@ Kyle:) it's my criminal mind.

Marc, You're a strange animal. That's what I know.

I see that Gowan is playing up at Rama, "playing his greatest hits"...should i pick up a ticket for anyone? ...any takers?

Mike: Done. Happy that some of these will be embraced by a younger generation. Will get them to Bri this weekend. Bri: Still working on the list of embarassing bands. Trying to come up with some goodies. Derek: the first four songs on the PJ Harvey disc are terrific. She then reverts to form for the middle of the album, with the signature moaning and wailing that I've come to know and hate. The final third or so gets better, as though some of the other vocalists and musicians brought on board for the effort have convinced her to step back a bit. Overall, I'm liking it, though happy for technology that lets me skip ahead from some tracks. Marc: love how you seamlessly weaved Garbage and the Propellerheads into the class rock road mix! Well done. Arcade Fire track is very Springsteen-like too. Stu: Finally found and played your mixed country cd. I will say the closest I've ever come to enjoying country music. Perfect accompaniment to reading the paper and folding laundry while the young one napped yesterday afternoon. Much appreciated. Can you point me to the track listing, if it's still available? Did you post it here on metabeats? If so, then I may be able to find it through search.

Kyle:

Thanks for your offer of CDs - if you haven't already found homes for them, I'd like to claim the Wilco disc and the Ron Sexsmith discs. And I mentioned this to my daughter, who is living in Toronto at Ryerson these days. Her reply was, "If they're still available, I'd love The Dandy Warhols album, The Shins album, both Bright Eyes albums, the Amelie soundtrack, the Moby CD, the Strokes album, the Wolf Parade album, and either Gomez album."

If any of these discs are still available, the easiest thing to do is probably to get them to Brian, and Jenn will pick them up from him at some point.

Many thanks!

In no particular order, songs that are cliché songs about the car and the open road, the south, finding a home, escaping that which we once called home, ...or life ...or whatever, i lost the thread.

Springsteen, Open all night
Deep Purple, Highway Star
Mike Ness, I’m in Love with My Car
Golden Earring, Radar Love
Doors, Roadhouse Blues
Ramones, I’m Affected
Stooges, Search and Destroy
Lou Reed, Dirty Boulevard
Garbage, Only Happy when it Rains
The Grass Roots, Midnight Confession
Traffic, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Dire Straits, Southbound Again
Neil Yong, Southern Man
Dylan, Tangled Up In Blue
Joni Mitchell, California
Neil Youn, Cowgirl in the Sand
Lynard Skynard, Freebird or Sweet Home Alabama
Allman Brothers Band, Ramblin Man
Dylan, Desolation Row
Propellerheads, Spybreak
Arcade Fire, Anarchist Television Blues
U2, In God’s Country
Charlie Daniels Band, The Devil Went down to Georgia
Ram Jam, Black Betty
CCR, Who Will Stop the Rain
Who, Going Mobile

Have to say I'm completely on board with Kyle when it comes to the Eagles. Maybe somebody can explain why they were so huge.

As for road songs here's my suggested mix.

Mr Mirainga - 57 South
Screaming Blue Messiahs - Jesus Chrysler drives a dodge
Superchunk - Precision Auto
Guided by Voices - Motor Away
Plugz (Repo Man s/t) - Hombre Secreto
Jazz Butcher - Groovin in the Bus Lane
The Fall - Hit the North (wrong direction but still a great driving song)
It's Immaterial - Driving Away from Home
Hunters & Collectors - Breakneck Road
Prefab Sprout - Faron Young
Go Betweens - Here comes a city
The Woodentops - Travelling Man
Buzzcocks - Fast Cars
The Jam - Precious
Teardrop Explodes - Reward

Btw...have we had a discussion about songs that tell a story and how we feel about them? Mike and Stu's posts prompt this question but we can shelve this discussion for the near future.

Given the backstory, I assume you’re looking for a playlist like this:

1) Personal Jesus – Depeche Mode (sorry Johnny but the driving beat of the original is better suited to the road)
2) Jesus Built My Hotrod - Ministry
3) Touched by the Hand of God - New Order
4) Godless – Dandy Warhols
5) Jesus Walks – Kanye West
6) Jesus Don’t Want Me for a Sunbeam – The Vaselines
7) Jesus, Etc. - Wilco
8) In God’s Country – U2
9) God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
10) Dear God – XTC (in case the buddy would like to a second opinion)

There are, of course, more and possibly better ‘devil’ songs, which goes some way to buttressing Bart Simpson’s contention that all the really cool musicians are affiliated with Satan.

As for the Eagles, my only reaction is: shudder.

A few bars of a song like "One of These Nights", admittedly one of their better efforts, with the comfort of a second pint and a belly full of greasy pub fare, is not the same as having to endure an entire album of the stuff. It's dreary, it's half-assed. No, it's not quite dreadful as aging frat-boy slapdash fare like Jimmy Buffet but it's on the same end of that continuum.

