Some playlists

[larryhammer]

You Belong: Bouncy & Passionate Love Songs was pulled from longer playlist of 49 songs, which progressed from falling in love, through passion, partnership, troubles, and separation, to acceptance. This selection is mostly from the early stages of the affair, but ends at the same place. I started with the first and last songs as anchors, but many others were obvious must-haves. "Constant Craving" is, of course, the joker in the pack -- it's about existential, not romantic, passion. This was the first mix-tape I'd done since I was in school, and so far my favorite. (Where possible, sample/download links are from the artist's own web site.)

1. "Lava Love," Roth d'Lux
   
2. "Sand in My Shoes," Dido
   
3. "Truthfully," Lisa Loeb
   
4. "Wonderland", Eliza Gilkyson
   
5. "Italian Shoes," Patty Larkin
   
6. "Passionate Kisses," Mary Chapin Carpenter
   
7. "Someone's Daughter," Beth Orton
   
8. "You Dance," Eastmountainsouth
   
9. "Hollow As a Bone," Cowboy Junkies
   
10. "Desire," U2
    
11. "Constant Craving," k.d. lang
    
12. "Snow Day," Lisa Loeb
    
13. "Crazy Dreams," Lucy Kaplansky
    
14. "Tango," Patty Larkin
    
15. "Closer to Me," Dar Williams
    
16. "Harbor," Vienna Teng
    
17. "Babylon," David Gray
    
18. "I Was Brought to My Senses," Sting
    
19. "Hold on to Me," Cowboy Junkies
    
20. "Fire at Midnight," Jethro Tull

The premise of I Feel Like a Grown-up Now is songs about being grown-up, even if implicitly. A love song by itself isn't grown-up enough, but a love song with past experiences is. The anchors I started with are "Shasta (Carrie's Song)" and "Her Point of View." The latter's from Sublett's Cowboy Rumba, another undeservedly obscure album: country & western crossed with Cuban music. SF connection to notice: he's married to Constance Ash. It's a brilliant song, even if the two-minute coda could have been shortened to one, and I especially adore the translated conversation. Also of note: Roth d'Lux, The Mollys, and Kevin Pakulis are all local artists. The mix title, btw, comes from the final Jim's Journal collection. (Cutting down on the links here -- that took too much time.)

1. "The World Ain't Heavy," Roth d'Lux
   
2. "Growing Up," Peter Gabriel
   
3. "Shining My Flashlight at the Moon," Christine Lavin
   
4. "Me and That Train," Patty Larkin
   
5. "Shasta (Carrie's Song)," Vienna Teng
   
6. "Put the Baby in the Shopping Cart," The Mollys
   
7. "The Obvious Child," Paul Simon
   
8. "Tale in Hard Time," Fairport Convention
   
9. "Sundown," Gordon Lightfoot
   
10. "Her Point of View," Ned Sublette
    
11. "Nothing New," Shannon Campbell
    
12. "Not Lonely," Eliza Gilkyson
    
13. "Unsent," Alanis Morissette
    
14. "Angel Mine," Cowboy Junkies
    
15. "Central Reservation," Beth Orton
    
16. "9:00 on the Couch," San Dixon
    
17. "I'm So Open," Cowboy Junkies
    
18. "Yeah Yeah Yeah," Kevin Pakulis

Calls to Passion are just that, songs demanding a passionate response. I really like this mix, and am inordinantly pleased not just by how few feature purely romantic passion but as well how little political preaching there is. The anchors were "Primitive" (because it got bumped from I Feel Like a Grown-Up Now and I wanted a place for it) and "Make Tomorrow Today" -- though my favorite single song is "Cold Wind to Valhalla" ... come ride with the Valkyrie maidens, if you dare. Namoli Brennet is another local artist, who happens to be transgendered; "Seagull" is from her first ablum, Boy in a Dress, made before her transition.

1. "Hounds of Love," Kate Bush
   
2. "Primative," Michelle Cross
   
3. "Seagull," Namoli Brennet
   
4. "Cold Wind to Valhalla," Jethro Tull
   
5. "Walking in London," Concrete Blonde
   
6. "The World's Not Falling Apart," Dar Williams
   
7. "Helicopters," Barenaked Ladies
   
8. "Season of Hollow Soul," k.d. lang
   
9. "Scatter New Seeds," Christine Lavin
   
10. "Murder, Tonight, in the Trailer Park," Cowboy Junkies
    
11. "Sweet Lorraine," Patty Griffin
    
12. "The Return of the Grievious Angel," Lucy Kaplansky
    
13. "If You Could Read My Mind," Gordon Lightfoot
    
14. "Crash Into Me," Dave Matthews Band
    
15. "Gravity," Vienna Teng
    
16. "I'm Hoping," Elia Bel
    
17. "Make Tomorrow Today," Peter Gabriel

Sirens on the Rocks is female singers on romantic difficulties. For the record, I'm pleased by the number that aren't in first person. The title is an oblique reference to a Live365 channel called Sirens of Song. The anchors were two culls from Calls to Passion, "Fast in Love" (Michelle Cross really deserves a big-label contract already) and "Useless Desires."

