MetaChat - MP3 Shuffle-a-gogo Anyone?

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05 March 2010

MP3 Shuffle-a-gogo Anyone? MP3 player on shuffle, first 10 songs, no cheating. →[More:]Here's mine with some real time comments.....

1. CHEAP TRICK - Oh Caroline (In Color 1977) What a great way to start a shuffle - with one of my all time fave bands, albums, and songs. A song that I find it very hard to not sing along with way too loud when I'm alone in the car.

2. TIM FINN - What You've Done (Feeding the Gods 2001) For a few years Tim Finn loved loud guitars and his songs had a very American alternative rock feel, which he did surprisingly well. This and previous solo album are easily my favorite of his post Split Enz songwriting.

3. SOCIAL DISTORTION - Like an Outlaw (For You) (Prison Bound 1988) Rodeo punk! Heeee-yyyyyeah! Somehow the Social Distortion CDs never made the transition to my MP3 player until a few weeks ago. I have been really digging listening to those record again - I forgot how many songs I totally love by them.

4. TED NUGENT - Dog Eat Dog (Out of Control box) I think I actually like Nugent more now than I did during his glory days when I was in Jr High and High School. I haven't picked up any of his albums, but the box set is chock full of fun, no-brainer rock. Are there any particular albums worth checking out beyond the radio songs?

5. HUDSON BROTHERS - Be A Man (Totally Out of COntrol 1974) It's easy to dismiss the Hudson Brothers as the goofballs from the TV show, but they made some fantastic pop songs with some pretty intricate arrangements. This song manages to combine Badfinger with glam production (compliments of Bernie Taupin).

6. FOUNATINS of WAYNE - I've Got a Flair (Fountains of Wayne 1996) For my money the first FoW album is one of the best debut albums ever and it's still in regular rotation after all of these years.

7. the BOOMTOWN RATS - Sleep (the Fine Art of Surfacing 1979) As long as I'm discussing faves - here's a song from my all time favorite album (although for a while I said it was tied with Surfer Rosa by the Pixies). I just realized that this album came out 30 years ago! There's not another album that I've played as much as this one.

8. JIMI HENDRIX - Bold As Love (Axis: Bold As Love 1967) Obviously there is loads of great Hendrix guitar on just a few albums, but the guitar flows so naturalyy on this song that it seems effortless. And I really dig the way, 2/3 of the way through the song, there's that extra jam when just when you thought the song was over.

9. JESUS LIZARD - Trephination (Shot 1996) Man, when Mac and David Sims lock onto a groove they really lock in on it. I love Yow's vocals and the killer guitar sound, but I think the reason I keep going back to the Lizard well is for that rhythm section.

10. the JAGS - the Train and the Plane (No Tie Like the Present 1981) The Jags seem to be channeling Elvis Costello and the Attractions on this song. Not a bad thing, I'm just sayin....

That's my shuffle action. What did you get?

post by: Slack-a-gogo at: 08:32 | 17 comments

Usually I just listen to all my 5-star songs on shuffle, so this should be interesting . . .

!. The Comas, Invisible Drugs. The Comas are a local pop-rock band whose lead singer is famous for having dated Michelle Williams while she was on Dawson's Creek. This isn't my favorite song of theirs but it's listenable.

2. Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun--I fucking loved this song when I was a freshman in high school and it still fucking rocks.

3. The Strugglers, The Disappeared--another local band, this song is more of a pretty/melodic/acoustic kind of thing from an absolutely gorgeous album.

4. Channel, Inhibition--Harmonizing poppy alt-country? I dunno, but it's fun!

5. The Pacific Ocean, In the Gold--I like their super poppy-numbers better--this one goes more for bleak and meaningful and it's a chore. Skipping ahead now.

6. Roman Candle, Why Modern Radio is A-OK with Me--Another local band--this is one of a couple of AMAZING songs on their latest album--just sheer sing-along-able fun. 5-starring this now!

7. Girls, God Damned--another new-ish album--got tons of raves and great reviews--I haven't listened to it much yet. This song is a bit scritchy but otherwise good.

8. The Clientele, Rain--I freaking love this British fuzz-pop band and this song is one of my favorites. I once was at a cook-out with these guys and they were totally sweet and funny.

9. Pens, High in the Cinema--Another fairly new-ish album--Brit girl rockers, yeah! This isn't one of their higher-energy numbers and it's fuzzy as hell but pretty awesome anyway.

10. The Clean, Big Cat--love this New Zealand band and this song is pretty funny. "You sit there like a great big cat on a sofa" heh.

posted by leesh 05 March | 08:51

ooh, fun idea, Slack!