Sometimes an artist is unfairly assigned to the uncool camp and I believe your spirited defense of Paul McCartney a few months back was both thoughtful and convincing. He is unfairly derided as being the shallow while Lennon was deep. But the Eagles are no Macca and in fact swim solely in those shallow waters. A throwaway line here, underlined by a guitar lick and voila, 'Life in the Fast Lane'. 'Take it Easy', is easily one of the most boring songs of the 70s or any decade, which I attribute to the fact that the musicians playing it seem bored in so doing. 'Desperado' and 'Hotel C'? Very profound, in the same sense that smoking a joint and making a casual observation that sometimes life isn't what it seems is profound.

But perhaps I'm missing something. Though obviously highly opinionated on this band, I do have an open mind and am willing to be persuaded. Point me to something that will change my mind.

Stuart, if you like "Road to Moscow", and I agree that it is a fine piece of work, you may also appreciate "Red Army Blues" on A Pagan Place by the Waterboys. Have you heard that one? The subject matter is the same, but done with Mike Scott's passionately dramatic style rather than Al Stewart's cool moodiness. I'm very fond of both songs, and have listened to them both this evening in honour of this MetaBeats thread. I don't believe I've ever listened to these two back-to-back before, but I can't imagine why not.

Plus "Song on the Radio" charted for Big Al I believe. May sound familiar to you Kylie (does to me but I am woefully older).

__________________________________________________________________________

I'd like to pose a couple of questions to Metabeats Nation (sorry, but with the playoff run, I'm seeing everything through Leaf-coloured glasses), reflecting a conversation I had with my friend Glenn at lunch.

(1) "Road Songs" Glenn is going on a road trip with a buddy - who is a reformed alcoholic who has found Jesus, but still (or, to be fairer...."and") likes music and is a good lad - to the Masters in Augusta Georgia in April. They are doing the drive as one long event - day and night - and so Glenn, also a music lover, has decided he needs to put together a few CDs of good road music. I, of course, with oodles of time to spare in my personal life (ha!), offered to help.

So, Gentlemen of the Blog (plus Adam, 'cause I know you're reading this), my ask of you is to suggest your top 10 road songs, entirely without genre or timeframe (ie 40's, 60's 90's etc) limitations. If possible in the next few days, at which point I will begin compiling. Waiver: Thinly-veiled suggestions meant subtly to torture Glenn and his buddy may be eliminated.

(2) I don't like it (yes I do) - I found myself at lunch extolling the virtues (in an odd other-worldly voice that came from somewhere deep inside me) of The Eagles, and realized how fond I am of their big hits. Disaster was averted when Glenn, arms madly waving, broke me out of a trance in which I had worked up to the second chorus - in my own thin nasal like-way doing a mean Glenn Frey - of "One of These Nights", unaware of the incresingly brooding crowd of lunchers around me. Close call there.

Despite my buried passion for the seventies So Cal scene, it's probably fair to say that the Eagles are considered one of the least cool bands of all time. And yet, and yet. So I'd like to hear from you on which bands (and why) you are embarassed about loving?

Note: I also love (truly) much of the Monkees's oeuvre and the (early) Bee Gees so obviously don't embarrass easily.

hey stu, it's not a question of cheapness if i'm offering you something to take! will put those aside for you my friend. and will sample al stewart on grooveshark today if time permits. my only familiarity is whatever i heard in the car radio as a child so yotc and tpassages are really my sole points of references for the man's oeuvre.

.....and yes I confess to being an ardent al stewart fan...saw him at hughs room 2 years ago in fact.

year of the cat ...the perfect 70's pop song, lyrics..10/10 music 10/10 still raises a tingle when blasted on the hi-fi

Mike I too have past present future which i think has possibly a song that tops Cat ...that being the road to moscow which tells the story of the Russian check to the german advance on moscow from the perspective of a soldier who then falls under stalins scrutiny...again a perfect match of lyrics to music that tells like a cant put down novel...

well worth downloading that song if you can find it.....specially for the history buffs out there

ok cheap bastard i am this will get me blogging.......

I will take a few off your hands Kyle

Duran duran decade (please withhold your comments)

Fountains of wayne interstate...

luna romantica

lush lovelife

strokes first impressions

wayfaring strangers ...ladies..

thanks Kyle.......

Here's the list. Let me know if there are any you would like and I'll set them aside and bring to our next outing. This goes for you as well, Mike, as I'm sure Brian will put them aside for the next time you're in town. If it's easier to email me, please do so.

Ash - 1977

4 Hero – 2 Pages

Amelie Soundtrack

Antipop vs. Matthew Ship – Antipop Consortium

Armand Van Helden – 2Future4U

Back to Love Chillout Compilation

Badly Drawn Boy – Have You Fed the Fish

Badly Drawn Boy – Live @ Glastonbury

Badly Drawn Boy – One Plus One is One

Baxter Dury – Len Parrot's Memorial Lift

Beck – Midnight Vultures

Bluiett, Jackson, ElZabar – The Calling

Boogie Nights Soundtrack

Book of Love – Book of Love

Boy – Boy

Bright Eyes – Digital Ash

Bright Eyes – I'm Wide Awake

Broken Social Scene – Broken Social Scene

Built to Spill – Ancient Melodies of the Future

Built to Spill – You in Reverse

Cafe Del Mar – Volumen Siete

Catherine Howe – What a Beautiful Place

Clap Your Hand Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

De La Soul – The Grind Date

Digable Planets – Reachin'

Do Make Say Think - & Yet & Yet

Do Make Say Think – Winter Hymn Country...