1. "Fast in Love," Michelle Cross
   
2. "Breathe," Michelle Branch
   
3. "Waiting for Wednesday," Lisa Loeb
   
4. "Speaking Confidentially," Cowboy Junkies
   
5. "Diving to be Deeper," Sinéad Lohan
   
6. "Surrendering," Alanis Morissette
   
7. "Mexican Moon," Concrete Blonde
   
8. "The Ballad of Mary Magdalen," Cry Cry Cry
   
9. "Useless Desires," Patty Griffin
   
10. "Let's Forget About It," Lisa Loeb
    
11. "The Tower," Vienna Teng
    
12. "The Calling," Penny Flanagan
    
13. "Hunter," Dido
    
14. "River of Seine," Michelle Cross
    
15. "Too Bad," Patty Larkin
    
16. "My Anniversary," Roth d'Lux
    
17. "It Happens Everyday," Dar Williams
    
18. "This Is Love," Mary Chapin Carpenter

Locked Dreams is kind of the converse of Calls to Passion -- not so much passions which fail as passions denied, put on tight reins. To be honest, I'm not completely happy with this one: the selection and order feel off in places. Suggestions for improvement welcome. The anchor was "Locked Away" -- I'm still disappointed I didn't get it in the exact middle. And, yes, there is a lot of Dar and Lucy on this mix -- why do you ask?

1. "Scorpion," Lucy Kaplansky
   
2. "Little Eddie," Roth d'Lux
   
3. "A Sort of Fairytale," Tori Amos
   
4. "Come with Me, Sir," Heather Alexander
   
5. "The Kid," Cry Cry Cry
   
6. "Early Morning Rain," Gordon Lightfoot
   
7. "The Beauty of the Rain," Dar Williams
   
8. "A Night Like This," The Cure
   
9. "Locked Away," Raymond Gonzalez & Amy Malkoff
   
10. "Fields of Gold," Sting
    
11. "A Summer Wind, a Cotton Dress," Richard Shindell
    
12. "Mary's in India," Dido
    
13. "Frenchman for the Night," Jimmy Buffet
    
14. "Two Americans in Paris," Christine Lavin
    
15. "Con Toda Palabra," Lhasa de Sela
    
16. "This Is Mine," Lucy Kaplansky
    
17. "Hallelujah," k.d. lang
    
18. "Grace," Jethro Tull

I mixed Righteous Dudes as a response to Sirens on the Rocks -- male singers engaged with religion. The anchors were not the two U2 songs, as you might expect, but "Gesthemene" and "'40'." Moonstyx, btw, is an Icelandic band I found on mp3.is, while Half Man Half Biscuit is, of course, my favorite punk band.

1. "God Part II," U2
   
2. "Gethsemane," Richard Thompson
   
3. "Savior," Kevin Pakulis
   
4. "Real Love," David Gray
   
5. "Invisible Sun," The Police
   
6. "Please God," Moonstyx
   
7. "Proof," Paul Simon
   
8. "Cup of Wonder," Jethro Tull
   
9. "Cold Missouri Waters," Cry Cry Cry
   
10. "Show Me the River," Eastmountainsouth
    
11. "Lie in Our Graves," Dave Matthews Band
    
12. "Touched by the Hand of God," New Order
    
13. "Great Provider," Barenaked Ladies
    
14. "Next Best Western," Richard Shindell
    
15. "Hide and Seek," Howard Jones
    
16. "Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost," Jimmy Buffett
    
17. "Footprints," Half Man Half Biscuit
    
18. "'40'", U2

Strength, for When It Don't Come Easy uplifting songs, ones that may acknowledge the darkness but never compromise with it. As such, it has a couple that didn't fit in Calls to Passion. It's slanted towards the bouncy, because I find that uplifting. The anchors were the two title songs. Most drafts ended with Cowboy Junkies, either "To Live is to Fly" or "New Day Dawning," but the former just wasn't a good conclusion, while the latter overlapped too much with "Beautiful Day" and "New Day." (Regarding Cats Laughing, why yes, that is Emma Bull (coffeeem) singing with Steven Brust (skzbrust) on drums and Adam Stemple on bass; for further genreiffic goodness, those are John M. Ford's lyrics.)

1. "Strength," Roth d'Lux
   
2. "Hope on Fire," Vienna Teng
   
3. "Lionhearts," Penelope Swales
   
4. "This Is Your Life," The Call
   
5. "For It All," Cats Laughing
   
6. "One Big Love," Parry Griffin
   
7. "Break It Down Again," Tears for Fears
   
8. "Fall on Me," Cry Cry Cry
   
9. "Open Arms (Don't Explain)," Patty Larkin
   
10. "You Learn," Alanis Morissette
    
11. "Mercy of the Fallen," Dar Williams
    
12. "Things Can Only Get Better," Howard Jones
    
13. "Beautiful Day," U2
    
14. "Turning Song," Namoli Brennet
    
15. "Cloudbusting," Kate Bush
    
16. "Everywhere," Michelle Branch
    
17. "When It Don't Come Easy," Patty Griffin
    
18. "New Day," Madelyn Iris
    
19. "If I Had $1000000," Barenaked Ladies

"If I Had $1000000" just makes me grin. I mean, haven't you always wanted a monkey?