Pop Matters - A collection of 33 years of great pop music.

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Disc 1
1974 - "September Gurls" (Big Star)
1975 - "She Sells" (Roxy Music)
1976 - "Dignified & Old" (The Modern Lovers)
1977 - "Don't Worry About The Government" (Talking Heads)
1978 - "Cruel To Be Kind" (Nick Lowe)
1979 - "Death Or Glory" (The Clash)
1980 - "Heyday" (The Sound)
1981 - "In Quintesscence" (Squeeze)
1983 - "...And In Every Home" (Elvis Costello)
1983 - "Two Hearts (Beat As One)" (U2)
1984 - "Forest Fire" (Lloyd Cole)
1985 - "Can't Get There From Here" - (R.E.M.)
1986 - "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" (The Smithereens)
1987 - "Shakespeare's Sister" (The Smiths)
1988 - "Freak Scene" (Dinosaur Jr.)
1989 - "See A Little Light" (Bob Mould)


Disc 2
1990 - "Way Down Now" (World Party)
1991 - "Head On" (The Pixies)
1992 - "Rudderless" (The Lemonheads)
1993 - "Glutton Of Sympathy" (Jellyfish)
1994 - "So You Think You're In Love" (Robyn Hitchcock)
1995 - "Pizza Cutter" (Letters To Cleo)
1996 - "I'm Blessed" (Brendan Benson)
1997 - "Your Blue Door" (The Honeydogs)
1998 - "Blue Sky" (Patty Griffin)
1999 - "Nineteen" (Old 97's)
2000 - "Allright/Not Quite" (Apples [In Stereo])
2001 - "The Sublimation Hour" (Destroyer)
2002 - "Jennifer Louise" (Of Montreal)
2003 - "The High Party" (Ted Leo)
2004 - "Blow It Out" (The Features)
2005 - "White Wave" (Portastatic)
2006 - "She Doesn't get It" (The Format)

So my love of pop music is explained fully in these 2 discs. While a lot of the choices are very recognizable, they still impact me daily. Also, great fun. Enjoy!

did i get sent this mix? because holy awesome.

Second mix in the exchange that I've seen a Lemonheads track on. I wish I could've decided on which one to include on mine, instead of just not including them.

Wow...I'm impressed. Can't wait to get it.

jus got it...

hip hop album of the year!

got it today...top notch, top notch. Half-assed review to come later.

Got it, will post a review in a bit. I was able to name about half of disc one based on the "titles", and dig disc one a lot...disc two not so much--but that's a funcion of my taste.

I definitely think that disc 1 and 2 have different feels to them

[St. Patrick - Pop Matters: Disc One

1. 1974 • September Gurls"--Big Star – One of the champions of pop songs. No complaints other than I wish someone would have shot every Bangle before they had the chance to cover this. (4/5)

2. 1975 • She Sells"--Roxy Music – Very okay. I like my Roxy Music a little less goofy (2/5)

3. 1976 • "Dignified & Old"--The Modern Lovers – The song gets a 4, Jonathon Richman gets a five, and you get a 5.5 for not choosing Road Runner.

4. 1977 • "Don't Worry About The Government"--Talking Heads – I like the Talking Heads but this is one of their songs that was always too clever to begin with. It is less clever with every day that passes. (1/5)

5. 1978 • "Cruel To Be Kind"--Nick Lowe – Seminal pop song by a seminal songwriter. I would have chosen something less obvious like Crackin’ Up. (4/5)

6. 1979 • "Death Or Glory"--The Clash – It’s the Clash. It’s London Calling. Alleged best album of eternity in the universe. Very good song from a very good album. I would have had to kill you if you posted Train in Vain. And by the way, the best pop song released this year is (What’s So Funny “Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding. (3/5)

7. 1980 • "Heyday"--The Sound – Bouncy, perky and infectious. Haven’t heard this in a long time. Nice surprise. (3/5)

8. 1981 • "In Quintesscence"--Squeeze – One of my favorite bands of all time. Nothing but pop goodness here. (3.5/5)

9. 1982 • "...And In Every Home"--Elvis Costello – Pop in the classic sense. I was lucky enough to hear him do some Glenn Miller songs this summer. Let’s hear it for romance. (3.5/5)

10. 1983 • "Two Hearts (Beat As One)"--U2 - This is a casualty of the “I just do not like this song at all” syndrome. Sorry. (0/5)

