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
Beck Mix CD
- Halo of Gold – B Side Collection: Stray Blues
- E-Pro – Guero
- Que Onda Guero – Guero
- Girl – Guero
- Black Tambourine – Guero
- Hell Yes – Guero
- Go It Alone – Guero
- Just a Message to Her – Guero
- Crap Hands – Guero
- Loser – Mellow Gold
- Fuckin’ with My Head – Mellow Gold
- Soul Suckin’ Jerk – Mellow Gold
- Beercan – Mellow Gold
- Sexx Laws – Midnight Vultures
- Nicotine and Gravy – Midnight Vultures
- Mixed Bizness – Midnight Vultures
- Peaches and Cream – Midnight Vultures
- Tropicalia – Mutations
- Devil’s Haircut – Odelay
- Hotwax – Odelay
- Lord Only Knows – Odelay
- The New Pollution – Odelay
- Where It’s At – Odelay
- Sissyneck - Odelay
Beck is somewhat of an enigma to me. He’s a performer who, when I like a song, I REALLY like the song. But when I don’t like it, I want to just erase it from my collection so I never have the chance of accidentally listening to it again.
Like probably most fair-weather fans of Beck, my ears were first drawn to him with Loser from Mellow Gold. I bought the single (cassette, no less), then I bought the CD. The entire album seems like an exercise in stream of consciousness. It seems random and pointless, but a handful of songs, Loser among them, stand out in their creativity. Regardless of the lyrics, there are hints of genius in the melding of instrumentation and his voice.
Following Mellow Gold, it seems as though the man alternates between releasing a commercially acceptable CD and something almost folky. You’ll notice I’ve included nothing from One Foot in the Grave, a decent amount from Odelay, only one from Mutations, more from Midnight Vultures, goose egg again from Sea Change, a bunch from Guero, and then none from the last two (although Modern Guilt had a couple of possibilities that were ultimately cut).
I will give the guy props for doing what he wants and staying successful rather than “selling out” and going totally commercial. I may not like the less-commercial stuff, but that doesn’t mean I can’t respect it. He’s got a side project, Record Club, that fascinates me in its design, but I’ve never found any of the releases to be something I like. He gets together a group of musicians, picks a classic album (such as Kick by INXS or The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground), and they record perform and record a copy of it in a day.
Here’s a link to a video for Motorcade that I’m including because it shows a bit of Matt Mahaffey, of whom I’m a super-fan. He’s the one on the turntable and seems to get the least amount of screen time.
I found that video while searching for a version of this one. It’s a live performance of Clap Hands where, while Beck is singing and playing guitar, the rest of the band is at a dinner table and using the utensils and dishes as instruments. It also features Matt Mahaffey.
And for an official video, here’s Loser.
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