Welcome to My Weekly Mixtape, a podcast that
takes the classic mixtape approach to building
a modern playlist. I'm your host, Brian Colburn.
This week, to celebrate the 100th episode of
My Weekly Mixtape, I'm continuing to create the
ultimate mixtape, where today I will reveal songs
21 through 40. So if you missed episode 100,
you might want to pause this one and go back
and listen to that first. So you can both A,
get an idea of what the hell I'm even talking
about when I say the ultimate mixtape and B,
to find out how the playlist got us to where
we are right now. You can't watch The Empire
Strikes Back without watching A New Hope or Star
Wars as I refer to it. But I digress. A lot of
this episode won't make sense unless you've already
heard episode 100. But hey, maybe you're someone
who likes to live on the edge and could care
less about continuity. So if that's the case,
party on, Wayne. But before we start diving into
the songs, if you like what you've heard on my
weekly mixtape across the last 100 episodes,
you can help me out by either telling a friend
about the show. leaving the show a five -star
review wherever you're tuning in, or becoming
a Patreon mixtaper at patreon .com forward slash
myweeklymixtape. There you can find ad -free
episodes of the show, gain early access to future
My Weekly Mixtape episodes, chime in on upcoming
topics, become a future guest, and so much more.
Once again, that's patreon .com forward slash
myweeklymixtape. Now, before we get started,
I'm going to spoil one song from Volume 1, the
song that was the cliffhanger that ended the
first of this trilogy of episodes. But first,
I'll remind everyone of the question that fuels
all of these 65 various answers. And that question
is, if you had to choose one song for the ultimate
mixtape, any song, any genre, that would be locked
away in a time capsule for others to discover,
Years or decades from now, which song would you
choose and why? Closing out side B of Volume
1 was the cult's She -Cell Sanctuary, as provided
by Robin Wilson of the Jim Blossoms. So the first
song of Volume 2 should, in theory, come out
of that song and at least make some musical sense.
And after scrolling through this list of songs
several times, I think I found... something that
works. And we're going to start with Ben Checkness
of the Too Vague podcast as he provides his pick
for the ultimate mixtape. Hello, Brian. Hello,
fellow mixtapers. This is Ben Checkness from
the Too Vague podcast. My pick for the ultimate
mixtape is Cat People by David Bowie with music
by Giorgio Morador. He made the music for this
song and the rest of the Cat People movie from
1982. David Bowie was brought on to bring the
lyrics, and it's a very haunting sort of song.
The reason I picked it for the Ultimate Mixtape
kind of has to do with the reason why I started
the podcast. Cat People was one of my father's
favorite movies. And one of the reasons why I
started my show was to share stories and my love
of video games, sort of in honor of my father.
So that is kind of the reason why I want to put
it in the Ultimate Mixtape. Plus, it's David
Bowie. I mean, you can't go wrong with anything
sung by David Bowie. He just has an amazing voice.
So that is sort of the reason it's honoring my
father. He's been gone for four years now. But
every time I do the show, I think about him and
he kind of is sort of an inspiration to continue
the show. Maybe a sad reason. It's really not
sad. I swear. Happy mixtaping. From 1982 soundtrack
to Cat People, the song reached number 67 on
the Billboard US Hot 100, number 13 in Canada,
number 15 in Australia and number 26 in the UK.
But even with all of that. It was a number one
hit in Finland, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden.
Ben has been a guest on two episodes of My Weekly
Mixtape, those being episode 31. the ultimate
eighties and some seventies new wave classics
playlist and episode 49, the ultimate billboard
number one hits of the eighties playlist. So
be sure to check those out. And if you're a gamer,
be sure to check out what Ben's doing over on
the two vague that's T W O vague podcast, by
the way, as I was a guest on his, wait for it.
Mixtape episode. That was an extremely fun discussion.
And I even got to get a little bit of my gamer
geek on in that one. So following up David Bowie's
Cat People, I'm actually going to move ahead
a couple of decades and bring in Leah from the
Struts Life podcast and her choice for the ultimate
mixtape. I have to choose. The Struts could have
been me for two reasons. Nice. I co -host their
show. And it's literally tattooed onto my body.
The song from the moment I heard it, it's just
kind of been an anthem of my life. Like, I don't
want to look back to anything that I maybe was
too scared to do or too intimidated to do and
say, hey, that could have been me. Why not try
it and see if it works out? And so that's just
how I aim to live my life. The first single from
their 2014 debut studio album, Everybody Wants.
The song hit number four on the US rock airplay
charts and number two on the Canada rock charts.
I actually discovered The Struts in 2015 when
their EP Have You Heard, which also features
Could Have Been Me, dropped in the US and started
making waves. And it was the 2016 re -release.
of Everybody Wants here in the U .S. that completely
solidified my fandom of this band. I had the
chance to finally see them live in 2024, and
really, no surprise here, this is the song they
close with. This is the song that put them on
the map, not only for me, but for many, many
others. And I think it's awesome what Lee is
doing over at The Struts Life, which is another
Pantheon Podcast Network podcast, I should mention.
Each week, she hosts a conversation with a different
Struts member on a wide array of topics. So if
you're a fan of the band, be sure to check out
what she's doing over there because it's great
stuff, including premiering new Struts music
in the podcast itself. So be sure to check that
out. And recently, Leah broke away from Struts
Talk for a couple hours. just to sit down with
me and help curate the ultimate 2024 country
playlist, which is episode 97. If you want to
check it out, because as a country fan myself,
I think we put together in my humble opinion,
an extremely fun yet eclectic representation
of what 2024 had to offer the country scene.
