20 replies to this topic

[RabbiSchmoiley]

I've been making best-of mixes at year's end since 2001 (I'm betting I'm not the only one here who does this). I send them to family, friends, give them to co-workers, etc. So last year I started thinking how watered down it gets when you have a 4-disc mix, and how I would probably not even listen to half the songs once I send out the mixes. So, I decided to make mixes for myself that would be the true best of the best. Then, I thought it would be fun to go back and hit the years I hadn't done before. I've made it to 1993 so far.

Here's the scoop:
* The mix has to be less than 90 minutes
* Anything released that calendar year is fair game - however, reissues count for the year they were originally released, not the year they were reissued (bonus stuff does count)
* No artist/group can appear more than once per mix

So, let's begin, shall we? Feel free to critique, tell me what I'm missing, share your own mix, whatever. I'm afraid the first one will be a bit boring, because 2007 is still somewhat fresh in our minds. Oh well, fuck it.

Best of 2007
1. "The birth and death of the day" - Explosions in the Sky (All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone)
2. "Dr. Strangelove" - Blonde Redhead (23)
3. "Hljómalind" - Sigur Rós (Hvarf / Heim)
4. "All I need" - Radiohead (In Rainbows)
5. "Now I'm a spider" - The Comas (Spells)
6. "Run-away" - Super Furry Animals (Hey Venus!)
7. "Someone great" - LCD Soundsystem (Sound of Silver)
8. "Komponent (original recording by Apparat) - Telefon Tel Aviv (Remixes Compiled)
9. "Everday" - The Field (From Here We Go Sublime)
10. "Murderer (single version)" - Low (Drums and Guns)
11. "I feel it all" - Feist (The Reminder)
12. "Take me to the riot" - Stars (In Our Bedroom After The War)
13. "Waiting for the 7:18" - Bloc Party (A Weekend in the City)
14. "A postcard to Nina" - Jens Lekman (Night Falls Over Kortedala)
15. "Get Lost" - Patrick Wolf (The Magic Position)
16. "She's a rejector" - Of Montreal (Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?)
17. "Squalor Victoria" - The National (Boxer)
18. "Bookshop Casanova" - The Clientele (God Save The Clientele)
19. "What Light" - Wilco (Sky Blue Sky)
20. "No cars go" - Arcade Fire (Neon Bible)

[Rob Gordon]

oh yeah, I've got these going back into the 80's on cassette though I have lost nearly all of the cassettes. I've been trying to keep copies of the CD's since around 2000. I'm not going to get into what was on them. Too subjective and I'm sure no one really cares. It's fun to go back and listen to the few missteps.

[theremin]

I have some of these lying around. Not gonna up em unless someone asks. 2007 1) Modest Mouse - Fire It Up 2) Explosions in the Sky - The Birth and Death of the Day 3) Anibalas - Filibuster XXX 4) Gogol Bordello - American Wedding 5) Kanye West - Champion 6) Swell Season - Falling Slowly 7) LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum 8) Shellac - The End Of Radio 9) Dub Trio - Jack Bauer 10) Arctic Monkeys - 505 11) Steve Earle - City Of Immigrants 12) Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home 13) Danny Elfman - Waiting 14) Sixtoo - Part 5 15) Ike Reilly - 8 More Days Till The 4th Of July 16) The Sea and Cake - Up On Crutches 17) The Go! Team - Grip Like A Vice 2006 - cd 1 (Songs from my favorite albums) 1) Spearhead - Time To Go Home 2) Peeping Tom - Kill The DJ 3) Gnarls Barkley - Just A Thought 4) Mates Of State - Nature and the Wreck 5) Arctic Monkeys - A Certain Romance 6) Black Keys - Keep Your Hands Off Her 7) Matisyahu - Time Of Your Song 8) Calexico - Deep Down 9) Nomo - Nu-Tones 10) Black Keys - Goodbye Babylon 11) Citizen Cope - John Lennon 12) Loose Fur - Hey Chicken 13) Dub Trio - Illegal Dub 14) Beck - Cellphone's Dead 15) Ben Folds - In Between Days 16) Spencer/Dickinson - Saturday Morning Cartoons 17) Coup - My Favorite Mutiny 18) MSTRKRFT - Work On You cd 2 (individual songs) Kanye West - Heard Em Say The Streets - Never Went To Church The Streets - Two Nations Audioslave - Nothing Left To Say But Goodbye The Little Willies - Lou Reed Sia - Breath Me (Four Tet Remix) Adrian Sherwood - Animal Magic Alec Empire/Gary Burger - Black Monk Time Band Of Horses - The First Song Drive-By Truckers - Feb 14 The Album Leaf - The Light U2 - Window in the Skies Anima Sound System - Get Up Souldwax - Teachers Tenacious D - Pick of Destiny The Tennessee Three - You Walked Tall Flaming Lips - Free Radicals Belle and Sebastian - The Blues Are Still Blue Gomez - How We Operate Centro-Matic - Calling Thermatico

