I haven't looked at the box set's track listing, but it sounds like something i would want.

Oh yeah - almost everything on the box is essential listening. Great great stuff. I'm just a little over familiar with it. AMG summed up my feelings pretty well:

If you did listen to this sort of music devotedly back in the '80s, in fact, much of this will be like revisiting familiar hits and standards, even if few of them actually made the charts as actual hits (and then usually in the U.K.): R.E.M.'s "Radio Free Europe," the Dead Kennedys' "Holiday in Cambodia," the Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey," Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun," XTC's "Senses Working Overtime," the Sugarcubes' "Birthday," Faith No More's "We Care a Lot," the Church's "Under the Milky Way," Siouxsie & the Banshees' "Christine," Gun Club's "Sex Beat," and Suicidal Tendencies' "Institutionalized," for instance, all fall into that category. And if you didn't experience the music directly during the era, this box set still gives you a pretty good idea of what was going on, and what paths to travel down for further investigation.

Some of the segues were odd - I can't quite imagine why they had Lone Justice sandwiched between Ministry and Killing Joke.

Hayden, what a show!

It just clicked to me know why Brian said he could tour with the Wondermints playing Pet Sounds. It wasn't just that they were good, but that they were so versatile.

Thanks, Jon! Yeah, Polk is apparently an Austinite.

And heck yeah, David! Those Wondermints can do anything. I missed the Pet Sounds tour, but they played "God Only Knows" last night, which made me ache for more Pet Sounds.

Now playing: "Joan Crawford" by Blue Öyster Cult.

This moment of randomness brought to you by iTunes Party Shuffle.

This moment of randomness brought to you by iTunes Party Shuffle.

Kind of a Halloween party, I take it. I should add that song to my Halloween mix: "Joan Crawford has / risen from the grave!" Truly a scary thought.

Now I want to see a zombie party of old rotting Hollywood stars, each acting diva-pissed when their noses falls off into their dry martinis.

I should add that song to my Halloween mix: "Joan Crawford has / risen from the grave!"

Diana Scarwid, who played Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest, was Karen Tyler on Wonderfalls. She's aging right nicely.

Hi, everyone. Long time no talk. Work's been crazy. Happy belated engagement wishes to Rio & Bob.

Oh yeah - almost everything on the box is essential listening. Great great stuff. I'm just a little over familiar with it.

I might be too, actually. I looked at the tracklist, and I already have about a quarter of the songs, and know a good chunk of the rest. I love "Just Like Honey," but I think I have the song on three CDs now. Ditto "Radio Free Europe."

I'll probably put it on my Xmas list anyhow.

Mixy news:

msbelle, I'm burning a disc for Angus now, and will take it and the four CDs I have to the post office tomorrow.

I had to make the following changes to the original track list to get it to fit, or because I don't have the original MP3 anymore. (New computer and all.):

1. I swapped "Today the Weather Plays Tricks On Me," from the Monsoon Wedding soundtrack, for "Mon Amur, Mon Ami."

2. Elvis Costello's cover of "Good Year for the Roses," instead of "Take Me to the River."

3. Yo La Tengo's "Autumn Sweater" for RHCP's "Higher Ground."

4. I took off "Black Velvet," because I love it but everyone knows the song anyway, and I was getting a migrane trying to figure out what else I had to swap out to get the CD down to length.

5. "The Weakest Shade of Blue," by the Pernice Bros., in place of "Green Shirt," because I don't need two Costello songs on the mix.

Ooh. "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" was my first Postal Service song. I love it too. And ooh, "July, July!" And I didn't know "Higher Ground" was a cover.

And of course, I have no clue about this "Black Velvet" business.

You need to listen to Stevie Wonder, P-C. A lot. A lot a lot.