Ranking every track 1 on every full length Weezer album.

Ranking every track 1 on every full length Weezer album.

So here we go.  If you aren’t down with the weez, then this might not be a fun post for you. 

But then again, maybe you haven’t given them enough of a chance and should check this list out.

So as the title would suggest I am going to give you a 12 through 1 ranking of the 12 full length weezer albums.  12 includes the upcoming Pacific Daydream, due out October 27^th.

I am also including 2010’s Death to False Metal.  Which, in case you are wondering was sold as a Weezer album to fulfill their contract with Geffen, but it was really a compilation album, patched up by Rivers with little input from the rest of the band.

 But more on that later.

Let’s get Going.

12. Don’t Let Go from 2001’s Green Album

So, initially there is an excitement when a band comes back after a 5 year hiatus. But once you get past this song, you realize there are better songs later.

The whole green album was filled with weird cryptic lyrics with no personality.  This started that mold. And as a comeback song, you can see why it was never a single.  

The album should have opened with Hashpipe.  This was just cookie cutter, there were a few old school sounding riffs. But the solo was just a copy of the vocal track. 

 Rivers would later improvise better solos.

 But it was such a dismal way to start an album.

Here is a redone version from 2005. You can look for the original on your own. 

So, the guy in the back is Bobby Schneck, a guitar tech for the band who played during some songs on the Make Believe tour.  Also, some people have dubbed this version the “New Wave” version of the song due to Brian’s synthesizer duties.  The solo section on this version is much different as well.  

11. Turning Up The Radio from 2010’s Death to False Metal

So this was a song that came out of a whole conglomerate of Rivers Cuomo and anyone following him on YouTube. 

I participated, it was weird, but it showed the whole world a facet of his writing process.

The project was called, Let’s Write a Sawng

Go ahead, click it.

Right up there where it says Let’s Write a Sawng

So, yeah, this is a decent song, but this was a completely solo project.  Cuomo offered the song for the band; they didn’t want it so it ended up on this album. 

Here ya Go.

10. Beverly Hills from 2005’s Make Believe

Here We go,  

I have held a grudge against this song since 2005, and it’s time to end that beef.

If this is what brought you into the weezer world, cool.

If you haven’t checked out any of the older stuff, or anything since, you are really missing out.

The summer of 2005 and the Make Believe tour was overrun with 13 year olds, who only knew 1 song, and they would rush the stage as soon as this song came on.  I try hard not to be a snob, or a hipster, but sadly when it comes to weezer, I kind of am. Sorry

So this was the band’s biggest single of all time, and the number 2 most downloaded song of 2005. If you are under the age of 30, I have probably offended you already

Anyways.  The song was just too poppy for me. And as good as Stephanie Eitel’s gimme gimmes are, I like it better when the band does it.

Also, there is a better live version of this.  You don’t need the original, everybody fucking owns it.

Yeah, how about that solo huh?  Also, did you hear rivers accent. When he plays live sometimes his r’s and L’s become w’s.  I don’t know if that is on purpose, or is that a Connecticut thing that he masks when he records.  Anyways.  Good, it’s done.

9. California Kids from 2016’s White Album

Look, this song is good. It gets a lower rating though, in particular because as far as lead songs go, it’s just not the best. Plus we just came from Everything Will Be Alright In The End, and for me that was a phenomenal album.

Now granted this wasn’t the lead single.  In fact it was the 5^th single.  But still the first song.

Look it’s just kind of boring and based on just weird meet ups that Rivers had through tinder.

However, the one positive I would say is that it did set the tone for the album.  Which is cool.

To my knowledge this was the only song that had been written before recording the white album. 

Well.  Here it is.  By the way the video pays homage to the other videos from the album.  Make sure you check those out too.

8. Memories from 2010’s Hurley

Ahh, that’s right, Weezer was on Epitaph for 1 album.  So they got a bit harder.  Maybe you like it.  It didn’t feel real to me.  But hey

So the song itself is definitely a cool look back at the history of weezer, however, for as much as they say they want to go “back there”  it took them 4 years to actually go back there.

The song is decent.  Rivers screaming is a bit awkward. 

A killer solo would have been nice.  But hey what can you do

I think I like this song more because of the video.

Decide for yourself.

7. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To from 2009’s Raditude

I don’t know

A lot of people didn’t like this song, and in general Raditude is highly regarded as weezer’s worst album.

I actually liked the album.  

Ok except Love is the Answer, but-

Nobody liked that song.