[RabbiSchmoiley]

oh yeah, I've got these going back into the 80's on cassette though I have lost nearly all of the cassettes. I've been trying to keep copies of the CD's since around 2000. I'm not going to get into what was on them. Too subjective and I'm sure no one really cares. It's fun to go back and listen to the few missteps.

That obviously never stepped me! Maybe once we've got a few of my mixes under our belts and our minds have been melted completely you'll be willing to share a little!

2007

2) Explosions in the Sky - The Birth and Death of the Day
6) Swell Season - Falling Slowly

Dude, the drums on the EITS track are absolutely killer.

2006 - cd 1 (Songs from my favorite albums)
12) Loose Fur - Hey Chicken

Sia - Breath Me (Four Tet Remix)

Love that Loose Fur track... also, I didn't realize that Four Tet remixed Sia. An odd combo... I'd like to hear it if you're willing to share.

[w. josh]

I actually make myself one fifteen-song CD a month since 2001, and then a 20-song year-end version that everyone gets as a Christmas (add-on - I'm not that cheap) gift. Here's '01, for starters...

2001:

1. Superchunk - "Late-Century Dream"
2. Constantines - "Young Offenders"
3. Stephen Malkmus - "Jenny and the Ess-Dog"
4. Jon Brion - "I Believe She's Lying"
5. Drive-By Truckers - "Ronnie and Neil"
6. Rufus Wainwright - "California"
7. The Shins - "Girl Inform Me"
8. Rocket From the Crypt - "Heart of a Rat"
9. Gordon Downie - "The Never-Ending Present"
10. Fugazi - "Cashout"
11. Now It's Overhead - "Hold Your Spin"
12. Joe Henry - "Stop"
13. The National - "Pay For Me"
14. Bulit To Spill - "Trimmed and Burning"
15. Superchunk - "Florida's on Fire"
16. Spoon - "The Fitted Shirt"
17. Jim O'Rourke - "Memory Lame"
18. Tori Amos - "Real Men"
19. Drive-By Truckers - "Let There Be Rock"
20. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - "Johnny Appleseed"

Centro-Matic - Calling Thermatico

Fuck yeah.

[RabbiSchmoiley]

I actually make myself one fifteen-song CD a month since 2001, and then a 20-song year-end version that everyone gets as a Christmas (add-on - I'm not that cheap) gift.

I used to do the monthly thing too, in fact I still have those discs from Jan. 2001-Dec. 2006. But I finally just gave up on that. Couldn't keep up with it. I'm too much of a perfectionist and it was too much work. Oh, and I am that cheap!

Hey, I've been using SharePod and it sucks most royally - just deleted it yesterday after it froze my computer once again. Anyone know of a good program to get tracks from your iPod back on to the hard drive?

