The Return of The Mixtape - the September 2024 Spin Challenge!

Day 23 – Sending mixtapes in the mail
Play something from a country far away from you, or play something that references the mail in any way.

Hikaru Utada (宇多田ヒカル) - BAD MODE

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Utada is Japanese-American, born in NYC, and recorded this latest studio record at RAK Studios in London, where they currently live. It is Utada's first album that prominently features singing bilingually in Japanese and English, though the former is more present here. Sam Shepherd (Floating Points), Skrillex, A.G. Cook, Poo Bear, and Nariaki Obukuro (小袋成彬) all handle production across the record. I absolutely love closing cut "Somewhere near Marseilles -マルセイユ辺り-" with production from Floating Points; Hikki going house on a 12min cut is something I never knew I needed in my life 🥺
 
Track 24

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The Beatles - Abbey Road
Song - Her Majesty

I hate this song so much. The Abbey Road Meledy is just absolute musical perfection and “The End” is such a perfect end to the medley, the album and to The Beatles as a whole. Then Paul just had to come in and add this nothing of a song to the end of the track list. My anger for this song is irrational but it’s a hill I will gladly die on
 
And I am back, playing catch up

Day 24 – Scotch tape and the record/play-only tabs
Play a record that would be perfect if it was not for that one track that you find just messes it up. Imagine you could just record over it, is there any other track you would replace it with (say a single or B-side from that era)?

Bowie - Young Americans (Gouster - It’s Gonna Be Me)

A couple of Bowie albums have been let down by including poor choices in cover songs. Young Americans includes “Across the Universe” which brings this brilliant album down. But thankfully there is an entirely different version of the album that was never released, The Gouster, that does not include this cover. If I could travel back in time I would have encouraged David to include It’s Gonna Be Me in the place of Across the Universe.
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Day 24 – Scotch tape and the record/play-only tabs
Play a record that would be perfect if it was not for that one track that you find just messes it up. Imagine you could just record over it, is there any other track you would replace it with (say a single or B-side from that era)?

Sevdaliza - Shabrang

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As much as I love this pandemic era record, the song "Oh My God" is fairly obnoxious with its pitched up vocal intro and (relavtive to the rest of the record) middling production. It is still one of my top10 from 2020; a hybrid of art pop, trip hop, and glitchy electronics graced with a Middle East undertone, given Sevdaliza's Iranian-Dutch heritage.
I would supplant "Oh My God" instead with "System," the lead track from the 2022 follow-up EP Raving Dhalia. The obvious Massive Attack influence of that track coincides far more well with the rest of Shabrang.
 
Turbo said:
Day 27 – Your friend, your psychiatrist, your solace
Play a record you turn to when you need music to be your friend.

José James "1978" (2024 Rainbow Blonde)
I sort of snookered myself a bit with this one because there isn't any single record I turn to when I'm looking for solace. Sure, there are records that I've had on regular rotation for decades, but, usually, I turn to music in general when I need to change my mind. Often, it's whatever my current favorite is at the moment. And right now, a record I turn to a lot is this one. It's such a beautiful soul album, ranging from fun to serious themes, very much like classic soul records of the 70's. For the mix, I'm going with Planet Nine.

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1. Thundercat "Oh Sheit It's X"
2. ABC "Poison Arrow"
3. Elvis Costello "The Beat"
4. Serge Gainsbourg "Requiem Pour Un Twisteur"
5. Camp Lo "Nicky Barnes aka It's Alright"
6. Theophilus London feat. Solange and Devonté Hinds "Flying Overseas"
7. War "The Cisco Kid"
8. Bob Marley & The Wailers "Roots Rock Reggae"
9. MC Solaar "Interlude"
10. Kaytranada "Dance Dance Dance Dance"
11. The Brooks "Drinking"
12. Les Rita Mitsouko "Andy"
13. INXS "Need You Tonight"
14. David Bowie "Fame"
15. Stevie Wonder "Sir Duke"
16. The Clash "This Is Radio Clash"
17. King Curtis "Whole Lotta Love (live)"
18. Blur "Jubilee"
19. Gorillaz "Dare"
20. Jean Leloup "Le Monde Est A Pleurer"
21. Talking Heads "Slippery People (live)"
22. Todd Rundgren "Wolfman Jack"
23. Toro Y Moi "Postman"
24. Prince "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore"
25. De La Soul "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday"
26. Duran Duran "My Own Way"
27. José James "Planet Nine"
Click to expand...


You know he put out a live album today, yeah?
 