11. 1984 • "Forest Fire"--Lloyd Cole – This guy has such a great voice and most of the lyrics are moody, tinged with a dark edge and I’m with him all the way until he insists on bringing everything back to “...like a forest fire.” He’s almost in my pants and then he tells me I complete him. (2.5/5)

12. 1985 • "Can't Get There From Here"--R.E.M. – This is the point where R.E.M. and I start to part ways. It’s got the guitars but is a little sophomoric for them. (2/5)

13. 1986 • "Behind The Wall Of Sleep"--The Smithereens – You are preaching to the choir on this one, Patrick. Everyone’s favorite lesbian band singing the best song they ever wrote. #13 on my Listmania II. Here’s a photo of Jean Shrimpton for those of you who thought she was just a random lyric:



God, she's gorgeous. (5/5)

14. 1987 • "Shakespeare's Sister"--The Smiths – Never really dug the Smiths at all but do like the fact that Nerfherder made fun of them in the lyrics to I’d Do Anything: “...I’d be de-pressed like Morrisey, and slay like Buffy every week...”. Heh heh. (0/5)

15. 1988 • "Freak Scene"--Dinosaur Jr. – These guys are always fun. (3/5)

16. 1989 • "See A Little Light"--Bob Mould – Love this song. I could listen to his melodies and jangly guitars all day. It’s full of pop goodness and has the one thing that so many songs lack: a sense of romance and desire. Fuck me, it’s perfect.(5/5)



[Pop Matters: DISC 2
Buckle up kids, the worm is about to turn.

1. 1990 • "Way Down Now"--World Party – Good song and a good album that surprisingly, Todd and I both like. (3/5)

2. 1991 • "Head On"--The Pixies – More raw and raucous than the J&MC but I do love feeling like a bloated Frank Black is sputtering and sweating through this entire song. Kim stands in the back and smokes. (3/5)

3. 1992 • "Rudderless"--The Lemonheads – Another preaching to the choir. Short and sweet and bouncy. I’m really glad to have a copy of this. (3/5)

4. 1993 • "Glutton Of Sympathy"--Jellyfish – Not my favorite Jellyfish tune. (1/5)

5. 1994 • "So You Think You're In Love"--Robyn Hitchcock – This is such a good song but I’ve never liked the vocals much. When he sings, “So you think you’re in lo-o-o-ove...” it’s the love that just grates on me. Someone suggest someone else to sing this. (2/5)

6. 1995 • "Pizza Cutter"--Letters To Cleo – Sure, it’s a rockin’ little ditty but to single it out as a stand out for an entire year? Dunno. Another one I’m glad to have a copy of. (2.5/5)

7. 1996 • "I'm Blessed"--Brendan Benson – Whining crybaby alert. I don’t remember this as being a great year in music for me. Other than maybe something from Pinkerton, I got nothin’. (0/5)

8. 1997 • "Your Blue Door"--The Honeydogs – Nice and easy going. The guitars and chorus make this listenable. I think this could grow on me. (2/5)

9. 1998 • "Blue Sky"--Patty Griffin - This is a travesty. First of all, Patty Griffin sucks as does this song and if you’re talking pop music why the fuck isn’t a song from Hole’s Celebrity Skin here? It’s lush, layered pop goodness. I’d pick Heaven Tonight. (Why does this make me so mad?) (0/5)

10. 1999 • "Nineteen"--Old 97's – Huge Old 97’s fan but this is one of the most annoying songs they do. I would have picked Indefintely Or Murder (Or A Heart Attack) and then wondered if either of them really fit the pop song mold for me (1/5)

11. 2000 • "Allright/Not Quite"--Apples [In Stereo] – No. Too much cowbell. (0/5)

12. 2001 • "The Sublimation Hour"--Destroyer – Dear God. Were these guys dressed up like David Bowie when they recorded this? Skip this and jump in the wayback machine. (0/5)

13. 2002 • "Jennifer Louise"--Of Montreal – This would be a halfway decent pop song if it was 1966 and sung by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. (0/5)

14. 2003 • "The High Party"--Ted Leo – It’s late and I am so not in the mood for him. I tend to like my Ted live. (1/5)

15. 2004 • "Blow It Out"--The Features – The song is full of good musical hooks but the vocals are full of crap. Blow it out indeed. What has happened to this mix? (1/5)

16.2005 • "White Wave"--Portastatic – Again, another very hooky, but eventually very forgettable song. My iTunes is full of them. (See Hal: Play the Hits) Glad to have a copy of this. (2.5/5)

17. 2006 • "She Doesn't get It"--The Format – Goddamm those drums and churchbells sure make this appealing but that voice. Oy. (2/5)

__________________________________________________


For the most part, Disc One is full of very strong pop songs. Classic standards that can’t help but make me feel like I’m in my 20’s again. Almost nostalgic. And while I hate nostalgia I can’t dispute that most of these songs are well crafted. If I ever get amnesia I want this disc inserted into my brain so I can start catching up all over again.

