Everything that starts with R ...

I really don't know why I am writing this op. I just wanted to talk about mixtapes that I have made or others have made for me. This will be an ongoing op, but I will start with one of the mixtapes that I have made that I consider to be the best.

I feel that the phenomenon of mixtapes is dying/dead. I have made hundreds of mixtapes to give as presents and I love making them. I also love recieving them, hearing new songs/bands or even rediscovering classics, uncovered gems and underrated songs.

The content of mixtapes is important and personal. What is the inspiration behind the mix? Think about the person you are making it for and think what they would like but don't stick to the same old stuff that they already know. You want to take their range and stretch it a little.

Does the tape want a theme? You could stick to the same style of music or have really obscure segues.

skits - bits to poke between songs. Film quotes, tv themes - all perfect in a mixtape.

----------------------------------------​----------------------------------
Mixtape 1 - Near Sighted and Pyschopathic
----------------------------------------​----------------------------------

This is a tape I made for a friend of mine who is a muso a few years ago. It has an americana theme with lots of early recordings.

1. 20th century fox fanfare

The thing at the beginning of 20th century fox films and at the end of fox programs.

2. America - Allen Ginsberg

The track from which the title of the disc comes from. A potent beat poem with the message "America, go **** yourself with your atom bomb"

3. Political Science - Randy Newman

Follows neatly on from Ginsberg. Newman sings in a very narrative way and in this song talks about the world's view of America.

4. Don't let it bring you down - Neil Young

Folky classic. The disc settles into its style with this track. Sad but hopeful.

5. John the revelator - Son house

I love old recordings and this disc has many old tracks on it. This is an old a cappela blues track.

6. Didn't leave nobody but the baby - Alison Krauss

Taken from the "O' brother where art thou" soundtrack. A bluesy bluegrass vocal track. Beautifully sung and quite gospelly.

7. I'm goin' home - Charley Patton

Recorded somewhere between 1929 and 34. This is taken off an old acetate recording and skips slightly about four seconds in. A beautiful track. Charley Patton had an amazing gravelly voice.

8. A boy named Sue - Johnny Cash

Everybody knows Johnny Cash now. This is off "live at San Quentin". A slice of almost perfect Americana.

9. Take a pro - Armed forces radio orchestra

This is off a compilation album called "Them dirty blues", a double disc of dirty blues songs from between 1900 and 1920. Another old recording, very crackly. It's a very quirky minstrel song.

10. The man with the harmonica - Ennio Morricone

I wanted to put a Morricone on this disc because of the americana nature of it and the Westerns soundtrack stylings of Morricone.

11. London is the place for me - Lord Kitchener

A jazzy reggae track. This came off a Rough Trade compilation album.

12. The hottest stuff in town - Bob Howe & Frankie Griggs

This is another track off "Them Dirty Blues". Double entendre laden song which is a dialogue between a 'coal man' who is selling the "Hottest stuff in town" and a lonely housewife over a great honky tonk piano

13. Fingerbreaker - Morten Gunner Larson

Honky tonk twiddling which follows on nicely from the previous track.

14. Nobody's Sweetheart - Spirits of Rhythm

I don't think that the group is called 'Spirits of rhythm', but I can't find the artist. This is a cajun style track from the early 1930's, which randomly breaks into "Yankee Doodle Dandy" during a guitar solo.

15. Acetate 2

This is a random skit recorded in 1949 of a woman telling a joke recorded using a home recording kit.

16. A sweet bullet from a pretty blue gun - Tom Waits

Another gravelly voice like Charley Patton. I love Tom Waits' voice and this is a brilliantly smooth track. Listening to this is like drinking a really good whisky with your tie undone at two in the morning in a smokey bar after a night of jazz!

17. Memphis fives - Lee Green
18. You can't come in - Bert M. Mays

These two tracks come off an album called "Vocalion 1928-1930". Both are jazzy honky tonk, with the second track so close to the rock n' roll song of a similar name that you could almost call shenanigans.

19. Garbage dump - Charles Manson

Yes, that Charles Manson. He recorded an album of folk songs before the whole murder thing. This is an unusual, poorly recorded but superb americana track.

20. Robert Johnson - Alexis Korner

A brilliantly crafted delta-blues ode to the master Robert Johnson. Alexis Korner also has a great gravelly voice which counterpoints the haunting female harmonies.

21. Pink Panther theme

Another skit. Picked for its laid back, jazzy feel.

22. Little bitty tear - Burl Ives

Burl Ives scares me a bit but this is a great track taken from a Tarrantino film.

23. That Old Black Magic - Ella Fitzgerald

A great swing track sung by one of the greatest voices in jazz history.

24. The most annoying thing in the world - Neil Hamburger

another skit by a comedian whose thing is that he is not funny. By doing this he is really funny (granted not everybody's taste).
Audiance member: "Get off the stage!"
Neil Hamburger: "Sorry, I can't take requests tonight, there are just too many of you"

25. Junior's A Jap Girl's Christmas For His Santa Claus - Willie Blackwell

I don't know much about this track but it is a twelve bar blue with guitar and vocals. Really laid back and old.

26. I saw the light - Hank Williams

A folky country track, perfect for the theme. Really gospelly.

27. Take Your Burden To The Lord and Leave It There - Washington Philips

A really old gospel song. This comes from my love of old recordings. There are so many crossovers between blues, gospel and honky tonk in early recorded music.

28. Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Skit - the theme tune to 'Cheers'

29. Where did you sleep last night - Leadbelly

Nirvana covered this on "Unplugged", a great track.

30. Airplane Glue - Lenny Bruce

Skit - Lenny Bruce was a great comedian who got arrested many times for swearing.

Total running time: 1h22m

That's the first one. I will describe others when i have time, including Electronica, indie and a Mike Patton tape that a friend did for me.