The Music Lounge Mix Exchange

[cutterbutter]

Much like the matchups, life gets really random sometimes. And it would be like life to match up the most punctual sender with myself. Just wanted to give it some real time instead of popping it in the car on drives with 4 other people talking over it this past week.



On that note:

TomAZ has made a mix of songs with the theme being that they were released in the year 1980, which in his letter revealed he had turned 18 that year among other important life moments.

President Obama in 1980

Tracklist

1980 CSPAN broadcast

Bonus tracklist


Here are my thoughts from track to track. I've listened to the mix 3 times now but this was mostly from the first time going through because I kept the tracklist hidden from myself since its way more exciting that way! Anyways

Precious by The Pretenders - I dont know much about them besides the songs I hear on the radio but I've always dug the feel of The Pretenders. This is a great song to start off the mix with. Rockin and noisy but still maintaing that cool demeanor they carry so well. Love the bridge where the rhythem section dials it back a bit and the vocals turn to a whisper before blasting off to finish it.

Twist & Crawl by The English Beat - So The Beat are one of older ska bands I'm not too familiar with and can't think of any songs but I enjoyed this one for its lack of bombast that has become "essential" to modern ska. Grooving track.

Games Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel - Big change of pass right here but I love Peter and realized I have not listen to the eponymous albums in sometime. Bass and guitar battling underneath some great lyrics here. Going to revisit some of his early stuff for sure now. Though, that coda on the end of the song is mighty dated to my ears.

Holiday in Cambodia by The Dead Kennedys - And with that off putting drum machine coda fading away the sinister bass line of this song drew me back in immediately and definitely put into perspective how diverse 1980 was for music. The DKs remain one of the most diverse punk bands to this day. No one sounds like them. Great satirical lyrics from them as usual.

Point Blank by Bruce Springsteen - If the DKs were the satirist then Bruce is the realist. Pretty heartbreaking song about accepting reality and the loss of love. I've never given The River album as much attention as I have some of his others so I'll have to give it another go. Again, this mix is throwing me all over the place. I can't imagine being alive when all these records were coming out and taking it all in.

Swan Lake by PiL - Never listened to much of PiL but this song is completely out of its mind and very wild coming off of Point Blank. The pulsating bass lines and drum beat are the only thing keep this together as Lyndon attempts to battle the guitar with only his voice. Perhaps it works better in context of the record, so I'll have to grab that one.

Dirty Mind by Prince - This song was a bit of salvation for me from PiL. One of favorite Prince songs. A great pop song that has me movin'. Cant go wrong. Love when he comes in the more intense vocals.

At Home He's a Tourist by Gang of Four - Yeah so I feel like the rhythem of this mix is LOUDquietLOUD. Never listened to Gang of Four but love their punchy sound.

Crosseyed and Painless by The Talking Heads - Cant say I've ever heard this song without Born Under Punches before it, but it delivered in keeping the pace going after Gang of Four. The chaotic percussion here has been one of my favorites from them before. Bryne really is the man. I'd kill to see them live… STTIIIILLLLL WAAAAIITTTINGG

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division - Alright this is probably the band I've been most familiar with so far and not much else needs to be said about them, let alone about their most recognizable song. But yeah the idea of 1980 is becoming insane to me. Never been a music historian much so its a but much to grasp. Reading your letter Tom about turning 18 then is a momentous time I can only imagine.

Possession by Elvis Costello - Yeah, I know pretty much 0 about Elvis but I enjoyed this one. Reminded of The Heartbreakers sort of.

Pulling Mussels From the Shell by Squeeze - This song is awesome. Probably my favorite on the record. Similar to The Replacements but not as rough around the corners. Really was pleased to hear that piano bridge on this.

Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie - Its funny because I was trying to place 1980 in my own musical knowledge and thought early in the mix "well hey Bowie had put out his Berlin albums" and then this comes on! Always trying to do something different, and its great to hear what Major Tom had been up to.

Death or Glory by The Clash - So yeah the London Calling album has been one of favorite records since discovering "real music" easily top 20 for me. And your anecdote of hearing it in 1980 when it came out in the US still rings true for me because it had that kind of effect on me as well. It was a record besides The Beatles, The Who etc of the world that was amazing and showed me what music was instead of the current pop music of Nsync and Brittany spears when I was growing up and discovering stuff in the late 90s from my Dad's records. I didn't really into alternative and indie music on my own until the the mid 2000s and always stuck with classic rock and this had forever been on of my favorites.