Look if anything, this song should be noted for the background “yep shouted after the line - The rest of the summer was the best we ever had- unofficially I think of it as a nod to that song Shine by Collective soul. But hey maybe I am wrong

The song itself is not half bad; it definitely has its own sound. But that was true of the whole album.  It’s pretty straight forward. About a guy wanting a girl to make the first move

It was also the lead single off the album, but everyone was waiting for Can’t Stop Partying.

6. Mexican Fender from 2017’s Pacific Daydream

Look, you probably haven’t heard this yet.

The weez has been getting us ready for this album for a while.

You owe it to yourself to get hip to this. 

Out of the first 3 songs released from the album, this is my favorite.  There are a lot of modern sounds to it, but it has a very pinkertonesque breakdown.  But no solo.

I think this might grow on me, and hopefully you. 

Check out the video, and yes this is the real video

Finally, the top 5

5. Troublemaker from 2008’s Red Album

This is top 5 because it is a great song. 

The red album was sort of all over the place, but this was a hip song to start it all off. 

Good hook, good breakdown.  I mean, It’s missing a solo, but there weren’t many on the red album. 

But this song has the ability to get you going.

Oh plus my son loved this song.

Check out the very different video

4. American Gigolo from 2002’s Maladroit

Maladroit as an album is always overlooked. But I mean they had cool videos for other songs, this one just got missed.

It is a pretty hard rocking number. And a great opening number. Keep in mind that this came out almost a year after the green album.  So there was a tradeoff, where the green album seemed rushed, Maladroit was almost over produced.

The song features a lot of distortion and a whiny guitar sort of shredding in the background, and just a great crunchy snacky cake of a solo.

I have always liked Maladroit. And I love using this song as an entry way, to show people that weezer is more than just the pop you see them putting out.

Dig it.

3. Tired of Sex from 1996’s Pinkerton

Gasp

“This is not number 1?”

So this song has lived in obscurity for most casual fans.

I mean when you think about Pinkerton, most of it has wasted away.

But when I say solo, these are the kind of solos I am looking for.  Rivers just shredding his heart out.  He hated the album, but fans loved it.

So anyways, it is only number 3 because; there are 2 songs that mean more to me… kinda…

It’s just

Ok here it is, it’s top 25 and with 12 albums to choose from. Top 25 is saying a lot.

Here’s a live version from 2001

Here’s the original from the album

Both worth your time.

2.  My Name is Jonas from 1994’s Blue Album

If you are doing the math, right now you are probably very confused.

Pinkerton at 3, blue at 2?

And, hey think about this, my son’s middle name is Jonas.

The song rocks and I mean loudly. 

Then all of a sudden, a harmonica.  How often do you hear a harmonica if you aren’t a huge blues fan?

I mean it has a cool break/solo and really just chomps down on you. 

This was always a good first set closer.

Just listen

So if you haven’t figured it out yet… it’s time for number 1

It’s a bit of a shocker…

1.  Ain’t Got Nobody from 2014’s Everything Will Be Alright in the End

The song has everything that I have been saying the others haven’t.

Kick ass intro, hand claps, solos, breaks, shreds, crunchies,  it is all there. 

The lyrics might not make much sense. But ehh what does Ape the Goomba mean?

So here is what it is.  For years, the weezer fanbase has begged for Pinkerton 2.0, in my opinion, this album was it. 

As soon as I heard this song, I was so excited; weezer was back, and not just back, but true to form.

This one does it for me.

Guilty pleasure? Maybe, but after you hear it, it’s going to be yours too.

That is it for now, I will amend this if a new album comes out.  Until then, check out all of the other ones, and get ready for Pacific Daydream.

One Love

=w=

Songs that mean something to me, but probably not you…

So, my wife is trying to expand her music database, and had asked her friends for suggestions.  Then she finally came to me.  She wasn’t going to ask, but I was offended. She thought she had heard all of the songs that I would recommend. 

But, her question wasn’t just, suggest some songs. 

 It was,   “I’m looking for new music. If you’re willing, send me 5 to 10 songs that you think are great and mean something to you. 

The “mean something to you” part of the question was the part that I realized could be expanded upon. 

So I decided to make my answers public.  She said it was ok.

So, here are 7 songs, and really, I could write on and on, but 7 seems nice. Like a phone number from your childhood. 