But with that, we've had some Bowie. We've had
some struts. So I think I'm going to keep this
rock vibe going, but I'm going to bring in a
little bit of this alternative slash indie pop
to the fold with this song choice from David
Rosen of Piecing It Together. Hmm. Damn, that
is a tough one. And there's so many. It's like,
where am I narrowing it down? So I'm going to
tell you my favorite thing One of my all -time
favorite songs that I feel like doesn't get enough
love, and I think that's the reason why I'm going
to pick it and make it my choice here. It's a
song called Gone Forever by the Ravenettes off
of their album In and Out of Control. I believe
that was 2009, I want to say. I forget the exact
year, but this song just... We talk about these
like vivid storytelling songs. It just paints
such a picture. It's got one of the best guitar
solos I've ever heard. And it's just got this
vibe that is just so damn cool. And, you know,
I don't know if you're a Ravenettes fan at all.
You know, they've had a few songs that kind of
broke through, but they never quite got as big
as I feel like they deserve to be. But this song,
I think, is just the best thing that they've
ever done. And sometimes I think of it as my
favorite song, even though I'm a big Cure guy,
a big Depeche Mode guy. I've got lots of other
interests that are my favorite songs. But this
one is kind of the one that I would want more
people to check out because I feel like they
don't get enough credit. And this song probably
hasn't been heard by as many people as it should
be. A promo -only single from their album In
and Out of Control. However, there was a video
made for the song, so it's still a single but
not officially released via the label. I think
David hit the nail on the head with the underrated
discussion part of the Ravenettes. Hell, just
by looking at the YouTube page for this video,
it's comment after comment about how criminally
underrated the band is, along with how brilliant
this song is. And I have to agree. David was
a guest on episode 81, the ultimate songs about
guitars playlist, which was an extremely fun
and varied musical discussion. We pulled out
so many different genres for that one. So be
sure to check that out and everything he's got
going on over at Piecing It Together. But in
order to keep this alternative rock pop indie
kind of vibe going. I think I'm going to have
to turn the mic over to Manny at the nostalgia
test to provide his song choice for the ultimate
mixtape. All right, I'm going to go with the
first thought I had. Mr. Brightside by The Killers.
I've seen these guys live several times and I've
seen them in big arenas, like Madison Square
Garden. And they are, if you've never seen them
live, what a rock, like that's like our generations
or like my generation is like. rock band. They
know how to entertain. Brandon Flowers is a fantastic
entertainer. I felt like I was in a room with
just him. I didn't feel like I was... They do
not get swallowed up by Madison Square Garden.
They swallow Madison Square Garden up. And I
just think they're one of the best performing
bands. And I hope that they're all going to be
performing. I want to see them like Aerosmith,
go that long. Or like, I'm seeing Brandon Flowers
when I'm 70 years old. From their 2000 debut
album, Hot Fuss, the song reached number 10 on
the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart,
number 5 on the Canada Rock Top 30, number 29
in Australia, and number 15 in New Zealand. Rolling
Stone ranked at number 48 in their list of the
100 best songs of the 2000s. Pitchfork Media
ranked at number 72 on their list of the top
500 tracks of the 2000s. And NME ranked at number
116 in their list of the 500 greatest songs of
all time. So wrap your mind around that one.
Manny and Dan were both awesome guests on episode
92, The Ultimate Nostalgia Playlist, which you
have to admit is a very fitting topic given the
name of their podcast. And looking down the list
of songs at where we're at in the playlist, since
I already know what Dan chose for his song as
I've been scrolling this list up and down as
we're going through this, I don't think it'd
be too far -fetched to say that you'll be hearing
his pick a little bit later this evening. Pretty
confident of that, so stay tuned. But next up,
I actually think I have something that's going
to both simultaneously bring us into the 80s,
but keep the killer's vibe going that Manny brought
to the table here, as Jamie DeTringo of The Seas
provides his song choice for the ultimate mixtape.
Wow. Without giving any thought, I'm going to
just go with right now, NXS, Don't Change. off
their first record i mean that song just gives
me so much happiness i feel that every time that
initial riff and synth parts i mean we keep on
talking about we soundtrack the ending song in
the eventual and sound uh movie which is fantastic
i just love in excess so much that album's a
banger of that track is is the best it just rules
From 1982's Shabu Shuba, the song reached number
17 on the Billboard U .S. Mainstream Rock Chart,
number 80 on the U .S. Hot 100, and number 14
in Australia. The song's been covered by a ton
of different groups, including Everclear, Face
to Face, The Goo Goo Dolls, Limp Bizkit, Yeah
I'm Serious, among many others. InXS actually
has, now that I think about it, several songs
in their catalog that would work really well.
for cover dive episodes of my weekly mixtape,
so gotta put a pin in that one. But after doing
an interview with Jamie for episode 58, the ultimate
Billboard number one hits of the 90s playlist,
and previewing some tracks from The C's debut
album, Conversations With My Future Self, I could
definitely hear the influence that Don't Change
has on The C's music, and it's definitely worth
checking out. But from here, I think I'm gonna
keep going with... What's now shifting towards
this 80s rock vibe as Matt Scannell of Vertical
Horizon provides his song choice for the ultimate
mixtape. I'm going to say Subdivisions by Rush.
I feel like it's one of the greatest lyrics ever
written. I feel like it's one of the greatest
drum performances of all time. I feel like the
music, the bed of music, the keyboards, the guitars,
it's perfect. It's a perfect song from start
to finish. And it's deeply, deeply, deeply meaningful.
So, growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts, and
I'm sure just like all around the country, certainly
at that time, I grew up in the 70s and the 80s.
And, you know, there were these clicks. In high
school, and I'm sure it exists today, and you
were either in or you were out. You were trying
to be cool, but you weren't cool. You lived in
the suburbs and you wanted to experience the
heat of the city, the chaos of the city. You
were drawn to it like a moth to the flame. And
it's a perfect song. And it should be on everybody's
mixtape forever. From their 1982 album, Signals,
the song reached number five on the Billboard
Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and number five
on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Classic
Rock magazine ranked the song number six on their
list of the 50 greatest Rush songs ever. And
Ultimate Classic Rock and Rolling Stone magazine
ranked the song both nine and 10 respectively
in their top 10 Rush song lists. Now, more importantly
than any of that, For the first time in this
Ultimate Mixtape experiment, we have a duplicate
band. Rush now becomes the first band to have
two songs in the fold, as Red Barchetta was brought
to the time capsule on Volume 1 by Steve from
Something for Nothing, a Rush fancast, and I'm
all but sure that he'll be happy to hear that
news. Now before I move on to the next song,
I should also add, if you're a fan of Vertical
Horizon, stick around for Volume 3 of the Ultimate
Mixtape, which drops later this week. as I have
a little bit of a tease for an upcoming episode
that I think you're going to be interested to
hear. So I'll just leave that there for now.