Message to you Rudy by The Specials - The Specials are my favorite of the older ska bands. I guess of the 2nd wave if you want to get into it. Their music is now a part of my image of Coachella dancing around and enjoying myself at sunset. Great little tune made for the summer right here.

People Who Died by Jim Carroll - Ive never even heard the name Jim Carroll before, but I was seriously impressed by this. Some real rock n roll if I've ever heard it. I will need to look up the lyrics and follow the story of this man's friends. Love the female vocals that come in as support in the end.

Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits - I have a big exposure to Dire Straits passively through my Dad. I couldnt name any songs but I do know I've heard this one and its quite nice. Just some solid song writing but like the Bruce song a bit out of pace with the rest. I will have to grab their stuff on its own but this was a good introduction outside of my Father.

The World's a Mess, its in my Kiss by X - The only by X I have is Los Angeles and its hard to ever forget this track (or any from that record) as the closing song to it. Always loved their timing with having the female and male vocals take control of certain parts. Also, ORGAN! Great to revisit this one.

Redemption Song by Bob Marley - You know I always thing that Marley was putting out a lot of his signature work long before 1980. Maybe thats from his becoming an idolized figure in popular cultures eyes. Ive never really looked in to the current events surround a lot of his music but this closing out the "1980" mix really got me thinking about historical relevance to the lot of this. A lot of it is timeless and transcends any one generation listening to it so I dont find it immediatly needed but it certainly adds to it when you do know. Its easier living in it i think. I hope that when I'm older I can share a mix of songs from 2010 when I turned 18 like Tom has done and still care for the music and show the breath of everything that happened.


Tom also included a bonus disc of 10 other songs from the likes of Pete Townshend, Stiff Little Fingers, The Jam, U2, John Lennon and Yoko, as well as Sioxsi & The Banshees. I've yet to listen to the addendum disc but from glossing over it I'm excited to hear some more stuff from the great year that was 1980.

Thanks for the tunage Tom! Both will be going in the car for some driving around music now that I've given it a close listen. Lots of real bangers on here!

[TallGuyCM]

It surprises me to see a Dire Straits song on there. They seem like a band Tom would hate.

[ods..]

I love your mix, Chris (tallguy)! Some serious great cuts here that I haven't heard/know and old staples as well. The mix, fittingly entitled "Under the Influence", will definitely stay in rotation as a late night toking soundtrack for the summer. I can't wait to see a tracklist!

My favorite part about this mix is the sequencing and how well the tracks flow together, even though they are all so different. Thanks a lot dude, owe you a bowl for this cd haha

edit: obviously I will add a track by track analysis once I get the tracklist. The first few listens have been hilarious and great

[TallGuyCM]

Glad you like it! I wanted a theme to tie the songs together instead of just a random mix.

Tracklist:

1. Nate Dogg - Smoke Weed Every Day blip
2. Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer
3. The Velvet Underground - Heroin
4. The Vines - Mary Jane
5. The Rolling Stones - Sister Morphine
6. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
7. The Grateful Dead - High Time
8. Weezer - Hash Pipe
9. Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
10. Tom Petty - You Don't Know How It Feels
11. Eric Clapton - Cocaine
12. The Byrds - Eight Miles High
13. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
14. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express
15. Black Sabbath - Sweet Leaf
16. The Beatles - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

[Mugwog]

Recipient: Mix burnt/tracklisted - in the mail tomorrow sorry for the lag! Hope you enjoy it!

[cutterbutter]

Recipient: Mix burnt/tracklisted - in the mail tomorrow sorry for the lag! Hope you enjoy it!

lulz wattadik

[cutterbutter]

Glad you like it! I wanted a theme to tie the songs together instead of just a random mix.

Tracklist:

1. Nate Dogg - Smoke Weed Every Day blip
2. Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer
3. The Velvet Underground - Heroin
4. The Vines - Mary Jane
5. The Rolling Stones - Sister Morphine
6. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
7. The Grateful Dead - High Time
8. Weezer - Hash Pipe
9. Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
10. Tom Petty - You Don't Know How It Feels
11. Eric Clapton - Cocaine
12. The Byrds - Eight Miles High
13. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
14. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express
15. Black Sabbath - Sweet Leaf
16. The Beatles - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

This is hilarious. Needs a good Hunter S Thompson picture for the artwork and its perfect.

[Miroir Noir]

It surprises me to see a Dire Straits song on there. They seem like a band Tom would hate.

http://www.coachella.com/forum/showt...9-Dire-Straits

[TomAz]

Cutter thank you so much for your very thoughtful writeup on my mix. Your reaction made every minute I spent on this thing fully worthwhile. So cool.

Reading your letter Tom about turning 18 then is a momentous time I can only imagine.