1. The Salty Dog Four - Ballin' the Jack (American Primitive Volume 2 - Pre-war Revenants 1897-1939) - rousing old ragtime/blues, big fun.
2. Aretha Franklin - My Song (Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings) delicious slow ballad from my favorite female vocalist ever. "now you're gone and hours seem like years"... Go shuffle!
3. Fancilay Saaniwan - Datak 15 (Datak: Taiwan jawharp) Not the actual song title or the actual album title, cause I picked this up in Taiwan, and it's all in Chinese except for the guy's name. He is, of course, with a name like that, not Chinese, but an indigenous Taiwanese tribesman. Beautiful, simple, jawharp playing, solo, with extra bonus: crickets chirping throughout the album provide the perfect accompaniment.
4. Muddy Waters - I Feel So Good (The Chess Box, Disc 3) So damn good, really spirited performance, with audibly appreciative audience: plenty of screaming women. Muddy's so great.
5. Girogio - Tears (Brainfreeze Breaks) this is a very curious little number, from a compilation of curious little numbers that have only one thing in common: they were all used as sample source material for an album called Brainfreeze. Anyway, this tune is an ostinato that goes just about as long as you'd want it to, which is about, oh, 3 minutes.
6. Ken Manyard - The Lone Star Trail (Anthology of American Folk Music) A cowboy song. Guitar and voice. Ken sings about Simple as it gets, and very agreeable.
7. Bor Bor Byalzuhay - "Mongolian Folk Music" (Mongolian Folk Music) Not sure why the song title's the same as the album title... anyway, male vocal, a cappella. Characteristically soaring Mongolian style, absolutely sublime.
8. "various artists" - Qiarpaa (Vocaux Inuit) Inuit vocal music. For those who don't know this stuff, all I can say is, find some and listen to it. Almost always done in duets, with tight rhythmic interplay, and this one is no exception. What is different about this one, though, is that it's being done in very hushed, whispery voices. Pretty unique.
9. The Dukes of the Stratosphear - Shiny Cag (Chips from the Chocolate Fireball) the best 60s psychedelic band that never existed in the 60s. Andy partridge is such a goddamn genius...
10. Al Green - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Call Me) the inimitable Al Green covers one of America's greatest songwriters (that would be Hank Williams, for you youngsters out there). Doesn't get a lot better than this.

So, I gotta say... that was a damn fine randomination. I'm gonna shuffle off to bed now.

posted by flapjax at midnite 05 March | 09:21

Roky Erickson "Creature With The Atom Brain" Much like the movie it takes its title from, this song makes no sense but is awesome b-horror-movie fun.

Wire "Too Late" Chairs Missing isn't my favorite Wire album, but there are no bad ones, really.

Tullycraft "8 Great Ways" Fun, jangly indie pop. The only time I ever saw Tullycraft play live, they kept having tequila shots sent to their opening band during that band's set, trying to get them so drunk they couldn't finish playing.

Funkadelic "Back In Our Minds" A band I seem to get more obsessed with as the years go by. This sounds like a late-night jam session.

Roky Erickson "May The Circle Remain Unbroken" Here's Roky in folky acoustic mode.

OMD "Genetic Engineering" Future shock lyrics set to toy piano and handclap percussion, with a Speak-N-Spell droning on alongside the singer. Sometimes I miss the 80s.

Sparklehorse "The Man Who Played God" This is from the Dark Night Of The Soul project that Danger Mouse and David Lynch are involved with. I just got it recently and haven't had a chance to listen to it yet- I like this, though. I'll have to look this up and see who the woman singing is.

Public Image Ltd. "Phenagen" Not one of my favorite PiL tracks.

Jarvis Cocker "Caucasian Blues" From his last album, Furthur Complications. It took as little time to grow on me, unlike his first solo album, but now I like it a lot.

Urge Overkill "Tin Foil" I was a HUGE fan of these guys in the 90s, and recently I've found myself listening to them a lot and really enjoying it again.

posted by BoringPostcards 05 March | 09:37

1. U2 - Get on Your Boots I actually like the most recent U2 album, can't remember why I bought it since I haven't paid attention to them in a couple decades but there's some good stuff on it.

2. Gillian Welch - Orphan Girl I just love anything she (and David Rawlings) does/do.

3. The Grateful Dead - They Love Each Other Cornell 1977, one of the greatest concert ever.

4. Spoon - The Mystery Zone Not really that big a fan but do always seem to enjoy their songs when they come around on shuffle.

