Episode 58 - Christmas Part 2
While part 1 learned more towards punk and original Christmas songs, this playlist focuses more on the classic standards that I grew up with, with one exception; Tom Petty. I originally had Tom Petty on the part 1 list, but it didn't jive with me for some reason on that one, so I added it here.
What's really interesting is that on YouTube, the song on this playlist with the most views is "Feliz Navidad" followed by Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby". Now before anyone goes "how is Christmas in Hollis" a classic Christmas song, remember, the song is just shy of being 40 years old at this point. If things are considered "vintage" after 20 years, then this should be considered a classic.
Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Box - Bing Crosby and David Bowie
I'll Be Home for Christmas - Frank Sinatra
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Bruce Springsteen
The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) - Nat King Cole
O Tannenbaum - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lennon
Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Feliz Navidad - José Feliciano
Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
Episode 57 - Christmas Part 1
Part 1 because I will do at least a single follow up but part of me is feeling like I may do one a week. We'll see.
I do love most Christmas songs (I'll admit I could do with a little less Ms. Carey though). After I put this together, I listened to it to see how it fit and I did end up swapping out a Tom Petty song for The Waitresses as Petty wasn't really cutting it.
Also, it wasn't on purpose, but four of these songs have a NYC/Boston connection, so it did hit the homesick nerve a bit and the first two are my personal favorites. I do want to see more original rock/ska/punk Christmas songs get released.
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl
X'Mas Time (It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It) - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) - The Ramones
Oi To The World - No Doubt
Groovy Xmas - The Linda Lindas
The Season's Upon Us - Dropkick Murphys
I Won't Be Home For Christmas - blink-182
Don't Shoot Me Santa - The Killers
A Christmas Duel - The Hives & Cyndi Lauper
Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
Episode 56
This playlist stems from a recent Uber ride in Orlando. Our driver was a white woman, probably in her early 20s and she was listening to some deep cut and classic Soul music. It reminded me of an a joke during a Kids in the Hall tour in the late 90s/early 2000s that went along the lines of "why is it that if you want to see a lot of white people together, you go to a blues club".
This playlist is a mix of classic Soul songs along with newer artists who I'm not sure is getting the attention they deserve.
On and On - Curtis Harding
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Love & Hate - Michael Kiwanuka
Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler) - Marvin Gaye
Birds - Dominique Fils-Aimé
You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls
Staring at the Sun - TV on the Radio
Like a Woman - Lady Blackbird
Been Here Before - Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram
Stay Away - Charles Bradley
Episode 55 - Soundscapes
Something a little different this time, mainly instrumentals/minimal vocals. Also, this playlist is best experienced in good quality headphones.I was originally going to do a classical music playlist, but I need more time to plan that.
Slow Pigeon - Lulu Rouge
1983 - Main Theme - Sinoia Caves
Take Me Into Your Skin - Trentemøller
Dissolving Time - H.U.V.A. Network
Ageispolis - Aphex Twin
Who Am I - Peace Orchestra
Resynthesis 3D - Max Cooper
Star Guitar - The Chemical Brothers
Water From a Vine Leaf - William Orbit
The Box (Part 2) - Orbital
Episode 54 - Classic WSOU
It's probably a small group of people to whom it makes sense to follow a playlist of 80s/early 90s Freestyle songs with a playlist of Metal/Thrash. Clearly, I am in that group.
I won't deny that I'm going through a bit of homesickness for the past few weeks and the Freestyle playlist reflects that, but so does this playlist.
I was a metalhead in junior high school and freshman year of high school. And if you lived in NYC in the 80s and you wanted to listen to metal--and not the glam stuff--89.5 WSOU was your station. The station is licensed to Seton Hall University out of New Jersey and the two amazing things about that fact is that a) Seton Hall is a catholic university that was playing Slayer and b) only in hindsight do you realize that for a college station, they had a pretty amazing signal and antenna location. This wasn't a station that you had to mess around with the antennae and hope that the skies were clear in order to listen to it, unlike WLIR/WDRE out of Long Island where I worked for a bit.
To give you some context, from my house to WLIR was 14 miles as the crow flies vs. 22 miles for WSOU and yet, crystal clear. I was a radio major in college and I was about to go into explaining AM and FM signals and how different factors could affect them, but I caught myself and spared you.
Anyway, here are 10 of my favorite songs that I would associate with WSOU.
Blackened - Metallica
Epic - Faith No More
Antisocial - Anthrax
E.vil N.ever D.ies - Overkill
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying - Megadeth
Practice What You Preach - Testament
Cult of Personality - Living Colour
The Toxic Waltz - Exodus
You Can't Bring Me Down - Suicidal Tendencies
Ace of Spades - Motörhead