Your Best Leadoff And Closing Songs

[Des-Lab]

For those of you who like to record mixed compilations, how do you do it?

For me, when I make a mix tape, sequencing is equally as important as content. I can't just pick out however many songs I want to put on the tape, slap it together and call it a day. I can have 25 songs picked out to put on a tape and I will sit there listening over and over to them to make sure they go on in just the right order. It's an obsession almost bordering on the irrational, kind of like watching the reels spin and the tape shift levels *hypnot*

I definitely follow a specific pattern when recording. The rythmn has to stick as close as possible to a gradual sideways "S" wave pattern when it comes to tempo. The opening and closing songs are the most critical, with the latter being more challenging because end-of-tape contstraints also need to be taken into account. The leadoff song must always be a solid rocker. The last song *usually* must be a slow fader that brings the musical journey to closure, although I have occassionally ended a tape with a bang.

So what are some of your tried and true selections?

Here are some of mine. Each of these opens a side in my collection:

Best openers:

Linda Ronstadt "Poor Poor Pitiful Me"
Bob Welch "Ebony Eyes"
Cyndi Lauper "Girls Like To Have Fun"
The Hollies "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress"
Bryan Adams "Run To You"
John Cougar Mellencamp "Check It Out"
Erasure "Chorus Fishes In The Sea"
Belinda Carlisle "Leave A Light On"
Juice Newton "Queen Of Hearts"
AC/DC "You Shook Me All Night Long"
Bob Seger "Her Strut"
Jefferson Starship "Winds Of Change"
Tommy Conwell "I'm Not Your Man"
The Graces "Lay Down Your Arms"
The Ocean Blue "Between Something And Nothing"
The London Suede "Trash"
Bruce Springsteen "Radio Nowhere"

And my favorite closers (each of these ends a side in my library):

Tom Petty "Southern Accents"
Bob Seger "We've Got Tonight"
Al Stewart "End Of The Day"
Bob Seger "Ramblin', Gamblin' Man" (live)
Bruce Hornsby 'Till The Dreamings Gone"
Journey "Send Her My Love"
The Graces "Tomorrow"
Badfinger "I Can't Take It" (live)
Fleetwood Mac "Landslide"
Belinda Carlisle "Shades Of Michaelangelo"
Sophie Hawkins "Right Beside You"
Dire Straits "Brothers In Arms"

[DaveInVA]

I like using Sandy Denny's "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" as a closing song.

Dave

[Warped Bezel]

I never liked how I had to endure 4-5 duplicate songs on a K-tel or Ronco compilation. I just start and choose as I go along. On my computer I have hundreds of sounds, oddities, effects or famous soundbites from Cheers to "Oh ----, the cat's on fire again. I'll be right back" (yeah, I was amazed). I made several snippets of my own from my music from Elastica to Wargames.

Yes, I have Pac-Man, Marvin the Martian, PAMS jingle samples, diesel train horns, the theme from Dynasty...it gets mixed in now and then for effect.

The Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead and Johnny Bravo are some of my favorites. My email sound is the Jetsons' doorbell. I buy any interesting looking effects CD I can find at thrifts and sales.

Sounders of old top 40 stations I find online, mp3 files of alternative/college radio programs, historical radio recordings of pre-World War II, whatever I like.

Most of it was saved a few years ago. I add new sounds now and then when I find them.

Where you hear commercials and DJs I hear a sequence leading to the next song. Blame Night Flight and Dr. Demento.

[canonlon]

Tons of tunes to choose from > here's a few off the top of my head >

Closers: Donald Fagen - New Frontier, the Pogues - Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Opener: Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young , Colin Hay - Beautiful World

[westgate]

i just pick songs i like and add them in no particular order.
at the end of the tape is where i may get choosy depending on how much time is left on the tape.
lately i've been ending with cheech and chong skits or steven wright jokes.

it's kind of nice to get a good laugh at the end of an hour or two of music.
this applies to cassettes only so far. haven't made any r2r mix tapes yet. just full length albums, or longer pieces of music.

