mzG

The title is three letters because that is how these get named, as usual. Hit the keyboard, see what comes up. Leftover tracks needed a home and enough of them piled up to justify a post. At least one track was a suggestion by one of you for another post. Finally got on here. The Three Letter Mixtape series always gets a spiral of some sort on the cover, that part is easy. What I actually spent time on this week was trying to find a decent spirograph video, failing, trying to make one with AI, and failing again. Completely unrelated. My pick for a set that came together cleaner than the artwork research did.

mzG

01 Marshall Jefferson - Ride The Rhythm (Remix)
02 Kraftwerk - The Mix Medley (Razormaid Mix)
03 Sole Patrol - Step On It
04 DJ Funk - Work That Body
05 Debbie Gibson - Electric Youth (Deep House Mix)
06 DJ Polinate - Ready, Fire, Aim
07 Paula Abdul - Cold Hearted (House Mix)
08 2 Men a Drum Machine & a Trumpet - Tired of Getting Pushed Around (Mayhem Rhythm Remix)
09 Jaxine - Jack Me Free (Less Summer Mix)
10 Pink Coffee - Another Brick in the Wall
11 Coldcut with Yazz & the Plastic Population - Doctorin' the House
12 House Engineers - Hit the House
13 Rhythim Is Rhythim - It Is What It Is

Whoesque

Everyone knows the textbook formula for chasing that classic Mod violence. Crank the amplifiers until the tubes melt, swing your arm like a windmill, and let the rhythm section play like they are trying to break through a brick wall. But if you are looking to dig past the mid-sixties blueprint and find something that actually mirrors the massive, synth-driven, heavy-bellied swagger of a track like Who Are You, you are going to be looking for a very long time. Nobody else really possesses the structural engineering required to balance that kind of high-concept arena theatricality with raw, street-level dirt without the whole thing collapsing into a pretentious mess. This particular pick does not bother trying to clone the impossible, choosing instead to tear through the entire genetic family tree of bands who took those chaotic British cues and ran them straight into the red. It is a loud, incredibly arrogant sequence of tracks that holds its ground perfectly, even if it leaves you hunting for a ghost that nobody else could ever actually capture. If you want to trace how these thematic sonic experiments usually turn out when people try to borrow a legendary blueprint, you can check out the previous Zeppelinesque entry to see the path, but don't expect anyone on this list to suddenly pull a synthesizer out of their back pocket.

Whoesque

01 The Attack - Any More Than I Do
02 Cheap Trick - He's A Whore
03 Spacehog - In The Meantime
04 Buzzcocks - Harmony in My Head
05 Thunderclap Newman - Something in the Air
06 The Pretty Things - Don't Bring Me Down
07 Small Faces - Tin Soldier
08 The Birds - You're On My Mind
09 Raspberries - I Don't Know What I Want
10 The Sorrows - Take a Heart
11 Les Fleur De Lys - Mud In Your Eye
12 Mott The Hoople - Violence
13 The Poets - That's The Way It's Got To Be
14 The Creation - Making Time
15 Alarm - Sixty Eight Guns
16 The Action - I'll Keep Holding On (Original 1966 7 Mono Single Version)
17 Eyes - When The Night Falls
18 The Move - Brontosaurus
19 The Jam - Standards
20 Faces - Pool Hall Richard
21 Nazz - Open My Eyes
22 The Clash - 1977

Them's Fighting Words 7 (Southern Rock Pick)

Do I really expect you to believe I sat on this project for ages just to drop another volume right on top of the last one? Pull the other one, it's got bells on. Still, if I am determined to keep milking this cow, this seventh pick manages to avoid turning into a total train wreck. Stacking legendary, worn-out road warriors against newer acts should make for a jarring mess, but the tracking holds its ground remarkably well. I am shocked the whole thing doesn't choke on its own fumes, but it moves along fine right up to the final needle drop. If you want to see where this sudden burst of energy started, you can go dig up the previous Them's Fighting Words posts, but let's see how long this unexpected sprint actually lasts before I disappear again.

Them's Fighting Words 7

104 Bean Pickers Union - Warrior
105 Elvin Bishop - Travelin' Shoes
106 Marshall Tucker Band - See You One More Time
107 Gregg Allman Band - Thorn And A Wild Rose
108 Atlanta Rhythm Section - Georgia Rhythm
109 Outlaws - (Ghost) Riders In The Sky
110 Hank Williams, Jr. - All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight
111 Dickey Betts - Duane's Tune
112 Alabama Shakes - Hold On
113 The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
114 Drive-By Truckers - Goddamn Lonely Love
115 Little Feat - Willin'
116 Henry Paul Band - Grey Ghost
117 Confederate Railroad - Trashy Women
118 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Tuesday's Gone
119 Allman Brothers Band - Blue Sky

Them's Fighting Words 6 (Southern Rock Pick)

There is only so much mileage you can squeeze out of denim and dual-lead guitars before the formula starts to decay, but these tracks refuse to roll over quietly. Instead of trailing off into a tepid victory lap, this mid-series pick hits like a rowdy, beer-soaked barroom brawl that stays remarkably light on its feet. The pacing relies entirely on sheer momentum, letting legendary, worn-in grooves trade punches with younger, heavy-bellied rock outfits without dropping the ball. I am honestly surprised it didn't collapse under its own weight, but the whole thing holds together perfectly through the final chord. You can dig right into the earlier chapters of Them's Fighting Words to see exactly how we got here, so don't go stripping the gears just yet because there is still a whole lot more coming down the pike.