5. Richie Havens - Tombstone Blues Nice version from the I'm Not There soundtrack.

6. Bruce Springsteen - Erie Canal From the wonderful Seeger Sessions album

7. Cracker - Kerosene Hat I just bought this album because it's $5 on Amazon MP3 this month. The singles have been played to death on mainstream rock stations but it still holds up.

8. Jay Farrar - Barstow
"Take no notice of the rising waters
Take no notice where the rivers run dry
They’ll be digging through the landfills
To find evidence of our great demise"

9. Rilo Kiley - Smoke Detector I probably shouldn't admit to having a crush on Jenny Lewis.

10. The Rolling Stones - Torn and Frayed I've had Exile on Main Street on heavy rotation (in various formats) for thirty years now and it just never gets old.

posted by octothorpe 05 March | 09:45

I use my Nano for workout music.

Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
Prince - Delirious
Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Daddy Dewdrops - Chick-a-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)
Peter Gabriel - Mercy Street
Taylor Dayne - Tell it to My Heart
Rolling Stones -- Angie
Police -- Walking on the Moon
Cars -- It's All I Can Do
Orleans -- Dance With Me

posted by initapplette 05 March | 10:50

*laugh* Being the librarian that I am, I left off the initial articles of some of my shuffle bands. THE Rolling Stones, THE Police and THE Cars.

posted by initapplette 05 March | 10:56

External hard drive...

Kinky -- Sister Twisted
Kermit the Frog -- Being Green
Isley Bros -- It's Your Thing
Bad Religion -- When
Johnny Cash -- Folsom Prison Blues
Belle and Sebastian -- Is It Wicked Not to Care?
Blood, Sweat, and Tears -- You've Made Me So Very Happy
John and Mary -- Rags of Flowers
Motley Crue -- Tonight
REM -- Shaking Through

Huh.

(the random threw in a couple of audiobooks in the middle that I didn't count)

posted by ROU Xenophobe 05 March | 10:57

Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Running Dry
Tegan and Sara - Paperback Head
Euclid Beach Band - There's No Surf in Cleveland
Grateful Dead - Easy Wind
Jesus and Mary Chain - God Help Me
Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks - Shorty Falls in Love
Wilco - Candyfloss (hidden track)
Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris - This Is to Mother You
(From the Western Wall - Tucson Sessions. . a Gem of an Album)
Thea Gilmore - If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus
Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
Antony and the Johnsons - The Horror is Gone

posted by danf 05 March | 11:06

leesh - That Roman Candle cut looks like another song I have to add to y ever growing "songs about the radio" collection.

flapjax at midnite - killer stuff - I really need to listen more Aretha. I have Queen of Soul and am adding it to my Mp3 in just a few minutes.

BoPo - I think it's funny that Urge follows Jarvis on your shuffle, because I thought at times the Jarvis album sounded a bit like Urge.

octothorpe - I love that whole Cracker album

initapplette - I saw "Taylor Dayne" and instantly thought she was someone I hated, but a second later I remembered reluctantly liking "Tell it to My Heart". Enough so that I might go over to Amazon and see if I can download that song just to hear it again.

ROU Xenophobe - That Blood Sweat and Tears song came up on my shuffle just a song or two after I finished posting my list.

posted by Slack-a-gogo 05 March | 11:15

Few Nolder "Chika (Original Mix)" from New Folder (2009) Out of Vilnius, Lithuanian DJ Linas Strockis drops unusually lush minimal techno beats with a mesmerizing flutey melody; get off your chair and shake ass for eight minutes, okay?

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth "Good Life (Group Home mix)" from All Souled Out (1991) This is the alternate mix at the end of the album, with trombones; positive rap, this takes me back.

Dragonforce "E.P.M" from Ultra Beatdown (2009) These guys are ridiculous! It's like putting a metal LP on and switching it from 33 to 45, or maybe even 78. I like my metal bright and fast, this is awesome.

The Twinkle Brothers "Jahoviah" from Praise Jah (1979) Vintage 70's roots reggae must-hear echo-rich minor-key scorch.

Muddy Waters "Rollin' Stone" (1950) What can be said about this song? It's one of the best ever, that's all.

Gilberto Gil "Procissão" (1967) The electric guitar on this track is a revelation. Meu divino!

The Four Tops "If You Don't Want My Love" (1967) This is the B-side of "You Keep Running Away," what a great slow dance it is. Whenever The Four Tops are on, I stop what I'm doing and marvel at the arrangements.

The Mojo Men "Sit Down, I Think I Love You" (1967) A cover of a song Steven Stills wrote for Buffalo Springfield. I have this on Nuggets, of course.

