2008 RMAS Mix Disc

2008 RMAS Mix Disc

Creating mix discs with no discernable theme other than a good group of songs is harder than you would think. It is also very difficult when you do not have a firm (or any) deadline, or life throws roadblocks in your way, or you have committed to way too many projects than you should have. When I first started this project I wanted to make a mix that was better than the one I created in 2007, and my first thought was to create it out of a theme.

After creating themed lists and work discs I finally rejected them all and created a list of about 100 songs, which became the list you see below. The list was constantly changing as I listened to more each day. Finally, I just drew the line in the proverbial sand and deleted all but the following songs from my hard drive. Of course, feeling bad about my delays, procrastinations, hesitations, etc, I decided to include a bonus disc of some of my favorite long songs that did not fit on the primary disc. As with anything else, the list of long songs excludes a great deal of music I have grown to love over the years, but as a group I think it works rather well. Enjoy.

The Main Set

1. (Antichrist Television Blues) - Arcade Fire – Their future is so bright, and they truly live up to the hype.
2. Four Winds - Bright Eyes – One of young amazing talents of music these days.
3. Impossible Germany - Wilco – Live 2008 – Can’t remember the exact show.
4. Dead Flowers - Rolling Stones - Stripped Companion – A bit more intense and raw than what is on the official release. This is my favorite Rolling Stones song.
5. Oh Carol - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Vic Theater, Chicago, 4/19/03. Straight ahead rock and roll is what they do best.
6. The Sweet Love That You Give (Sure Goes A Long, Long Way) - Steve Forbert, Bottom Line 9/16/88 – One of those artists that for various reasons ‘just missed’ being a big star.
7. Sweet Illusions - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Sweet and heartbreaking.
8. Open The Door Homer – Robyn Hitchcock – 2-3-92 Mountain Stage. Taken from Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan Vol 20.
9. For No One - Joe Jackson – People don’t realize how many covers he does live.
10. The Captive Heart - Annie Haslam from Live Under Brazillian Skies. She is my favorite female singer from back in the days as the voice of Renaissance.
11. Let It Ride - Ryan Adam & The Cardinals - 1/23/08 - From the Gold Coast compilation boot. My previous RMAS compilation had the faster studio version. This one has a bit more of a country flavor and starts off slow, and builds to a nice easy crescendo.
12. Disturbance At The Heron House – REM Unplugged (first one). From the Hitting The Note Akoustica boot. Talk about metaphors!
13. License To Kill – Roseanne Cash – 4-6-03 Mountain Stage. Taken from Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan Vol 24. A late entry to this list. This version blows me away.
14. Closer To You - Brandi Carlile – From her self titled debut. She is an amazing new alternative/indie/folk artist that people need to hear.
15. Spanish Moon - Little Feat – From Waiting For Columbus. Imagine if Lowell George did not die?
16. Subterannean Homesick Blues – Mitch Ryder & Engerling – 10-2-02 Frankfort Germany. Taken from Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan Vol 23.
17. Broken – Tift Merritt – Another up and coming artist. She has more of a country flavor that crosses into indie and rock very easily.
18. Not For Me - Marshall Crenshaw – From his classic self-titled debut. Like Forbert, another artist that should have been a real star.
19. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - George Harrison - Acoustic Demo – Simply heartbreaking to listen to in this simplistic form.

The Bonus Disc – The Longs

Some of these are my absolute favorite songs of all time, mostly because the way these songs are constructed. They are true ensemble pieces where everything has to work perfectly in order for the band to pull it off.

1. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed – Allman Brothers – Fillmore – No comment needed.
2. Ocean Gypsy – Renaissance – Live At Carnegie Hall – From one of my favorite releases of all time. This band peaked during this time period and this is a fine representation.
3. Remember The Future – Part 1 – Nektar - Remastered 2002 Bellaphon reissue of the classic 1973 release. Epic progressive music, stunning guitar work, amazing vocals, amazing instrumental arrangements, styles, and complexity that keep the listener interested from start to finish. This is a true masterpiece.
4. Remember The Future – Part 2 – See above.
5. #41 – Dave Matthews Band – Listener Supported – I like the DMB, but have never seen them live (one day I will). I really like only a handful of their songs, but this song just grabs me each time because the band just cooks.
6. Ooh Child – Trey Anastasio Band – March 3, 2001. – I was thinking about including a great long song by the Grateful Dead, or Yes, or Phish (some iteration of Tweezer would have been nice), but then I heard Anastasio’s version of this classic song and it blew me away.