Edited my original tracklist - italicized tracks come from my top 10 albums of the year. I'll possibly add my 2006 mix today.

[theremin]

Love that Loose Fur track... also, I didn't realize that Four Tet remixed Sia. An odd combo... I'd like to hear it if you're willing to share.

I never thought that Sia track was hot shit when SFU aired, but THIS. THIS is fucking great.

[RadioHitchcock]

I've been doing end of year mixes too since around 2000, but I don't limit it to songs that were released in that year, but to songs that I discovered in that year, or simply songs that fit the flow. Last year I had a Dionne Warwick song, "Your Gonna Need Me," as a reprise to J. Dilla's "Stop" earlier up in the mix. It went over well with the recipients. This year I have an obscure song by Africa doing a gospel/latin-tinged cover of "Light My Fire" which I also grabbed from the J Dilla original donuts online. Also put on some Bobby Womack and Al Casey with the K-C Ettes this year. Most of these songs I discover from the SOMB. I am about 80% ready with my mix this year. There could be a song or two added or subtracted by December but this is what it's looking like right now. I also like to limit it to no more than 60-minutes. I find attention spans shorter than that even, but 1-hour seems to keep the mix tight. 1. The National - "Fake Empire" 2. MGMT - "Time To Pretend" 3. Broken Records - "A Good Reason" 4. Pete and The Pirates - "Come On Feet" 5. Al Casey with the K-C Ettes - "Surfin' Hootenanay" 6. Snowglobe - "At Times A Nightmare" 7. Bobby Womack - "I'm Lookin' For A Love" 8. Africa - "Light My Fire" 9. The Viscounts - "Harlem Nocturne" 10. The Avett Brothers - "The Weight of Lies" 11. Leonard Cohen - "Closing Time" 12. Voxtrot - "Raised By Wolves" 13. Nick Drake - "They're Leaving Me Behind" 14. Pearl Jam - "Release"

[brobee]

if i had to make a best of '08 mix it would tentatively look something like this: 1. buriedfed - miles benjamin anthony robinson 2. amutinous dream - throw me the statue 3. let's go fucking mental - the peth 4. school of kraut - pb&j 5. graveyard girl - m83 6. i decided pt. 2 - solange 7. we're looking for a lot of love - hot chip 8. porn star - t.i. 9. shout me out - tv on the radio 10. touch me i'm going to scream pt. 1 - mmj 11. can't believe it - t-pain & lil wayne 12. the grey estates - wolf parade 13. the twist - frightened rabbit 14. a sky for shoeing horses under - why? 15. the greatest man that ever lived - weezer 16. look at me (when i rock witchoo) - black kids 17. lamb and the lion - the mae shi 18. you! me! dancing! - los campesinos! lots of great music out there this year. these aren't even my favorite songs from the albums i love, but this is the closest to a coherent mix i could make out of this year's batch. a really fun year in song. in life, not as much.

[hornpout]

Best of 2007
1. "The birth and death of the day" - Explosions in the Sky (All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone)
2. "Dr. Strangelove" - Blonde Redhead (23)
3. "Hljómalind" - Sigur Rós (Hvarf / Heim)
4. "All I need" - Radiohead (In Rainbows)
5. "Now I'm a spider" - The Comas (Spells)
6. "Run-away" - Super Furry Animals (Hey Venus!)
7. "Someone great" - LCD Soundsystem (Sound of Silver)
8. "Komponent (original recording by Apparat) - Telefon Tel Aviv (Remixes Compiled)
9. "Everday" - The Field (From Here We Go Sublime)
10. "Murderer (single version)" - Low (Drums and Guns)
11. "I feel it all" - Feist (The Reminder)
12. "Take me to the riot" - Stars (In Our Bedroom After The War)
13. "Waiting for the 7:18" - Bloc Party (A Weekend in the City)
14. "A postcard to Nina" - Jens Lekman (Night Falls Over Kortedala)
15. "Get Lost" - Patrick Wolf (The Magic Position)
16. "She's a rejector" - Of Montreal (Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?)
17. "Squalor Victoria" - The National (Boxer)
18. "Bookshop Casanova" - The Clientele (God Save The Clientele)
19. "What Light" - Wilco (Sky Blue Sky)
20. "No cars go" - Arcade Fire (Neon Bible)

thanks for sharing. I'll give it a listen. I'm familiar with a lot of it already, but not everything.