Slowdive "Primal" from Just for a Day (1991) Gaze at your shoes long enough and you'll fall over, kid. Super-slow portamentos drenched in echo make for ear-bending microtonal etherea.

Barbara Stephens "Wait a Minute" (1961?) Great groove, simple song, close your eyes and see her finger wag. Listen to the very end: that squeal is the real deal.

Guillaume-Gommaire Kennis "Allegro moderato" from Sonata No.1 in E Major (1750) Flemish child prodigy Kennis wrote this at about the time he left his post as Kapellmeister in Leuven in search of fame and fortune as a virtuoso violinist in Paris and London. Sounds like Corelli, but back then, who didn't?

posted by Hugh Janus 05 March | 11:18

Wheeeeeeeee ! i love these............

Chaka Khan & Rufus - Do You Love What You Feel
Richie Valens - Framed
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno
REM - Little America
Joe Tex - Yum Yum
Nelson Alexander Trio - Rock That Voot
Jenny Owen Youngs - Things We Don't Need Anymore
The Cramps - Psychotic Reaction
The Blasters - I Fell In Love
Erykah Badu - That Hump

posted by rollick 05 March | 11:42

1. Spoon-The Figures of Art
2. Ryan Adams-Strawberry Wine
3. Prince-Soft & Wet
4. Diane Izzo w/John Rice-Strange Fruit
5. Rhett Miller-Four-Eyed Girl (Yes, this really did come up.)
6. Steve Earle-Home to Houston
7. Cold War Kids-Robbers
8. Jonah Ray-Bars
9. Ted Leo-My Vien Ilin
10. Maria Bamford-Mental Makeup

posted by four-eyed girl 05 March | 11:56

A truly random list this time. And no, I am not ashamed to own every single record Colleen Fitzpatrick ever made.

Halou – Feeling This is Like to Fall Awake
Blur – Song 2
Vitamin C – Graduation (Friends Forever)
Cranes – Wish
Loquat – Friend without Thumbs
Veruca Salt – Celebrate You
Willie Nelson – Something to Think About
Electrafixion – Work It On Out
Office – Dominos
Curve – Sweetback

posted by crush-onastick 05 March | 13:00

This turned out pretty dull.

1. The Rolling Stones - Love In Vain

I've got more than 20 of their concerts, including a soundboard recording of this song from Altamont in which Mick Taylor manifests his god-hood, but this is just the Let It Bleed album version.

2. Queen Latifah - Evil That Men Do

I bought this CD when it came out, interested in what a female MC could do. She showed me.

3. Ace of Base - All That She Wants

Wanna make something of it?

4. The Hollies - Bus Stop

5. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

6. Michael Jackson - Rock With You

Again, I've got a nifty live performance of this from the Bad tour in Yokohama, where a then-unknown Sheryl Crow was presumably singing backup - but this is just the album cut.

7. Billy Joel - The Entertainer

8. Nirvana - Territorial Pissings

I remember them playing this in the MTV studios to promote Nevermind when it came out. Grohl was just a monster on the drums.

9. Michael Jackson - P.Y.T.

This has always been my favorite of the Thriller singles.

10. U2 - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

Achtung Baby was the first U2 record I didn't pick up - even though I had every other one they had released up to that time. "The Fly" just didn't make sense to me a single - though I came to enjoy it later in its context - and I still don't like "Mysterious Ways". I never got back on board with them and I don't feel I've missed much.

There's a billboard along my drive to work advertising a stadium show they're doing in June. I wouldn't make the shlep even if someone gave me free tickets.

posted by Joe Beese 05 March | 13:46

1. Faith No More - Be Aggressive: I have no idea why I have this. Perhaps because I used to be a cheerleader.
2. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Indoor Fireworks: When I was in my freshman year of college, my roommate had moved out, so I had the whole room to myself. It was a corner room at the end of the hall, and I'd wake up to a slow song from the Best Of cd and feel really lonely. (Sorry, Elvis!)
3. Bloc Party - We Were Lovers (Japanese Bonus Track) Bloc Party is good working-at-the-desk music. (I should be listening to more of it right now...)
4. Candide (Leonard Bernstein) - Make our Garden Grow (Finale): Aw, geez. Get me all emotional, why doncha.
This is an incredible work anyway, both musically and lyrically, but it just brings up such strong feelings for me. When I was in high school, we were preparing to sing this with a symphony orchestra. I had just had a huge fight with my boyfriend, so when I read this first time I felt awful, started sobbing and had to run off to the bathroom.

