Ben in the Art of Archery

My buds Ben (not myself) and Arch both have birthdays this month, and are getting hitched this year. This was the only pun that I could think of that included both of their names.



Ben in the Art of Archery

1. Neil Young, "Cinnamon Girl"
2. Joan Jett and Paul Westerberg, "Let's Do It"
3. U2, "Desire"
4. Grateful Dead, "Touch of Grey"
5. Liz Phair, "Polyester Bride"
6. Pulp, "Disco 2000"
7. Hüsker Dü, "Could You Be the One?"
8. The Zombies, "This Will Be Our Year"
9. Roy Orbison, "You Got It"
10. Stiff Little Fingers, "Alternative Ulster"
11. Tom Petty, "You Wreck Me"
12. Squeeze, "Tempted"
13. Matthew Sweet, "Sick of Myself"
14. Japandroids, "The House That Heaven Built"
15. Blue Öyster Cult, "Burnin' for You"
16. The Smiths, "Ask"
17. David Bowie, "Modern Love"
18. TV on the Radio, "Second Song"
19. Elvis Presley, "All Shook Up"
20. Bruce Springsteen, "Glory Days"
21. The Beatles, "It's All Too Much"

Arch is the only person I know who likes both Joan Jett and the Replacements as much as I do, so of course I had to include their underrated team-up from the Tank Girl soundtrack, covering Cole Porter's most punk rock song. I'm hoping that Squeeze and the Grateful Dead's biggest hits will work as either introductions or reinforcements, and I'm including Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and a lesser-known George Harrison song in honor of Arch's affinity for the Traveling Wilburys.

There's a vaguely romantic theme here--I guess almost all songs have one, but tracks like "This Will Be Our Year," "Burnin' for You," "Cinnamon Girl" and "You Got It" are especially for these two. Then again, I couldn't help including Stiff Little Fingers and Hüsker Dü. That's what friends are for.

Dad Rock

Dad mixes are some of the hardest to make. Almost by definition, your father hates the music that you listen to. Mothers get far more musical tributes, and most father songs ("Come to Daddy," "Papa Don't Preach," "Had a Dad," "The End") are wildly inappropriate. Thus Father's Day mixes can be a chore, but let's give it a shot.

 

Dad Rock

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Under the Bridge"
2. The White Stripes, "My Doorbell"
3. Shel Silverstein, "Dirty Ol' Me"
4. Squeeze, "Is That Love"
5. Fiona Apple, "Paper Bag"
6. Stevie Wonder, "Boogie on Reggae Woman"
7. Smashing Pumpkins, "Tonight, Tonight"
8. Sex Pistols, "Pretty Vacant"
9. Elvis Presley, "All Shook Up"
10. James Brown, "Night Train"
11. The Rolling Stones, "Loving Cup"
12. Harry Nilsson, "Maybe"
13. The Clash, "Rudie Can't Fail"
14. Jerry Lee Lewis, "What'd I Say"
15. R.E.M., "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
16. Joni Mitchell, "Free Man in Paris"
17. Radiohead, "No Surprises"
18. Roy Orbison, "Only the Lonely"
19. Prince, "Starfish and Coffee"
20. Neil Young, "Comes a Time"
21. Santana, "Samba Pa Ti"
22. Shel Silverstein, "Comin' After Jinny" 

In the five years where DC101's playlist was the most important thing in the world to me, Dad would occasionally meet me halfway, at "Under the Bridge" or "Tonight, Tonight" (he never came around to "March of the Pigs.") I met him at Neil Young and Prince, and years later at Joni Mitchell.

Dad and I share an appreciation for Shel Silverstein, who appears in the giddy "Dirty Ol' Me" and the bittersweet "Comin' After Jinny," and we've also agreed on "Samba Pa Ti," Santana's best number and a subject of Nick Hornby's 31 Songs. On a limb, I'm hoping to increase Dad's appreciation for Jerry Lee Lewis, The White Stripes and especially the Rolling Stones, gracing us with my favorite song here.  Dad prefers the Beatles, so I've added Squeeze's best impersonation of the Fab Four.

This year, I've gone on Radiohead and Fiona Apple kicks, represented by father-friendly tracks, and more recently caught up to Roy Orbison, who joins a few of my favorite rock pioneers. The influence of artists like James Brown and Elvis Presley is now universal, and therefore taken for granted. A mix CD is ideal for emphasizing why they really matter.

The sore thumb here is "Pretty Vacant," which outguns everything else here by miles and shouldn't be on a mix for anyone over age 30. That being said, I do worship the Sex Pistols, and Dad likes Johnny Rotten's letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so I'm taking a chance.

PS: Metalsucks has an excellent photo gallery of Metal Dads right here.