ExiCumbias 2

I know it's not Cinco De Mayo yet, but I was excited about this compilation. I think of it as the floorbangers of cumbia. You probably could play almost any one of these when someone asks for a cumbia and they would be happy. Now it does wander a tiny bit since Cumbia wanders a bit. I have a few variations of cumbia, not all just one part of the world. If you like cumbia, you'll love this pick. If you have no idea about cumbia, this is a good sampling. Check out volume one (ExiCumbias 1) which I did post last year on Cinco De Mayo, for more, but this one is the one with the bangers. That doesn't always mean the hits, just the ones that will get or keep someone on the dancefloor.

ExiCumbias 2

20 La Sonora Dinamita - Mi Cucu

21 Aniceto Molina - La Cumbia Sampuesana

22 Los Immortales - La Pollera Colora

23 Selena - Bidi Bidi Bom Bom

24 Los Angeles Azules - El Liston De Tu Pelo

25 Banda Blanca - Sopa De Caracol

26 Rafael Coides - Cumbia En Do Menor

27 AJ Harris and the Pink Tacos - Brisket Beats (Smokehouse Sonidero Mix)

28 Bareto - Carinito

29 Chico Trujillo - La Escoba

30 Los Mirlos - La Danza De Los Mirlos

31 Margarita La Diosa De La Cumbia - Que Bello

32 Joe Arroyo - La Rebelion

33 Fruko Y Sus Tesos - A La Memoria Del Muerto

34 Grupo Canaveral - Tiene Espinas el Rosal

35 Los Palmeras - El Bombon Asesino

36 Super Lamas - La Pelusa

37 Systema Solar - Yo Voy Ganao

38 Gilda - No Me Arrepiento de Este Amor

39 Los Tucanes de Tijuana - La Chona

In-Frelling-Fix 2

When I made the first In-Frelling-Fix, I wasn’t trying to define a genre so much as name a feeling. This Pick lives inside categories without sitting comfortably in any of them - jazz that isn’t really jazz, rock that doesn’t behave like rock, and fusion that never quite resolves. I sequenced it for tension and motion rather than groove or payoff, letting the tracks lean forward and rub against each other instead of settling in. The title doesn’t change the music, but it still fits — and if you want a slightly different view of this idea, try Commingled.

In-Frelling-Fix 2

11 U.K. - In The Dead Of Night

12 Billy Cobham - Quadrant 4

13 Frank Zappa - Eat That Question

14 Jean-Luc Ponty - Enigmatic Ocean Part II

15 Colosseum II - Desperado

16 Egg - Enneagram

17 National Health - The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians) Part 1

18 Mahavishnu Orchestra - Vital Transformation

19 Santana - La Fuente del Ritmo

20 Soft Machine - Hazard Profile Part 1

21 Bill Bruford - Beelzebub

22 Dixie Dregs - Free Fall

23 Al di Meola - Race With Devil on Spanish Highway

Michael Schenker Family

This Pick is the Michael Schenker Family. I first heard him playing with his brother in Scorpions, and I loved Scorpions, so naturally I started paying attention to what he did next and where he showed up after that. One thing led to another, and this is what I found. Different bands, different projects, guest spots, and side roads, all pulled from following his name and his guitar over the years. When did you first hear his guitar and on what track? Any of these?

Michael Schenker Family

01 Michael Schenker Group - Attack Of The Mad Axeman

02 Michael Schenker - Save Yourself

03 Michael Schenker Group - Into The Arena

04 UFO - Doctor Doctor

05 Hear 'N Aid - Stars

06 Scorpions - I'm Goin' Mad

07 Michael Schenker Group - Armed And Ready

08 Scorpions - It All Depends

09 Michael Schenker Fest - Heart And Soul

10 UFO - Rock Bottom

11 Contraband - Loud Guitars, Fast Cars & Wild, Wild Livin'

12 Michael Schenker &  Pete Way - You And Me

13 Sex Machineguns - Heavy Metal Thunder

14 Derek Sherinian - Die Kobra

15 Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock - Vigilante Man

16 McAuley Schenker Group - When I'm Gone

Hagar Family Pick

This Pick is the Hagar Family the way I hear it, not Horrible, just my favorites from Sammy pulled from across the whole Hagar universe because they naturally sit together for me. Solo stuff, bands, side roads, b-sides, different moments (not ALL the big hits, but some) all tied together by the same voice and the same attitude that first hooked me and never really let go, including a little unspoken Van Hagar energy baked in whether you notice it or not. I’m only sad I didn't sneak Helga into the background somewhere, because she probably would've rocked with this, sipping mead (or a Waborita).

