Mixing it up

Something I've always loved to do is make music mixes. Back in the dusty days of long ago, I would spend hours in front of the dual cassette deck, trying to get the breaks just right so that there wouldn't be that annoying click of the Stop button between songs. Thankfully, these days, iTunes has made the whole process a lot easier, and I've always got a box of blank CDs at the ready.

About a year ago, I was reading Nick Hornby's Songbook, and in his introduction, he made a wonderful suggestion: he makes a mix about every month or so of whatever he's listening to at that time. Old, new, pop, hip-hop, big band, whatever. It's a musical journal of his life, and an idea that I seized on immediately.

Following Hornby's template and making one about every month or so, I'm now burning my 12th mix in this series, and it's very interesting to me to go back and listen to some of my earliest mixes. It surprises me that some songs were released that long ago, and also tends to remind me of good songs that get lost in my large iTunes library. I usually keep the discs in my car, because they're always interesting if I end up on the road.

So since one of the reasons I started blogging was to share my musical tastes with my friends, I've decided to start posting my mixes. I'll put up the track list each time I create a new one, and if it sounds like something that interests you, get in touch with me and we'll discuss how to get you a version. Of course, I can't make copies and send them out. That would be illegal... ;)

3/19/05
Battle Without Honor Or Humanity, Tomoyasu Hotei (from Kill Bill Volume One)
Lose Yourself, Eminem (from 8 Mile)
Common People, William Shatner with Joe Jackson (from Has Been)
Six Months In a Leaky Boat, Ted Leo & Pharmacists (from Sharkbite Sessions)
Life In a Northern Town, The Dream Academy (from The Dream Academy)
Not A Job, Elbow (from Cast Of Thousands)
Some Cities, Doves (from Some Cities)
Portions For Foxes, Rilo Kiley (from More Adventurous)
Me And Mia, Ted Leo & Pharmacists (from Shake The Sheets)
Catch My Disease, Ben Lee (from Awake is the New Sleep)
Wake Me Up When September Ends, Green Day (from American Idiot)
It Ain't Right, The Shore (from The Shore)
Snowden, Doves (from Some Cities)
Time Is Running Out, Muse (from Absolution)
Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead, Ted Leo & Pharmacists (from Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead)
Pink Bullets, The Shins (from Chutes Too Narrow)
Thinking About You, Ivy (from In The Clear)
Are We The Waiting, Green Day (from American Idiot)
Yellow Ledbetter, Pearl Jam (from Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003)