I've always experienced a physical response to music. Not so much arms and legs, I'm a bit too shy for dancing, but I feel my internal organs expand and contract with rhythm. I feel waves of energy ebb and flow through my nerves with melody. My mind bursts like a rising sun when these elements combine with meaning. I delight that artists are rarely aware of this synthesis of technique, passion and intelligence. The process of creating true art is necessarily totally involved in the moment of creation. So is it's appreciation.
I'm 50 years old this month. I felt moved to mark this passage with an honest expression of what truly moves me. I gathered 50 of favourite tunes of all my listening life and squashed them into two hours.
It was quite easy to assemble the playlist. Since digitising most of my collection, I've been listening to a lot of old music along with the new. These are the ones I keep coming back to. I can sing-along to all of them.
The real number of tunes I can't live without is more like 300. It was fun to narrow it down to the essentials. However, this list doesn't really represent my listening habits. There's only a few bits of electronica...that's because of how I listen to electro,,I like mixes, sets etc The individual tunes don't stand out so much...it's more about the experience and the dj. Actually, I listen to stacks of techno....Friday and Saturday nights my ears are glued to RTE2 (some awesome late night sessions). Also, this is a list of songs, not albums. That would be a very different list, and would include lots of Van Morrison, 70s prog and collections of old country music. My father-in-law sent me a cd of The Pine Leaf boys for xmas. Thanks David! It's nothing fancy...not new or groundbreaking, just honest modern, slightly slack, cajun. I love it! If you've listened to my show before, you'll now that I've also got a taste for music that some might say is considerably avant-garde. I would say that they should get out more, virtually speaking. Nothing in this mix sounds particularly avant-garde to me, but most of did to somebody at some time. ("That Hank Williams...plays dangerous music...we don't want his honky-tonking in our town").
Most of this music is several years old. I wouldn't normally consider anything a favourite until I've been listening consistently for several years, through several listening phases. There's a handful of current tunes in this playlist, and only one from 2012. 'Red River' by 'Tickle' is in my opinion the very best tune of last year, and JStar's One Life One Hope the best of the year before.
You can here this mix throughout February on Dandelion Radio. Check there for broadcast times.
So, here's the playlist:
The Beatles - If I Fell
Bowmods - 17 Weeks
Caravan - Golf Girl
Billy Bragg - The Milkman of Human Kindness
Robert Crumb - My Girl's Pussy
Frank Sinatra - I've Got The World On A String
Aretha Franklin - I Say a Little Prayer
The Crystals - Da Doo Ron Ron
Hot Roddy - Suspicious Minds
Elvis Presley - Gentle On My Mind
Joy Division - Atmosphere
Fairport Convention - Matty Groves
The Nails - 88 Lines About 44 Women
Bob Dylan - Idiot Wind
The Chordettes - Mister Sandman
Bob James - Take Me To The Mardi Gras
Herb Alpert - Tijuana Taxi
Van Morrison - Saint Dominic's Preview
Dionne Warwick - Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
Dirt Bacharach - St8 Outta San Jose
John Dowie - The British Tourist
Jaques Palminger - Tudeldub
DJ Reach & Roger Species - When I'm Licking Windows
Frank Zappa - Bobby Brown Goes Down
Lonzo & Oscar - I'm My Own Grandpa
...Native Hipsters - Mr Magic
The Flesh Happening - Useless Pumping
Roxy Music - Virginia Plain
Television - Marquee Moon
The Velvet Underground - What Goes On
Santana - Oye Como Va
Buddy Rich - The Beat Goes On
The Grateful Dead - Uncle John's Band
Terry Allen - The Girl Who Danced Oklahoma
The Sons Of The Pioneers - Cool Water
Nic Jones - Canadee-I-O
Leonard Cohen - Tower of Song
Hank Williams - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Country Joe & The Fish - The 'Fish' Cheer
Lea Nicholson - God Bless The Unemployed
Shel Silverstein - I Got Stoned And I Missed It
Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue
Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing
War - Low Rider
Toots & The Maytals - Sweet And Dandy
Tickle - Red River
Daft Punk - Revolution 909
JStar - One Life, One Hope
Sizzla - I Don't Give A Fuck
Blue Mink - Melting Pot
Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
The Beatles - The End
I wish love to any who want it
Peter