I'm in L.A at the moment finishing off the "Everybody Was In The French Resistance..Now" album.Its going very well we've twelve full on pop songs recorded and I'm just adding the last couple of vocals tomorrow,before we add trumpet and live drums.
I think my favourite of the songs at the moment is probably going to be called "The Ballad of Waldo P Emerson Jones" and is definitely the most obscure reference on the album.Its a prequel to my favourite "Archie's" song "Waldo P Emerson Jones" which it turns out is most famous for being covered by a band called "The Gothees".
On my flight over I read an article in the Independent about the return of the mix tape in which they asked people about their favourite tapes that have been made for them and what they would put on a tape for other people.I honestly think it is possible to guess the entire content of Miles Kane from "The Rascals" tape. Go on have a go and then see how many you got right by looking HERE.
How many out of 12 did you get right? I actually only got 11 as I fully thought he was going to have Imagine by John Lennon.
The article reminded me of a teacher from my secondary school called Mr Dawson who made me a mix tape and how much that tape got me interested in music.
From memory (the tape is at home) it had
Lenny Valentino by The Auteurs
Set The Controls for The Heart of the Pelvis by Barry Adamson (Featuring Jarvis Cocker)
Top of The Pops by The Blue Aeroplanes
Theres a Cloud over Liverpool by The Times
It Fell Off The Back of a Lorry by Denim
and a lot of Super Furry Animals,Animals that Swim and The Animals
although I might be mis-remembering that last bit.There was also a Manic Street Preachers song ,that I recorded over so it wouldn't ruin the tape.
This mixtape entirely changed my life especially "TOTP" by the "Blue Aeroplanes" and "There's a cloud... "by "The Times". It was before the internet so I didnt know who the song was by and I bought a lot of very good records desperately trying to find out who sung it.I wish I knew where Mr Dawson was so I could thank him.
I found out the other day that Dave Newton who is doing an amazing job of producing "Fixing The Charts Vol 1" the album by "Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now" played guitar on "TOTP" by The Blue Aeroplanes and probably a few other songs on the tape.Dave also owns the Telecaster that Donna Matthews used on the Elastica album which we have since used to record "Superglue" our response to "Vaseline".
There is something very satisfying about writing an album of responses to pop songs and having coincedinces like that happen.I'm hoping to find out that either Dyan or I are related to Waldo P Emerson Gothee Jones III from "The Gothees"
I'm also well aware its pretty easy to guess what would be on a mix tape by me too and that people in glass houses should probably get their girlfriends to check their punctuation, spelling and grammar before they post their blogs.
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I looked up that Blue Aeroplanes song and it seems it's a cover of some permanently-Dad-age'd American types who call themselves The Smithereens. Is that the one?
Me, I'm too young to have been part of all this mixtape culture but I still force mix-CDs onto friends every now and then. I should try tapes someday, though: The magic of the Play and Record buttons, the two-sided nature of cassettes and vinyl now lost in the digital age, and the difficulty of navigation to stop them skipping tracks...
Yep thats the one,the original isn't as good The Blue Aeroplanes version is Glam as fuck and really really good.
also I think the Smithereens were Dutch but I might be wrong
I made someone a mix tape recently and had to buy them a walkman to go with it.
Its really hard to find tapes and walkmans though so if your thinking about it you should do it soon.
A teacher put 'Set The Controls...' on a mixtape for you?! Ha, I think that would get a teacher (or priest or counselor) fired now (in the US, anyway)! I mean, it's suggestive..!
The Smithereens, if they're the same Smithereens that I'm thinking of, would be from New Jersey, but there might be another one. Yeah, is this right? It's even filmed in NJ. I think.
I miss mix tapes, though it is considerably easier to fit the correct duration of music on a cd than to fret over how to fill up the last 30 seconds on two sides of the cassette. Still, filling up the cassette is a lot more thrilling.
Can't wait for the album! That's it.
I've no idea why I thought they were Dutch,there definitely from New Jersey.
with a mixtape half the fun is trying to make it fit.
Its also better than making a mix cd as you definitely have to hear all the songs when you make it
It's all gone a bit hi tech now
http://www.prezzybox.com/products/index.aspx?pid=4471
and a lot more expensive.
I pity young lovers today, I really do.
What with their youth and being in love and all.
Don't know their born.
x
SOMEWHERE I've still got two brightly-coloured childish Walkmen called 'Bop Box'.
So I'll keep them safe, and take them with me when I go to University. And all the blank cassettes I can find.
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