Friday, September 22, 2017

"Group Hug 2.0: Cry Baby Cry": THE WEEKEND MIX




First, thank you all for your suggestions. I have had a miserable two days of homework.

Before we get to this Weekend Mix, I wanted to get this out of the way as quickly as possible. Burning Wood quietly celebrated its 9th anniversary this month. I used to ask for contributions to help defray the cost of the membership to the site that stores all the music. I stopped doing that a few years back, as I never felt comfortable asking in the first place. But the site I have been using is safe and secure, with no ads or pop-ups. No one gets "webmugged," to quote a brilliant friend of mine. Well, this year's membership fees are due and I simply don't have it. So, come mid-October, all files will be unobtainable. There is a Paypal donation button about halfway down, on the left. If you feel like helping out, I will make it worth your while for another year. There, as always, is NO obligation.

Thank you.

And now...

Here are 18 songs that, according to some of you, have left you either in tears or some state of motionless other. I needed to edit a few selections out for time and space, as well as work with what I had on hand, which explains a few omissions. And I admit, I tossed in a few more of my own personal heartbreakers. But don't fret, at least some of what we have here should melt the icy veins of even the hardest of the hard.

Enjoy?

TRACKLIST

God Only Knows- The Beach Boys
The Drugs Don't Work- The Verve
Watching The World Go By- Kasim Sulton
The Color Of A Cloudy Day- Shelby Lynne & Alison Moorer
Lake Charles- Lucinda Williams
You Are Not Alone- Mavis Staples
You're A Big Girl Now- Bob Dylan
Texas Girl At The Funeral Of Her Father- Randy Newman
Child's Song- Tom Rush
Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding- Jesse Winchester
Hearts Of Stone- Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
This Woman's Work- Kate Bush
Old Friends/Bookends-Simon & Garfunkel
Lost It-Boz Scaggs
Valentine's Day- Bruce Springsteen
Company- Rickie Lee Jones
For Good- Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel
Just One Victory- Todd Rundgren

zip

13 comments:

JAYESSEMM said...

Sal,

I don't know how I missed the call -- I blame jet lag rather than old age!

Just reading the list is see some faves and can think of millions more. Next time!

Great stuff -- thanks!

Noam Sane said...

Thanks for the mix, saves me the trouble - as I was very curious and eager to hear many of the selections. Much appreciated!

Robin said...

I'm moved just looking at the mix. Thank you for this beauty, Sal. I love these communal playlists/mixes on a theme, and how well you edit and sequence them together. Cannot wait to listen. Happy first day of fall, all.

Shriner said...

I haven't decided if I really *want* to listen to this or not.

I'll need to keep my copy of "Get The Knack" handy as a palette cleanser so I don't kill myself after listening to this mix.

mauijim said...

Sal

thank you for including Company. This puddle is now gonna short my keyboard
thank you for the effort

Michael Giltz said...

"God Only Knows" makes me emotional specifically because of how it was used in another medium. I'm sure some songs strike a more powerful chord because of their use in a film or TV show for some. This Beach Boys classic played a really love role in GB Trudeau's "Doonesbury" comic strip. (One of the major achievements of pop culture in the 20th century and indeed a remarkable chronicle of the past 50 years that is funny, topical, engrossing drama and timeless. But I digress.) A gay character was dying of AIDS and mentioned at one point he wanted to live long enough to hear "Pet Sounds" on compact disc. The strip often spooled out in real time so I forgot that particular comment., Then ages later (weeks, months, longer?) the album finally came out on compact disc. And the week that happened, the daily strip showed an empty bed in the room where this character had been for the last part of his life. It was empty, peaceful, quiet...except for a CD player on the bedside table playing music and the words "God only knows what I'd do without you." Suddenly I realized this character was dead (a rare, rare thing for a real-life comic strip though I imagine/assume Gasoline Alley did it earlier) and that the guy had lived just long enough to hear Pet Sounds on compact disc and had been playing it when he died, just as I was listening to it myself on CD. Very moving.

snakeboy said...

I was doing okay until I got to Southside Johnny and Boz Scaggs.
Thanks for putting this together.

Anonymous said...

Since becoming a father a little over 26 years ago, it's been impossible for me to get through Tom Rush's "Child's Song" without misting up ("Mother give your love back to your husband, Father you have taught me well.....Goodbye.") Killer. One recent song worthy of making this stellar list is Jason Isbell's "If We Were Vampires."

A walk in the woods said...

Thank you for this and all the music, Sal... I donated something and I hope it helps. The BW peeps appreciate you!

Anonymous said...

A different "God Only Knows" by Joe Henry never fails to stab me fatally. Bob Dylan's "Corrina Corrina." Elvis Costello singing "I Want to Stand Forever." Dusty Springfield doing "I've Been Wrong Before" (Randy Newman has a few, as a matter of fact). Just a small sample . . .

dogbreath said...

As I was saying only yesterday, I'm not one to get a little sentimental over you even though sad songs (can) say so much. But I've downloaded the zip anyway, many thanks, and will give the songs a spin or two - don't expect any tears! Just back from a hiking holiday in the Tatra mountains (backbreaking but fun) so I've a few Polish Zloty & Euros left over which I'm happy to donate to the cause - love the blog & its outpourings & can't do without it. Cheers!

kodak ghost said...

Donate done. Interesting list! Emmylou " Boulder to Birmingham" used to do it, as did Paul Brady "The Island" ... especially if you have lived through random violence and troubled times ( oh yes, that is right now). BB King solo on "thrill is gone" also tears me up. Keep on doing what you are doing. And I enjoy the reviews often more than the music!

heartsofstone said...

Another awesome comp