At Disc Two I start to lose my mind a little and here’s an example of why: Brendan Benson appears on the same comp as Nick Lowe and Jonathan Richman and Bob Mould. Apples In Stereo with Squeeze? The quality of your choices or the state of music drops considerably and if I were the researching kind of person I would look into this. Did really quality pop songs just stop happening? Or did you fall in love with someone working at KEXP?

In other news, I like that you approached this in a historical manner and that they are definitely songs you like. It was a lot of fun to listen to. Disc One will go in the car and a few songs from disc two will get dropped into the iTunes folder.

Thanks, again.

thanks for the review, i think. it was a mix about my musical tastes after all but If I think that everyone likes even half of it, then its worth it.

I definitely think the quality of 'pop' music has changed, and while I think the Patty Grifin may be a reach, I certainly dont think "Im Blessed" deserves to be slagged like that either.

I also wasnt going for "best song of the year" either. Just a sampling of my faves with a chronology. thats my theme.

damn. you beat me to my apology on the patty griffin thing. i dated a girl who never shut up about "lord patty" and she drove me nuts and even crazier in general. my reaction was definitely an over reaction and i should have never said suck. sorry.

Hardcore, ayah.

Somehow, I knew that had something to do with it. Most artists that I truly hate somehow have a connection to a significant other.

I loved the concept of this mix -- I wish I had of done something similar. Before I review though, let me just say that overall I enjoyed this mix. I am a bit disappointed in the cross-fading, however, as this means I can't lift individual songs from your discs.

Disc 1
1974 - "September Gurls" (Big Star): I will always love Chilton's voice and Big Star's jangly tunes -- very nice beginning (5/5)

1975 - "She Sells" (Roxy Music): Didn't know this one from RM, interesting, glad to have heard it (3/5)

1976 - "Dignified & Old" (The Modern Lovers): I need more schooling on TML -- makes me want to hear more (3/5)

1977 - "Don't Worry About The Government" (Talking Heads): Almost-always brilliant, it is easy to hear their influence on "indie" bands these days (5/5)

1978 - "Cruel To Be Kind" (Nick Lowe): I will never grow tired of this song -- a testament to powerful pure pop songwriting (5/5)

1979 - "Death Or Glory" (The Clash): Great song choice from London Calling (4/5)

1980 - "Heyday" (The Sound): I'm not familiar with The Sound -- the bass reminds me a bit of Gang of Four -- like it a lot (4/5)

1981 - "In Quintesscence" (Squeeze): Can't help but bob head up and down with pop enjoyment (4/5)

1983 - "...And In Every Home" (Elvis Costello): Nice choice -- good storyteller, he is (4/5)

1983 - "Two Hearts (Beat As One)" (U2): I haven't heard this in yonks -- it really stands apart from so much 80s music -- i.e. holds up well (4/5)

1984 - "Forest Fire" (Lloyd Cole): I'm not schooled in his music either -- kind of reminds me of the Blow Monkeys (remember them?) -- nice sounding pop (4/5)

1985 - "Can't Get There From Here" - (R.E.M.): Always loved the guitar chopping on this song and remember when Michael had this voice -- makes me nostalgic (4/5)

1986 - "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" (The Smithereens): I've tried and tired, but I've never been a fan of the Smithereens -- maybe it is the song construction, I'm not sure (2/5)

1987 - "Shakespeare's Sister" (The Smiths): I {heart} the Smiths -- they could do no wrong in my book (5/5)

1988 - "Freak Scene" (Dinosaur Jr.): This song sounds a bit lifeless sandwiched between two great songs -- it's not a bad song, I guess I think it got lost in the placement (3/5)

1989 - "See A Little Light" (Bob Mould): Nice jangly pop once again (4/5)

Disc 2
1990 - "Way Down Now" (World Party): Great, great song which for some reason was too far recessed in my musical memory -- glad to have it now (5/5)