[Dazen1]

For those of you who like to record mixed compilations, how do you do it?

For me, when I make a mix tape, sequencing is equally as important as content. I can't just pick out however many songs I want to put on the tape, slap it together and call it a day.

I don't have any set rules when I make them for myself. For others, I like to tailor my tapes for the recipient. Choosing the right combination is crucial and it usually takes me a few days to figure out what tracks to pick.

The leadoff song must always be a solid rocker. The last song *usually* must be a slow fader that brings the musical journey to closure, although I have occassionally ended a tape with a bang.

So what are some of your tried and true selections?

I often find the final song to be the most significant - you need something memorable. I'll either choose something slow and moody (maybe some Dead Can Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJhVM930YXY) or Dirty Three) or a slow burner that builds to a climax (Yo La Tengo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBZrBitzubk), Ennio Morricone or Max Richter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0CVMpaQoVY)).

The opening tracks are not so important to me but they do need to draw you in. Something like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJIqnXTqg8I).

A really good mix tape should not only capture your imagination, but introduce you to artists and songs that you have not heard before.

[shadowlord]

For me, when I make a mix tape, sequencing is equally as important as content. I can't just pick out however many songs I want to put on the tape, slap it together and call it a day. I can have 25 songs picked out to put on a tape and I will sit there listening over and over to them to make sure they go on in just the right order.

sequencing is very important for me too.
luckily i have the rough order already in my head when i start a mixtape.

But i like to start out slow and build up as the tape side runs.
The last few songs beeing the most intense ones on the side.

[shadowlord]

warped bezel: are you sure you replied in the right thread?



Sorry but i cant figure out what the sounds on your PC have to do with how you start / end a mixtape.



My english isn't the best so if I'm missing something I'm sorry.

[JaeTee]

Great subject! I totally agree that programming a good track sequence is MASSIVELY important to any musical presentation.

I think picking a good first track is the most important aspect as it sets the tone for the entire mix. I will do that and then kind of go where it takes me.

But, for a compilation tape the order following the first track is less important to me than for an actual mixtape because of the beat matching aspect. When you're actually blending tracks together and overlapping them, somtimes for minutes at at time, things REALLY need to make sense musically or it sounds like nails on a chalkboard. If overlapping beats sound like shoes in a dryer, that's a whole separate issue.

I think good track programming on mix CDs is one of the most underrated aspects of what separates a merely competent DJ from the really good ones.

When there's gaps between the tracks, the programming or sequence of the music is still important, but there's a lot more lattitude. At least you can pause the recording and find that next "perfect" track.

Hey Matt, if you don't have it already... pick up a copy of Frankie Goes To Hoolywood's "Liverpool" album and start your next compilation with MAXIMUM JOY and see where that takes you! Based on what I've seen you post here and in the past I think you'll like it.

[vinyldavid]

Openers:
Carpet of the Sun-Renaissance (either Live at Carnegie Hall or studio versions)
Karn Evil 9 First Impression Part 2 ("Welcome back my friends....")-Emerson, Lake and Palmer Usually used on side 2 of a tape
Do the Whirlwind-Architecture In Helsinki (with manually faded up intro)
No Cars Go-Arcade Fire
The Road To Hell (Parts 1 and 2)-Chris Rea
Intro/Movin On-Missouri
Beautiful News-Jimmie Spheeris
I Found Love-The Free Design
Born To Run-Bruce Springsteen
The Curse of Millhaven-Nick Cave and the Bad seeds (great for when you want to grab someone's attention VERY quick)

Closers:
All The Small Things-blink-182
Mother Russia-Renaissance
Closing Time-Semisonic
I am The Mercury-Jimmie Spheeris
The Lonely Shepard-Zamfir
Going Home-Mary Fahl
Something More Than This-October Project
On Melancholy Hill-Gorillaz
Brave New World-Styx (version 2, at the end of the CD)