And thinking I deserve a cookie!

::secretly nicknames lisah "Cookiepuss" behind her back::

I sent 'em and I'm going to post 'em. Hope the formatting doesn't go all wonky...

1. The first song you'd put on a mix tape for somebody you were attracted to

I’m Ready – Fats Domino

My band just started playing a totally rocked out version of this. It is super fun to sing. I really wish I had someone who I was crushing on hard enough who was worthy of a mix with this as a first song. It’s so PERFECT. That’s it I’m crushing on Fats Domino!

2. A song that makes you think of BTVS that was never used on the show

Vienna – Ultravox

Picture drunk & Dru-dumped Spike secretly blasting this and singing along at top volume all teary nostalgic for the time they spent ravaging central Europe.

3. Cross-genre cover song (such as a soul musician covering a country song)

Little Red Book – Love (Burt Bacharach)

Aw I just love this song. It’s cross-genresque, right? Pychewhatever they were Love doing a Pop Standard King Classic. A friend put this on a mix for me that was all covers. The song following this was the Damned doing Love’s Alone Again Or. I almost put that on here. But I love the Little Red Book’s tambourine.

4. Quotes another song, either in the music or words – bonus points if by the same artist

Punk Rock Girl – The Dead Milkmen

At first I was like "Did the Beach Boys even do a version of California Dreamin'?" Evidently they did. Anyway, I love this song because of how it narrates my experience as a punk rock kid in the Greater Philadelphia Broadcast Area in the early-mid 80s where the kids who listened to the Beach Boys were our natural enemies. We saw the Dead Milkmen at this old bowling alley in Wilmington (DE) back in '83 or '84 and there were like 12 people there and they blew the place away. They didn't care! They just loved what they were doing and we loved them for it.

5. Makes you want to get high, drunk, or, if it's your druthers, dizzy & giddy from spinning around in circles

Cadillac – T. Rex

Okay, honestly, this song makes me want to have the dirty, dirty sex. But in lieu of the availability of that I'll get drunk on … hmm… I'll say jack and cokes. Many of them. Loudly.

6. Features a great bridge

Where do they make Balloons? – They Might Be Giants

As we all know, monkeys make a mess. Also, turkeys? They can't fly but they can dance. Right on!

7. A song released the year you turned 21 (you didn't have to know about it then)

Monkey Gone to Heaven – Pixies

Couldn't resist adding more monkeys! Plus The Pixies were very much on the Soundtrack of My Life at 21.

8. A song dedicated to your nemesis (or who you imagine your nemesis to be)

Dead from the Neck Up – The Riverboat Gamblers

Ah the stupid people. Whose nemesises aren't they?

9. A song about committing a crime

Bootlegger’s Blues--Mississippi Sheiks

I knew the crime song would be something from my old stuff collection. This is from an album called "Songs of the Prohibition". There was some very song-worthy crime going on in those days, lemme tell ya.

10. A song from a tribute or charity album

Detroit Rock City—Mighty, Mighty Bosstones

It's the phone call in the beginning that does it for me. Kinda meta, right? And I've always had a soft spot for the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones.

11. A song with a year in the title

Louisiana 1927 – Randy Newman

I know the hell was played out of this song after Katrina (on NPR at least) but it still gets me every time. I love songs about historical events.

12. A song about traveling

Packin’ & Drivin’ – Secret Crush Society

I know it's tacky. It's shameless self-promotion. But, fuck it, I still really like this song! And it's about traveling both literally and figuratively and stuff.

13. A song that does not feature a guitar or a piano as the main instrument

Early In The Morning -- Prisoner "22" + Group

Only instruments here are voices and, what I'm guessing are, sledgehammers breaking rock.

14. A song by a band that you could have, but didn't, (continued...)

( continues...) write about for Lost in The Grooves.

and

19. A song that references some kind of technology

macintosh – Kim++

Okay, how this fits 19 is pretty self-explanatory. This song is the reason I submitted 19 as a category.

And then I had to cut something for time and decided that macintosh could fit category 14 as well even though it's not on an album. See, Kim++ is a local musician who I first heard playing at a festival in my neighborhood this fall. It was just her on guitar and a guy on these funny keyboard/computer things. The stage was right across the street from this stringed instrument store. A few days after the festival the guy who owns the string shop came into the store of my friends who coordinate the music for the festival. He complained about how they didn't have his kind of music at the festival (I'm guessing he wanted something more bluegrassy maybe?) and specifically about how terrible Kim++. He said she couldn't sing. Maybe that's true but who cares? She is so awesome! I know she played out a couple of times afterwards but I think she's given it up for now.

The dude from the string store said, "I can get you professional musicians next year."

pfft!

15. An upbeat song about a sad thing.

Amplifier – The dBs

I remember seeing The dBs opening for REM back in the way early 80s and not being able to get this song out of my head for weeks! I wrote the lyrics out in, like, my history notebook because I thought they were so freaking clever. I still do!