1991 - "Head On" (The Pixies): Pixies will forever be one of the most important bands in my music appreciating history -- feckin' fantastic even when covering another band (5/5)

1992 - "Rudderless" (The Lemonheads): This song seems a bit lack-lustre following the Pixies -- its an o.k. song (3/5)

1993 - "Glutton Of Sympathy" (Jellyfish): This song sounds like it could be an adult contemporary radio "staple" -- not a fan of it at all (1/5)

1994 - "So You Think You're In Love" (Robyn Hitchcock): I'll always be in love with this song (5/5)

1995 - "Pizza Cutter" (Letters To Cleo): This song doesn't have any special quality -- especially in context of '95 (2/5)

1996 - "I'm Blessed" (Brendan Benson): I'm not familiar with his early stuff, so glad to hear and have this as I quite like it (4/5)

1997 - "Your Blue Door" (The Honeydogs): Not bad but it hasn't "hooked" me (2/5)

1998 - "Blue Sky" (Patty Griffin): Too formulaic and no so memorable (2/5)

1999 - "Nineteen" (Old 97's): Don't know this band; once again not "hooked" (2/5)

2000 - "Allright/Not Quite" (Apples [In Stereo]): Fun, fun, fun -- good driving music (4/5)

2001 - "The Sublimation Hour" (Destroyer): I've only heard the new Destroyer -- I'm liking this song quite a lot -- will have to work backwards to hear more from them (4/5)

2002 - "Jennifer Louise" (Of Montreal): Catchy, fun and nice homage to pop's past (5/5)

2003 - "The High Party" (Ted Leo): My sister is a big fan of his -- I guess I've just haven't heard enough to form an overall opinion -- this song has an "older" feel like the song before -- I guess I'm a sucker for throw-backs and was hooked well enough here -- I think it will be a grower (4/5)

2004 - "Blow It Out" (The Features): This one is pretty good -- I need to hear it more than the 3x I've listened to it so far (3/5)

2005 - "White Wave" (Portastatic): Seems a little soul-less to me -- not getting "the vibe" -- seems kind of same-y (2/5)

2006 - "She Doesn't get It" (The Format): Same as above

It is interesting to hear a fellow music-lover's choices from this period. I believe my mix would look quite different -- my pop sensibilites are probably a bit more eclectic.

Yeah so if anyone wants a song off this, Ill put the mp3s up on YSI or something. I realize that with the crossfade its tough to pull them off. I didnt think about it when making it, but thats exactly the thing that would bug me too.

To do a song by song on a comp like this is difficult, at least for disc one, since it's close to the creme de la creme for each year.

So I'll selectively comment on the contents:

1975 - "She Sells" (Roxy Music): Siren is probably my second-least listened to Roxy album, slightly ahead of Manifesto. This track is somewhat of a mess--it's almost as if they're trying to write an overture. The result is about three or four songs cobbled together--the seeds of three or four really good songs, but the ensemble doesn't hang together that well.

1977 - "Don't Worry About The Government" (Talking Heads): Almost-always brilliant, it is easy to hear their influence on "indie" bands these days (5/5)

1978 - "Cruel To Be Kind" (Nick Lowe): I will never grow tired of this song -- a testament to powerful pure pop songwriting (5/5)


The segue between these two songs is awesome, very well executed.


1980 - "Heyday" (The Sound): I've got one disc by The Sound, it's later material than this, and I was quite shocked when I learned that this track is The Sound, because this track is excellent. Apparently they decided to eschew guitars and try to become A Flock Of Seagulls shortly after this track was released...too bad, based on this song, they could've been great.


1986 - "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" (The Smithereens): One of the closest things we had to a "local" band in north Jersey (Dramarama being the other "local" group). Nice inclusion.

With the exception of the Smiths and Elvis tracks, I really dig Disc One. Nice work.

Whereas I knew just about all of Disc One beforehand, much of Disc Two is new to me:

1993 - "Glutton Of Sympathy" (Jellyfish)
1995 - "Pizza Cutter" (Letters To Cleo)
1996 - "I'm Blessed" (Brendan Benson)
1997 - "Your Blue Door" (The Honeydogs)
1998 - "Blue Sky" (Patty Griffin)
1999 - "Nineteen" (Old 97's)
2000 - "Allright/Not Quite" (Apples [In Stereo])
2002 - "Jennifer Louise" (Of Montreal)
2004 - "Blow It Out" (The Features)
2005 - "White Wave" (Portastatic)
2006 - "She Doesn't get It" (The Format)

I've always wondered if I missed much in the 1990's, and I've concluded that I haven't. The only one in here that piques my interest is the Apples In Stereo--I've heard a number of their tracks and have liked each.