Duran Duran – Decade

Erik Truffaz – Bending New Corners

Erik Truffaz – Revisite

Fembots – The City

Fiery Furnaces – Blueberry Boat

Fountains of Wayne – Welcome Interstate Managers

Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand

Go Soundtrack

Gomez – Abandonned Shopping Cart Trolley Hotline

Gomez – Bring It On

Good Will Hunting Soundtrack

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci – Spanish Dance Troupe

Grandaddy – Sumday

Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump

Hayden – Everything I Long For

Hayden – Skyscraper National Park

High Fidelity Soundtrack

Hotel Costes 5

Ivy – Apartment Life

Jacqueline du Pre – Haydn Cello Concertos

Jaz Klash – Thru the Haze

Jazz Masters Verve Sampler

Joss Stone – The Soul Sessions

Kos – Joyful Rebellion

Leaves – Breathe

Llorca – New Comer

Looper – The Geometrid

Lost in Translation Soundtrack

Luna – Romantica

Luna – The Days of Our Nights

Lush – Lovelife

Magnolia Soundtrack

Marc Moulin – Top Secret

Medeski Martin & Wood – Combustication Remix EP

Metalwood – The Recline

Moby – Everything I Do Is Wrong

New Order – Get Ready

Nifty – A Sparrow!

Outside – The Rough and the Smooth

Pernice Brothers – The World Won't End

Pernice Brothers – Yours Mine & Ours

Raising the Fawn – The Maginot Line

Ride – Tarantula

Rinocerose – installation sonore

Ron Sexsmith – Cobblestone Runway

Ron Sexsmith – Retriever

Saint Etienne – Good Humor

Saint Germain des Pres Cafe II

Sloan – Navy Blues

Snow Patrol – Final Straw

Soulive – Doin Something

South – From Here On In

Spiritualized – Songs in A & E

Tahiti 80 – Puzzle

Teenage Fanclub – Thirteen

The Best of Bob Dylan

The Best of Cookin' 2 Disc Compilation

The Complete Stone Roses

The Dandy Warhols – Welcome to the Monkey House

The Deadly Snakes – Porcella

The Essex Green – The Long Goodbye

The Flaming Lips – Fight Test

The In Sound from the Way Out – Beastie Boys

The Ladies and Gentlemen – Small Sins

The Last Days of Disco Soundtrack

The Rebirth of Cool Acid Jazz Compilation Volume Seven

The Sea and Cake – Glass

The Sea and Cake – Glass

The Shins – Wincing the Night Away

The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth

The Tragically Hip – Phantom Power

Thievery Corporation – The Richest Man in Babylon

Thievery Corporation DJ Kicks

Tokyo String Quartet – Mozart Clarinet Concerto

Tosca – Suzu

Vlach Quartet Prague - Dvorak – Works for String Quartet Cypresses

Wayfaring Strangers – Ladies from the Canyon Compilation

West Indian Girl – West Indian Girl

What's Up Matador Compilation 1997

Wilco – A Ghost is Born

Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary

XTC – Apple Venus

Zero 7 – Simple Things

Speaking of catalogs, I'm in the process of pre-spring cleaning and am ridding myself of cds that I don't want to hang onto anymore, having already created digital copies and backups. These will be offered to you all first at the cost of free. If you don't want 'em, I'll likely donate them. List to come....

I'll cop to being an Al Stewart fan. I don't have his whole catalog, but the 3 albums that I do have (Past, Present and Future, Year of the Cat and Time Passages) are all very well done. And I do agree that this was one of the few apt comparisons on the long list of supposed Decemberists influences.

You're saying you like it more than 'Time Passages'? Certainly not my favourite 'Cat' song. And yes, I could probably make at least a top five, but will spare you.

Actually, I think the Al stewart comparison is pretty bang on. Not for every song certainly but I hear it. And I'd go as far to say that Year of the Cat is a great song. Oh yes, I would. Stuart, care to comment?

I'm not sure about all those influences listed there--definitely a kitchen sink approach to musical referencing--but I definitely hear REM in a few of their songs, both the one you mentioned and others like, "We Both Go Down Together" from Picaresque which is similar, at least the musical arrangements, to "Losing My Religion". But I agree, they have a pretty distinct sound and not just because of Colin Meloy's unique voice. What other song does The Infanta immediately call to mind? Or The Rake's Song, either musically, vocally, lyrically? Please correct me if I'm missing an obvious reference point.

While the All Music Guide's list of all those artists may or may not adequately describe the Decemberists to newcomers, one sad consequence of reading it was having 'Year of the Cat' stuck in my head all damn day.

I love the concept of the NPR first listen but unless it's portable, I'm rarely in the position to listen to an entire streamed album. But I'll do you one better, Deeman, and buy the PJ disc b/c you and others are giving it much praise.

Also, anyone unhappy about the absence of reading material here is welcome to post at any time, even if it's just to simply answer a direct question from another poster. :)