Summer Mixmania! Song List

It's that time again...time for another Mixmania! Hello to everyone who is visiting this blog from Patriside. I hope you visit again. By the time most of you read this, my Mixmania CD will be in the mail.

For this Mixmania, I made sure to correct the one mistake from last time. When I made the last Mixmania CD, two or three of the songs messed up because they didn't copy from my CD correctly. This time around, I copied the files first and made sure they sounded okay. Then, to save room on my hard drive, I turned the wave files into high bitrate MP3's. All but two of the songs are from CDs in my collection (or in the case of one song, my sister's collection). On top of that, the first time I tried to burn the mix, the CD didn't finish burning and became a coaster. Yep, it was a long way to go. Anyway, it's all done and I'm quite proud of this mix.

Here is the song list with my comments for each song:

1. Nelly: "Hot In Herre"
What better way to start off a summer mix CD than with such a great summer song? Plus, it's the story of my non-air-conditioned house: "Hot in/It's so hot in herre!"

2. Fatboy Slim: "Talking Bout My Baby"
This is one of those songs that could've easily been twice as long. In fact, it ends just when you think the beat is going to get really good. I still love it, though.

3. Röyksopp: "Eple"
This is a song that just sounds bright, sunny, and relaxing. I'll be reviewing their new album soon and I can tell you that it's the complete opposite of the album that this song came from.

4. The White Stripes: "Blue Orchid"
When I first heard this song, I knew I was probably going to like their new album. This song is rousing fun and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Who says you can't put songs from this summer on your CD?

5. Air: "Mike Mills"
This is a wonderful, laidback instrumental song from the duo's superb Talkie Walkie album. That album is a great one for relaxing on the beach. Many of the songs could have worked on this mix CD.

6. Big Punisher featuring Tony Sunshine: "100%"
Too many great rappers have left us too soon and Big Pun was one of them. This song is the sonic equivalent of a trip to Puerto Rico.

7. Amerie: "Why Don't We Fall In Love"
Before "1 Thing" there was this nice little song. Produced by Rich Harrison before he went on to produce Beyoncé's "Crazy In Love" it's so nice that you wish it was longer.

8. Common: "Faithful"
This is one of my favorite songs on Common's album Be and it's the song that's played at the end of the video for "GO!"

9. Rick James: "Mary Jane"
This is just a classic song, plain and simple. It sounds like the perfect song to blast while cruising down the street in a convertible (preferably a '64).

10. Gorillaz feat. Bootie Brown of The Pharcyde: "Dirty Harry"
I was this/close to putting "Feel Good Inc" on here instead. This is one of my favorite songs from Demon Days and its unusual combination of a slight dub feel, a childrens' choir, and a rap by The Pharcyde's Bootie Brown somehow works.

11. The Chemical Brothers: "Surrender"
The Chemical Brothers make another Mixmania appearance with a song that is light and fun. It's deceptively brilliant and arguably the best song on the album of the same name.

12. 2Pac: "Can U Get Away"
This song will forever make me think of the summer of 1995, the year I graduated from 8th grade. We had a party for the 4th of July and the soundtrack of the day was Me Against The World, the album this song came from. It was a lot of fun as family and some school friends attended. My aunt and uncle brought fireworks (most fireworks are illegal in Illinois but my aunt and uncle live in Indiana) and a great time was had by all.

13. Red Hot Chili Peppers: "Can't Stop"
Nothing says summer more than this California rock band. I've been a fan of a long time but By The Way was the first album of theirs that I actually bought.

14. The Notorious B.I.G. featuring 112: "Sky's The Limit"
There were a lot of good songs on The Notorious B.I.G.'s second and final studio album, Life After Death. I've always liked this one in particular. The song seems a little sad now because of its opening. However, it's a nice, smooth song. The video for this song featured an all-kid cast playing the roles of Biggie, P. Diddy, 112, and others directed by Spike Jonze.

15. A Tribe Called Quest: "Find A Way"
I really liked this song. It came the closest to classic A Tribe Called Quest of any song on their final album The Love Movement. Nice summer-sounding song.

16. Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek feat. Vinia Mojica: "The Blast"
Another nice, smooth hip-hop song from one of the best rappers out at the moment. He's one of the rappers that succeeds A Tribe Called Quest in spirit.

17. RJD2: "Intro"
RJD2 also makes his way to another Mixmania CD. I bet you're wondering why a song called "Intro" is this late on the CD. Well, this song comes from the album Since We Last Spoke and it's the 4th song before the end of the album. Once you hear it, you'll realize why it works at this spot.

18. Secret Machines: "Road Leads Where It's Led"
This is a group that I think I'll probably become a fan of. I really enjoyed "Nowhere Again" and I really like this song. It sounds more like an electronic song than a rock song with its fast beat. Still, it's fun to listen to.

19. Warren G feat. Nate Dogg: "Regulate"
A G-Funk classic. Do I need to say anything more about this song?

20. Red Hot Chili Peppers: "The Zephyr Song"
This summer mix ends with a nice, breezy song. You have to love a song with this chorus:

"Fly away on my zephyr/I feel it more than ever/And in this perfect weather/We'll find a place together"

That's it! That's my summer mix. It ended up being pretty hip-hop heavy, the complete opposite of my last Mixmania mix. Well, I hope that the person who gets it enjoys it.

P.S. I will be sending duplicate copies of this CD (and my previous Mixmania CD) to Jim so they can be sent to Iraq. No matter how you feel about the war, we can all agree that the soldiers are not the ones to blame. They are risking their lives and need our support. I hope the Mixmania CDs that get sent can help them even in the smallest way. Let's hope and pray that they can get back home as quickly as possible.