Lisah! Your mix is wonderful. So good, in fact, that I forgive you for making me come up with a song other than "Punk Rock Girl" for the lyrics requirement! (It's the only one I could think of! Arrgh.)

Ooh, wait, do remixes/mashups count for the lyrics part?

oh my gosh! Thanks so much!

For Boucher (at least)...

From this music blog

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caption to photograph: "Steely Dan at the precise moment that they became slightly repulsed and deeply, distantly amused by even their own existence"

I've been listening to Gaucho a lot more lately and I'll be damned if it isn't one of the most interesting, funny, and complicated records I think I've ever heard. In this scheme, I will, of course, not be damned.

("The Dan" is really one of the worst band nicknames ever.) In service of "The Dan"'s greatness and in an effort to make them more "accessible" i.e. marketable to that coveted Under 35 and Earnestly Thoughtless demographic, I am pitching a concept to Rockstar Games (makers of the Grand Theft Auto series) for a Gaucho video game.

Bullet points include:

- Walter Becker is late for a session and boy, is Gary Katz angry! You have to find Becker in his hotel suite - which is ample - before MCA goes over budget on the hired session musicians; the MCA DollarClock in the upper-left hand corner will tell you exactly how much Becker's mischievious antics are costing the label. After five minutes, Becker starts blowing coke and the DollarClock accelerates exponentially. Is he under those magazines? Behind that shower curtain? On the move? Upon losing, an A&R man pats your balls with the back of his hand and buys you a Greyhound ticket back to Cincinnati. Becker sniggers.

- A "rhythm"-based section (a la Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero) wherein you discover an extremely tired and dejected Mark Knopfler alone in the studio, having just heard the final mix of "Time Out of Mind" and realizing that several hours of slaving under the fickle whims of Becker and Fagen were reduced to about seven seconds of bright guitar squiggle. You have to copy all of the "licks" rejected for the album; if you succeed, Fagen calls a car service for Knopfler, who sobs softly and erratically bleats "You know what? I like the ECM catalog! Yeah, the whole fuckin' thing! Not just Keith Jarrett!" Fagen looks away.

t tiptoes into the Music Thread, not my usual place to hang

Cool and awesome mix challenge, and excellent songs, lisah!

I have a challenge I'm wrestling with, between myself and another friend. Long Story Short: can anyone think of a song that evokes the Simpsons episode, "Homer The Great"? I don't want to use the actual song that's in the episode (the Stone Cutter song, la la, "who keeps the metric system down? we do! we do!"). I found a song from the musical Carousel, "Stone Cutters Cut it on Stone" but that's a little... musical theater-y for what I'm going for on the rest of the mix. It doesn't have to be a literal linear mapping, but it should be clear with a quick quote or liner note what ep I'm referencing and why... Anyway, I figured this might be a good place to ask advice, if anyone had any to give.

Thanks...

Nora, the first song that comes to my mind is Atom and His Package's "It's Hard To Be Happy (When You're Not Using the Metric System)" -- is that the kind of thing you're looking for? I can email it to you if you want it.

Meara, there's a Weakerthans' song called "Psalm For The Elks Lodge Last Call" which is about that same kind of men's society thing but a totally different tone to the Simpson's episode.

I am sending my mix to buffistarawk2 as I type. Long liner notes to follow.

My caveat with all my mixes: listen to it loud.

I think I am most excited about finishing so that I can focus on downloading and listening to lisa's. It looks awesome and has lots of new-to-me stuff - which I love.

Tina F.’s Second (Non-annual) Buffista Frankenmix Round Robin Mix Sharing Thing Liner Notes

01 The first song you'd put on a mix tape for somebody you were attracted to
Precious • Pretenders • The Pretenders
I realize a song that mentions shitting a brick might not be the one that ends up turning the eye of that special someone. More seriously, I broke my number one mix rule: never use the first track of an album as the first song on a mix. And yet, I like to start crush mixes with female badass singers and nobody quite fits the bill like Chrissie Hynde.

