Allen Toussaint is a Louisiana legend, he’s worked with all sorts of great musicians including Paul McCartney and The Band (it’s he who wrote the brassy arrangement for the spellbinding performance of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” from The Last Waltz) and written classics like “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley” and “From A Whisper To A Scream” and it’s his voice you hear on the beginning of the catchy, but otherwise meaningless McCartney song “Listen to What The Man Said”. Life, Love And Faith , his 1972 LP, and debut with Warner/Reprise finds him at his most exultant and melodic and “My Baby Is The Real Thing” deserves to be picked up for a movie soundtrack, or played non-stop at an old fashioned record store or a dive bar, or just for your own listening pleasure. Either way, it’s a great little catchy tune.
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I’ve invited you all to participate in this pet project of mine– one that I’ve been thinking about doing for quite a while. As of this moment, there is no set date for putting this live, but I wanted to put the word out now so we can get started creating something great.
A little backstory:
I’m not sure what the average suckage percentage for first dates is, but my money’s on 60-70. Contrary to what you might think, this is not because 60-70% of people suck, but more that the both of you are too busy exchanging nervous banalities to uncover each other’s non-sucky parts. This project aims to circumvent that, via something that everyone loves: music. Music is a fantastic personality and predilection gauge. Think about it–it’s easy to pretend you stand on one side of politics, religion, easy to lie about liking Smash and loathing Cougar Town, but music is hard to lie about; it’s a measure of taste. It’s wrong to think that there can be one taste better than the other (though Creed and Nickleback are trying very hard to disprove that), but it does help inform you about another person.
The manifestation I have in mind is simple: a mixtape, anywhere from 5-20 songs that explain who you are. They can be songs that have always been associated with a memory, a song from a band that you think is great, a Top 10 of songs that would make great movie openers. Choose anything that is a window into what you like, what you are passionate about, who you are. There are no limits, here, as people aren’t meant to be simplified down to a playlist, but you can certainly introduce yourself as one.
There are a few rules:
1. Try not to use more than one song from the same band unless absolutely necessary, or the songs from the band are nothing alike (or possibly, taken from different decades). For the sake of brevity, we’ll call this The Rolling Stones exception.
2. Try your best to include why you’ve chosen the particular song. For instance why did you choose “In My Life” by The Beatles? Was it for the beautiful guitar intro; is there something in the lyrics that is permanently associated with a time or person in your life? Does it deserve to be in a list of love songs that no one remembers are love songs?
3. Not absolutely essential, but if possible, try to make the songs in your playlist synch up with each other. Sequencing is perhaps the most important thing in a playlist; you want songs to feel like they’re leading into, or away from each other.
Send your ideas, questions, concerns to theartofthemixtape@gmail.com with “Hello, My Name Is… Project” in the subject line
Best,
They may be forever known for their 1972 smash “I’ll Take You There” with it’s inimitable intro and rolling bassline. But by Soul Folk in Action, their Stax Records debut in 1968, they had already been a veteran band of 16 years. It was their switch to a less acoustic, more funky and upbeat soulful sound that brought them huge success. Soul Folk is a proper label for “Got to be Some Changes Made” which boasts some great harmonies by the group along with some solid guitar lines played by Steve Cropper and Pops Staples (by then 54). Also on this album was their great cover of “The Weight” by The Band, a song that came out the same year.
Got to be Some Changes Made- The Staple Singers
Norah Jones has always been a class act, and this unusual pairing with Dangermouse, producer-extraordinaire on her latest album Little Broken Hearts has brought Jones into a whole new direction and whole new aural world of songwriting. On “Happy Pills” you’ll be hard pressed to find a better hook written between the two of them collectively, which says a lot. Your catchy song of the week. Backed by a crack session band that includes Blake Mills on guitar along with bassist Gus Seyffert and Joey Waronker, the overall vibe of the songs comes off like an updated Fleetwood Mac at times, with that golden California vibe and a thrilling little touch of mysticism.
The Art of the Mixtape 