I left my Heart in San Francisco – Tony Bennett

It’s late 1995 or early 1996. My Grandpa Bob had died, but if I remember correctly, Aunt Cathy had not.  So that puts it between November 95 and March 1996.  Anyways, My other Grandpa had a barbershop show out at the Chateau room at the Brat Stop.  There were a variety of acts, coincidentally, this was also the first time I had ever seen anybody play the spoons.

So, it was like a dinner and show kind of thing, I was there with my mother, my 2 grandmothers and maybe some other family members . I just remember the three of them. 

So one of the groups did this song, and I guess it was ok.  That’s not really what I remember.

What I remember is that this was the first time I saw my grandmother cry. She held it together when my grandpa died; she was the strong one for our entire family. And there she was sitting across from me, my mother’s hand holding her left hand and my other grandmother holding her right hand, and her in the middle crying.  I am in tears now just thinking about it.

Apparently that was her and my grandfather’s song. Or it held some special meaning between the 2 of them.

So another thing happened that night, I learned that music can be more than just music. I learned words can mean so much.  That is the night that music became something that I could get lost in. This led me to finding so much to listen to. This led to me being a DJ and to writing a blog. This was when MUSIC began for me.

The Barber of Seville Overture – Gioachino Rossini

This is an interesting one, eh?

So this is actually just a few months after the last incident. Maybe a year at the most.

I was in the Orchestra at McKinley Jr. High and we got to go on a field trip to see the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and they played this song.

It was the only song they played that any of us knew, But we didn’t know it because our teacher’s had taught it to us. We didn’t know it because our parents taught it to us. Hell we weren’t into that shit. Ok, maybe a few of the weird kids were. But certainly not me and my friends.

Anyways, we knew this because Bugs Bunny taught it to us as he tormented Elmer Fudd.  He was the Rabbit of Seville. 

So this was a like, another moment where it was like, hey this classical music can be cool too. We had been watching Merry Melodies cartoons forever.  Bugs Bunny could make anything funny.

So I include this because it really opened my eyes to finding something of value in every genre or style.

Also, this song always goes through my head when I am getting a haircut.

Here it is performed live with the video as accompaniment.

 Listen to the crowd reaction. Still eating this shit up!

Good Night – The Beatles

Having kids is a great thing.  You get to introduce them to music anytime you want.

And you can share so much with them.

I always played music for them when they were in the womb.

But the best part was finding them a lullaby.

Rivers was easy, I mean, any weezer song would do. I sang Butterfly and My Name is Jonas for months.

Hayden, it took a while.  And here’s what I mean, I sang him many things, and sometimes he’d calm, sometimes he’d cry right through them.

I’d try Weezer, Popes, anything I could think of. I probably ironically sang Brick to him.

Then I remembered this one. The last song on The White Album, Ringo’s classic. Hayden just loved it, and from then on I had a song. I could sing it to him and he would just calm down.  It doesn’t work anymore, but then again. Nothing calms down a 9 year old.

Good Night - The Beatles from Susi Sorglos on Vimeo.

Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On – Neal McCoy

Ok, so here’s some more personal info. This is a weird one.

For anyone playing along at home,  I am in my third marriage.  If you didn’t know, now you know. 

Now there’s break up songs, and they are great. I mean you’ve got, Pretty Pathetic by Smoking Popes, Radio by Alkaline Trio, The World Has Turned And Left Me Here by weezer, God I could go on and on.

Those songs are sad and or angsty. 

Those songs are listened to during the point that Billy in the song is in. Just broke up, and partying all night crying all day.

So even though my second marriage was ill advised and doomed from the start. I still had to get over it.

I had to go out and be Billy.

But then I got to this song, and realized that I can look back at that initial heartbreak and find the humor in those initial behaviors.

So it wasn’t like this song helped me through it. This song was the graduation. It meant I was good now, and could move on to find wife number 3, (the best one yet).

Tha Crossroads - Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Yep,

So remember the Barber of Seville story. 

This is the rap version of that story.

Rap had been around since before I was born, and it went through stages.  80’s rap was fun and party stuff, then it got more reflective of the lives of these rappers and families, it got dark,

Rappers were finally talking about the streets and things happening in their lives.

Then this song came out as almost an anti Gangsta rap song. Yet it still was one.

This one showed us the other side to life. Or shall I say the opposite.

Rappers had already been telling us they killed people. But this was one of few songs to tell us that they knew people that died.  It wasn’t the first time anyone did it, but somehow this one became a hit.

And that was when I really found the merit in rap music.  A good rap song can be just as influential as any folk song or anything really.

