Truffle Shuffleathon
I’ve hidden this review away to avoid confusing any members of my family, who occasionally browse this site looking for my latest virtual postcard. For context, my cd wasn’t actually sent via tardis - I am actually writing this on (and around!) 8th July 2006.
Just in case there is anyone reading this who has not come here via my friend, Swiss Toni's site – a quick explanation:
A number of Swiss Toni’s readers recently made a cd of 12 songs that meant a lot to them and perhaps conveyed an element of their personality. ST then drew names from a hat and your cd was sent off for review by someone you had probably never met.
I was genuinely excited when the padded envelope dropped through my letterbox. ST had hinted earlier on in the week that I’d got a ‘good one’ (I dread to think what consoling words he had for Ka – the recipient of my cd) – and he wasn’t wrong.
Del had clearly put a lot of effort into the cover:
Is that you, Del?.
1. Junkie XL – Zerotonine
Hmm - it's got strings, it's got a good beat - but it doesn't quite gel for me. I've only encountered Junkie XL on his remix of Elvis' Little less conversation and from his calibre I should like him...but this one feels a bit bland. The singing also sounds like the guy from the Psychedelic Furs and I now can't get Pretty in Pink out of my head.
2. Jackie Wilson – (Your love keeps lifting me) Higher and Higher
Aaah - happy, happy song and infinitely better than Reet Petite, which enjoyed a renaissance in the 80s. With the cancellation of Top of the Pops being recent news, I now can't shake the picture of Dexy's Midnight Runners performing Jackie Wilson said in front of a huge photo of rotund Scottish darts player, Jockey Wilson.
3. Electric Light Orchestra – Strange Magic
One of my all time favourite albums (and embarrassing secrets) is Out of the Blue by ELO. So the inclusion of ELO is a pleasant surprise – not my favourite track but pretty good for a lazy Sunday afternoon (or Saturday afternoon in the case of the first day I listened to this shuffleathon).
4. The Go! Team – Ladyflash
The first thing that springs to mind is 'Soccer AM' and the crossbar challenge (for which this was looped as background music for quite a while before it found success in the British charts upon re-release) which is a shame because this is a gorgeous little pop song with a 60s twist. I've tried (and failed) to see The Go! Team several times. Maybe next tour....
5. Wire - Outdoor Miner
I was under the impression that Wire were a bit more punky than this but this particular track reminds me of the fairly standard indie stuff that was being churned out when I was at university in the early 90s. It's ok. Just ok.
6. Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman
Beautiful. One of those songs I know by osmosis (parents who listened to Radio 2 throughout my childhood) rather than actually owning anything by him. Really love this.
7. Massive Attack and Mos Def – I Against I
Just when you're sitting down to relax and read the Sunday papers, along comes something which is more appropriate for the early hours of Sunday morning. I love Massive Attack - and chose one of their more obvious tracks for my own cd. I'm pretty sure I haven't come across this track before but it's pretty typical stuff - a nice dirty bass and a nodding beat - thumbs up!
8. Teenage Fanclub – Sparky’s Dream
Don't know how Teenage Fanclub passed me by, but they did. This is a really good, solid indie-pop-guitar song with nice harmonies (always a sucker for a good harmony). I like it - and intend to investigate their work a bit further....
9. Aphex twin – Avril 14th
When I saw this track was coming next I was a bit apprehensive. On first listen I spent the whole 2 minutes of this track expecting something discordant to happen...it didn't. On second listen I could relax and give it my full attention - and it's a sweet little piano track with echoes of Eric Satie. I've never quite got on with Aphex twin and I'm not sure this track will encourage me to listen to more of his work but I'm a piano fan - and this is a pretty little tune for the i-Pod.
10. Jon Brion – Strings that tie to you
I've never heard of this guy - on first listen it's a sweet song but nothing special. Bit of investigation turns out he produced my beloved Rufus Wainwright’s eponymous first album (mildly embarrassed not to know this – there was a time when I would notice these things - along with knowing the lyrics, running order etc. My Smash Hits years!). It also has a slidey guitar, which I can't quite get past. Sorry.