All in all, thanks for the double-discs, I've got Vol 1 in the car and listen to it frequently. Vol 2 just isn't my cuppa.

Cheers!

(Thanks to ayah for the format.)

Sorry to have put this off for so long. Here goes:

St. Patrick - Pop Matters: Disc One

1. 1974 • "September Gurls"--Big Star – Great song. Doesn't hurt that I've gained a greater appreciation for Big Star this year. (4/5)

2. 1975 • "She Sells"--Roxy Music – I own a lot of Roxy Music, but I'm not really sure why. I like them, but certainly don't love them. Bryan Ferry can be a little much sometimes. Anyway, decent enough song. (3/5)

3. 1976 • "Dignified & Old"--The Modern Lovers – You can't really go wrong with anything off of this album. (4/5)

4. 1977 • "Don't Worry About The Government"--Talking Heads – I don't really know what keeps this from being a 5, other than that there are a bunch of other Talking Heads songs I like better. (4/5)

5. 1978 • "Cruel To Be Kind"--Nick Lowe – This is a tough one for me. It's already ingrained in my subconscious somehow although I don't know if it's from this version or a cover version. It's nice and vaguely nostalgic, but it kind of just reminds me of oldies-station lite pop I heard a lot as a kid. And for one of my favorite years in music, I tend to think of 1978 as sounding much more different and exciting. (3/5)

6. 1979 • "Death Or Glory"--The Clash – I'm not the biggest Clash fan. I like the first album more than London Calling. I've heard this song way too much. I actually like it a little more than I used to, but I could do without it. 1979 is maybe my #1 year for music, and there are a ton of things from this year that I think are more worthwhile than The Clash and Joy Division, the two bands form this period that get the most lip service. (3/5)

7. 1980 • "Heyday"--The Sound – Hey, this is pretty cool. I don't know if I've heard this band before. The vocals are a little like Echo & the Bunnymen, but the music is a tad grittier with that nice, crisp post-punk sound. I'm not crazy about the keyboards, but they're not really a problem. (4/5)

8. 1981 • "In Quintesscence"--Squeeze – This is also pretty nice. Pretty sure I've only heard one or two songs by Squeeze prior to this. Nice and catchy if not too interesting. (3/5)

9. 1982 • "...And In Every Home"--Elvis Costello – I've been cooling off on E. Costello lately, especially this album and Trust, but I still really like this song. You have to love that George Martin-esque arrangement. Really beautiful song. (4/5)

10. 1983 • "Two Hearts (Beat As One)"--U2 – If I have to listen to U2, better it be the early '80s stuff than any other period. And yet, I really don't like song very much. (2/5)

11. 1984 • "Forest Fire"--Lloyd Cole – Hm. I'm not really familiar with Lloyd Cole, but this doesn't really pique my interest. Kind of a cheesy '80s bombast to this one. (2/5)

12. 1985 • "Can't Get There From Here"--R.E.M. – They were such a great band, then, even if a lot of their songs from this period are somewhat interchangeable. I can't help really digging this one. I need to get Fables someday. (4/5)

13. 1986 • "Behind The Wall Of Sleep"--The Smithereens – This is OK, but it's kind of just Regular Rock. A guy I work with threw out that term once when we were talking about something, and I think I'm going to start using it more often. I have a feeling it'll come in handy when I don't feel like elaborating on why I think something is bland, uninteresting, or just doesn't reach me. (2/5)

14. 1987 • "Shakespeare's Sister"--The Smiths – The Smiths are OK. When they work for me, I feel like it's generally because of Johnny Marr. He doesn't really come through so much on this one. (2/5)

15. 1988 • "Freak Scene"--Dinosaur Jr. – I've really neglected listening to this band. You're Living All Over Me is pretty awesome, but for some reason that's all I have. I like this song a lot. (4/5)

16. 1989 • "See A Little Light"--Bob Mould – Guess I should admit that Hüsker Dü never really grabbed me, but this is certainly a far cry from that. This reminds me a little of some later XTC stuff. It's pretty meh. (2/5)


Pop Matters: DISC 2

1. 1990 • "Way Down Now"--World Party – I remember this song. I think. It's OK. (2/5)