The song won a damn Grammy

Oh, and here it is with the lyrics if you can’t keep up-

Guerrilla Radio – Rage Against the Machine

So, there were punk examples, and rap examples, and I am sure rock examples (Fugazi, Black Flag etc…)

But this was protest in such a different way than I had ever heard before, and it certainly became commercial.

This would influence American Idiot indirectly 4 years later at least in my opinion

This wasn’t the Bob Dylan or Peter Paul and Mary my mother listened to.  This wasn’t my dad’s Buffalo Springfield, or Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.

No,  This was my Rage Against the Machine!

This was a different kind of protest. This was, aptly named, a fight against the whole thing or The Machine.”

I’m not sure that I was totally ready for this sort of thinking, But, the music, I was ready for.

Odd thing about this song, is somehow it inspired me to dye my hair black. I’m sure that’s not the message they were going for. But for me. I don’t know.

The Video

Live on Lettermen

Live in Dusseldorf

Fat – Weird Al Yankovic

This isn’t my favorite Weird Al song. 

And in Today’s PC world it would never be allowed to exist. But back in the eighties you could make a joke about fat people without losing your TV show and book deal.

But in 1988 you could do it.

And the 6 year old version of me realized music could be funny, it taught me that you can make funny words and put them to regular music. 

It was just an epic time for me. I was able to play outside by myself, which really just going to the other kids houses to watch TV, cause we didn’t get cable.

So I had to get my MTV. 

It’s weird because when I think back on it, this may have been the first time I ever bonded with someone over music.

It was cool too.  In another way.

I loved Michael Jackson. He was my favorite, but I still thought this was cool. A lot of people don’t like to hear their music parodied, and fans of bands get offended if someone makes fun of their beloved songs.  

But for me, these were 2 different songs.

Michael Jackson did Bad, and Weird Al did fat.  I

n fact, thinking on this, and Eat it vs Beat It. It’s hard to say, what did I like first, Weird Al or Michael.  

I guess this is my musical chicken and egg.  

Eat It

So there are 7 for today, maybe I will take this up again sometime.

Let me know what you think.

No really

A little of this, A little of that

In The Moment

So, when I listen to music, I listen for various reasons, but I am never looking for something in particular. 

However, sometimes after a while, you start to find things that you didn’t notice. By the time I have heard a song 50 times, I am usually waiting for something.  Whether it be a solo or a cool lyric.

Sometimes it is none of that.   So here is a short post about some musical “moments” that I just so happen to adore.

Roxanne – The Police

The moment that I love in this song is right at the beginning.  It is actually not a part of the song at all. Rather it is a mishap.

Like 4 seconds into recording the song, Sting accidentally sits on a piano and you here a few piano notes followed by laughter.

The rest of the take was so good, that they just left this part in there. 

Ok, pick your side, Roxanne, or red light, and get ready to chug.

One Love/ People Get Ready – Bob Marley

So we move from one beginning, to another.

This time it’s not the beginning of the song, rather it is the word beginning.

Something about the way that Bob says it here, has just always attracted me.  I don’t know if it is an attribute to the timing of the song, his accent or both.

No matter what I love it.  So wait for the 1:22 mark and there it shall be.

So also, this is the new 40^th anniversary mix, but it is in the original as well. (Hopefully this will help sell more of the new one)

Feeling This – Blink 182

So from 2 beginnings to an ending.  I have always loved the way that this song ends.

This is from the last good Blink album to feature Tom.

They wrote this song in separate rooms.  So that explains the difference in verse and chorus.

But in the end of the song they break out and are screaming through the chorus and other added parts overlaying their own voices against each other and themselves.

It reaches a great moment where the music drops out and you just get the vocals

Don’t fast forward, just be there around the 2:10 mark

ABC- Jackson 5

So I talked about this before,

One of the main reasons I love this song is Michael breaking it down in the bridge.

It’s so smooth, but no matter how many times I have tried to use it, every girl has refused to show me what she could do.

Wait until 1:45 you’ll get it

Louie Louie – The Kingsmen

So, the part I always wait for is another mistake.

This wasn’t a case of using the best take, as there was only 1 take.  With 3 microphones hanging in the air. So it was wild

But after the solo, at about 1:59 lead singer Jack Ely starts singing too soon and then stops and waits and does it again.

Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car – Billy Ocean

Give me a dollar and one of those fancy juke boxes that works with the internet and me and my boy Tate Nugg are going to hit the dance floor

That’s all you need to know

But what you are waiting for is the awesome build up to the chorus at the 3:44 mark

Goosebumps

Don’t Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin

I am sorry for all the memories I might bring up for Robin Williams fans.