11. Blur – Sing
One of the few tracks I already own – on Leisure. Sparse lyrics and a hypnotic, repetitive background. Not my favourite song but one of their better early tracks. Reminds me of University for many reasons.
12. Stevie Wonder – I Believe (When I fall in love it will be forever)
What a beautiful way to end the cd. Not a song I was familiar with, but one which has jumped firmly into my top 20 (I've been playing it repeatedly since last week!)
Bonus track!
..only that wasn't quite the end. Yes, 29.55 minutes into the final track and a short, plinky piano tune. After the Aphex Twin track I suspected it could have been one of his but the tune sounds familiar (a bit like the Jon Brion track - and if it is then I prefer this interlude). Del has so far evaded my questions regarding the identity of this track – I’m prepared to be embarrassed for not knowing
Phew!
After complaining bitterly to Swiss Toni about having to limit the number of tracks to 12 (that was so hard - and if I made the cd again today it wouldn't contain exactly the same tracklist) - I'm now rather grateful from the reviewer's perspective! At least this proves that my childhood dream of working at Smash Hits would never have happened.
So - the overall verdict: Definitely a keeper – in fact, the whole cd has been transferred onto my i-Pod and has become the soundtrack to my long weekend in London (quite fitting, as I believe this is Del’s stomping ground). I didn’t immediately love every track – but I’ve always been a fan of the mixtape and love to be introduced to new tunes.What does the cd tell me about Del? He's a bit of a soppy, hopeful romantic with an ear for a good tune and an extremely eclectic record collection. A man who isn't afraid to show some love for most genres.
So thanks Del – I’ll be keeping tabs on your site for future podcasts (the current one is already sitting on my laptop patiently waiting for me to get this review done so I can turn my attentions elsewhere); thanks ST for bringing the idea over to your ‘gang’ – and all your administrative effort; and thanks Yoko for such a top idea.
When do we get to play again?
Just in case there is anyone reading this who has not come here via my friend, Swiss Toni's site – a quick explanation:
A number of Swiss Toni’s readers recently made a cd of 12 songs that meant a lot to them and perhaps conveyed an element of their personality. ST then drew names from a hat and your cd was sent off for review by someone you had probably never met.
I was genuinely excited when the padded envelope dropped through my letterbox. ST had hinted earlier on in the week that I’d got a ‘good one’ (I dread to think what consoling words he had for Ka – the recipient of my cd) – and he wasn’t wrong.
Del had clearly put a lot of effort into the cover:
Is that you, Del?.1. Junkie XL – Zerotonine
Hmm - it's got strings, it's got a good beat - but it doesn't quite gel for me. I've only encountered Junkie XL on his remix of Elvis' Little less conversation and from his calibre I should like him...but this one feels a bit bland. The singing also sounds like the guy from the Psychedelic Furs and I now can't get Pretty in Pink out of my head.
2. Jackie Wilson – (Your love keeps lifting me) Higher and Higher
Aaah - happy, happy song and infinitely better than Reet Petite, which enjoyed a renaissance in the 80s. With the cancellation of Top of the Pops being recent news, I now can't shake the picture of Dexy's Midnight Runners performing Jackie Wilson said in front of a huge photo of rotund Scottish darts player, Jockey Wilson.
3. Electric Light Orchestra – Strange Magic
One of my all time favourite albums (and embarrassing secrets) is Out of the Blue by ELO. So the inclusion of ELO is a pleasant surprise – not my favourite track but pretty good for a lazy Sunday afternoon (or Saturday afternoon in the case of the first day I listened to this shuffleathon).
4. The Go! Team – Ladyflash
The first thing that springs to mind is 'Soccer AM' and the crossbar challenge (for which this was looped as background music for quite a while before it found success in the British charts upon re-release) which is a shame because this is a gorgeous little pop song with a 60s twist. I've tried (and failed) to see The Go! Team several times. Maybe next tour....
