Over at The Vinyl
Villain, JC recently started a series about the legendary C86 cassette, and
very entertaining I’m sure it will be. In response, I thought I’d look at a CD
compilation that has proven very popular here at Top Ten Towers… SAMCD 108.
A little background for those of you who haven’t been paying
attention…
Since he was very small, I have been compiling in-car CD
compilations to be played whenever I’m driving my son to school / football /
holidays / social engagements etc. The idea has always been to expose him to
the widest range of pop music possible – not just my favourites. We started
with all the big, kid-friendly singalong songs (The Monkees, Beach Boys, Sweet
Caroline) but as time as has gone these CDs have become more and more diverse.
As with any good compilation, I like to mix big tunes with forgotten gems, and
crash through the genres like I’m in a mad HMV trolley dash. I’ve been doing
this since Sam was a baby and I’m just putting the finishing touches onto SAMCD
176. When we get fed up of the latest disc, it goes in a folder with all the
old ones, and as well as introducing new CDs every few weeks, we also work our
way through the back catalogue in numerical order.
For months now, Sam has been very excited about hearing CD
108 again. I’ve insisted we work our way towards it – 101, 102, 103, etc – but
he’s kept wanting to jump ahead. CD 108 was the best in his memory. To be
honest, I think he’d built it up so much that when we did finally listen to it
again, it probably wasn’t as good as he remembered… but he claims it lived up
to his expectations, and who am I to call my son a liar. (But he’s 12 going on
16 now… lying to your parents is becoming a daily occurrence, I’m sure.)
To cut a long story ever-so-slightly shorter then, here’s a
new series in which I work my way through the tracks on SAM CD 108 and try to
work out why this particular set of tunes was so memorable. It’s just another
excuse to write about songs.
Track 1: The Cure – Friday I’m In Love
Well, you’ve got to start with a belter, haven’t you? I’m
frankly shocked that I managed to do 107 CDs before this one and not include
Friday I’m In Love. But there’s a randomness to my selection process and it’ll
often depend on what I’ve heard on the radio or seen on TV or featured on the
blog as “What’s the biggest hit by this artist?” The Cure will have featured on
Sam’s CDs prior to this – I have got a spreadsheet somewhere, but it’s not to
hand. Still, it’s hard to believe I got this far without thinking of The Cure’s
poppiest radio hit.
So far then, this CD is shaping up to be a belter.
Track 2: Brad Paisley – Last Time For Everything
And though you might not think it, this one maintains the
high standard… and not just because it features David Hasslehoff in the video.
I find myself shocked again though – because a quick glance
at the streaming service, expecting this to be one of the most-streamed Brad
Paisley tunes, reveals that it’s actually way down the list. What’s wrong with
people? I’m a huge fan of Brad’s brand of cheerful, tongue-in-cheek
Stetson-and-a-smile country, and I reckon this is without doubt his finest
hour. It’s a song that works like a big reassuring hug, a song that says, ‘Hey,
we’re all growing older, and growing older is about saying goodbye to things we
love… and the only consolation that I can offer is that we’re all in it
together’. That might sound cheesy, but this sort of music is inherently
cheesy… it doesn’t mean it can’t bring a tear to your eye (as this song
invariably does) if you put your cynicism up on the shelf for a while.
I didn’t want Sam to grow up with a bias against country
music, and songs like this have helped him appreciate it in a way most of the
kids I went to school with never could. He’s even introduced me to a couple of
cool country-crossover songs in recent years, like Old Town Road by
Lil Nas X (with Billy Ray Cyrus!) and A Bar Song (Tipsy)
by Shaboozey. Job done.
Track 3: Stevie Wonder - Masterblaster (Jammin’)
Stevie in the 70s is, of course, untouchable, and his tribute to Bob Marley is another stone cold classic… but hold up, this is from 1980? When did it all start going downhill? It’s OK, I reckon you can go as far as 1982. And even after that song, you know, the “Is she in a coma?” one, there’s Part-Time Lover, which is a late era belter. After that… I dunno, you tell me? Did Stevie Wonder do anything else worth listening to after 1985? I don’t want to discriminate.
Unless you tell me otherwise, Sam’s knowledge of Stevie Wonder will finish then.
Personally, I don’t think CD108 maintains the standard set
by the first three tracks… but let’s be honest, what compilation does? You
always front-load the juicy stuff, just to get people to give it a shot.
Three more tracks next week.