But moving on from Rush, I think I'm going to
slow it down a bit while still keeping the 80s
alive, at least in spirit, with this choice from
my good friend and former Toon Styles co -host,
Jay Sweet. Oh, well, don't save the hardest question
for last or anything. Good Lord. What? This should
be easy for you. It's one song. How hard could
it possibly be? Yeah, no, no pressure. The ultimate
mixtape and my contribution thereof, which will
either make me a hero, a musical hero, or it
will ridicule me and ostracize me worse than
Ang Lee's Hulk. No pressure. See, it's easy.
No pressure. Well, let's see. I could go with
some of my old standbys. If I could go with Journey.
or REO Speedwagon, maybe some Van Halen, but
I think those have probably been overly contributed.
All right, I have two I could go with. I could
go with either David Glenn Isley's Sweet Victory,
winner takes all, from the most famous by the
SpongeBob SquarePants episode, Band Geeks, or
I think I'm leaning more heavily towards the,
we could go completely wild side, if you will.
And I go with the Mark Wahlberg version of We
All Die Young, which was originally recorded
by Steelheart. And I believe was even on the
movie soundtrack was written and recorded by
Mike Matojevic. Is that what we're saying? Milanko?
Matojevic, yes. But he goes by Mike? Yeah. I
got to tell you, that guy's voice is insane.
And I have these stratospheric idols that I love
in music. The guys with the higher voices. like
Michael Sweet from Striper, also no relation.
These voices, if I had a tenth of their talent
right now, I would not be in Chicago, Illinois.
I just want to point out, Jay, that you do realize
that your friend Marky Mark, who did Wild Side,
that's not him singing, right? You do know that?
No. Lies. Lies. No, but like you said, that is
Mike Matejevic, and the version on the Rockstar
soundtrack is actually an all -star lineup. re
-recording the original that was done by Steelheart.
Yeah. It's Zach Wilde on guitar, Jason Bonham
on drums, and Jeff Pilsen on bass. That's crazy.
And the version on the Rockstar, of course, we're
referring to the Rockstar soundtrack of the movie
with Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston, and all
of the aforementioned band members there. The
original version was written by Matijevic for
his mother who was dying from cancer. So I have
a deep connection to that song as well. Because
we went through that same thing together. And
the version that, actually, that Steel Dragon
recorded was a lot heavier and a little bit more
up -tempo than the version on the Steelheart
album. Is it Tangled in Rains that that is from?
I don't remember. It's the opening track on Wait.
Of Wait. Yeah, that's the one. But that version
is a little bit more mellow and a little bit
less heavy, distorted Zach Wilde guitar. Yeah,
there's definitely less squeals in that version.
Well, there you go. That's my contribution. Rock
out. Because again, like we talked about right
early, early on, mixtapes to me, I associate
with driving with road trips. So I think that
that song, you know, because you also asked why
I would choose that song. I think that that song
really gets me in a mood to be able to drive
and not deal with people hanging out in the left
lane going 45 miles an hour. Originally recorded
by Steelheart as the opening song on their 1996
album, Wait, it was re -recorded by fictional
band Steel Dragon for the 2001 film Rockstar.
Featuring Steelheart vocalist Miljenko Manejevic
on lead vocals, Zach Wild of Ozzy Osbourne and
Black Label Society on lead guitar, Jeff Pilsen
of Dokken and Farner on bass, and Jason Bonham
on drums. So total super group for this movie.
Absolutely love the song pick and the sentiment
that Jay brings on his opinion of the song. I
also want to thank Jay for the three and a half
years that we did Tune Styles together. That
really got me scratching the itch for this. podcasting
thing, starting it back in 2017, having no idea
if anybody was going to listen, putting out over
80 episodes. And from the day we started to the
day the show ended, the show just constantly
grew and grew and then became Playlist Wars that
I did with Gomez and now onto my weekly mixtape,
where I'm fortunate enough to have both Jay and
Gomez coming on the show again and kind of keeping
that. circle of podcasts that i've been a part
of moving through our various shows jay you got
to get your ass on your own podcast too man we
got it we got to get you doing something as well
but that's for another conversation at another
time thank you so much for earning your board
shorts and being a guest on so many of the my
weekly mixtape episodes you can just go to my
weekly mixtape .com and search jay sweet to find
all the episodes he's done with us And over on
the Patreon website, I'm actually starting to
upload some of our older TuneStyles episodes
as bonus content over at Patreon .com forward
slash My Weekly Mixtape. So be sure to check
out some of the old stuff that unfortunately,
little did Jay and I know, you can't find anywhere
now. If you search TuneStyles, you're going to
find the episodes we've done here on My Weekly
Mixtape. But as soon as we ended the show's run.
All the original episodes disappeared, which
was a total shame because I really wish they
were all available online. But that's another
problem for another time. With that, I'm going
to slow it down some more and bring into the
fold Trevor Dale of Album Divers as he provides
his choice for the ultimate mixtape. All right.
That is a good question, Brian. Let's see. I'm
thinking, OK, I think what I want to do, because
I'm feeling like maybe I'm sending this out into
the universe. And kind of like the theme of our
episode here, this might be a song that wouldn't
be discovered otherwise. So I could very easily
put a huge hit. I could put a Beatles song on
there, something like that. But I feel like those
are going to get mentioned. Those songs are going
to get out there. So I feel like this is my chance
to throw something in that I want the world to
continue to have. So I'm going to put a Harvey
Danger song on this list, but it's not going
to be Flagpole Sitta. I'm going to put a song
called Little Round Mirrors on this playlist.