5. Wire - Outdoor Miner
I was under the impression that Wire were a bit more punky than this but this particular track reminds me of the fairly standard indie stuff that was being churned out when I was at university in the early 90s. It's ok. Just ok.
6. Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman
Beautiful. One of those songs I know by osmosis (parents who listened to Radio 2 throughout my childhood) rather than actually owning anything by him. Really love this.
7. Massive Attack and Mos Def – I Against I
Just when you're sitting down to relax and read the Sunday papers, along comes something which is more appropriate for the early hours of Sunday morning. I love Massive Attack - and chose one of their more obvious tracks for my own cd. I'm pretty sure I haven't come across this track before but it's pretty typical stuff - a nice dirty bass and a nodding beat - thumbs up!
8. Teenage Fanclub – Sparky’s Dream
Don't know how Teenage Fanclub passed me by, but they did. This is a really good, solid indie-pop-guitar song with nice harmonies (always a sucker for a good harmony). I like it - and intend to investigate their work a bit further....
9. Aphex twin – Avril 14th
When I saw this track was coming next I was a bit apprehensive. On first listen I spent the whole 2 minutes of this track expecting something discordant to happen...it didn't. On second listen I could relax and give it my full attention - and it's a sweet little piano track with echoes of Eric Satie. I've never quite got on with Aphex twin and I'm not sure this track will encourage me to listen to more of his work but I'm a piano fan - and this is a pretty little tune for the i-Pod.
10. Jon Brion – Strings that tie to you
I've never heard of this guy - on first listen it's a sweet song but nothing special. Bit of investigation turns out he produced my beloved Rufus Wainwright’s eponymous first album (mildly embarrassed not to know this – there was a time when I would notice these things - along with knowing the lyrics, running order etc. My Smash Hits years!). It also has a slidey guitar, which I can't quite get past. Sorry.
11. Blur – Sing
One of the few tracks I already own – on Leisure. Sparse lyrics and a hypnotic, repetitive background. Not my favourite song but one of their better early tracks. Reminds me of University for many reasons.
12. Stevie Wonder – I Believe (When I fall in love it will be forever)
What a beautiful way to end the cd. Not a song I was familiar with, but one which has jumped firmly into my top 20 (I've been playing it repeatedly since last week!)
Bonus track!
..only that wasn't quite the end. Yes, 29.55 minutes into the final track and a short, plinky piano tune. After the Aphex Twin track I suspected it could have been one of his but the tune sounds familiar (a bit like the Jon Brion track - and if it is then I prefer this interlude). Del has so far evaded my questions regarding the identity of this track – I’m prepared to be embarrassed for not knowing
Phew!
After complaining bitterly to Swiss Toni about having to limit the number of tracks to 12 (that was so hard - and if I made the cd again today it wouldn't contain exactly the same tracklist) - I'm now rather grateful from the reviewer's perspective! At least this proves that my childhood dream of working at Smash Hits would never have happened.
So - the overall verdict: Definitely a keeper – in fact, the whole cd has been transferred onto my i-Pod and has become the soundtrack to my long weekend in London (quite fitting, as I believe this is Del’s stomping ground). I didn’t immediately love every track – but I’ve always been a fan of the mixtape and love to be introduced to new tunes.What does the cd tell me about Del? He's a bit of a soppy, hopeful romantic with an ear for a good tune and an extremely eclectic record collection. A man who isn't afraid to show some love for most genres.
So thanks Del – I’ll be keeping tabs on your site for future podcasts (the current one is already sitting on my laptop patiently waiting for me to get this review done so I can turn my attentions elsewhere); thanks ST for bringing the idea over to your ‘gang’ – and all your administrative effort; and thanks Yoko for such a top idea.