Them's Fighting Words 6 

88 Clutch - Electric Worry
89 Lynyrd Skynyrd - That Smell
90 Molly Hatchet - Fall of the Peacemakers
91 ZZ Top - La Grange
92 Charlie Daniels - Uneasy Rider
93 38 Special - Rockin' Into The Night
94 Georgia Satellites - Battleship Chains
95 Stillwater - Mind Bender
96 The Winters Brothers Band - Sang Her Love Songs
97 Atlanta Rhythm Section - Champagne Jam
98 Mountain - Mississippi Queen
99 The Georgia Thunderbolts - Looking For An Old Friend
100 Cry Of Love - Peace Pipe
101 The Black Crowes - Hard To Handle
102 Allman Brothers Band - Jessica
103 Blackfoot - Rattlesnake Rock 'N' Roller

Surf Beat 5

I was starting to think this concept had fully run its course, but this batch proves there is still some gas left in the tank. Forcing classic, reverb-drenched twang to sit right alongside abrasive, snotty punk rock should result in total structural failure, but instead, it creates a weirdly infectious friction. This particular pick functions like a high-speed collision where the aggressive energy of the underground perfectly mirrors the frantic velocity of the tides. It is a loud, messy collision of subcultures that somehow feels completely intentional by the time the final note cuts out. If you want to dive deeper into this chaotic surf dynamic, the full archive is waiting, though this might just be the absolute final ride unless you guys have some suggestions to keep it going.

Surf Beat 5

120 Los Straitjackets - Nocturnal Twist
121 The Surfaris - Scatter Shield
122 Slacktone - Bells Of St. Kahuna
123 Agent Orange - Miserlou
124 Moms I'd Like to Surf - Major Surf
125 The Adolescents - Amoeba
126 Aqualads - Surf! Surf! Surf!
127 Circle Jerks - Wild In The Streets
128 The Weirdos - Solitary Confinement
129 Ribsy - Collapse
130 The Razorblades - Grease Your Hair and Get Tattooed
131 The Atlantics - Flight Of The Surf Guitar
132 Big Boys - Which Way To Go
133 The Electric Firebirds - Let's Make It
134 Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake - Brown Room
135 King Curtis & the Noble Men - Beach Party
136 The Waikikis - Hawaii Tattoo
137 The Bitch Boys - The Final Ride
138 Bob Collins & Fabulous Five - If I Didn't Have A Dime
139 The Archies - Sugar, Sugar
140 Bert Weedon - 40 Miles of Bad Road
141 The Faction - California Dreamin'
142 Mister Neutron - Comanchero
143 Wounds - China Doll
144 Dick Dale - Nitro
145 Mailbooz - My Baby Came Back On the Last Wave Today
146 The Tarantulas - A Fistful Of Dollars (Overture)
147 The Surfrajettes - Word Salad
148 Frankie and the Pool Boys - Cat Fight
149 Insect Surfers - Mojave

Son Of A...Pick 2

I expected this one to fight me a bit more, but it settled into a surprisingly comfortable groove. When you stack tracks that lean heavily on a shared attitude, you usually brace yourself for a sonic headache, but the pacing here keeps the energy from completely collapsing in on itself. The pick anchors the whole mess, letting the older instrumental grooves and the aggressive, modern thumping bounce off each other without feeling like total whiplash. I honestly didn't think these styles could share the same space so smoothly, but they do. If you missed the first round of this bitch, it might be time to catch up.

Son Of A...Pick 2

21 Bowling For Soup - The Bitch Song
22 Nero - Bitch I'm Gone
23 The Ventures - Son Of A Preacher Man
24 Nashville Pussy - The Bitch Just Kicked Me Out
25 Sylvie Vartan & Axelle Red - Son Of A Preacher Man
26 Red Aunts - Little Drummer Bitch
27 Gaelic Storm - Son Of A Poacher
28 Prince - Billy Jack Bitch
29 Bloodhound Gang - American Bitches
30 Rodney Carrington - Big Mouth, No Arm, Son of a Bitch
31 Room Eleven - Bitch
32 Bobby Shmurda - Bobby Bitch
33 The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
34 Stranglers - Bitching
35 Mark Mothersbaugh - Queen Bitch
36 Benga - Smack Your Bitch Up (Official Video)
37 Progidy, Noisia, Kill the Noise, Tiesto, Aoki - Tornado My Bitch Up (Rudebrat Mashup)
38 Guns N' Roses - Back off Bitch
39 Cartman - Kyle's Mom's A Bitch

What's The Connection? Slippery

Slippery is one of those words that sounds exactly like what it means. You know the feeling - you step somewhere you should not have, or you put your faith in someone who turned out to be exactly what the word implies, and there you are on the floor wondering how you got there. Happens to the best of us, sometimes on the same day. The Connection shares one track with a slipping post from a while back, same song, same version, showing up again like it owns the place. Watch your step.

What's The Connection? Slippery

01 Ambitious Lovers - Slippery
02 Kidz In The Hall, Masta Ace - Slippery Shoes
03 Staple Singers - Slippery People (Club Version)
04 Lauren Watkins with John Morgan - Slippery Slope
05 Funk Society - Slippery Slope
06 Tiptoes - Born Slippery
07 Talking Heads - Slippery People (12'' version)
08 Surprise Chef - Slippery Dip
09 Chicago Afrobeat Project - Slippery People
10 Karl Bryan & The Crystalites - Slippery
11 Ultrasonic Grand Prix featuring Little Barrie & Shawn Lee - Slippery When Chet
12 Commodores - Slippery When Wet
13 Doobie Brothers - Slippery St. Paul
14 Guthrie Govan - Wonderful Slippery Thing
15 Pink Floyd - Slippery Guitar
16 Stavely Makepeace - Slippery Rock 70's
17 Phabo featuring Destin Conrad - Slippery
18 Migos featuring Gucci Mane - Slippery
19 Angie Stone - Slippery Shoes
20 Mood II Swing - The Slippery Track