2. 1991 • "Head On"--The Pixies – I wouldn't consider this to be a standout from Trompe, not one of my favorite Pixies releases, and I'm also not the biggest Pixies fan. I guess it's pretty telling of my opinion of this second disc that I feel like this is one of its stronger tracks. (3/5)

3. 1992 • "Rudderless"--The Lemonheads – The Lemonheads pretty much define "meh" for me. Not bad, not really what I'd call good. Rudderless, listless. (2/5)

4. 1993 • "Glutton Of Sympathy"--Jellyfish – Nice transition from that last song. I thought at first that the Lemonheads song had taken a surprising turn. Still, I can't say I really like this song, or any Jellyfish song I've ever heard. Wasn't there a whole lot of stuff like this at the time? The Goo Goo Dolls, probably some other stuff, I dunno. (2/5)

5. 1994 • "So You Think You're In Love"--Robyn Hitchcock – Whoa, this sounds really familiar. Was this song kind of a hit at the time? I just started listening to The Soft Boys lately, and boy is this a long ways off from that. Still, as alt-rock pop songs from the mid-90s go, this ain't bad. (3/5)

6. 1995 • "Pizza Cutter"--Letters To Cleo – Oh, no thanks. Even when I was 14 (which I was in 1994), this would have seemed a little too sickly sweet. Has a fair amount of crunch to offset that, but the core is pure sugar, the high-fructose bad-for-you kind. (1/5)

7. 1996 • "I'm Blessed"--Brendan Benson – Kind of a decent Beatles-y number, but the vocals don't quite do it for me. (2/5)

8. 1997 • "Your Blue Door"--The Honeydogs – Regular Rock, mid-1990s variety. Would have made a good opening song for a sitcom. (1/5)

9. 1998 • "Blue Sky"--Patty Griffin – The only Patty Griffin I'd heard prior to this was very, very different. It's from the soundtrack to Cremaster II if that gives you a rough idea. That's great. This isn't. You may have saved me some money here. Thanks. (0/5)

10. 1999 • "Nineteen"--Old 97's – Oh, so this is the Old 97's? I've heard this one. From… let me guess… a teen movie, maybe? That's too easy. Must have been from somewhere else. Regular Rock. I'm bored. (1/5)

11. 2000 • "Allright/Not Quite"--Apples [In Stereo] – Were they an E6 band? They have a little of that 60s pop vibe, but rather than add something interesting, they kinda dull it down with '90s alt-rock traditions. (2/5)

12. 2001 • "The Sublimation Hour"--Destroyer – Even being the obvious Bowie homage/ripoff that this is, I don't really mind it. I think Destroyer in general is alright although for some reason I hate the songs he wrote with the New Pornos. (3/5)

13. 2002 • "Jennifer Louise"--Of Montreal – The only Of Montreal album I really like much is Satanic Panic, but I generally enjoy hearing their songs one at a time. I really like this one. They infuse that throwback sound with so much personality that they make it their own. (4/5)

14. 2003 • "The High Party"--Ted Leo – I've mostly only heard Ted Leo songs through mixes, and I don't think I've liked any of them very much. This one is no exception. (2/5)

15. 2004 • "Blow It Out"--The Features – Don't think I've heard this band. Not the sort of thing I'd get excited about, but it's OK. (3/5)

16. 2005 • "White Wave"--Portastatic – I've seen this band live. I've heard several songs on mixes. They've never impressed me. This has a really good riff, but then the vocals cut in. It's the same old Portastic, but with a better-than-usual riff. (3/5)

17. 2006 • "She Doesn't Get It"--The Format – I guess this song pretty well summarizes the second disc of your mix. Pretty average alt-rock. It's fairly catchy, listenable pop, but it leaves me cold. (2/5)

______________________________________________

So, my overall thoughts. Like other folks, I think the first disc was way better. It's funny how I can agree with a lot of people here about stuff released prior to about 1982. It's after that that most of our tastes really seem to diverge. Apparently the late '80s, '90s, and the past few years were about something very different for me than they were for you.

But that first disc is really good for the most part and will most likely end up in my car at some point.

I like your overall concept, but honestly, I wish we could all keep these down to one disc. I know, though, you did a track for each year of your life, right? Still, I think the challenge with this particular mix theme is getting it down to just one CD. It's such an open-ended idea that it wouldn't be too tough to make a box set out of it. At any rate, your total mix was only about an hour and a half, and that's not too bad.