And the reason being, I won't get too deep into
it here, but Little Round Mirrors is kind of
a time capsule of an era because it represents
a CD. And so, the whole song is about kind of
getting lost in music. And the hole in the middle
is the part that can never be filled. And so,
it's about people like us, Brian, that are maybe
a little too into music. You see reflection.
But there's something missing in the middle.
I don't know if that's entirely true because
I think music fills that hole. But at the same
time, there are times when the rabbit hole takes
me a little too deep. Sean Nelson from Harvey
Danger puts that to words like nobody else can.
So I think that song has to be out there. I'm
putting it on the list. And I could say with
certainty that the void in the center for me
is always filled by either my family. Music or
my index finger is I'm switching CDs. So yeah,
it's always going to be there, man. One of the
two singles from their 2005 album, Little by
Little, the other being Cream and Bastard's Rise.
I'm kind of glad that Trevor went with Little
Round Mirrors as it works much better at this
point of the playlist. So a little selfish reason
there for myself. But Harvey Danger is one of
those bands that people think Flagpole said.
And that's it. But there's so much more to dig
into on their 2000 album, King James Version
and Little by Little. I think you'll be surprised
when you go down this really fun musical rabbit
hole. Now, Trevor was a guest on episode 82,
the ultimate 90s one hit wonders playlist. And
if you'd like to hear more from album divers,
be sure to check out their episode where they,
ahem, dive into Little by Little with Sean Nelson.
the lead singer of Harvey danger. That's an absolutely
excellent episode. And I'm looking forward to
doing a little bit more with Trevor down the
road. So stay tuned for that. But next, I think
I'm going to keep this vibe going as Dan from
the nostalgia test. Remember I mentioned that
he'd be in this episode a little earlier. Well,
here he is providing his song choice for the
ultimate mixtape. Oh my God. All right. I'm just
going to go with my first instinct because it's
happening right now. I am like super happy and
hopeful because of the Oasis reunion. And I'm
hoping that it comes to the U .S. I'm putting
in there a song that I absolutely love. And it's
Cast No Shadow by Oasis off their What's the
Story of Morning Glory album. Cast No Shadow
is quite possibly one of their best songs. And
I love Oasis. And I'm hoping that they make it
through this reunion, make it to the U .S. Well,
as of this recording, there are U .S. dates scheduled,
but whether the band makes the shows or not remains
to be seen. However, an album cut from 1995's
What's the Story, Morning Glory, I think it's
kind of cool that the last two cuts have been
almost deeper picks. And in the case of Oasis
here, an album cut versus one of their bigger
hits like Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, or
Don't Look Back in Anger. So being we're going
with deeper cuts and we're in this kind of slower
vibe here, I know exactly how we're going to
close out Side A. And I'm going to bring in Kevin
Brown of the Tom Petty Project to provide his
song choice for the Ultimate Mixtape. Now, does
Tom Petty become the second twofer of the Ultimate
Mixtape? Let's find out. Oh, my God. Wow. That's
a hell of a question. You know what? I will stick
on brand. I will go with Petty. I'm going to
go crawling back to you. I think that if I want
to give someone petty at his height, at the height
of his songwriting prowess, a band that could
play a song in a million different ways and were
never done with it, they were always kind of
still building that song and still finding small
ways to perfect it or change it or improve it.
And something that's probably gonna be a little
bit different because I'm sure if you're talking
to different people for this collection, you're
gonna get a lot of big hitting singles. I think
that I'd like to have Crawling Back to You represent
Tom Petty at a specific point in his life. The
penultimate track on 1994's Tom Petty solo album,
Wildflowers. When it comes to lyrics, the lines,
I'm so tired of being tired. Sure as night will
follow day. Most things I worry about never happen
anyway. Man, those lyrics really hit home for
me. Tom had such a way of making what he sang
versatile enough that you could truly interpret
it in so many different ways. And that's something
I absolutely adore about his music and have for
decades on end. Kevin was an incredible guest
on episode 95, The Ultimate Tom Petty Playlist.
And in that episode, we cover all things Tom
Petty from The Heartbreakers to Mud Crutch. to
the traveling Wilburys, to his guesswork, and
his solo albums. So if you're a Petty fan, I
highly recommend you check out that episode,
as well as everything that Kevin's doing over
at the Tom Petty Project. I'm pretty sure it's
safe to say there'll be a volume two for Tom
Petty coming down the My Weekly Mixtape road.
Or should I say volume three is a wink, wink,
nudge, nudge to all the hardcore Tom Petty fans
out there that might get that reference. But
I digress. because we only scratched the surface
on Volume 1. But with that, Tom Petty becomes
the second twofer on the Ultimate Mixtape, and
that closes out Side A of the Ultimate Mixtape
Volume 2, which consists of David Bowie, Cat
People, Putting Out Fire, provided by Ben Checkness
of the Too Vague Podcast, The Struts Could Have
Been Me, provided by Leah Jones of The Struts
Life, The Ravenettes, Gone Forever, provided
by David Rosen of Piecing It Together. The Killers,
Mr. Brightside, provided by Manny from the Nostalgia
Test. In Excess, Don't Change, provided by Jamie
DeTringo of The Seas. Rush Subdivisions, provided
by Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon. Steel Dragons,
We All Die Young, provided by Jay Sweet of Toon
Styles. Harvey Danger's Little Round Mirrors,
provided by Trevor Dale of Album Divers. Oasis
Cast No Shadow provided by Dan from the Nostalgia
Test, and Tom Petty's Crawling Back to You provided
by Kevin Brown of the Tom Petty Project. Head
over to MyWeeklyMixtape .com to hear all the
songs we've discussed in this mix through the
playlist embedded on the episode page. All right,
now we're ready to dive into Side B for Volume
2 of the Ultimate Mixtape. And to kick things
off, I need to come up with a song. That properly
comes out of my favorite artist of all time.
