Review of Alan's Mix

Alan called this mix "kind of retro" and indeed, it took me back in time!

1. Surfin' Bird by The Trashmen

I hadn't heard this one in ages. When I was a kid, I hated it - it was an ugly audio cartoon to me and I just didn't get it. Listening to it again now, well, it hasn't gotten prettier with time, but it's funnier, and it impressed me a bit that someone had the imagination to record it. I thought I'd be skipping over it, but I kept letting the track play, and though it's not a favorite, it's kind of fun.

2. Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top

Ooooh, I love ZZ Top and this song is one of my favorites! Thanks! I love their blues-infused rock, or is it the other way around?

3. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2

I'm sure I liked this song well enough when it first came out, but sadly, for me, the joy was killed by way too much radio play. And I still couldn't muster much of a reaction. I never bought any of their albums and this is really all I know about their sound.

4. Industrial Disease by Dire Straits

A fun one from Dire Straits that I hadn't heard before. I like their sound which always reminded me of a more laidback ZZ Top. This song has the humor and political message I associate with the band. I like everything the keyboards are doing in this song!

5. Stainsby Girls by Chris Rea

This one really grew on me after a few repetitions. His voice seemed familiar, but when I looked him up, I only recognized the really old one, "Fool If You Think It's Over," which I wouldn't have associated with this one. Stainsby Girls is a sweet song, his raspy voice full of tenderness for not just a girl but a hometown, it sounds like.

6 & 7. Home By The Sea & Second Home By Sea

I had this album. The yellow and brown cover had images of pieces of a shape sorter game that I'd had as a kid. I think Genesis still had their edge on this one, though it was watered down in subsequent albums, I guess where Phil Collins became more dominant. The lyrics are interesting and disturbing, and I remember when "going to my room and listening to records" was a thing I did, like reading a book is now, and I would immerse myself in that particular story. . . Good song(s), good memory.

8. Jack and Diane by John Mellencamp

Or was he still John Cougar in those days? This is a good representation of what he was best at, singing the life of white, midwestern American kids. I think I like it more now, looking back on it, than I did when it first came out. This is another one that got too much airplay for me.

9. To Her Door by Paul Kelly

I fell in love with this one once I really paid attention to the words. I love a good story song, and this is lovely.

10. Africa by Toto

Awww, I LOVE this one. I had the album on cassette way back when. I love everything about this song - the melody, the instrumentation, the awesome flute line that comes in halfway through, the lyrics . . . it's getting hard to type while dancing around the living room.

11. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? by Moby

This one tells me I have to hear more of Moby. I clearly have not paid enough attention to him up to know.

12. Take On Me by A-ha

It's funny, I remember this one well from the eighties, and it was never a favorite, never one I paid much attention to. But every time it came around on your mix, I found myself singing along happily. An old acquaintance turned into an old friend.

13. Ironic by Alanis Morisette

Never cared much for this one during the month that it was on the radio every five minutes, but I did pay attention to the lyrics this time around. And joined the argument: wait, that's not what ironic means! Or is it? But I didn't really care for the song as a whole, sorry.

14. I Will Wait by Hootie and the Blowfish

This is a fun one. I'd never listened to Hootie and the Blowfish before, so this totally new to me. It's definitely catchy, and a feel-good song. "Rising out of the ashes of Grunge" said the internet, which amused me.

15. Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai

I like music, all kinds. I would call myself open-minded that way. And most music, I can meet halfway, you know - go to where that music is and get into it. And then sometimes there's music that comes to me and by the time I start listening, it's already inside. And that's where this song is. I can't even say I feel that way about most r&b or funk or jazz or whatever you would call this one. But this song and this sound really works for me. I'd never heard Jamiroquai before, so a huge thank you for this one.

16. Search for the Hero by M People

Another new one. I like the singer's voice and the jazzy percussion. I would definitely like to hear more of this group. When I first heard the song, I thought, it must be on the soundtrack of one of the Lion King movies! But no.

17. The Show Goes On by Bruce Hornsby & The Range

I like Bruce Hornsby well enough, but he just doesn't excite me. The few songs of his I know sound very much alike, and this one was hard to listen to just because I kept expecting it to turn into to something else, maybe "End of the Innocence". It's not a bad sound - I couldn't dislike it. But not a favorite.


Overall, a very enjoyable mix. A slightly higher ratio of known to unknown songs than usual, but it was fun to revisit some memories. And also a couple of discoveries I'm really psyched about. Thanks a lot, Alan.