I’m not here today to talk current events of feminism. Maybe next time.

I don’t know why this song is so great. It just is.

Just check it out, reminisce, do whatever, just enjoy.

Fuck the police coming straight from the underground

A young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown

And not the other color so police think

They have the authority to kill a minority

Fuck Tha Police – N.W.A

Ok, so this is one of those moments where I don’t count the spoken intro.

This song is from 1988!

Not 2016!!   And, here I said I wasn’t going to talk about current events.

So, I mean, by reading the title, I don’t really have to tell you what the song is about. 

As you can imagine, there was a lot of outcry to this song from police and other government authorities.  The FBI even wrote a letter to the group’s label.

To me, this song and its lyrics were a crucial step in civil rights. Nowadays, people say anything about anyone.  But to have a song coming out against the police in 1988 was a big deal. It was an idea that was thought about, but never said commercially. 

Ok. Go

Please allow me to introduce myself

I'm a man of wealth and taste

I've been around for a long, long year

Stole many a man's soul and faith

Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones

What can I say about this that hasn’t already been said? 

This is one of my favorite Stones song, and contrary to the backlash that they got at the time, The Stones aren’t glorifying the Devil.

But can you blame the public, when their previous album was titled “Their Satanic Majesties Request”?

The rest of the lyrics tell the tales of history, from the view of the Devil.

The word Devil doesn’t appear in the lyrics though. And honestly had they not titled it as such, there’d probably still be people trying to translate the lyrics.

There are a number of videos featuring this song; here is the one I chose.

Down in Louisiana

Where the alligators grow so mean

Lived a girl that I swear to the world

Made the alligators look tame

Polk Salad Annie – Elvis Presley

So this was written and originally performed by Tony Joe White.

It’s about a poor family that seems to only eat Poke Salad or Polk Sallet.  

It’s actually a weed, that is poisonous, so that lets you know what kind of life you are living when a toxic weed is your supper.

Or dinner, whatever the fuck you call it.

So basically you are hearing about a weed that poor people eat after picking it from swamps and other areas where alligators lurk about.

So you get this opening line, after the spoken intro, where you hear about Annie, this chick who was poor and tougher than an alligator.

Well, Elvis just performs the shit out of it.  

Elvis could perform the shit out of anything he wanted to.  This was recorded before he really started to pack on the pounds, and he looks great.

Better than anyone else wearing a jumpsuit has ever looked.

Oddly, I want to try it, I mean, I get that it’s just greens, and I have had plenty of greens in my life.  I like the idea of playing Greens roulette with Polk Salad

Levon wears his war wound like a crown

He calls his child Jesus

'cause he likes the name

And he sends him to the finest school in town

Levon – Elton John

So the title was inspired by Levon Helm.

From The Band. Seriously?

Levon fucking Helm!

You know what, I don’t have time for this, look him up on your own time Mary!!

Now that that is out of the way.  So this song, like most others of Elton was written by himself and Bernie Taupin. 

It tells the story of a man named Levon, the son of Alvin Tostig.

Levon has a son named Jesus; I mean obviously you read the opening lyric.

Jesus wants nothing to do with his father’s balloon business. In fact, he wants to take a balloon to Venus while his father dies.

And you thought your family was messed up!

Alright, here it is.

Off comes the make up

Off comes the clown's disguise

The curtain's fallin'

The music softly dies.

The Curtain Falls – Bobby Darin

A fitting end for a post about music. 

It’s literally a song about show business, and giving the audience the highest regards.

And, God Bobby had a voice.

The song has a very good ending where you think you are about to hear a huge climax, but it ends after only 3 lines, with no conclusion.   And it works,

I can only imagine being at a show wanting more.  And Bobby didn’t do the shows where you stood there and nodded your head.  No, you sat down, you ate, you drank, and you experienced an event.

So as far as the song is concerned, I can tell you it was written by Sol Weinstein. There’s a story that it was written for Bob Hope.   I can’t verify that, but I also can’t find proof that it’s not true. 

I just like the song. Having been someone who has performed in many different ways, I feel like it’s a peeling back of stage persona, and just being out there to your audience.  After all, if not for them, there’d be no show.

Goodnight ladies and gentlemen and God love you, thank you.