Now that could easily be a pivot point for me
to just go into some selfish fashion, but I'm
doing this for everybody here. This is. all of
our mixtape. So I am thinking strictly musical
here. And now the last song on Side A was Tom
Petty's Crawling Back to You. So I think the
perfect song to come out of that with was chosen
by Maurice Brzezinski of the Love That Album
podcast. So let's hear his choice for the ultimate
mixtape. Hey Brian, if I had to choose one song
for the ultimate mixtape, it would be Wrapped
in Grey by XTC. I'd come up with several possibilities,
but Wrapped in Grey just won't leave my head.
Most non -XTC fanatics may think of them as the
band with great angular sounding pop songs of
their early days, or for Dear God, or for the
sublime Mare of Simpleton. Andy Partridge and
Colin Moulding were songwriters of the highest
caliber, but a great song doesn't work alone
on paper. It has to have have a great arrangement
played by sympathetic musicians. And no matter
what they did, XTC always had well -thought -out
arrangements to lift their songs. Like the Beatles,
who they're often compared with, they were never
going to repeat themselves. So early hits like
Science Friction evolved to Making Plans for
Nigel, evolved to Grass. They started out as
part of the late 70s British New Wave movement,
but like many other bands of their era, didn't
want to be constricted to any one thing. By the
early 90s, they released the magnificent Nonsuch
album, which found their songs and arrangements
at their most sophisticated, yet never sounding
inaccessible. Wrapped in Grey is the pinnacle
on that faultless album, to my ears anyway. Musically,
Andy Partridge is trying to evoke the Beach Boys.
The chord progressions sound deceptively simple,
but are very cleverly crafted. There's melodies
and falsetto counter melodies that make the hairs
on the back of my arms stand up. There's tasteful
string arrangements and I am - the word tasteful.
It's never saccharine string arrangements. The
song is a masterclass in dynamics with the verses
being reserved and melancholy then swelling up
appropriately to joy. Andy has always been a
clever lyricist but this song is written with
the heart more than with the head. The central
message is there are people in the world who
would drag us down into a pit of misery. Don't
let them. Thematically it sounds like it could
be twee and written by anyone but Andy Partridge
has written a song that truly celebrates who
we can be if we want to. The metaphor of the
misery pedal is only using a palette of shades
of grey. Are there 50 of them? Don't know. Those
of us who want joy have a wider range of colours
to use. In this often dark world, I try to make
this song's declaration my mantra. Don't let
the loveless ones sell you a world wrapped in
grey. It is with that sense of positivity that
I wanted to add this song to the ultimate mixtape.
From 1992's Nonsuch, the song was initially slated
to be the album's third single, but Virgin Records
for some reason withdrew the initial pressings
and it actually caused XTC to go on strike against
Virgin until their contracts were terminated.
So I'm not going to lie. XTC is a band that I
really need to take a moment and dive deep into.
I've heard so many great things about them over
the years, especially what Morris was just talking
about there. But they've kind of been a blind
spot for me over the years. So thank you, Morris.
With your pick, I'm going to remedy that in 2025.
And also Morris's show, Love That Album Podcast
is also available on the Pantheon Podcast Network.
So be sure to check out what he's got going on
over there. Looking forward to having him on
the show at some point this year. We just need
to work out the whole, you know, halfway across
the world time issues first. But it's definitely
going to happen. But next up, I'm going to keep
this almost 80s pop slash synth vibe going with
this song choice from friend of the show, Amy
Spear. For this time capsule, I've gone with
my favorite artist of all time, Phil Collins.
I decided to pick a song from his solo career.
So instead of going with the expected in the
air tonight, I've decided to go with Take Me
Home, a favorite of Phil's to sing live. And
this song, I feel, is perfect for the capsule.
I know that the song's lyrics are inspired by
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I think
for listeners, it carries a sense of longing.
Whether it's for home or just something familiar,
it's something most of us can connect with. It's
also such a really well -crafted song. The instrumentals
to Phil's powerful vocals and even backup vocals
from Peter Gabriel and Sting. I mean, seriously,
what's not to like? I can't help but belt out
the chorus whenever this song comes on. So there
it is, my choice for the capsule. Phil Collins,
Take Me Home. The closing track to 1985's No
Jacket Required, the song reached number seven
on the U .S. Billboard Hot 100, number two on
the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart, number
64 in Australia, number 19 in the U .K., and
number 13 in Ireland. I'm so glad that Amy mentioned
Peter Gabriel and Sting on those backing vocals
because that's one of the first things I think
of when I hear this song. It's such a unique
sound, marrying their three voices together in
this kind of Genesis meets the police musical
connection. And if you're a country fan, in 2024,
there was a cover of Take Me Home performed together
by Little Big Town and Sugarland. That's, I think,
really worth checking out. As in a fun coincidence,
you get to hear Little Big Town and Sugarland
harmonize and be the as far as I'm concerned,
main sticking point of the song, just like Peter
Gabriel and Sting were singing background vocals
in Phil Collins' original. And I also want to
thank Amy for the song choice, but more importantly,
being such an incredible person in both my and
my entire family's life. We love you and thank
you for chiming in with your pick. And all right,
we have this slow vibe going now, and there's
kind of this... Strong and heartfelt message
getting woven through. So I think this will flow
nicely into this next tune that John Laurie of
Tantric and Smile Empty Soul provided as his
pick for the ultimate mixtape. The ultimate mixtape
of all time. Is that what we're saying? All time.
All genres. All songs. No pressure. No, no. No.
Okay. All right. This is going to get deep, but
this song is my all -time favorite song. I think
it's a song that everybody should listen to,
and I think it's a song that if you're just by
yourself and you need a little bit of comfort,
this song is perfect for that. It's I Won't Let
You Go by Switchfoot. It's a song about unconditional
love. It's beautiful lyricism. That's my favorite
song of all time. That's what I would throw in
the ring if it was ultimate playlist of all time.
