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.