When do we get to play again?
posted by Sarah at 1:00 pm
4 Comments:
Hello! Glad you liked the CD. I thought I'd add a few comments about why I chose what I did. But firstly, I hope that was a joke about me being on the cover, cos if not, it means you've never seen the Goonies! In which case, run out of the house now and get it on DVD! Cos it's ace. Anyway.
1. I chose the Junkie XL track because it's just an all time favourite. I don't really like anything else he's done, but I've kicked off countless tapes with it. Came out around the time of the High Fidelity movie, so reminds me of that, bizarrely. I also think I bought it in Salisbury.
2. Jackie Wilson. I had to get the Motown sound on somewhere, and this is ace. Featured on the soundtrack to Ghostbusters II in a rerecorded form, but this is the original and best. Funny story: I put this on a compilation tape for a friend. But he only played it in his car, which had a dodgy speaker on the right hand side. So he only ever heard the drum, bass and lead vocal on the left channel. No strings, horns or female vocals! "Well, I did think it was a bit minimal" he said when I pointed this out.
3. Put ELO on to almost deliberately be uncool. I really like this. First heard it in the background during the Virgin Suicides movie, but it's not on the soundtrack, strangely. I like the guitar on the chorus, unashamedly pop.
4. The Go! Team are ace. Didn't realise this had been on the telly. Saw them live and can highly recommend it! (Nothing to do with any films.)
5. Ah, I have to say I love this Wire track. They were naturally more punky, but this is their most beautiful song. Maybe this will be a grower, I hope so! They probably influenced all those bands you speak of... I have links with them, as they formed in my hometown of Watford, and this track was the basis of my first ever blog post, about 142 years ago.
6. Wichita Lineman is in my all time Top 5. Same here with the osmosis thing. It's always been there.
7. I chose this Massive Attack track to try and be a bit different, and because I realised I hadn't got any hip hop on the CD, which wasn't representative of me at all. I was going to put on Unfinished Sympathy, which may well have sat better with the feel of the rest of the compilation, not to mention the piano vibe, but this won out. From the closing credits of Blade 2, and by far the best thing about the film. Also rare, so makes the trainspotter in me very happy.
8. I'm not an obsessive Fannies fan at all, but this is one of my all time favourites. It's just the sound of summer to me.
9. I put Aphex Twin on as a deliberate ploy to confound expectation. It's from the Drukqs album which has quite a few lovely piano ditties, which are apparently all impossible to play in reality, due to lack of fingers or the tuning of a piano. I could equally have had Boards of Canada or M83 or Squarepusher or u-ziq doing their delicate thing, but this won out.
10. The Jon Brion track is from the soundtrack (surely not?) of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind, and I really liked the way it fitted with how I was feeling at the time (miserable, frankly!) The secret track is also from the same soundtrack album, and I thought it'd be a nice reprise (I couldn't chose one over the other.) The film is exquisite, too.
11. Blur - Sing. My favourite song ever. Also on the Trainspotting soundtrack (gasp) but I loved it well before that.
12. Stevie Wonder had to close. Or Marvin Gaye. But Stevie won cos Marvin's dead and couldn't fight his corner. The perfect closer, as shown by High Fidelity.
I didn't do the soundtrack thing on purpose, I only noticed after I'd sent it off! I wanted to create an album that hung together rather than just disparate tracks, and I always imagine music as the soundtrack to my life. And yes, I am a bit soppy and romantic. I can also be annoying, miserable and a git, but I obviously didn't want to project that to the outside world... Glad you liked it, thanks for the great review!
I tell you what, that is a top, top CD. I shall be after you for a copy of that one. I *love* both that Jackie Wilson track and that Glenn Campbell one. And Teenage Fanclub are *ace*.
good work, Del.
Cor!
Thanks for the detailed explanation, Del. You win the prize for my longest comment ever!
Sorry you were feeling miserable when you put the cd together - it didn't show!
I probably shouldn't admit to never having seen the Goonies, should I....
Do give "Outdoor Miner" a few more chances. It's sublime...
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