But I love this song, the video is great

What a better message than to tell people to be happy

So at the 1:32 mark, there is like an extra smile of syllables sung that always makes me happy.

 

Good Vibrations- The Beach Boys (Live in London)

So this was the version of the song that I had known the longest.  I know, weird.  But this is how I remember the song. 

Obviously it is so much better than this version would show. 

But this was the record I had on my snoopy record player suitcase thing.

So this moment only exists on this version but I add it to the song no matter where I am listening.

Basically just wait until the 2:13 moment and listen to Mike Love’s adlibs

Sittin on the Dock of the Bay – Justin Timberlake (at the White House)

This is not about politics at all

I also left this for last because I figured the ladies reading might not move on.

I am not going to ruin it for you.  You’ll know.  And if you don’t, the audience will tell you.

OK that is all for now.   Go enjoy your day 

Summer Music (So Far)

“Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner”

Just like that, you are catapulted into summer…

At least that is how it works for me.  Dirty Dancing is one of the greatest summer movies ever.  Especially when it comes to music and nostalgia.  I mean, sure there’s plenty of other summer movies.  But that one is just the one I like.

But what about summer music?  Do you have different playlists?  Or at least preferences. 

I mean, you sort of have to, right?

Well summer 2017 for me has been all about old reggae and ska.  With a few old rock songs, jam songs what have you.  But rather than just mention it… why not let you hear it. 

So here is my summer play list so far.  Ask me in a few weeks and it may be 100 percent different.

No Woman, No Cry – Bob Marley

Summer to me is about relaxing, having drinks on the beach while a cover band across the way plays a variety of hits. 

So many people have covered this song it is ridiculous. 

But it’s just a calm 7 minute jam.  

It is a tale of a man telling his woman that, yeah their life sucks, but it will continue to get better.  That’s it.   And it just flows on from there.

Bob Marley is an iconic reggae musician, and anything that comes from island life has got to be a great summer jam. 

It goes without saying that you have to listen to the Live 1975 version. 

54-46 – Toots and the Maytals

So this could be one of two songs, 54-46, That’s my Number   or 54-46, Was my Number

Either version is good.  Sublime covered was my number.   But they both are good stuff. 

It’s Toots story about his time prison.  Apparently 54-46 was his number. 

So the first was That’s my Number, and Was followed up a year later

They are considered ska recordings.  Ok.

That’s

What’s

Yeah!!!

Hey Girl – O.A.R. from Rain or Shine Live in Chicago 2009

If you look around you will find many versions of this song.  And this is one of the newest versions. 

This is from night two.  The fucking Wailers opened for them that night.

I think I just like the solos from this version

Or maybe it is from the much slowed down opening, which always sounds as if it shouldn’t be there, but this separates it so much more. 

That was a long confusing sentence.

O.A.R.  is such a great jam band.   That’s what makes their live recordings so much more awesome. They are all just a bit different.

Man Smart (Woman Smarter) Harry Belafonte

So, we get a bit of calypso, who doesn’t like calypso?

Plus, it also will remind you of Beetlejuice.  Harry Belafonte always does.

Plus hey, this could be a great feminist movement song.

I love the way this opens with Belafonte just shouting random shit.

It’s good stuff.

And it goes on forever.

Again, the island songs really just make you want a Bahama mama and a beach.

Sublime – Jailhouse

This is actually, a Wailers song that Sublime covered and added some elements of Tenor Saw’s Roll Call

But Bradley Nowell’s voice is suited for this song. I don’t know why, Maybe it’s that growl that he is able to add to his words that just make them feel more ferocious. 

The songs just sort of blend back and forth.

Again, Sublime gets heavy on my playlist for summer music.  The Long Beach vibe that is projected through the lyrics and the laid back feeling really pull me in. 

It’s just some great summer Jams.

Wailers

Tenor Saw – Roll Call

Shame and Scandal – Peter Tosh

Lyrically, it’s one of the funnest songs on the list.

Most fun, whatever

This is a cover of a rewrite of a cover.

Yeah, long story.  Don’t get me started. 

Just shush and listen to the song.  Enjoy it for what it is. A song about a messed up family   sometimes from Jamaica sometimes from Trinidad

I think that’s it for now.

Am I missing anything? 

What do you like?

 I mean that is 6 solid songs.  Put them all on, grab a drink and get your toes in the sand. 

Happy summer y’all

Bonus

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