An album cut from 2016's Where the Light Shines
Through. I really love the fact that we're getting
songs from bands that are more or less household
names, but they're not always the song you would
immediately think of. This is a beautiful tune,
and it actually shocks me that it wasn't released
as a single. Between the string section and the
falsetto vocals, I could totally hear this being
a pop radio ballad in 2016. But I guess this
will just have to make up for it, as it is now
officially in the My Weekly Mixtape Ultimate
Mixtape time capsule instead. Kind of wonder
if that's worth reaching out and throwing on
their Wikipedia page, because that... Kind of
seems like a big deal, doesn't it? I think so.
Anyway, John's been keeping insanely busy in
2024, hitting the skins for Tantric, and he's
doing the same for Smile Empty Soul as well.
So if you see either of the bands in your area,
be sure to check out their sets and say hi to
John while you're there. John's been a guest
several times over the last 100 episodes of My
Weekly Mixtape. So just head to myweeklymixtape
.com and search John Lurie. That's J -O -N Lurie
to hear all the stuff he's done on the show.
You're not going to be disappointed. But moving
on, I think we're going to keep this chill quasi
mellow vibe going. I don't think we're ready
to pick it up just yet. Because next up, Jim
Santora, author of the underrated rock book,
provides his choice. for the ultimate mixtape.
Brian, if I had to choose a song for the ultimate
mixtape, and it may surprise some people, it's
going to be If You Leave Me Now by the band Chicago.
And the reason being, and just keep a short story
here, so my brother and I used to play some baseball
in the backyard, and my parents had an 8 -track
boombox, like a one -speaker boombox, and we
used to carry it out, and there were two 8 -tracks
we always broke out, Elton John's Greatest Hits
and Chicago 10. Now, mind you, I'm probably about
9, 10 years old at this time. It's 1977, something
like that. This song comes on when I hear it,
everything stops. It's just such a great song.
Peter Cetera's lyrics, you know, his vocal quality
is just amazing. I think he's one of the best
singers that I've ever listened to in my time.
And the song is a classic and it's timeless.
And if we're looking at putting any kind of song
into a mixtape and putting it in a time capsule,
in my opinion, That is my choice. So once again,
it is Chicago. And if you leave me now. Reach
number one on the Billboard US Hot 100 and also
claim the top slot in Canada, Australia, the
UK. Ireland, the Netherlands, and South Africa.
As far as cover versions go, Boyz II Men lend
their unmistakable harmonies to their rendition
that was featured on the 2009 album Love. And
Jim has been a friend of the show over the years.
We've talked music all the way back on Tune Styles,
Playlist Wars, and now on My Weekly Mixtape as
he was a guest. all the way back at the show's
origin, episode two, the ultimate 80s hard rock
playlist. But fear not, Jim and I are working
on a new episode as we speak, so be on the lookout
for that one. And if you're a fan of music books,
be sure to check out both the Underrated Rock
Book and the Underrated Rock Book 2. I've read
both of them, and they're a great way to dive
into a lot of bands and albums that... May have
and probably have fallen off your radar, but
most certainly shouldn't have. All right, so
now we've got this slow, mellow vibe going. And
since I just mentioned Boyz II Men, now I've
got this R &B and kind of blues vibe in my mind.
And also, since Jim was just on, I have underrated
swirling around in my mind. So I think what I'm
going to do for my next song choice is check
off. Both of those boxes, that R &B blues vibe
and underrated. So with that, here's ZZ Ward's
choice for the ultimate mixtape. Gosh. That is
such a good question. I'm just trying to think
of all the songs. Maybe Nina Simone, Be My Husband.
I would throw that song in there. That song is
like. So incredible and like such a different
piece of music, you know, I mean, the way that
I heard her play it was like drums and her singing.
And the one thing about Nina Simone that I literally
just was listening to her yesterday and thinking,
I don't know how many singers I've heard saying
that literally are talking to me about what they're
going through when they're singing to me. She
doesn't just. sing the song, she's telling you
her struggle and she's telling you her pain.
It's incredible. I mean, there's no one like
Nina Simone. So I would say that I would say
be my husband, Nina Simone. The opening track
on her 1965 album, Pastel Blues. In 2008, Coke
Machine Glow included it on the 30 other albums
of the 1960s list. In 2012, Alicia Keys included
it on her personal 25 favorite albums list. And
in 2017, Pitchfork placed at number 21 on the
200 best albums of the 1960s list. Now be sure
to check out ZZ Ward's latest EP, Mother, because
musically it's friggin' awesome. But you can
also check out the album dive episode of My Weekly
Mixtape, where ZZ joined me to talk about the
stories behind all of the songs across the entire
EP, including some new Sun Records versions of
her hits from her 2012 debut, Till the casket
drops, you really don't want to miss this one.
If you haven't heard ZZ Ward, remedy that because
you will be hearing her in 2025 for sure. Now,
with that said, we have been on a bit of a mellow
streak, and I think now I have the perfect song
to ease us out of that and bring us into something
a little bit more upbeat, especially given this
song's intro as it starts off slow and kind of...
takes you there. So with that, here's Elite Sound
Entertainment's Doug Miller with his choice for
the ultimate mixtape. Wow. Good questions. Okay.
You know what? I'm not going to overthink it.
I'm going to take something that's close to my
heart. It kind of encompasses a lot of the songs
that we've gone over through all the episodes
that we've done together. So this is a one -hit
wonder. This is a cover song. This is a song
that's a smash in the genre that it's in. So
I'm going to give you the song that I think just
blows me away every time I hear it. I'm going
to go with Thelma Houston, Don't Leave Me This
Way. Oh. She is a disco queen. I have her right
underneath Donna Summer. But this song was originally
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. She did this
her own way. Don't quote me, but I believe that
she wasn't really being backed by the label and
stuff when they did this. And I'm pretty sure
she was like, I'm going to do this anyway because
I'm telling you, this is a smash. And kind of
forged her own way. And just, man, the pipes
on that woman when she's hitting those high notes
and just the emotion in that song. It's a great
song. I know it's a disco song, but it plays.
All times, all days, all parties. Gets everybody
going. It's got a ton of heart and soul in it.
