The past few weeks, I have been working on a very personal playlist, both for my iPod listening, as well as to share with friends. This has been a labor of love, and I am very proud of the final results. Allow me to explain exactly what I did...
There were several rules that I wanted to adhere to, in the creation of this playlist.
Rule #1: The songs included had to be songs that I have deeply loved, ever since I first connected with them.
Rule #2: They needed to be the type of song that I could listen to over and over, without ever growing tired of them.
Rule #3: They had to be considered my favorite songs of all time.
This was a difficult task, as I had to leave several songs off the playlist. I wanted to create a group of songs that would be broken up evenly onto two CDs. That proved to be an impossible task, and it was stretched to 3 discs. As the project evolved into "mix discs", I had different rules to adhere to. I needed to organize these songs in a way that they flowed nicely, sometimes sharing thematic elements (an example of this is David Gates' "Clouds Suite" and The Cure's "The Same Deep Water As You", which both feature rain and thunder. The listener will find that the first disc contains many of the "harder" songs (Pearl Jam, Sun 60, etc.), and the third disc will feature mostly mellow songs, including several that would be considered Folk or borderline Country.
I have spent countless hours listening to this playlist, as it has evolved, AND as individual discs. As stated, I had to leave several songs off of the collection. I could have put 10 or more Porcupine Tree songs, but limited myself to one... the one that I fell in love with, nearly 9 years ago. I still recall that Saturday afternoon, early in October of 2001, when I played "Shesmovedon" over... and over... and over. It should be pointed out that the only exception to this rule is the final two (well, really THREE) tracks of the third disc. Sarah Mclachlan's 1993 "FUMBLING TOWARDS ECSTASY" was probably my most significant album of the 1990's. The last two songs on that album were thematic, and to this day, I consider them to be the same piece of music, just divided into two sections. "Fear" and "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" are songs of loss and hope, respectively. I am certain that the artist intended for these songs to sit side by side. As the title track contains a "ghost track", being an acoustic version of "Possession", it sits at the end of the disc.
I would also like to point out that this set does not include any 60's or 70's music, with the exception of a Bread song, a David Gates song, and a track by Gordon Lightfoot. These songs were tunes that I fell in love with during the 80's or 90's, and I feel that they are best represented in this collection. I will be compiling a one or two disc set, based off of my favorite tracks of the earlier decades. You can rest assured that "Stairway to Heaven" and "Comfortably Numb" will find their way onto separate discs.
So, without further adieu, I present to you the three discs containing part of my very heart and soul...
Disc 1 "SONNET"
1. CAMOUFLAGE: That Smiling Face
2. HUBERT KAH: The Picture (12" remix)
3. DEPECHE MODE: It's No Good
4. PETER MURPHY: All Night Long
5. TOTO: Melanie
6. CHRIS REA: On the Beach
7. DIRE STRAITS: On Every Street
8. YES: I am Waiting
9. TRANSLATOR: Un-Alone
10. MUSE: Map of the Problematique
11. PEARL JAM: Alive (Redux version)
12. SUN-60: Never Seen God
13. INSPIRAL CARPETS: Two Worlds Collide
14. PORCUPINE TREE: Shesmovedon
15. THE VERVE: Sonnet
Disc 2 "PARADISE"
1. A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS: Remember David
2. DURAN DURAN: Come Undone
3. TRAVIS: Side
4. PREFAB SPROUT: Bonny
5. ICEHOUSE: Angel Street
6. HOWARD JONES: Hide and Seek
7. PSYCHEDELIC FURS: The Ghost in You
8. BEL CANTO: Paradise
9. TALK TALK: Have You Heard the News?
10. STABILIZERS: One Simple Thing
11. SPLIT ENZ: Iris
12. TEARS FOR FEARS: Woman in Chains
13. DEAD CAN DANCE: The Carnival is Over
14. DAVID GATES: Clouds Suite
15. THE CURE: The Same Deep Water As You
Disc 3 "EDEN"
1. HOOVERPHONIC: Eden
2. NAIMEE COLEMAN: Remind Me
3. CHINA CRISIS: The Soul Awakening
4. PETER GABRIEL: Mercy Street
5. BREAD: Look At Me
6. ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION: Happiness
7. NEKO CASE: Hold On, Hold On
8. GORDON LIGHTFOOT: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
9. SUZANNE VEGA: Ironbound/Fancy Poultry
10. TRASHCAN SINATRAS: Weightlifting
11. MIGUEL BOSE': I Hold Only You
12. THE STORY: Love Song
13. SHAWN COLVIN: The Dead of the Night
14. SARAH MCLACHLAN: Fear
15. SARAH MCLACHLAN: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (featuring the ghost track, Possession (solo piano version)
I don't know why I felt the need to post this, apart from the fact that I had several friends that wanted to see a track listing. I guess for the rest of you, it is a glimpse into what has touched my life... musically and emotionally.
Comments