Not What They Seem, Part 2 of 2;
Terrible Music by Excellent Musicians
mixed by Liam Eagle
PERFECT FOR:
Reminding yourself of the predictable fallibility of even the most reliable entertainers.
INTRODUCTION:
If you read part one of the "Not What They Seem" pair of mix tapes (of which this is part two), you’ve already been prepared for my personal feelings on the irregularities of songwriting talent. The point being, ultimately, that the pretty universal unpredictability makes the unexpected a little more palatable. Obviously it’s easier to take, even enjoyable, when some asshole stumbles his way into something beyond his means. It’s not as easy when someone who spent years writing original, unpretentious rock and roll tunes starts crooning some bullshit about catching a fucking blue train and a searching around some crazy river.
TRACK LIST:
Shattered - The Rolling Stones
Somewhere Down the Crazy River - Robbie Robertson
Love me Do - The Beatles
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Song is Over - The Who
You’re My Best Friend - Queen
Bicycle Race - Queen
Radio Gaga - Queen
Send in the Clowns - Frank Sinatra
Livin’ in America - James Brown
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
I Just Called to Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder
Every Breath You Take - The Police
Abracadabra - Steve Miller
Let’s Roll - Neil Young
Layla (Acoustic Version) - Eric Clapton
PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:
The unfortunate reality is that terrible songs by excellent musicians are for more common than the converse. We’ve already addressed the fact that writing kick-ass songs is difficult. And, obviously, an entire career in music spent without a single misstep is really nothing short of a miracle. It happens for all kinds of reasons: sometimes its misguided attempts to shoehorn new technology like synthesizers or turntables into their music; occasionally it’s the move from working with the right people to the wrong people; and sometimes they just run out of gas. One thing’s for sure, practically the only way to get out of a career in music without fucking something up is your own untimely death. Everybody falls off sometime - so for our purposes, in lieu of wishing death on our favorite artists, we’ll just have to tolerate, and possibly appreciate, the occasional blunder.
LISTENING INSTRUCTIONS:
If you’re like me, you’re fucking useless. I mean, really hopeless. Your motivation and ability to accomplish anything at all pales in comparison to even the moderately successful. This can be irritating. And, to be honest, there’s not really much I can offer you as consolation except the possibility that listening to this mix might remind you of the fact that even the very best turn out some really pointless shit sometimes. If you’re not like me, or you’re just inconsolable, then at least some of these songs are pretty funny, or something.
