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

Day 30 - The last track
Time for the last track on your mix. Play something that includes the last song you would put on your mix. Alternatively, play something with a killer last track.

Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song (signed)

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With that, now it's time to "Wake-Up." Also relevant to the prior selection as KLO has alluded several times that Vespertine is one of her inspirations to making music.
 
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Thank you for hosting this month, @Turbo.

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I made my virtual mixtape within the recommended time restraint of the introductory post, clocking in at 1hr 11min. It uses just under half of the days and follows day order, with some tracks selected for that particular day's prompt (excellent follow-up track for day 2, interlude for day 9, single not on mother record for day 16, for example). I tried to construct it around being as house-centric with enough connections to the other days as possible, what made sense, and what flowed well, despite not emphasizing my collection in electronic music.

Enjoy:

 
Day 30 - The last track
Time for the last track on your mix. Play something that includes the last song you would put on your mix. Alternatively, play something with a killer last track.

Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left (Saturday Sun)
This is how you finish an album. Saturday Sun is the last song on Five Leaves Left and I often used it as the perfect come-down on a mix tape.

I am still trying to figure out the theme to me mixtape mix but will move some stuff around and post it in a few days.
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Day 27 – Your friend, your psychiatrist, your solace
“The mixtapes we made for ourselves were musical mirrors. The sadness, anger, or frustration you might be feeling at a given time could be encapsulated in the song selection. You made mixtapes that corresponded to emotional states, and they'd be available to pop into the deck when each feeling needed reinforcing or soothing. The mixtape was your friend, your psychiatrist, and your solace.”, David Byrne in How Music Works (2014).
Play a record you turn to when you need music to be your friend.

Elliott Smith - XO

I discovered his music during a tough time in my life, and it's been with me ever since. Track - "Tomorrow Tomorrow"

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Day 29 – The personalized mixtape
Sometimes a record is so perfect for you, it sounds like it was actually made just for you. Play something that feels like that to you.

Gonna let my pre-teen self pick this one. Madness and Oingo Boingo were definitely the bands I obsessed over / retreated into / felt like they were my own in my early years.

Adding "It Must Be Love" to the playlist as I'm sure I added it to some unrequited playlist back in the day.

Madness ~ Complete Madness

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Day 30 - The last track
Time for the last track on your mix. Play something that includes the last song you would put on your mix. Alternatively, play something with a killer last track.

Champagne Supernova was the track that really got me into Oasis and its the last track on this album so it closes out my playlist.

This is was the first month where I did a subchallenge too. I realized a few days in that it was all non-US artists, so I went with that for the month. Made it a little more challenging, but I'm pleased with the results.

Love this challenge @Turbo , glad to see it make a comeback. And instead of editing, I'm just gonna put my mix on one of those XL Turbo ChargedTM cassette and leave it as is.

Oasis ~ (What's the Story) Morning Glory

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Day 28 – Home Taping Is Killing Music
Famous music industry campaign from Britain – there were similar ones everywhere – to raise concerns that blank cassettes are killing album sales. Even though time has shown they were not. In came a man named Lord Sugar, who’s company released an affordable twin deck, with an advert including the cheeky bold disclaimer “This machine should only be used to copy material you have generated yourself” – the upshot being to make people aware that you could dub tapes at home. So people did and the campaign fizzled out… but I have to say their tape and crossbones logo is pretty awesome.
Play something that references pirates or bones, or that includes some sort of warning.

The Mountain Goats - Bleed Out

Track - "Bones Don't Rust"

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Day 29 – The personalized mixtape
“Oh, I made you a new mix tape” – Jonathan to his brother Will, giving him a mixtape containing songs by Joy Division, The Clash, Bowie, Television and The Smiths, among others (Matt & Ross Duffer, Stranger Things, Season 1 Episode 8, 2016).
Sometimes a record is so perfect for you, it sounds like it was actually made just for you. Play something that feels like that to you.

I've been thinking about this prompt since yesterday. I went with the album Steely Dan - Aja because it checks a LOT of the boxes for what I like about some of the music I choose.

Great drumming/funky beats
Deep groove based pockets
Excellent production
Re-listenability
Nostalgia plays into this one as well.

For the mix tape, I'll go with Peg. All these years later, it still sometimes conjures up 10 year old me listening to my new clock radio with red glowing numbers at night before I fell asleep. And even back then, well before becoming a drummer, my ears perked up when Rick Marotta goes to the bell on the ride in later choruses.

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Day 30 - The last track

Tom Waits - Come On Up to the House
I almost used this album for the previous prompt, as this album checks a lot of the boxes Aja doesn't, like quirky production, sad ass ballads, interesting percussion, lyrics full of imagery, a little humor sprinkled in.

But instead I'll go with the ending track on Mule Variations for today. Tom sure knows how to wrap up an epic collection of songs.

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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
Paul Desmond - Body and Soul
Nathaniel Rateliff - And it's Still Alright
The Decemberists - Mariner's Revenge
Steely Dan - Peg
Tom Waits - Come On Up to the House

Thanks @Turbo - your challenge was a blast!
 
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)?

Black Sheep - A Wolf Sheep’s Clothing
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This album’s biggest hit, “The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)” is a reworking of the track “The Choice Is Yours”. Revisited was released as the single and tacked on to the end of the album. Nothing against the original version but when it plays it just makes you wanna fast forward to the Revisited version.
 
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