Monday, August 31, 2009

Wedding Playlist?

I have no idea if I'm going to be able to figure out how to post this. I didn't think I'd get the chance because my 5-year-old "classic" iPod seemed to have bitten the dust, but yesterday I accidentally turned it on and it worked! Which means I have my playlists back: the punk rock St. Patty's Day mix, both Xmas lists (clean and NSFW), and the wedding list, which may be most important because it would be the hardest to recreate from memory since I didn't have as much time with it.
So I made a spreadsheet of the titles and artists. The question is how to post it here. Let's give it a whirl, shall we?

Song Artist
It Must Be Love Madness
Headstart for Happiness Style Council
Let My Love Open the Door Pete Townshend
"Ironside (Excerpt)" Quincy Jones
Take Five The Specials
Near Wild Heaven REM
Incredible Dramarama
Bus Stop The Hollies
I'm Telling You Now Freddie & the Dreamers
Love My Way The Psychedelic Furs
Baby It's You Elvis Costello & Nick Lowe
Whenever You're On My Mind Marshall Crenshaw
Big Me Foo Fighters
Into Your Arms The Lemonheads
The Greatest Thing Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Here, There, and Everywhere The Beatles
Then She Appeared XTC
These Are Days 10,000 Maniacs
Human Hands Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Getting Married Sam Phillips cue from Gilmore Girls
ALL Descendents
Fool All
Red Sweater The Aquabats
All Mine Dance Hall Crashers
House of Fun Madness
Here In Your Bedroom Goldfinger
Free Yourself The Untouchables
He Was Really Sayin' Something Bananarama
Birdhouse in Your Soul They Might Be Giants
Good Good Things Descendents
Everything is Alright Motion City Soundtrack
Happy Together The Jam
(Nothing But) Flowers Talking Heads
Absolute Beginners The Jam
Right All
They Don't Know Kirsty MacColl
You Really Got Me The Kinks
Take Me I'm Yours Squeeze
Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor Arctic Monkeys
Too Nice To Talk To The (English) Beat
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) Dead or Alive
Girl U Want DEVO
Can't Get Enough of You Baby Goldfinger
Non-Stop Dancing The Jam
Concrete & Clay Unit 4 + 2
Beat Surrender The Jam
One Line PJ Harvey
Blue Jean David Bowie
Baby Now That I've Found You The Foundations
Don't Stop Me Now Queen
Everywhere At Once The Plimsouls
He Could Be the One Josie Cotton
Pure and Easy Pete Townshend
Everlong Foo Fighters
Hounds of Love The Futureheads
Eaten by the Monster of Love Sparks
My Ever Changing Moods Style Council
Everyday I Write the Book Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Vida Blue All
Wings of a Dove Madness
The Safety Dance Men Without Hats
Dreaming Blondie
Race of Doom DEVO
Nobody But Me The Dickies
Rocket from a Bottle XTC
Diggin' Your Scene Goldfinger
I Am Suggs
What I Like About You The Romantics
Love You More The Buzzcocks
The Love Cats The Cure
Message of Love The Pretenders
Mayor of Simpleton XTC
Have Love Will Travel The Sonics
Electric Avenue Eddy Grant
Ever Blazin' Sean Paul
Just Like Heaven Goldfinger
Kiss on my List Hall & Oates
Lovestruck Madness
Clear Spot Pernice Brothers
Waterloo Sunset The Kinks
True Believer Superdrag
Next to You The Police
Turn to You The Go-Gos
I'm Gonna Love You Too Blondie
Never Stop (Discotheque) Echo & the Bunnymen
Wuthering Heights White Flag
Twilight Time The Platters
You Make My Dreams Hall & Oates
Silly Girl Descendents
Hold Me Fleetwood Mac
Round & Round Paul Weller
Into the Mystic Van Morrison
I Scare Myself Thomas Dolby
B-A-B-Y Rachel Sweet
We're the Replacements They Might Be Giants
Lucky Number Lene Lovich
Girls Like Me Bonnie Hayes
Rio Duran Duran
You Make Me Weird Al Yankovic
Could it be I'm Falling in Love The Spinners
True Cary Brothers
It's Tricky Run DMC
Hungry Like the Wolf Reel Big Fish

Did it work?

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Irish Times review of "Norton Folgate"

This is my reaction to a review of the new Madness album. Raise your hand if you've stopped reading this already.
First, here's the review.
Yes, they love it. And I really really like it. So what's the problem? I don't think they really understand the band.
One quote that annoyed me was this:
"With their trademark ska sound and quirky humour replaced by a theatrical music-hall feel and lyrics that require a reference book in order to decipher them"
Yes, they've always exhibited "quirky humour," but that "theatrical music-hall feel" was there almost from the beginning, prevalent in 1980's Absolutely, their second album, and it seems to me as much a part of their "trademark sound" as two-tone ska.
The other irksome thing is the "top five Madness moments." Choosing "Sugar and Spice" over such landmarks as Madstock '92 and albums like "Seven" is taking living in the moment too far. I hope it gets people to support the new single, but come on people! Srsly?
I think the problem is actually that Madness were too popular in the UK in the 80s. It makes them seem cheesy over there. Instead of going "Who?" when they hear Madness invoked, Brits tend to go, "Ugh. We're too cool for that shit now. We have to listen to whiny weasels who sound like chalk on a blackboard." At least that's my perception. So all the reviews of this album are just pleas to take the band seriously. But to my mind they were always to be taken seriously. Maybe it's because their darker sensibilities were sort of snuck in under the peppy music. Now I'm not the first to say this, but ska/reggae has always done that anyway; listen to the lyrics of any of those songs and any humor you find is as dark as it gets. Just because Madness weren't as obviously "political" or "subversive" as the Specials doesn't mean they were just a bunch of silly gits.
This is one rambling mess. Anyone who's read this far has certainly gotten my point by now. I'll shut up.

Here's my first post

I had pretty much stopped using my old WordPress blog because tweeting and facebooking were taking up all my time. But when I found myself wanting to rant a little about a review of the new Madness album, I realized no one over on Facebook gives a shit. I guess no one will anyway, but now I have a blog for people to ignore. Yay!!