Thanks.

01. 1974 - "September Gurls" (Big Star)
“I love this. Excellent way to start off a pop mix. Catchy as hell.”
RATING: 8.5 (…out of 10)

02. 1975 - "She Sells" (Roxy Music)
“Hmmm…this is bouncy and fun. It’s a little campy as well which is a good thing. I’m digging this.”
RATING: 7.0

03. 1976 - "Dignified & Old" (The Modern Lovers)
“Oh my…Richman’s vocals get me all hot and bothered. This is my favorite Modern Lovers song.”
RATING: 9.0

04. 1977 - "Don't Worry About The Government" (Talking Heads)
“I may get killed for this but I’ve never been a huge Talking Heads fan. However, this isn’t so bad. It’s not as psychotic as I imagined it would be.”
RATING: 6.0

05. 1978 - "Cruel To Be Kind" (Nick Lowe)
“Ahhh…Nicky. A well known song no doubt, but still an amazing pop song.”
RATING: 7.5

06. 1979 - "Death Or Glory" (The Clash)
“Another band I’m not too fond of…I know I know. This song, however, is rather nice. Catchy and rocking.”
RATING: 6.0

07. 1980 - "Heyday" (The Sound)
“For some reason I thought the Sound were a current band…hmm. Anyway, I don’t think this is bad at all. Very nice. Decent.”
RATING: 6.5

08. 1981 - "In Quintesscence" (Squeeze)
“Whoa…now this is what I’m talking about. I’ve never heard any non-single Squeeze songs so this is a first. It’s fucking awesome. Best song on the mix.”
RATING: 9.5

09. 1982 - "...And In Every Home" (Elvis Costello)
“Although I love Elvis Costello, this isn’t one of my favorites songs of his. Decent I suppose. So many better songs to choose from.”
RATING: 6.0

10. 1983 - "Two Hearts (Beat As One)" (U2)
“Ugh…no. I can’t stand U2. Easily, the worst song of the mix. Moving on…”
RATING: 4.0

11. 1984 - "Forest Fire" (Lloyd Cole)
“Is this Culture Club? The mix has hit a wall.”
RATING: 5.0

12. 1985 - "Can't Get There From Here" - (R.E.M.)
“Third mediocre song in a row. That’s too bad.”
RATING: 5.0

13. 1986 - "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" (The Smithereens)
“This sounds like something that should be on the Top Gun Soundtrack and sung by Kenny Loggins. With that said, I’m actually digging it in a guilty pleasure sort of way.”
RATING: 7.0

14. 1987 - "Shakespeare's Sister" (The Smiths)
“On first listen, I wanted to puke. Dreadful. But it actually grew on me. It’s really not so bad. A definite grower.”
RATING: 5.5

15. 1988 - "Freak Scene" (Dinosaur Jr.)
“Whoa…nice. This song would have made much more of an impact if it were placed higher up on the mix. Sort of a waste in this spot. Excellent song.”
RATING: 8.5

16. 1989 - "See A Little Light" (Bob Mould)
“Interesting. There’s something very melodic and soothing about this song. Very comforting. And excellent ending to Disc 1.”
RATING: 7.5

I must admit, the first eight songs of the mix are as solid as it gets. Although, nothing blew my mind, it made for an enjoyable listen.
The mix seems to flounder quite a bit after that. Too many average songs to make an impression.
Other than that U2 song, I don’t think I cringed much.
The mix ends nicely with Dinosaur Jr. and Bob Mould, so it doesn’t leave a sour taste in my mouth. (Oh shush Radcliffe.)
I added an extra point for the wonderful crossfade. Unlike others, I tend to enjoy a good crossfade mix.
Thanks Patrick.
NOTE: My review for Disc 2 is coming soon.

OVERALL RATING: 6.78 (Music) + 1.0 (Crossfade) = 7.78 (…out of 10)

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HOW YOU COMPARE TO OTHER OBNERS

01. SAINT PATRICK Histoire De La Pop Music (Disc 1) – 7.78

02. BGL3 Walking Through Confusion With A Smile On My Face – 7.28

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hey wonderboy, who are you quoting in your review?

I'm quoting myself, you human mattress.

so, the jig is up. while i like all the songs on the mixes a lot, i intentionally tried to make the mixes have a different feel, but i did not expect the backlash against disc 2. im glad parts of disc 1 were well-received,at least.