And yeah, I think that that's something that
anybody from any genre can appreciate. So I throw
it on there. See what people think. The song
reached number one on the Billboard US Hot 100,
as well as in Belgium and South Africa. The song
also reached number four in Canada, the Netherlands,
and Sweden, number six in Australia, and number
13 in the UK. And as Doug mentioned, it was a
cover. So if you haven't heard Harold Melvin
in the Blue Notes version, don't sleep on that
one either. They're both killer tracks. Now,
if you're looking for a DJ in the New York, New
Jersey area, make sure to check out Doug at Elite
Sound as he's a consummate professional. I've
known him for decades, and he really knows how
to read the room he's in to make sure everyone
at the party's having a great time, no matter
what age group you're dealing with. He was a
guest on the very popular episode 69, the ultimate
90s club and dance hits playlist. So if you want
to hear a little bit more about where Doug is
coming from. With his club and dance mindset,
check out that episode. I promise you won't be
disappointed. But now that we've got people up
and dancing and probably feeling good after that
one, let's keep that groove going with Jesse
Dayton's choice for the ultimate mixtape. It
could be any song? Any song, any genre. I'm not
sure, Ben. I think it might be I'll Take You
There by the Staples Singers. Ooh. The reason
why is that's basically a gospel song, but it's
also a rhythm and blues song. And it's got the
South in it, and Pops is playing these cool little
funky parts. And it's interracial. Like, if you've
ever seen the documentary about the Swampers,
it's amazing, that whole documentary. about like
that was an interracial band it was like one
of the first interracial bands the bass player's
a white guy and uh boom boom boom boom boom boom
all that stuff so i think it might be i'll take
you there because that's kind of for me the best
of what america had to offer and i think people
heard that song whether they were into heavy
rock guitar or rhythm and blues or whatever i
think I think they would feel something no matter
who they were. The song reached number one on
the U .S. Billboard Hot 100, number 21 in Canada,
number 30 in the U .K., and number seven in South
Africa. Cover songs once again. In 1991, Bebe
and CeCe Winans, featuring Mavis Staples, took
their version of the song to number one on the
U .S. R &B chart and number 90 on the Billboard
U .S. Hot 100. Then, a few years later, in 94,
General Public released another cover of the
song. This was from the movie Threesome, and
that hit number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and
number 38 in Canada. And finally, while not charting,
Sammy Hagar and the Wobberitas covered it on
their Livin' It Up album. I actually really like
that version as well. Jesse is such an amazingly
talented musician. He was my guest for episode
70, the ultimate guitar solos playlist. And if
you want to hear someone who takes guitar solo
talk seriously and goes with all different genres
and musical mindsets. This is the episode for
you. There's a little bit of something for every
music fan in this discussion. And Jesse truly
is. While an incredibly gifted musician, he's
also an incredibly passionate fan. And it comes
out in that episode. But now look, we're up and
still moving at this point. So we're going to
keep the party going. But I'm going to slow it
down and go with something a little bit smoother.
With Sherry Thomas of the Aquarians pick. Wow,
that's a difficult question. And I'd have 800
songs that I would put into that category. But
there can only be one for me. And that would
be Prince and Money Don't Matter Tonight. Prince
is my all -time favorite artist. And that song
is... Everything to me, the context, the structure,
everything. It's perfect to me. From 1991's Diamonds
and Pearls, the song reached number 23 on the
Billboard US Hot 100, number 19 in Canada and
the UK, number 18 in Australia and number seven
in the Netherlands. Now, remember, this was the
fifth of seven singles from Diamonds and Pearls.
I know everyone talks about Purple Rain as a
popular Prince album, but you kind of can't forget
this monster as well. I know it's two different
eras for Prince, but both were just massive in
completely different ways. Now, going back to
Sherry, she is such a wonderful, delightful human
being, a hell of a writer over at The Aquarian.
I've been a fan of that magazine for decades.
pretty much my Bible back in high school and
college, as they truly had their finger on the
pulse of where all the great live shows were
taking place, whether it was Club Binet, Birch
Hill Nightclub, Stone Pony, or if I was taking
myself into the city, into the village, they
knew where everything was happening. They always
did great interviews and had great features.
And it makes me so happy to see them still going
strong to this day. Sherry was a guest on episode
80, the ultimate songs about the radio playlist.
And I can't wait to have her back on the show
again sometime in 2025. All right, I'm going
to keep this upbeat vibe going. But like I said,
the Prince song's smoother. So we're going to
bring it back up a little bit here because this
is kind of a musical roller coaster we're going
on right now. And I'm digging this because we're
picking it up and we're bringing it down, but
it's not too jarring. It's kind of a smooth roller
coaster. But now we're going to keep that vibe
going with Patreon mixtaper Chad LaMassa as he
provides his pick for the ultimate mixtape. All
right, so. I've been struggling with this ever
since you posted this on the Patreon thing. And
I've gone back and forth with a whole bunch of
songs. And the other day, I just kind of, I looked
down at my arm and saw my Beastie Boys lyric
tattoo and said, it's got to be Professor Booty
because the only thing that has saved me has
always been music. Nice. And that's tattooed
on my arm. And I feel like that's just such a
very true thing for me. So I felt like that had
to be the one. An album track, and a killer one
at that, from the Beastie's seminal 1992 album,
Check Your Head. This is such an important album
to me, especially coming out of Paul's Boutique,
which was all the way back in 1989. This was
the Beastie Boys showing their versatility and
their ability to adapt to a vastly changing music
scene. Think about it. In 1989, hair bands were
all the rage, and by 92, it was all grunge and
alternative. Yet the Beasties were able to stay
true to their sound and true to their vibe and
ride the wave of the changing musical landscape
with ease. And that's something that I've always
appreciated and admired about the Beastie Boys
music. And I also appreciate Chad, who is a huge
part of the Patreon mixtaper community. So I'd
like to thank him so much for being a part of
that. And if anyone listening wants to join those
conversations, you could do so at patreon .com
forward slash myweeklymixtape. But here we go
for the last song for the Ultimate Mixtape, Volume
2, Side B. And like I said before, this has kind
of been a roller coaster. We've had some slower
tunes. We had some dance. We had some hip hop.
