Wednesday, October 27, 2010

What You Should Have Heard #35

My Mix CDs

I’ve got a lot of music but limited space to hold it in, especially in my car. So I’ve gone the old tried-and-true way of making mix CDs to have access to as many bands as possible while driving. I’m going slightly old-school since I’m a bit backwards and have no iPod.

Most of the songs will be more upbeat, with probably only the occasional ballad or slower song included. I like to sing in the car, and the more upbeat songs are more fun to sing.

I’ll be going in alpha-numeric order with these, so if you’re wanting to argue with me about what Weezer songs should be included, you’re going to be waiting for a while.

My only limitations are that I use 80 min. discs, and I’m only going to use one disc per band/artist. I will make exceptions for only my most favorite bands with huge playlists (Foo Fighters and Self, off the top of my head), but I’d really like to boil everything down to just one disc.

Here’s the list guide:

Track # - Song Name - Album Name [Artist if album is by a different artist]


The Features Mix CD

  1. Extension Chord – Dortch Sessions (The Mississippi Album)
  2. Thursday – Dortch Sessions (The Mississippi Album)
  3. D-Con (Radio One) – Dortch Sessions (The Mississippi Album)
  4. Exhibit A – Exhibit A
  5. The Way It’s Meant to Be – Exhibit A
  6. Me and the Skirts – Exhibit A
  7. Blow It Out – Exhibit A
  8. There’s a Million Ways to Sing the Blues – Exhibit A
  9. Leave It All Behind – Exhibit A
  10. Exorcising Demons – Exhibit A
  11. Someway, Somehow – Exhibit A
  12. Situation Gone Bad – Exhibit A
  13. Harder to Ignore – Exhibit A
  14. Circus – Exhibit A
  15. Armani Suede – Features EP
  16. Serious – Mahaffey Sessions 2000
  17. Speed of 33 – Mahaffey Sessions 2000
  18. Darkroom – Mahaffey Sessions 2000
  19. See You Thru – Mahaffey Sessions 2000
  20. Oh My Love – Mahaffey Sessions 2000
  21. Wooden Heart – Some Kind of Salvation
  22. The Beginning (Week One) – The Beginning
  23. Walk You Home – The Beginning

This CD is the first of…three, I think, what I consider as local bands. They all got their start on the same label, Spongebath Records, out of Murfreesboro, Tenn. I can’t say as to what rank I list the Features at between these three; Self is definitely first, but the Features and Fluid Ounces are too dissimilar to compare.

The Features  have a wonderful combination of song writing, vocals and musicianship. The lyrics are not a mystery or vague, and the ones I’m most enamored with deal with the writer’s love of music (Speed of 33, Blow It Out) and his love of his kids (Stark White Stork, Me and the Skirts). I also like the fact that the songs are fun, almost all of them, even the softer, ballady ones.

For as long as I’ve been a fan of the Features (for a slightly shorter amount of time than Self), I’ve been a member of a few online forums and bulletin boards of like-minded individuals. That’s where I acquired the unreleased stuff that’s listed here, notably the Dortch and Mahaffey sessions. The only official release from the Features before Exhibit A and The Beginning EP in 2004 was a self-titled EP from Spongebath Records in 1997. But I saw these guys live at a few Dancin’ in the District shows in Nashville as well as some Spongebath-sponsored Halloween shows at Main Street, a club in Murfreesboro. These passed-around sessions were all I was able to love on before the group started garnering a national reputation and I could give them some of my money. Now, they’ll always get my money.


“Blow It Out”

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