Day 23 – Sending mixtapes in the mail
“And you should actually make me a tape for once, because, Joshua, I am the only person in this world who actually likes you.” – message on mixtape, Jake Adelstein listening on Walkman to tape he received from his sister in America, while walking in the streets of Tokyo circa 1995 (Tokyo Vice, created by JT Rogers, 2022-2024)
One of the things we used to do with mixtapes was send them off in the mail to distant loved-ones. I remember sending one to my wife while she was doing a summer course in China in 1998. That one had a mix of French and English tracks I dubbed off a bunch of my CD’s and it ended up getting a lot of play with the Montrealers with her there on the stereo of the bus that would take them around to different sites.
Play something from a country far away from you
Australia is pretty far from me.
Courtney Barnett- Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party
I was going to choose a different song, maybe Dead Fox, but for a playlist Nobody Cares... is such a great one.
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Playlist
Social Distortion - Cold Feelings
Led Zeppelin - Friends
The Beatles - I’ve Just Seen a Face
Nina Simone - Feeling Good
Waylon Jennings - Gold Dust Woman
The Gourds - Gin and Juice
Steve Earle - Burnin' it Down
My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
Tom Waits - 9th and Hennepin
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Between the Mustard and the Mayo
Joni Mitchell - Nancy Whiskey
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Sabia
Rolling Stones - Bitch
The Doors - Not to Touch the Earth
The Police - Demolition Man
Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke
Carole King - So Far Away
Billy Squier - In the Dark
Jim O'Rourke - 94 the Long Way
Black Sabbath - The Wizard
Cake - The Distance/Race Car Ya-Yas
John Prine - Illegal Smile
Courtney Barnett - Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party
 
Cue the Mission Impossible Theme Song...

Day 7 - Copyright infringement

Play something that references skirting of the law, preferably for noble reasons.

Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual

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The mixtape so far:

1 - Art Brut - Formed a Band
2 - The Saints - Lost and Found
3 - The Clash - Hate & War
4 - Ramones - I'm Affected
5 - Bob Mould - Fugue State
6 - Beastie Boys - Rhymin & Stealin
7 - Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
 
Day 24 – Scotch tape and the record/play-only tabs
Scotch tape and cassettes, another relationship that is very familiar to those that grew-up during that era but not necessarily to those born later. So how do you prevent having your tape accidentally recorded over? By breaking the little tabs on the top of the cassette. Commercial cassettes actually came without tabs – so with holes in those positions – to prevent accidentally recording over them. But you could restore recordability with a little piece of Scotch tape to cover the hole (although you would get mixed results if you tried it on commercial albums, because of the chemistry of the tape, which regular decks could not handle) .
Play a record that would be perfect if it was not for that one track that you find just messes it up

The song that messes up this fine collection, imho, is Bye, Bye Love.

For the playlist, I'll go with Cecilia.
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Day 8 - LORAN brand tapes

Play a record housed in a tank of a sleeve.

Shellac - 1000 Hurts

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The mixtape so far:

1 - Art Brut - Formed a Band
2 - The Saints - Lost and Found
3 - The Clash - Hate & War
4 - Ramones - I'm Affected
5 - Bob Mould - Fugue State
6 - Beastie Boys - Rhymin & Stealin
7 - Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
8 - Shellac - Shoe Watch Song

Edit: Changed my mind
 
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Day 27: Your Friend, Your Psychiatrist, Your Solace

Foreigner - 4

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Long story short, I had a rough time in middle & high school. “Juke Box Hero” had been a comfort song of sorts during that time and it still is today, though that story never ended up happening to me (I can’t play the guitar to save my life lol)

 
Day 9 - Sound bites and interludes

Play something that includes sound bites, dialogue, spoken interludes or short interlude tracks.

Yup, straight up cheating. My excuse is "short tracks"

Wire - Pink Flag

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1 - Art Brut - Formed a Band
2 - The Saints - Lost and Found
3 - The Clash - Hate & War
4 - Ramones - I'm Affected
5 - Bob Mould - Fugue State
6 - Beastie Boys - Rhymin & Stealin
7 - Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
8 - Shellac - Watch Song
9 - Wire - Mannequin
 
Day 25 – The Boom Box
Like the cassette itself, the boom box originated from Philips in the 1960’s. They became ubiquitous during the 80’s. Since they gained popularity among urban communities, some Americans coined the term “ghetto blaster” to describe them, mainly as an unfortunate backlash against hip-hop culture. Like many during the 80’s, I owned a boombox. In fact, mine even had a phono input, so I would plug my cheapo turntable into it when it was in my room (that’s how I first recorded vinyl to tape in fact).
Play something that might be good to breakdance to
Pretty sure it was @nolalady that steered me towards this super fun album.
I'm also pretty sure if I could break, I could break to this.
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Playlist
Social Distortion - Cold Feelings
Led Zeppelin - Friends
The Beatles - I’ve Just Seen a Face
Nina Simone - Feeling Good
Waylon Jennings - Gold Dust Woman
The Gourds - Gin and Juice
Steve Earle - Burnin' it Down
My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
Tom Waits - 9th and Hennepin
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Between the Mustard and the Mayo
Joni Mitchell - Nancy Whiskey
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Sabia
Rolling Stones - Bitch
The Doors - Not to Touch the Earth
The Police - Demolition Man
Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke
Carole King - So Far Away
Billy Squier - In the Dark
Jim O'Rourke - 94 the Long Way
Black Sabbath - The Wizard
Cake - The Distance/Race Car Ya-Yas
John Prine - Illegal Smile
Courtney Barnett - Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party
Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
Rich Aucoin - Buchla
 
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