And I feel like we have to kind of level off
this ride. And there's only one person that can
do that. And that is Gomez from Playlist Wars.
And now the Sleevy G Show, as he provides his
choice for the ultimate mixtape. Let me tell
you something. That's a hard question, Brian.
Really hard question. You really had to put me
on the spot today, didn't you? There's a few
songs for me. I will say that. A couple of them
that do resonate. If I had to choose one, it's
hard because it's Tom Petty's Into the Great
Wide Open and Linkin Park's In the End. Two resonate
me in my life, and it means a lot to me, but
I got to go with Linkin Park, In the End. At
one point... I just felt like there's things
that just did not resonate with my life a little
bit. And that song really probably pulled myself
because in the end, it doesn't really matter.
That's one of the best things that, you know,
Chester and Mike and that whole band said it,
you know what I mean? And that was something
that meant a lot to me because at one point I
felt like I was lost. And at the end of the day,
it really didn't matter because if I survived
the day, I did it right. So I feel like that
might help somebody out one day. From 2000's
Hybrid Theory, the song reached number two on
the US Billboard Hot 100, number four in Germany,
Switzerland, Australia, and Canada, number three
in Sweden, and number one on the UK rock and
metal charts. I got to see Linkin Park in December
of 2000 at the Birch Hill Nightclub. This was
a small venue that's sadly no longer around in
central New Jersey. And a year later, I got to
see them at the PNC Bank Arts Center and Continental
Airlines Arena as part of Ozzfest, and it was
the Family Values Tour. But there, they were
support acts. Again, arenas, though. Two years
later, in 2003, they were still a support act,
only this time at the stadium level, opening
for Metallica. And then in 2004, I got to see
them back at the amphitheater level, only this
time headlining a festival featuring Korn, Snoop
Dogg, Less Than Jake, and The Used. And they
also had some guy named Jay -Z come out during
their set to play some of their mashups at the
time. I've always been a fan of Linkin Park,
and I love the fact that I was able to really
see this band rise from the clubs to the arenas
and amphitheaters all the way up to the stadiums
and such. A short period of time, if you think
about it. It was only a two or three year period.
Now, I will say, I really like what Emily Armstrong
of Dead Sarah is bringing to the table now in
2024. So far, From Zero seems to, for me at least,
mark a new era for the band while paying respect
to those years and to Hybrid Theory and Meteor
and all the stuff that Chester did. I hope the
band can build momentum again because... I am
sure that everyone listening to this that is
a Linkin Park fan still misses Chester, but that's
unfortunately not possible. And I hope that this
new era of the band is able to bring something
that satisfies fans of the old and the new. Now,
as far as Gomez goes, like I mentioned before
with Jay Sweet, I'm extremely thankful for the
time that we put into our podcast. A year and
a half. built into Playlist Wars, and we had
such a great time doing that show week in and
week out. I do miss it, but with that being said,
I am also super stoked to see all the great things
he's got going on over at the Sleevy G Show.
For those listening, Gomez hit his 100th episode
a few weeks back, and he had on C .J. Pierce
of Drowning Pool, so be sure to check that interview
out. Gomez was a guest over here on My Weekly
Mixtape on episode 18. the Ultimate 80s Movie
Soundtracks playlist, and he'll be back on very
soon for another 80s -themed episode that I think
everyone's going to really, really dig. But there
you have it, folks. Side B of Volume 2 of The
Ultimate Mixtape, which consists of Ecstasy's
Wrapped in Gray, provided by Morris Brzezinski
of the Love That Album podcast, Phil Collins'
Take Me Home, provided by friends of the show,
Amy Spear, Switchfoots' I Won't Let You Go, provided
by John Laurie of Tantric and Smile Empty Soul.
Chicago's If You Leave Me Now, provided by Jim
Santora, author of the underrated rock book and
the underrated rock book too. Nina Simone's Be
My Husband, provided by ZZ Ward. Thelma Houston's
Don't Lead Me This Way, provided by Doug Miller
of Elite Sound Entertainment. Staple Singers'
I'll Take You There, provided by Jesse Dayton.
Prince's Money Don't Matter Tonight, provided
by Sherry Thomas of The Aquarian Magazine. Beastie
Boys' Professor Booty, provided by Patreon mixtaper
Chad LaMassa. And Linkin Park's In The End, provided
by Alex Gomez, who you remember from Playlist
Wars, but now of The Sleavy G Show. Head over
to MyWeeklyMixtape .com to hear all the songs
we've discussed in this mix through the playlist
embedded on the episode page. Now, coming up
in Volume 3, or Songs 41 through 65, if you're
listening to this as a single playlist, we've
got Guy Fletcher from Dire Straits, Joe Bonamassa,
Desmond Child, Walter Trout, Todd Parkmore from
Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Billy Sheehan
from Mr. Big, Emily Wolfe, Jax Hollow, and plenty
of other past guests, friends of the show, and
of course... the incredible Patreon mixtapers.
If you have a song that you think should have
been added to the Ultimate Mixtape, I'd love
to hear from you, so feel free to reach out to
me at myweeklymixtape at gmail .com or visit
me on social media where you can find the show
on almost all the social media haunts at myweeklymixtape.
You can also head to myweeklymixtape .com to
check out the full catalog of My Weekly Mixtape
episodes. And finally, if you like what you're
hearing on the show, you can help me out by either
telling a friend, leaving the show a five -star
review wherever you're tuning in, or becoming
a Patreon mixtaper at patreon .com forward slash
myweeklymixtape. There you can find ad -free
episodes of the show, gain early access to future
My Weekly Mixtape episodes, chime in on upcoming
topics, become a future guest, and so much more.
Now, here's where I'd normally say that's all
for this week. But once again, it's not because
volume three is coming your way in just a few
short days. So I'll close this episode once again
by simply saying thank you all for listening.
And until next time, enjoy the tunes.