I thought i'd play a bit of a game this week. To begin with, I love the Shuffle function on my Ipod. Some mornings while walking to work, it seems remarkably in sync with my mood. And other times, songs I haven't heard in ages come on and bring with it a flood of memories or thoughts of a time. And with this in mind, I thought I would grab my Ipod, put it on Shuffle, and write about the first ten tracks that randomly come on. Some have some attachment and others... well... let's see.
#1 - Coldplay - 'Fix You'
Yep, no real attachment to this song. But I will say that it gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it. I do think the guitar part at the end sounds remarkably Edge-ish, which is probably another reason why I love it so much. I remember hearing it for the first time at Live 8 and thinking it was a remarkable track, although I did have other things on my mind at that time; as it would have it, my brother Mark finally passed away that night following a week in intensive care.
#2 - Astrojazz - 'The Groove EP (Vocal Mix)'
Taken from Dimitri From Paris's awesome 'A Night At The Playboy Mansion' mix set. What can I say about this... the soundtrack to many a recovery party at Lyle and my place during the mid to late 90's. This track is perhaps one of my lesser favourites on the CD, as the "La la la ba ba ba"'s on it tended to have us more breaking out in fits of laughter than getting down and funky.
#3 - Erasure - 'Star'
This takes me back to the early 90's, when my friend Jason Trubridge was going out with a guy named Ian, who I would eventually move in with and his partner Scott. Ian had given me a copy of Depeche Mode's The Singles and some Erasure CD's, and I guess at that point in time, I seemed to identify more with the light headed and camp nature of Erasure's music. Years later, of course, I would embrace Depeche Mode far more. Still do like this song - great one for when you're drunk and in need of a sing-a-long.
#4 - The Shamen - 'Destination Eschaton'
I actually only just put this on my Ipod recently when my friend Michael turned up with a copy of the single singing praises for it, and reminded me of how much I used to love this track too. I remember having this on a dance music mixed tape and driving up to my parents in my beaten up Datsun 120Y with a giant tape deck on the passenger seat, blasting this loudly. Still don't understand any of the words really... "See the light, enter the light, become the light and shine - you're a star, you know your are." Whatever.
#5 - Radiohead - 'Exit Music (For a Film)'
During the 90's, I definitely embraced the Britpop movement. Although far more progressive than their contemporaries at the time, Radiohead were certainly responsible for one of the more magical concerts that I recall. It was at Festival Hall, and it was unbelievably hot. The heat was just consuming this night, and I remember running to the toilets inbetween songs to splash water on my face. During the show, Thom mentioned that they could "turn on the airconditioners now." Someone yelled something from the audience. "No airconditioning... right..." But strangely, there was something about the heat and their music that just worked in a uber surreal way, and I left feeling like I had just experienced something extraordinary. It was possibly just a normal gig for them...
#6 - Depeche Mode - 'Useless'
Speak of the devil... Where do I begin with my beloved Depeche. So many memories have been attached to this band. First introduced to me properly by Tracey Twat (or moreso his alter-ego Richard), there was something about this bands music that really just clicked with me. This track came off the album that followed Tracey's death, and in some ways, many of these songs I associate with that experience. No matter what advice I gave Trace, it was never enough - it would've always been useless advice. In the years that followed Tracey's passing, there was a lot of me that was angry, and Depeche managed to capture that extreme light and shade with the 'Ultra' album perfectly... even within this one song.
#7 - Depeche Mode - 'Shake The Disease (Tiga Mix)'
Seems my Ipod has gone into Depeche Mode mode... and I have to be honest, it hasn't really picked a good one here. I do like Tiga. And I do love this song. But I can't honestly say that I love this mix. It's a recent remix, taken from a recent US compilation that took a handful of 80's classics and had them remixed by contemporary artists. It's ok, but I suspect it won't be on here for long.
#8 - U2 - 'Running To Stand Still'
I don't admit this to many people (and not because of shame), but when I was younger I used to run a U2 Appreciation Club called The Fourth Chord. I was a massive U2 fan, and would sit there listening and dissecting every album of theirs. My favourite, without doubt, was 'The Joshua Tree' - still one of my favourite albums of all time. When I hear this song, I don't have a recollection that has me in it. Infact, I don't even really think of a time relating to this album release. I do, however, get an image of Bono performing the track on the ZOO TV Tour; an exceedingly powerful performance that features Bono dressed in army gear, highlighting the songs topic of fighting against an addiction to drugs.
#9 - Army Of Lovers - 'Let The Sunshine In'
Hehe... when I hear this, I think of my Ant. He LOVES this song, and it was on repeat in the loungeroom frequently before heading out. I do actually like what Army Of Lovers have done with this rendition as well, mixing in an almost Flying Lizards 'Money' style vocal delivery along with their typical high camp antics. Personal attachment to the song... er... not really... I do love the track but I can't say it reminds me of any one particular time.
#10 - Britney Spears - 'I'm a Slave 4 U (Dave Aude Slave Driver Mix)'
Ok, now this one i'm ashamed to admit having on my Ipod. And if the truth be known, I HATE the original of this track. However, I actually don't mind this beefed up dance mix from her remix album. I still think it sounds like she is singing "Kitty Kitty" instead of "Get it Get it", or whatever it is she sings. This has no attachment for me, but it does remind me of my friend Michael (again, of The Shamen single fame earlier), since i've seen him dance around his house to the original single mix of this.
So... was the experiment successful? In this instance, not really. In fact, I don't think anyone would learn any more about me much from these 10 songs. However, I might try it again down the track since I know there are some songs that just bring back entire stories or specific memories for me. However, it's a fun exercise and I encourage everyone to try it and see what info about them it brings forward to share.
Keep an eye out for the new Pet Shop Boys album Fundamental - it's awesome!