[77 or 88]

still in flux 08 mix. it comes in at around 100 minutes with one repeat artist (badu)

Krautwork - Cloudland Canyon
Oh Man! - Sybris
The Healer - Erykah Badu
Fatalist Palmistry - Why?
Black Rice - Women
Couleurs - M83
Ribbons - Four Tet
Kevätrumpu - Paavoharju
2 Hearts - Kylie Minogue (Studio Remix)
Where You Go I Go Too - Lindstrøm
Raquel - Neon Neon
Jah War - The Bug ft. Flowdan
Ghost Town pt. 1 - Dan Friel
Soldier - Erykah Badu
Four Provinces - The Walkmen
Soul On Fire - Spiritualized
Slapped Actress - The Hold Steady
The Surface of the Sun - John Murphy

[vurt]

Anyone know of a good program to get tracks from your iPod back on to the hard drive?

The ml_ipod plugin for Winamp has always worked nicely for me (http://mlipod.sourceforge.net/)

[RabbiSchmoiley]

Anyone know of a good program to get tracks from your iPod back on to the hard drive?

The ml_ipod plugin for Winamp has always worked nicely for me (http://mlipod.sourceforge.net/)

Thanks Vurt - I may just have to give that one a go.

Looking back, 2006 wasn't the greatest year for music. My favorite album, Phoenix's It's Never Been Like That, is great, no question, but Album of the Year? Any other year it wouldn't have been up there. However, I've loved this mix ever since I made it. Something about these songs - I don't know, maybe it was a better year than I remember. Here we go - and as before, songs in italics are from my top 10 albums of the year.

Best of 2006
1. "Don't take my sunshine away" - Sparklehorse (Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain)
2. "Jeez Louise" - Grandaddy (Just Like the Fambly Cat)
3. "Made Up Love Song #43" - Guillemots (Through the Window Pane )
4. "Analyse" - Thom Yorke (The Eraser)
5. "Us ones in between" - Sunset Rubdown (Shut Up I am Dreaming)
6. "Not going home" - The Elected (Sun, Sun, Sun)
7. "Travel is dangerous" - Mogwai (Mr. Beast)
8. "Where youth and laughter go" - Broadcast (Future Crayon)
9. "Frau Wav" - Clark (Body Riddle)
10. "To go home" - M. Ward (Post-War)
11. "Paris 2004" - Peter Bjorn and John (Writer's Block)
12. "Fadeout" - + / - (Let's Start a Fire)
13. "White Collar Boy" - Belle & Sebastian (The Life Pursuit)
14. "Up close and personal" - South (Adventures in the Underground Journey to the Stars)
15. "Sometimes in the fall" - Phoenix (It's Never Been Like That)
16. "Little Monsters" - Charlotte Gainsbourg (5:55)
17. "Forest families" - The Knife (Silent Shout)
18. "In the morning" - Junior Boys (So This is Goodbye)
19. "Revolution in the heart" - Ed Harcourt (The Beautiful Lie)
20. "Here comes the sun / The inner light" - The Beatles (Love)
21. "Falling out of love" - Sean Lennon (Friendly Fire)
22. "Running the World" - Jarvis Cocker (Jarvis)

EDIT: Oops... that rar file doesn't include song 9, "Frau Wav" by Clark. Can't forget that one... amazing track from an amazing album. Here it is:
http://www.divshare....oad/5516712-5f9

[Rob Gordon]

