Shuffled No.1
One of my favorite pop culture websites, the Onion’s AV Club has this great almost-weekly feature called Random Rules in which they ask some actor/musician/hyphenate to put their iPod on shuffle and see what comes up. It benefits from the interview structure a little, but I’m going to try and go it alone and see what happens. The following is a completely random selection of 13 tracks from my iPod (which currently holds 14,228 songs), followed by my comments.
U2, “Ultra Violet”
One of my least favorite songs from one of my favorite U2 albums, Achtung Baby. Though saying that is like deciding which of your children you like less than the others. They’re all great. Some are just better than others. The same could probably be said for U2. I’ve always said they’re the least of my favorite bands. I own all their records, listen to them fairly often, but have never actually seen the band live. Sad, I know.
Matchbox 20, “Push (Live)”
I know, I know. Matchbox 20? I’m right there with you. I always hated this song, even when I owned their first album. This version though is a semi-palatable live recording from Live X 4: Home, a compilation from Atlanta’s 99x.
Dave Matthews Band, “Pantalaga Naga Pampa (Live)”
I have a lot of live stuff on my iPod, and that includes a lot of DMB. My street cred is obviously dropping like a stone at the moment, but who cares. I like this band, even if I hardly ever listen to them anymore.
Pearl Jam, “Big Wave (Live)”
It’s all live all the time around here right now. Seriously, weird shuffle mojo. This recording’s from a blistering show at the Gorge I saw a couple years back. And by blistering, I mean hot. It was 98 out there, and that was in the shade on the grass with a breeze. I was in the pit and I’ve never sweated more in my life.
Guster, “Long Way Down”
I remember when this song was called “Safari.” That was a long time ago, before the band put out their breakthrough 2003 album Keep It Together. I’m still not sure why this band isn’t huge, especially in a world where Matchbox 20 can make it big. But maybe that’s okay. I think these Tufts grads have a lot more talent in their fingertips than Rob Thomas and company have in their whole band.
Beastie Boys, “Johnny Ryall”
Call me crazy, but I don’t love Paul’s Boutique. It’s like the Citizen Kane of rap in my eyes. I recognize its greatness, but it doesn’t do much for me. I much prefer Hello Nasty or even Ill Communication. There’s some good tracks on here though. I really like “The Sounds of Science.”
Counting Crows, “Hanginaround”
I’m pretty sure I look like some Mountain-listening, baseball-hat wearing fratboy right about now. The first two may have been true at one point, but even then they were only a small part of my persona. This is a pretty good song from a band that keeps getting worse with age. Though not great from start to finish, This Desert Life is the last fully listenable Counting Crows record.
The Decemberists, “Human Behavior”
A pretty straightforward Bjork cover that a friend gave to me. It’s interesting to be able to decipher the lyrics a little better when Colin Meloy’s singing them. Not quite as good as the original though… it lacks that weirdo factor Bjork always brings to her songs.
Dave Matthews Band, “Louisiana Bayou”
Even though I don’t listen to them much anymore, odds are always pretty good that DMB will come up once or twice in a shuffle; I have a LOT of their music. That said, this is one of the least interesting songs they’ve ever put on record. It’s supposedly much better live, but I’ve never seen it performed so I wouldn’t know.
The Flaming Lips, “Haven’t Got a Clue”
Here’s a chance to redeem some of my indie cred. This is a song I actually haven’t heard too much from this album. I’ve been more apt to listen to “The W.A.N.D.” or “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song.” I love seeing them live, too. No matter how many times I’ve lived through it, I always get a kick out of hearing Jon Stewart give the introduction to “She Don’t Use Jelly.”
Pearl Jam, “1/2 Full (Live)”
The odds of hearing certain artists on my iPod are apparently pretty high. Much like I have a lot of live DMB, I also have a ton of live Pearl Jam. This comes from the Mansfield, MA show on July 11, 2003. The three shows from that venue/tour are probably the best starter set ever for someone new to the band. Great stuff.
Coldplay, “In My Place (Live)”
Seriously, my iPod is loving the live tracks today. This comes from their solid but unspectacular Live 2003. I like this song, especially since it’s one of their earlier ones and therefore pomp-free. Yet this recording kind of grates on me.
The Yardbirds, “I’m a Man”
Years ago I got this random Japanese import at Tower from the Yardbirds called The Eric Clapton Years. I’ve never seen it anywhere since, but man, is it fantastic. Great early garage rock ‘n’ roll.