"You've been a fool, and so have I,
But come and be my wife
And let us try before we die
To make some sense of life

We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good;
We'll do the best we know
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow."

Just stabs me in the heart, every time. I love the giant majesty of it, but I wish it were just a little more tiny so I could have it at my wedding!
5. Skankin' Pickle - Turning Japanese: Off of a ska cover album I got like 12 years ago.
6. Pearl Jam - Not For You: No real connection to this one. But I do have to say how pleasantly surprised I am at Pearl Jam's staying power. I admit that I listened to "Ten" only because the guy I liked did, but even though I'm not the world's biggest fan I have a lot of respect for how they still seem to have fun making solid albums.
7. Kisore Kumar - Typewriter, Tip, Tip, Tip: Originally from the movie "Bombay Talkie" but I have the soundtrack to "Darjeeling Limited."
8. Alison Krauss and Union Station - Every Time You Say Goodbye: I love her. I wish I could be in a bluegrass band or harmonize like that with people on a regular basis!
9. Beatles - In My Life: When giving your technophobe mother an iPod, loading the entire Beatles catalog on it helps.
10. Jeff Buckley - Morning Theft: Oh, man, I love[d] Jeff Buckley so much in high school. Still do, but not with such fervor. I got "Grace" as sort of a consolation present for failing my driver's test and listened to it over and over. Then he died, and of course I was heartbroken. But a couple years later, I was in a CD store and they were playing this thing that sounded like Jeff, and I was all OH MY GOD THERE'S MORE and it was amazing. This is one of my favorite songs on "Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk," though I still have absolutely no idea what the lyrics "You're a woman, I'm a calf/You're a window, I'm a knife" mean. Maybe they're just placeholders.

posted by Madamina 05 March | 16:06

1. Billie Holliday - The Way You Look Tonight (Miss Brown to You) - a spritely jazzy version of this song that too often becomes too treacly or condescending when sung by the men whose versions of this song I have. Still don't like the song much, though.

2. Kirsty MacColl with the Pogues - Miss Otis Regrets/Just One of Those Things (Red, Hot, and Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter)When I bought this album in high school, this was my first introduction to Kirsty MacColl, and I fell in love with her voice immediately.

3. Ray Charles - You are My Sunshine (Love Songs) Best version of this song ever.

4. Shawn Colvin with Earl & Randy Scruggs - Single Girl, Married Girl (Stings and Things: The Best in Bluegrass, Volume 1. I own at least 12 different versions of this song sung by various folks because the song is still full of truth and awesomeness.

5. Ma Rainey, Wringin' and Twistin' Blues (Ma Rainey) I think the instrumentation is mastered a little too loudly on this. I suppose I could figure out a way to go in and balance it out a bit. I love the natural talkiness of her voice.

6. Eva Cassidy, Early Morning Rain (Imagine) I let my parents talk me out of driving up to DC to see Eva Cassidy perform when I was home from college in 1994. That's probably my biggest music regret because I never had as good a chance to see her perform before she died.

7. Allison Moorer, Hey Jezebel (Miss Fortune). I just love her, and I love how she sings this song - voice thickened with um, unworried disdain, for this woman.

8. Nina Simone, I Put A Spell On You (Bad Habits). The woman is a genius. The way she can infuse meaning into every single dang aspect of the song is remarkable.

9. Bruce Robison - Bad Girl Blues (The New World). This is from his last album but one, and I actually prefer the version from the SXSW sampler that came out a few years earlier. Like most of his songs, this is both singable and singalongable.

10. Cassandra Wilson, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (New Moon Daughter) This is another one of those songs I track down multiple versions of (I have at least 20 different versions of Frankie and Johnny, for example...), and this version is easily up there with the original Hank version. It is lush and lovely and wonderful.
--

I almost cheated because I went to High School with #11 and #14, and #13 was actually released in the past year. #12 and #15 would add some diversity to the list. But the fact that I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry came up for someone else, too amused me, so I'll be honest.

posted by julen 05 March | 16:22

Just for a change, from the 'running' playlist on my iPhone (so, a limited selection of up-tempo stuff from the limited selection of stuff on my phone):
1. Skyhooks - Women in Uniform
2. Billy Idol - White Wedding
3. Meatloaf - Paradise by the Dashboard Light
4. Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
5. Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
6. Good Charlotte - Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous
7. Angels - No Exit
8. Good Charlotte - Boys and Girls
9. Violent Femmes - To The Kill
10. Beatles - Hard Day's Night.

posted by dg 06 March | 19:59

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