Got some time now. My Best of CD's. Don't have pre 2001. Those were on cassette and long gone. Obviously there's always many more songs worthy, unless you're Sickpup, but there's only 80 minutes on a CD. And these aren't always the exact top songs of the year. I take into account the flow of the mix, thus some songs get included while others don't make it. 2001 Gravity - Josh Joplin Group Designs On You - Old 97's Fell In Love With A Girl -White Stripes Rescue Blues - Ryan Adams Imitation Leather Shoes - WSP Get Right With God - Lucinda Williams Heaven Right Here - Jeb Loy Nichols Like Humans Do - David Byrne Me Gustas Tu - Manu Chao Greek Song - Rufus Wainwright Pyramid Song - Radiohead All The Way To Reno - REM Murray - Pete Yorn Chasing Heather Crazy - GBV Last Nite - Strokes Saturday Night - Langley School Music Project Byrd Joel - Red House Painters Spring Release - Grant Lee Phillips My Old Friend - John Hiatt Po' Boy- Dylan 2002 Do You Realize? - Flaming Lips Clocks - Coldplay Words - Doves Walking With Thee - Clinic One Way Love - Bryan Ferry Since I Left You - Avalanches Alive Again - Trey Ansastasio Cornman - Kinky Good Morning Aztlan - Los Lobos Night Of A Thousand Stars - Phil Lesh and Friends Feeling No Pain - Josh Rouse Lost Cause - Beck You're Missing - Springsteen Jesus, Etc. - Wilco Personal Jesus - Johnny Cash Deep Red Bells - Neko Case Kickin' The Stall - Paul Westerberg Nuclear - Ryan Adams The Last DJ- Tom Petty 2003 Mahgeetah - MMJ Wake Me When It's Over - Longwave So Alive - Ryan Adams Seven Nation Army - White Stripes California Waiting - Kings Of Leon What's The World Coming To - Fleetwood Mac Counting Train Cars - WSP Amsterdam - Guster I'm a Cuckoo - Belle and Sebastian Night Nurse - Phillips and Wareham The Last High - Dandy Warhols Save It For A Rainy Day - Jayhawks Young Pilgrims - Shins Valley Winter Song - Fountains Of Wayne Queen Of The Underworld - Jesse Malin One More Song The Radio Won't Play - Kathleen Edwards Circle Back - John Hiatt Keep Me In Your Heart - Warren Zevon 2004 Absent Friends - Divine Comedy 9 Volt Heart - Iguanas Rose- Patty Scialfa Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own - U2 Hold Me Now - Polyphonic Spree Everybody's Changing - Keane All The Dark Horses - Trashcan Sinatras Wild West Show - Big & Rich Stupid - Anne McCue The Connection - Phish Earthbound - Rodney Crowell First Of The Gang To Die - Morrissey Somebody Told Me - Killers The Dark Of The Matninee - Franz Ferdinand Take Your Mama - Scissor Sisters Cherry Blossom Girl - Air Run - Snow Patrol Dry Your Eyes - Streets Float On - Modest Mouse 2005 We Are Nowhere And It''s Now - Bright Eyes Easy Plateau - Adams and Cardinals Saddest Quo - Pernice Brothers Long Time Comin' - Springsteen Crazy As A Loon - John Prine I'm Alright - Gina Villalobos Afterglow 61 - Son Volt The Obscenity Prayer - Rodney Crowell Good People - Jack Johnson Catch My Disease - Ben Lee Twin Cinema - New Pornographers Sister Jack - Spoon Wordless Chorus - MMJ Reunion - Stars Walk Away - Franz Ferdinand I Predict A Riot - Kaiser Chiefs King Of The Rodeo0 - Kings Of Leon Winter In The Hamptons - Josh Rouse Chicago - Sufjan Stevens King Of The Mountain - Kate Bush 2006 Station Approach - Elbow Young Bride - Midlake Postcards From Italy - Beirut Under My Skin - Lindsey Buckingham Chinese Translation - M Ward That Teenage Feeling - Neko Case The Charging Sky- Jenny Lewis Sticky Chemical - Bobby Bare Jr. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters We Are The Sleepyheads - Belle and Sebastian Trains To Brazil - Guillemots LDN - Lily Allen All I Want - Ronnie Spector Manchester - Beautiful South I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Heart - The Boy Least Likely To O Valencia - Decemberists Bones - Killers The Heart Of Life - John Mayer Spirit On The Water - Dylan 2007 Intervention - Arcade Fire Underdog - Spoon The Picture - Son Volt Right Moves - Josh Ritter Phantom Limb- Shins On Call - Kings Of Leon Is There A Ghost - Band Of Horses Dashboard - Modest Mouse Flourescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem Traffic Jam - Stephen Marley Listening Man - The Bees Myriad Harbor - New Pornographers Two - Ryan Adams House Of Cards - Radiohead Fake Empire - National Falling Slowly - Hansard and Irglova Your Arms Around Me - Jens Lekman Girls In Their Summer Clothes - Springsteen

