Okay, on the long train ride to Springfield, where I had no WiFi for my new Macbook Pro laptop, and where the movies I had downloaded to a thumb drive to watch on the trip didn’t work, because Quicktime does not recognize AVI files without downloading software from the Internet, I managed to think of my idea for the Green Monkey Music Project.
Jesus H. Christ, was all of that last paragraph one sentence?
Anyways, here is my project idea: TOTAL ABSORPTION
First, a note about the General Rules… Rather than worry about each participant attempting to adhere to a total 20 minute running time for their song choices (odds are none of us are going to be porting this mix down to an 80 minute music CD), how about each person provide something like 5-10 songs per project?
Okay, here are my particular project’s rules.
Total Absorption
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This is more of a touchy-feely kind of mix, and I think it will be a fun one. I want you to come up with songs that when you hear them, you basically have to stop what you’re doing and hear the whole song. If someone tries to talk to you, you hush them, pointing emphatically at the place where the music is emanating from, as if to say, “Hey! I’m listening to this!”
If you’re browsing through your songs to find entries for this project and you are unable to move to another song until the one you’re currently listening to is finished, chances are it’s a Total Absorption song.
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For this particular project, we have four participants:
Splotchy
Beth
Barbara Bruederlin
Doctor Monkey Von Monkerstein
Beth, Barbara, and Monkey, I’m not sure how this will work best — what do you think? Emails? Maybe just leave a comment on this post when you come up with your own songs? We’ll just play loosy-goosy with it.
Here’s my songs for the mix, in the order they’ll appear. Beth’s songs will follow mine, then Barbara’s, then Dr MvM.
01 – The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
02 – Gang Of Four – Natural’s Not In It
03 – Luna – La Poupee Qui Fait Non
04 – Magnetic Fields – I Don’t Believe You
05 – The Beta Band – She’s The One
06 – The Shins – New Slang
07 – Robyn Hitchcock – The Speed Of Things
08 – The 13th Floor Elevators – I Had To Tell You
09 – Sam Cooke – Change Is Gonna Come
10 – Brian Eno – Here Come The Warm Jets
I won’t be able to post the songs for you to hear until Sunday or Monday, but now you know the beginning of the mix. Looking forward to seeing and hearing your own choices.
Also, if you have the inclination to come up with your own project, I’d love to be a part of it.
Thanks and Godspeed…
A Boy Named Sue-Johnny Cash
Darkness on the Edge of Town- Bruce Springsteen
Post Office Wall-Rank and File
Titanic Days-Kirsty MacColl
Kilmeny-Mediaeval Babes
Running Up That Hill-Kate Bush
Who Died and Made You Elvis?-Stiff Little Fingers
Man, this was simultaneously harder and easier than it looks. Easy to find total absorption songs, much harder to trim the list to 10. I can’t believe I had to give the Pogues and the Decemberists the boot!
Ring the Bells – James
King of Carrot Flowers – Neutral Milk Hotel
Transmission – Joy Division
Blood Machine – Chad VanGaalen
Holiday Song – Pixies
Youg Lions – the Constantines
Avant Garde Music – Ballboy
The Boy With the Arab Strap – Belle and Sebastian
Let Down – Radiohead
Happy When It Rains – the Jesus and Mary Chain
Fun game! Who Died and Made You Elvis is a great song, Dr Monkey!
I’m glad you like it too Barbra!
I’ll send my list by tomorrow. Do you want the MP3s, too?
Wow, that was a quick response!
I’m a little embarrassed to say there are a lot of songs on your lists that I have never heard! I’m so looking forward to hearing them!
I’ll start on putting the mix together when I get home from Springfield tomorrow, obtaining the songs, etc.
I’m assuming the songs should be ordered in the way you wrote them. If not, just let me know.
beth, looking forward to see your list.
As far as how to proceed, after I get all the songs, I’ll send you guys an email when I put the mix together, so you can visit a temporary page with the songs on it, and you can check out the mix before I publish it.
If I can’t get a song, I’ll ask for it from you, but I’m hoping my magic music box will have most of them.
I’d love to participate on the next one if you’ll have me. If you’re nervous, there is a link on my blog to a list of all the albums I own.
Nah, I’m not nervous. I don’t really want to look at your music collection, as I’d rather be surprised by the kind of stuff you bring to a mix.
Again, this whole project thing is “loosy-goosy”. Do you want to post an idea for a mix on your blog and see if you have any takers? I’d definitely be game.
I don’t know how how this will all pan out, just let your freak flag fly, as they say.
I recently got an account at databus.com to host this upcoming mix. We could do the same for your mix, if you want to try one out.
Hmmm, I wouldn’t be able to do this one. It would be too much like that Seinfeld episode with “Desperado” and “Witchy Woman.”
Here’s my ten. I could have gone to thirty on this one, but (except in one case), I focused on songs that have lasted the years and remained on the Total Absorption list (sorry, Wilco and Decemberists and other indie faves). It surprised this 1970s-era chick that there are few rockers on the list. I have a reason for each one; maybe I’ll post this on my blog some slow week.
• R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe
• Lyle Lovett: Friend of the Devil
• Michael Stipe feat. Chris Martin: In the Sun
• Nine Simone: Feeling Good
• Oasis: Champagne Supernova
• Neil Young: Philadelphia
• Nanci Griffith: Morning Song for Sally
• Al Green: Love and Happiness
• The Replacements: I Will Dare
• Brothers Johnson: Strawberry Letter #23
great, beth! Just like Barbara and Monkey, most songs you selected I am not familiar with. I think the only one I know for sure is the R.E.M. song (I probably have heard the Lyle Lovett one before, but I’m not sure). Looking forward to hearing them!
I’ll get to working on putting the mix together as soon as possible.
I think it’s a great idea for you to comment on the songs. I’d encourage barbara and monkey to comment as well — I think this particular mix lends itself to commentary, as it’s a mix so close to the heart and soul.
Maybe we could have coinciding posts with our ruminations on our selections on the same day the mix is published. Just a thought.
splotchy,
I’d like to participate in the next round. i’m quite passionate about music as well. love the idea that you’ve kicked off.
cheers,
b.s.
you’re on, bigshoulders!
I’ll reserve you a slot.
Oh oh!! Can I put a list together too??!! Though I wouldn’t know where to begin. But it sure sounds fun.
ad, sure you can, just start one up.
I’m planning on doing more mixes as well, if’n you’re interested.