An Old Birthday Mix CD Is Worth Another Listen

Looking for cancelled checks to support a court case I’m embroiled in, I came across a mix an old girlfriend made me for my birthday on October 8th, 2004. Coming along nine years now. It made me feel like Jackson Browne in “Fountains Of Sorrow” -“Looking through some photographs I found inside a drawer, I was taken by a photograph of you”. A little clumsy when you read it but it works in context. I just went looking for some pictures of us together but I guess I threw them all out. All I’ve got is this CD!

Probably just as well.

For a guy like me a mix take will capture her better any way.

Listening to the mix today, it sounds like in-jokes and variants in the same place and and… “what I was seeing wasn’t what was happening at all  but for awhile our paths did seem to climb.”

1. Austin Powers extract

2. Birthday – The Beatles – McCartney at his rockiest – A

3. In Da Club – 50 Cent – Just noticed the “drinking BacardI” line so maybe it wasn’t such an innocent song to put in – A

4. Happy Happy Birthday Baby – The Tune Weavers – One hit wonders – B+

5. Happy Birthday To You – Marilyn Monroe – Breathy and hot, so tinged with tragedy and sorrow. Not unlike my own disastrous relationship with the girl.

6. The Best Is Yet To Come – Frank Sinatra – From his weaker Reprise 1960s, but you coulda fooled me – A+

7. New York New York – Frank Sinatra – The first serious mistep on the mix. It doesn’t fit and I am very very sick of this song – C+

8. Wake Me Up when September Ends – Green Day – Smart move right, at the start of October? – B

9. Never Knew Love Like This Before – Stephanie Mills – First rate disco – A

10. My Kind Of Town – Frank Sinatra – I didn’t like it myself but that’s just me – B

11. Hand In Pocket – High five! – B

12. Crazy – Patsy Cline – Classic, too classic – B (in context)

13. Put It In My Mouth – Akinyele – Ha, this doesn’t appear in many a mix. It’s simple but it says it – B

14. Wa’chu Like – Da Brat – Didn’t she end up in jail? – B

15. Peaches ANd Cream – Fabolous ANd Ryan Leslie – Pretty excellent heavy sampling Diddy like – B+

16. I Wish – Skee- Lo – Great song and with lines like “I Wish I was a little bit taller” I totally get it – A

17. Let’s Get It On Tonight – LL Cool J And Montell Jordon – ANd so ends the jip hop portion of our evening – C

18. Suavente – Elvis Crespo – One of the great merengue hits – A+

19. Evil Ways – Santana – Classic rock – A

20. Happy Together – The Turtle -A near perfect new love song  but listening to it today, there is a doubt to it of course – A

21. Last Train To Georgia – Gladys Knight And The Pips – And on the train I went – A-