So here are the liner notes, people:

Gentle mix recipient,

Enclosed is the mix I have made for the Coachella board mix exchange. Through some process, random or otherwise (who can really say?) you have been selected to receive my mix. I am writing this before I know who you are, and I am doing that on purpose, because I didn’t want my mix or my comments to be tainted by some foreknowledge of your personality or your musical taste.

The theme of this mix is songs from the year 1980. That’s why the mix is titled “1980”. It’s a bit of a long mix, because there was so much I wanted to include. In fact, I couldn’t fit all of the songs I wanted, so I made a second disc of leftover songs. Do with it as you see fit; I hope you will give it a try.

I know what you’re thinking. “Did you really just send me 29 songs – a 19-song mix plus a 10-song ‘bonus disc’ – from 32 years ago? What sort of retro-revisionist crap is this? Is this nothing more than simple nostalgia? Are you stuck in the past, living a cold, empty life of nothing but frustrated plans and bittersweet memories?” Well, you’re partly right. This is, in fact, a 19-song mix of songs all from the year 1980; and, yes, I did include a 10-song bonus disc as a throw-in because I thought it would be fun and besides I really like that Psychedelic Furs song and I hope that you do to. But no, I don’t think this is nostalgia, or at least not purely nostalgic. Rather, the songs on this mix form the baseline for everything I have listened to or experienced musically ever since. From REM to the Replacements to Nirvana to Uncle Tupelo to Radiohead to the Flaming Lips to LCD Soundsystem to Titus Andronicus to Beirut and EMA and the rest of Coachella 2012, my journey started with the music on this mix.

I have been tempted to claim that 1980 was the greatest year in rock and roll history. But that would just make me sound like one of those hippie idiots who is still stuck in the 60s, which is stupid, and stupid is not an image I like to cultivate for myself. So I will say this instead: 1980 was one of my personal favorite years in music. I read once, somewhere, that there is a point in a young person’s life when they stop being a child and start really seeing things as an adult for the first time. And when that happens, the art they experience at that time strikes them as incredibly powerful, more powerful than anything they have experienced before or will experience after – because they are seeing and actually understanding and appreciating for the first time the real depth and strength of well-made art. This happened to me when I was 17 and 18, and I turned 18 in 1980. These songs may not be ‘art’ (who cares?) but the same concept applies.

In early January 1980 I had just returned to college for 2nd semester freshman year. It was still a couple days before classes started. The campus radio station, KTRU, was going to play a newly released album on Saturday night at 10 pm. The album was London Calling by the Clash. I knew a little bit about the Clash, knew a few songs, but not really a whole lot. Me and my friend RB got some beer and sat in his room and listened. Now, London Calling had been released in the UK in December 1979 but wasn’t out in the US yet (before the internet, that sort of thing actually mattered). So anyway we sat there drinking and listening and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was so fucking good, I had never heard anything like it before, it was like the scales fell from my eyes and for the first time I could see what music could actually do and be. When it was all done I told RB “that will go down as one of the greatest albums of all time”. RB wisely said that it was probably too early to tell, but in the long run I was of course right. (At the time, “Death or Glory” was my favorite song on the album, which is why I’ve chosen it for this mix). You might say, well technically London Calling was released in 1979, so it doesn’t belong here, but like I said it didn’t come out in the US til January, and also it’s sort of the whole reason for making this mix to begin with, so quit being so pedantic.

In March 1980 I turned 18 and could legally vote and drink. In April I was on the rail for the Ramones. The Ramones were past their prime then, but still they put on a great show. By August I had my own 3 hour weekly show on KTRU, which I kept doing til I graduated in 1983. In September I saw the B-52s, and in November I saw both Bruce Springsteen and Talking Heads for the first time. Talking Heads were touring in their expanded version in support of Remain in Light including Busta Jones on bass and Adrian Belew on guitar – this may have been the single greatest concert I have ever seen. So, yeah, it was a very good year for me in music. (I also voted in my first presidential election that year, beginning a streak of consecutive elected presidents whom I voted against. Believe it or not, Barack Obama was the first president I ever voted for who actually won. By the way, did you recognize him on the CD jewel box cover? That picture was taken in, you guessed it, 1980).

Why should you care about any of this? I don’t know that you should. Maybe you can relate to some of it. Or maybe you just find some songs on here that you don’t know, but that you think you might like. Or something. But know this: I don’t think I’ve ever made a mix quite as personal as this one, ever.