02 A song that makes you think of BTVS that was never used on the show
and
A song from a tribute or charity album
Devil Town • Bright Eyes • The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Covered Discovered (Disc 1)
I just can’t get over what a perfect Buffy song this is. The female background vocalist just puts the cherry on top as far as this being from-Buffy’s-perspective. Also? This may be the best tribute album I own – I recommend it whether you are a Johnston fan or not.

03 Cross-genre cover song
I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got • Bettye Lavette • I Got My Own Hell To Raise
This album was heavily pimped on emusic, and I am so glad I downloaded it – the passion conveyed in Lavette’s voice is incredible, and her pick of covers is inspired. This album makes me think maybe I’ve been listening to the wrong kind of music my entire life. (I guess I should note that the original is by Sinead O'Connor.)

04 Quotes another song, either in the music or words – bonus points if by the same artist
Random • Lady Sovereign • Vertically Challenged
Lady Sovereign is a 19-year-old British rapper who recently signed a much-talked-about record deal with Jay-Z. The first Run the Road comp featured her immediately likeable single “Cha-Ching,” which she quotes in this song.

05 Makes you want to get high, drunk…
and
A song about committing a crime
Barnburner • Split Lip Rayfield • Split Lip Rayfield
SLR often starts sets with this song. The first few chords make my heart beat faster and my mouth water for cold bottled beer and shots of Makers. Nothing makes me wanna get roudy and drink whiskey like hearing Split Lip whether it be live or out of somebody’s car stereo parked next to a campfire. Additionally, this song is about getting so drunk that you burn down a barn, get arrested and are left sitting in jail by your ex-girlfriend. That’s enough to drive anyone to the bottle.

06 Features a great bridge
Happy • the Wrens • Meadowlands
The bridge really kicks in with all its orgasmic glory at 4:13. There are a lot of great songs that have moments where they totally change and become something transcendent – this is my current favorite. That moment can make me feel like a rock star just listening to it. This is also my favorite break-up/get over you song.

07 A song released the year you turned 21
Gardenhead – Leave Me Alone • Neutral Milk Hotel • On Avery Island
I turned 21 in 1995 and was way too busy listening to mediocre jam bands and (better than mediocre) hip-hop and smoking out of three-foot bongs to know who the hell Neutral Milk Hotel were. It would be another seven years or so until I would hear them for the first time.

08 A song dedicated to your nemesis
You Get Yours • Britt Daniels & Conor Oberst • Home Vol. 4
I like this song because it is really about letting fate deal with assholes. BD is the lead singer of Spoon, and CO is the lead singer of Bright Eyes. This was released on Oberst’s label Saddle Creek.

09 A song with a year in the title
and
A song about traveling
1969 (Cale Mix) • the Stooges • The Stooges (Deluxe Edition)
I have no anecdotes about this song because I found it on iTunes while trying to come up with year in the title song that I actually wanted to put on a mix. I do love it though – there are about four zillion versions of it out (continued...)

( continues...) there and this one is my favorite of the four or five I heard clips of. I’m sure Hec can tell us actual interesting things about it. Oh! And in the beginning of the song there is the line about him traveling (touring, I assume) across the United States – therefore I call it a song about travelling.

10 A song that does not feature a guitar or a piano as the main instrument
Mobbin’ (feat. Perserve and Vin Roc) • Peanut Butter Wolf • My Vinyl Weighs A Ton
The lyrics are a little rough – but listen to this song at least once for the masterful scratching. PBW is the founder of Stones Throw records and, apparently, the owner of a lot of vinyl.He puts it to great use here.

11 A song by a band that you could have, but didn't, write about for Lost in The Grooves
3 Legs • Paul McCartney • Ram
McCartney haters – you are on notice. I think Ram (the only McCartney studio album co-credited to Linda) is a criminally ignored album. Yes, it’s now viewed more favorably than when it was released, but even many fans think of it as that album with “Uncle Albert” on it. “3 Legs” is in particular often referred to as ‘filler’. Filler??!! Listen to this song. I don’t care if Linda is singing off-key. Ram has been one of my favorite albums since college, and I think is vastly underappreciated.