Hagar Family Pick

01 Montrose - Bad Motor Scooter

02 Van Halen - Summer Nights

03 Sammy Hagar & The Circle - Crazy Times

04 Sammy Hagar - Birthday

05 Sammy Hagar & The Circle - Can't Hang

06 Sammy Hagar - Three Lock Box

07 Sammy Hagar & The Waboritos - Shag

08 Van Halen - Why Can't This Be Love

09 Montrose - Space Station #5

10 Chickenfoot - Soap On A Rope

11 Sammy Hagar & The Waboritos - Mas Tequila

12 HSAS - Top of the Rock

13 Sammy Hagar - I Can't Drive 55

14 Sammy Hagar with Nancy Wilson & Mickey Hart - All We Need Is An Island

15 Sammy Hagar - Don't Get Hooked

16 Sammy Hagar - High Hopes

17 Sammy Hagar - There's Only One Way To Rock

18 Sammy Hagar - Red

19 Sammy Hagar - Encore, Thank You, Goodnight

What's The Connection? Baby Blue

This Connection is all about Blue Babies, and yes, the elephant in the room is Bob Dylan. Once that door is open, a lot of other artists walk through it in very different ways. Some follow the path closely, some take a hard left, and others just borrow the color and the attitude. Lined up together, the similarities and the differences both matter. I didn’t build this one to be tidy; I built it to be interesting. If you’ve followed my other blue connections, you already know how this works. If not, listen through once and see where your ear lands.

What's The Connection? Baby Blue

01 Badfinger - Baby Blue

02 Virgin Prunes - Baby Turns Blue

03 Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

04 Jerry Wallace - Blue-Jean Baby

05 Beach Boys - Baby Blue

06 Mel McDaniel - Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On

07 Chocolate Watch Band - Baby Blue

08 Eurythmics - Baby's Gone Blue

09 Bad Religion - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

10 Jeff Beck & The Big Town Playboys - Baby Blue

11 SPK - Baby Blue Eyes

12 George Strait - Baby Blue

13 The Cramps - Baby Blue Rock (Live)

14 Bryan Ferry - It's All Over Now Baby Blue

15 Giorgio Moroder - Baby Blue

16 Stray Cats - Baby Blue Eyes

17 Echoes - Baby Blue

18 Graham Bonnet - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

19 Micky Moonshine - Baby Blue

20 Steve Howe with Annie Haslam - It's All Over Now Baby Blue

21 King Krule - Baby Blue

Digging Your Groove 5

I'm already on Volume 5 and this series keeps moving for the same reason the others exist. I loved the groove on these songs, but they didn’t quite fit anywhere else, so this pick is where they landed. A lot of this one leans into extended mixes, club versions, and strange hybrids where the rhythm or bass line is doing something just a little different. Some of these tracks were big, some barely registered, and some only ever really worked in the right room at the right time. If you’ve been following along with Digging Your Groove, you already know the headspace I’m in. If not, just listen and you’ll hear it.

Digging Your Groove 5

68 Cameron Paul - Bonus Beats 112 BPM

69 Herbie Hancock - Autodrive

70 M - Pop Musik Remix (12 inch)

71 D-Train - You're the One for Me (Special Dub Vocal)

72 Max Graham & Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart

73 Kraftwerk Vs Human League - Don't You Want The Robots

74 Soft Cell - Sex Dwarf

75 SSQ - Fire

76 Pat & Mick - On the Night

77 The Clash - Rock The Casbah (Ultimix)

78 Rock The Party - Word (Original Mix)

79 Yazoo - Situation (US 12-Inch Remixed by Francois Kevorkian)

80 Lounge Lizards - Incident On South Street

Groundhog Day 2 (again?)

Also posted at 6:00 AM this is a continuation of the volume one pick and also a repeat posting of Groundhog Day 2 last year. Nothing more to say, just read last year's post (or the year before or before that). Do it again. For Punxatawney Phil if no one else. There are slight differences, but you will not notice them. Are you Goofus or Gallant today? Is that the Hi-Light?

Groundhog Day 2

22 George Benson - Let's Do It Again

23 Elevation Worship - Do It Again (Radio)

24 R5 - Repeating Days

25 Wall Of Voodoo - Do It Again

26 Nightlife Unlimited - Let's Do It Again

27 Beach Boys - Do It Again

28 Prince - History Repeats Itself

29 R5 - Do It Again

30 Steely Dan - Do It Again

31 Queens Of The Stone Age - Do It Again

32 Kinks - Do It Again

33 David Guetta - Repeat

34 Herbie Mann - Do It Again

35 Nada Surf - Do It Again

36 Budgie - On Repeat

37 Sweet - Do It All Over Again

38 Camera Obscura - Do It Again

39 Staple Singers - Let's Do It Again

40 Little Boots - Stuck On Repeat