e.g. mix 2010.03: Some Kind of Friend


This is an exception to the new longer mix guidelines. The mix was completed prior to the change, and I felt it shouldn't be padded after the fact. Thus the hour-long mix.

In many ways this mix is the sequel to e.g. mix 2009.11: In the Stones of Your Mind.

  1. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon from the album Imagine (1971). This track is a contender for favorite John Lennon song. I love the mix of plaintive and angry; it's classic Lennon.
  2. What Have I Done to Deserve This? by Pet Shop Boys from the album Actually (1987). The female vocalist is Dusty Springfield, and this hit single help revitalize her career. So that's nice.
  3. Faithful by Pearl Jam from the album Yield (1998). This might appear at first glance to be a song espousing religion, but it isn't. Instead, it advocates faith in one's fellow humans.
  4. Amazing Journey/Sparks by The Who from the album Tommy (1969). This track is pretty special to me.
  5. Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution from the album Purple Rain (1984). I remember not liking this when I was younger (as in, when it first came out) because it was too long and slow. As I've gotten older, it's really grown on me.
  6. Southbound Pachyderm by Primus from the album Tales from the Punchbowl (1996). When Primus gets moody and atmospheric, it's a strange and beautiful thing. I got to see them play this live; it was awesome.
  7. Under the Kou Tree by The Mermen from the album A Glorious Lethal Euphoria (1995). Ah, the trippy, mood-surf stylings of the Mermen. There isn't much like it in this world.
  8. Wicked Game by Chris Isaak from the album Heart Shaped World (1989). You want to talk about atmospheric. This song is practically palpable.
  9. Scoundrel Days by a-ha from the album Scoundrel Days (1986). Scoundrel Days was a-ha's second album, and featured an edgier, darker sound that rocked my young world. It's my favorite album of theirs.
  10. God Shuffled His Feet by Crash Test Dummies from the album God Shuffled His Feet (1993). It's amusing to me that a lot of people are too young to know what that rhythmic scratching sound at the beginning of this track is. I love the musicalization of mundane noises.
  11. Lovely Day by Bill Withers from the album Menagerie (1978). Here's a feel-good track from the late 70s. Bill Withers has an amazing voice. Don't miss at the end where he holds the note across two full verses.