16. Midnight driving in the rain music.

Diamonds on my Windshield – Tom Waits

Maybe this is kind of cliché because, well, it is a song about driving but it's such a great song about driving! It's a total steering wheel tapper. (And it doesn't make you go so fast that it is unsafe for poor road conditions.)

17. More cowbell: A song containing that essential instrument

Clampdown – The Clash

Thank you Jesse for the link to the list. This is what I had. And the Clash are my classic Favorite Band of All Time. I don't think I've ever in my life made a mix that didn’t have at least one Clash song on it.

18. A song that reminds you of your first love

Green – Throwing Muses

This song is my relationship with my first love. Crazy tortured beautiful. And he had the green eyes. We were in Boston so the phoenix in the song has always been the Phoenix (the local alternative weekly) in my version.

I wear your clothes (I wear your clothes like armor)/I love your face (I love your face like god)/So, you're in love and I'm indebted always. Green eyes.

dag. It is just so YES THAT'S WHAT IT WAS LIKE. It still kills me a little bit almost 20 years later.

20. A song with a chorus that compels you to sing along or that you cannot not dance to

Big O Motel -- Tarnation

Honestly? There is no song that I like that I don't sing along with. Out of my range? No problem! In a language I don't speak? No problemo!

Singing Along—It's What I Do.

So, yeah, I just like this song. And it is pure fun to sing the chorus with the funky phrasing and loop-de-loops! (It's possible that I should maybe take some voice lessons if for no other reason then to learn correct terminology.)

21. A song that starts with a bassline

Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games – Of Montreal

I understand this mighty be a leeetle bit of a cheat. I know the bass isn't what you hear first but the bassline is what gets the song started for real! And it is insanely catchy. A friend who knows way more about this thing you call current music put it on his best of '05 mix and I am totally down with that. (The title is stupid though. Did he mean "Myst"?)

22. A song that relates to science

Blue Orchid – White Stripes

For some reason this category was hard to fill. But, here you go! Horticulture ahoy!

23. A song you sing (or would sing) to your pet and/or child

Bobby Bare Jr. – On the End of Your Leash

My dog Frank could absolutely have written this song. Including the part about being (continued...)

( continues...) mangy when found. oh yes. He's pretty old and half blind and half deaf now and just such a great old man of a dog. I sing this to him and get all weepy thinking of when he won't be here.

24. A song that haunts you

The Sister’s Lament – Flora McNeill

What is she lamenting? I feel like I should know what the words mean; my genetic memory should be able translate. Whenever I listen to this song it plays on and on at the edges of my consciousness. The sorrow stays with me for days.

It reminds me, for some reason, of my great-grandmother, though she died a month before I was born. Her brother used to bring her back recordings of songbirds from his trips to Ireland, the country she left when she was a teenager.

25. A song that you would sing to yourself if you were ever in a dire situation and needed it to keep going

Keep on Pushin’ – The NOW Time Coalition

Sometimes you just need to be moving forward.

26. A song by a band with an awful name

Tie a Rope to the Back of the Bus – Superchunk

Okay the "Super" part I'm totally okay with but "Chunk"? chunk chunk chunk. I should like it with the ch and the unk. Those are good sounds! But…CHUNK….it reminds me of vomit.

27. A song that even when you know it's time to LEAVE the BAR someone can put on the jukebox to make you stay

I Love Rock N’ Roll—Joan Jett

It’s funny cuz it’s true.

Great mix, Cookiepuss!

Okay the "Super" part I'm totally okay with but "Chunk"? chunk chunk chunk.

"Superchunk" were originally just "Chunk" but there was already another "Chunk" in the UK.

"Superchunk" were originally just "Chunk" but there was already another "Chunk" in the UK.

okay even though I LOVE the word 'super' adding it to 'chunk' just makes the whole thing worse. Chunk, UK would have been a funny name though.

Great mix, Cookiepuss!

hee! Thanks!

Oh, very nice, Lisah.

ETA: I am done. (with the playlist.) All I need now is the liner notes and some album artwork. Score!

Oooh, lisah mix and liner notes. I'll have to check it out tonight, when I have the time.

IOI'mlameandintomainstreamrockmusicN....

New Pearl Jam tune is out, and they're playing on KROQ. World Wide Suicide. New Pearl Jam makes me stupidly happy. I love listening to Eddie Vedder scream and mumble.

I have been looking forward to the liner notes almost as much as the music, and you did not disappoint, lisah! People riffing on the music they love, yeah.

I'm so happy you included something from your band! No worries about self promotion from this corner.

In fact, I hope anyone who has a recording of themselves finds a way of including it, even if it's you singing to your child or pet.

eta: Get yourself a cookie, lisah.