I am down to the last few boxes left to unpack since moving twenty-two months ago. I have three boxes of books left, two boxes of stamping/scrapbooking supplies, and about five boxes of assorted crap that may not need to be unpacked at all. One of these boxes is full of audio tapes.
These tapes are an assortment of favorite mix tapes somehow separated from the rest, cases missing tapes, tapes missing cases, and lame tapes from my adolescence that didn't make the trip to college with me. These abandoned tapes sat on shelves in my bedroom closet for decades before being packed away in the box. These include Amy Grant, Carmen, and Club Neauvo. Scary stuff. I have another Rubbermaid container that holds the more favored tapes.
The point is, I've pruned my library, if feels like time to prune the tapes. I never listen to them anymore. But I have strong sentimental attachments to many of them.I may not enjoy most hard-core punk anymore, but I love the tapes for the memories and the sake of the boy who made it for me. I think I can easily get rid of some store-bought stuff. But what to do with the rest? Do I hold on to it until the tapes crumble away? I grabbed a few this morning to listen to in the car, but the Soup Dragons didn't thrill me and even Wire was a bit dull.
What have you done with old tapes?
Okay, on with the show. Here are the first ten songs that played on my iPod this morning:
- EZ - Pete Yorn (Music for the morning after)
- Take - The Lupins (Dumb and Dumber Soundtrack)
- Beautiful - Carole King (Tapestry)
- Waiting for Conrad - Shooglenifty (Live At Selwyn Hall, Box)
- Middle of the Road - The Pretenders (The Singles)
- Ikebana - Kevin Shields (Lost in Translation Soundtrack)
- Da Eye Wufey/Woods No. 1 - Shooglenifty (A Whisky Kiss)
- Red Rover - Fleetwood Mac (Say You Will)
- Like A River - Carly Simon (Reflections: Cary Simon's Greatest Hits
- Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (Best of)
fav ditty - Da Eye Wifey. The first bars of this song take me to the first time I heard it. It was Shooglenifty's first gig in the U.S. in Seattle at Bumbershoot and it was perfect. It was a clear and cool breezy night and the audience was mostly dancing and twirling. They were as enchanted as I was. I sat on some steps to the right of the stage where I could see the band and the audience. The wind was in my face and I felt happy. It was of those beautiful moments where I was conscience of living a perfect moment. The ache of perfection and wanting the moment to go on forever are tied to this song.
fav album - Best of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. I don't feel the need to explain this choice.
Happy randomness - Red Rover works so well after Shooglenifty. There is a similar strings thing going on, and yet entirely different. makes me wish I was more knowledgeable about music theory so I could explain.
Want more random goodness? Marisa has a list of lists over at Apartment 2024.
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