[theremin]

For the last 4-5 years, I've been making 2 discs.

Disc 1: One song from each of my favorite albums of the year, in order of how much I like them.

Disc 2: My favorite songs that aren't on those albums. Mixed as you would a normal mix cd.

Last year, I sort of threw the songs for disc 2 into a folder, and never actually "made" the disc.

So, now I'm taking a graphic design class, I decided to finally put together the set, and make some artwork for one of my class projects.

Here is the artwork: http://lakecountyfil.../cd-booklet.pdf
(I am actually still working on it).

And here is disc 2, which I finally made:

[theremin]

I literally just found a disc that is apparently my 2001 mix, although the files are just in alpha order. American Skin - Bruce Springsteen Because I Got High - Afroman Beefheart - Ruby Bill Hicks - Hamell on Trial Book of the Month - Lovage Bubble Toes - Jack Johnson Choochtown - Hamell on Trial Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz Do Fries Go With That Shake - Chris Thomas King Drive By - Glen Phillips Essence - Lucinda Williams Flake - Jack Johnson For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is) (Live) - Pete Yorn Fred Meyers - Glen Phillips Fuse Again - Ruby Go Fuck Yourself - Hamell On Trial Grace - Ruby Humankind - Grant Lee Phillips OK, so...this must have been disc 1....

[Campaigner]

I normally make two; 1) Best New Music of [Insert year here] 2) Best Music I purchased in [Insert year here] 2006's second disc was awesome simply for the one-two opening punch of The Small Faces' 'Afterglow of Your Love' straight into Death From Above 1979's 'Black History Month'. Try that shit out - it's so good it'll explode your testicles.

[RabbiSchmoiley]

It does my heart good to see people keeping this thing alive. I've been away for about two weeks and still haven't really found a good way to rip songs from the iPod, but I plan on getting the 2005 mix up here in the next few days. Great year for music, by the way. Theremin, I look forward to listening to disc 2 of last year's mix - Campaigner, I wish I knew those groups so I could understand the reference - and Rob, your mixes look good, but only one Jens song?!?!?

[Campaigner]

It does my heart good to see people keeping this thing alive. I've been away for about two weeks and still haven't really found a good way to rip songs from the iPod, but I plan on getting the 2005 mix up here in the next few days. Great year for music, by the way. Theremin, I look forward to listening to disc 2 of last year's mix - Campaigner, I wish I knew those groups so I could understand the reference - and Rob, your mixes look good, but only one Jens song?!?!?

No reference, just a great transition from one song to the other, that's all

[RabbiSchmoiley]

I worded that poorly - I meant that I'd like to hear the songs, because I'm a sucker for a kick-ass seque between two songs on a mix, you know? If memory serves me right, I think there may be a few of those moments on my 2005 mix. So, I'll have to get that shit together.