Anyway. 29 songs? Did I go a little overboard? Well maybe. But in my view 1980 was an exceptionally rich year, not only for the stuff at the top of the Best Of lists, but also for the number of really great records in the lower reaches as well. I cut the main mix off at 75 minutes because beyond that it’s tough to get them all on one disc (and the first song I would have added, “India”, is over six minutes long – you do the math). So then just for kicks I made the bonus track disc, which isn’t mixed or equalized or anything. I got to 10 on that one and then just decided, man, 30 songs would be way too many. So yeah. 29.

Which means I left off entirely: Killing Joke, Captain Beefheart, Echo and the Bunnymen, Kurtis Blow, The Teardrop Explodes, Joe Ely, the Feelies, the Police (who were still pretty good at this point), the Cure, Young Marble Giants, Bauhaus, Buzzcocks (who put out no album but 3 excellent singles that year), the Soft Boys, Kate Bush, Japan, Circle Jerks, UB40, Lucinda Williams, the Cramps, the Fall, Adam and the Ants, Cabaret Voltaire, the Damned, Gary Numan, Tom Waits, the Residents, Burning Spear, Magazine, and the Ramones. And anything metal, of which there was quite a bit in 1980 (Back in Black! Ace of Spades! Heaven and Hell! Blizzard of Ozz!) And Stevie Wonder, who released his last truly great album that year. All worthy in their own way, but will have to wait for another day.

In my mind this music constitutes the roots of Coachella. Goldenvoice started about this same time, so I think that makes sense.

Happy listening.

TomAz, May 2012. 

What I realized I should have adeded after I sent that is that 1980 was punctuated in December by the assassination of John Lennon.

[cutterbutter]

Of course Tom. I may end up picking your brain on where to go next with some of the bands/songs new to me but mostly it was a good reminder to revisit some of groups/albums/songs I already knew. 1980 was fucking weird is all I have to say. Mixed in with what was big on the pop charts and it would give me a headache.

And yes, I saw the John and Yoko track on the bonus disc and definitely thought to myself "well hey thats the last time you could put him on a year to year mix". Strange times.

I'm reading Our Band Could Be Your Life at the moment, which focuses on '81-91, and while it mentions the coming of Nevermind and what happened afterwards it doesn't say much on what happened before so your mix was fitting.

[Originalbob]

That book was sitting on our coffee table for about 10 months last year. Might be a bit overwhelming for a simpleton like myself, but won't know until I give it a whirl.

[cutterbutter]

Its actually a really good introduction to the bands it covers. Its definitely on the story telling side of things with an omnipotent narrator then the music encyclopedia side. You can read with a laptop playing music of theirs and just poke around spotify playing the albums/EPs they name drop.

Even in the introduction it says some along the lines of "If you want a book that tells you about the songs and albums of Black Flag then this is the wrong book for you. This is about their story." And each chapter is pretty self contained, so if you aren't interested in Big Black you can skip the chapter and read the Husker Du chapter without missing a beat.

[cansei de ser sexme]

Recipient: my retro bomb should be exploding in your mailbox this afternoon.

I think I received your mix today? Awesome artwork, I'll put it in my car tomorrow and post a review/pictures in a couple days.

[Miroir Noir]

Yes! Enjoy. All art credits are to Originalbob.

[Originalbob]

All art credits are to Originalbob.

*Smug look on my face*


I even made several rough drafts of the cover if you wanna see. Music is pretty good, too.

[Originalbob]

Mine should've arrived today (Tuesday)... haven't heard anything from the receiving end. I'll be patient a few more days then all hell will break loose.

"hell breaking loose" is also purely subjective

[Fourthisto]

I'm out of town for a week... so mine is going to be late.

This worked out well, as was I - the postman should ring for you near the end of the week.

[nosurprises12]

Lool, and they all fit the theme.

And great Jason, you got it!
Like i said in pm, i did get it at the new house and checked today.
I'll post pics and review later this week

I'm looking forward to it Chris!

[stuporfly]

1. Nate Dogg - Smoke Weed Every Day blip
2. Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer
3. The Velvet Underground - Heroin
4. The Vines - Mary Jane
5. The Rolling Stones - Sister Morphine
6. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
7. The Grateful Dead - High Time
8. Weezer - Hash Pipe
9. Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
10. Tom Petty - You Don't Know How It Feels
11. Eric Clapton - Cocaine
12. The Byrds - Eight Miles High
13. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
14. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express
15. Black Sabbath - Sweet Leaf
16. The Beatles - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Joe Friday was right on all those episodes of Dragnet: Smoking pot really is a gateway to other drugs.