12 An upbeat song about a sad thing
Evil Will Prevail • the Flaming Lips • Clouds Taste Metallic
Like a precursor to “Do You Realize?,” “Evil Will Prevail” features Wayne and the boys singing happily about human weakness and frailty in the face of which we only have each other.

13 Midnight driving in the rain music
Wheat Kings • Tragically Hip • Yer Favourites
I know the Tragically Hip aren’t cool, but before my ex-roommate went nuts on me, he forced them on me year after year. I guess it finally worked. We used to drive up to his parents’ house in Wisconsin on Friday nights/Saturday mornings after sobering up from the bars, and we’d listen to “Wheat Kings” a dozen times or so on the way singing our lungs out. It’s a great night car song.

14 More cowbell
Soul Limbo • Booker T & The M.G.’s • Stax: The Best of Booker T & The M.G.’s
It was on iTunes cowbell list. Booker T. is always good.

15 A song that reminds you of your first love
She Divines Water • Camper Van Beethoven • Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
Oh jesus. The year was 1989. The boy was Andre E____, the only boy I am 1000% sure I was ever in love with. We used to leave tapes in each other’s mailboxes, and I can’t quite remember who gave whom this album. I do remember that he broke my heart about four million ways. We ended up going to college together. It took me six years to get completely over him. We’re still very close friends. Man. I would never want to date that guy again, but this song can still punch me directly in the gut.

16 A song that references some kind of technology
and A song that is in some way about science
Helicopter • M. Ward • Transfiguration of Vincent
OK. I realize I stretched things a bit here. This song isn’t about technology or science, really. But I was really good about sticking to the other categories. M. Ward is my Music Find of the Year. I haven’t heard one bad song by him and I have heard them all.

17 A song with a chorus that compels you to sing along
Nugget • Cake • Fashion Nugget
I am twelve. I have put this song on so many mixes. I don’t even like Cake that much. But I love this song. Even if you’ve only heard it once (given that you are down with F-bomb usage), you immediately start singing the chorus.

18 A song that starts with a bassline
Guns of Brixton • the Clash • London Calling
One of three songs written by bassist Paul Simonon who was born in Brixton, a part of London with a large Jamaican population. (That fact, on edit, makes no sense without hearing the song first; it has a strong reggae influence.)

19 A song you sing (or would (continued...)

( continues...) sing) to your pet and/or child
Good Day Sunshine • the Beatles • Revolver
OK. Yeah. I like Paul McCartney. I like him a little more than I like John Lennon. I’ve even seen him live. Take all my cool points away – I’ll just sit over here with my Wings albums. I sing this song to my cats on weekends. They like Paul, too.

20 A song that haunts you
Needle in the Hay • Elliott Smith • Elliott Smith
If it wasn’t for the fact that this song is about shooting up, if it wasn’t for that scene in The Royal Tennenbaums, if it wasn’t for how he killed himself, this song would still haunt me because of five small words: “dead sweat in my teeth.” And that hiss at the end when he says “You ought to be proud that I’m getting good marksssss.” Yikes.

21 A song that you would sing to yourself if you were ever in a dire situation and needed it to keep going
Baba O’Riley (original version) • the Who • The Who: Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Box Set
This is my can’t-go-on-must-go-on song. Greatest rock anthem of all time. Seeing the movie Summer of Sam in a real theater (Spike Lee’s worst effort in my opinion) was worth it just for that scene set to this song.

22 A song by a band with an awful name
Division Day • We Are Telephone • To: Elliott From: Portland
I hate “We are” or “This is” names for anything. It’s so redundant. Yes, the entire concept of a name or title is that that thing IS whatever it is named or titled. That’s why we invented naming things. Really love this cover, though.

23 A song that even when you know it's time to leave the bar someone can put on the jukebox to make you stay
Everybody Knows this is Nowhere • Neil Young • Everybody Knows this is Nowhere
I didn’t think this song could mean more to me until I moved away from home. I love it first chord to last. God. I. Love. This. Song.