[greghead]

The Dusty Trail tracks, sent to Luck/DJ Mae West

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Ramble Tamble
Robert Johnson - Walking Blues
Dr. John - Getaway
Bill "Jazz" Gillum - Key To The Highway
The Band of Heathens - Jackson Station
Johnny Cash - Orange Blossom Special
Meade "Lux" Lewis - Honey Tonk Train Blues
James "Yank" Rachell - Hobo Blues
Avail - Outbound 95
Joni Mitchell - This Flight Tonight
Neil Young - Roll Another Number (For The Road)
Cream - Stepping Out

[Mugwog]

*Smug look on my face*


I even made several rough drafts of the cover if you wanna see. Music is pretty good, too.

Straight up internetz gal

[Originalbob]

hahahaha, I did explain I was automatically "involved" in the exchange without agreeing to the exchange, meaning I was required for artwork. In fact, I probably put in more hours on the damn cover than I did my whole mix/art. Still logged several for myself, don't worry.

[cansei de ser sexme]

Well let me start out this review by saying I think my mom likes this mix more than I do. She says its a perfect mix of what she listened to during the summer when she was in college.

But for me, it is a great introduction to some tunes I've never heard. Being 19, nobody ever tells me, "Hey you've got to listen to Hall & Oates," but now that tune is my fucking jam. The flow of the mix is really nice, and its a great mix to have in my car for driving other people around for the summer. Highlights from the mix that I hadn't heard before include the songs by Tom Tom Club, ABC, Hall & Oates, and Associates. But no matter what I do I just can never get into Jackson Browne ever. Love the mix though, and yet again, groovy artwork.

[TomAz]

Mitch's handwriting is disgustingly tidy.

Edit: New romantic is not the same thing as new wave. The New Romantics were a subgenre focused mostly on synthpop. Human League and Soft Cell certainly qualify. I guess Duran Duran does too, at least their early career.

Edit2: But great mix Mitch. Sorry I didn't mean to be purely critical.

Edit3: That mix is just screaming out for some Culture Club.

[greghead]

Still waiting on Gribble's mix. I got $10 that says it's not finished yet.

[Miroir Noir]

I'm glad you like it, cansei! I'm also relieved that it passes your mom's judgment of historical accuracy. I love Jackson Browne, mostly for the quality of the songwriting on his 70s albums, but I couldn't resist this track. It always reminds of me of Fast Times at Ridgemont High and is such a pure pop hit for me.

Tom, I'm not sure what label best fits a lot of that 1981-83 UK synthy stuff. "New Wave" seems much too broad of a term, and one that is tied with conceptions of earlier, more guitar-oriented bands that weren't playing by the mainstream's rules, but weren't really punk either -- like a lot of those great bands in your 1980 mix. "Synth pop," to me, seems too narrow. I thought "New Romantic" would cover the synth stuff, and also allow room for some of those other acts in the same cultural firmament like Rio-era Duran Duran, or early Tears for Fears, or ABC.

Greg, you're just going to have to Dale with it, apparently.

[Miroir Noir]

The last song I cut before making the playlist fit onto a CD; it would have been this instead of Culture Club:



I also temporarily toyed with putting "Heat of the Moment" on this for laughs, but I thought of slowmotionapocalpyse for some reason and decided against it.

[TomAz]

I thought "New Romantic" would cover the synth stuff, and also allow room for some of those other acts in the same cultural firmament like Rio-era Duran Duran, or early Tears for Fears, or ABC.

New Romantic is a specific term referring to a 1978-81 London club scene (Blitz) and the bands that scene spawned. Visage, Ultravox, Spandau Ballet, Gary Numan (sort of - he was a little different), Duran Duran, the Human League, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, ABC. Tears for Fears were influenced by that scene but never really part of it.

All of which is fine and dandy I suppose but only relevant because of your phrasing: "my favorite summery pop and new wave (new romantic if you want to get overly descriptive)" but then followed by a mix including the Pretenders, the English Beat, Madness, New Order, and Tom Tom Club, all of which were certainly new wave but none of which were anything resembling the new romantics. That's all that has motivated this overly didactic bit of self-indulgence on my part.

[bmack86]

I'm reading Our Band Could Be Your Life at the moment, which focuses on '81-91, and while it mentions the coming of Nevermind and what happened afterwards it doesn't say much on what happened before so your mix was fitting.

I got this back in High School when it first came out and it changed music for me. I was only familiar with Fugazi and Sonic Youth, so I tracked down recordings from each of the acts listed, and then just kept digging.

Tom's mix looks awesome. I might just recreate it over here and listen to it tonight.

[Miroir Noir]

Alas, I should have stuck with unqualified "pop and new wave."