What's The Connection? Summer (repost)

This is a repost with new links from four years ago with a whole new blurb: Summer always seems a little shorter than I remember. Maybe that's because we try to pack so much into it before the days start getting shorter again. Beach trips, backyard cookouts, vacations, long evenings that somehow disappear too quickly, and all the songs that end up becoming part of those memories. It doesn't really matter what year they came from. Every summer eventually finds its own soundtrack. This Connection stays with one season from beginning to end, wandering through breezy afternoons, hot city streets, romance, nostalgia, and just enough sunshine to make you forget how hot it actually is. Whether you're heading for the beach, the lake, the backyard, or just the air conditioning, these songs should fit somewhere along the way. I hope your summer lasts a little longer than it usually seems to.

What's The Connection? Summer

01 Kool & the Gang - Summer Madness

02 Bangles - Bitchen Summer

03 Bananarama - Cruel Summer

04 The B-52's - Summer Of Love

05 Lil' Brian and the Zydeco Travelers - Summer Girl

06 Dino - Summergirls

07 War - Summer

08 Don Henley - The Boys Of Summer

09 Mungo Jerry - In The Summer Time

10 The Motels - Suddenly Last Summer

11 Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze

12 Stevie Wonder - Summer Soft

13 Chad and Jeremy - A Summer Song

14 The Danleers - One Summer Night

15 Jamies - Summertime, Summertime

16 Sly and the Family Stone - Hot Fun In The Summertime

17 Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City

18 Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues

19 Shonen Knife - Summertime Boogie

20 Surfin' Lungs - Who Stole The Summer

21 Stray Cats - Lonely Summer Nights

America 250

America celebrates Independence Day every year, but turning 250 only happens once. Watching this year's World Cup has made the occasion feel even more special. Along with the matches, it has been fun seeing visitors from around the world discovering everyday American life for the first time. Sometimes it takes someone seeing your home with fresh eyes to remind you how many little things you have quietly taken for granted all along. That seems like a pretty good reason to celebrate. This Connection follows a few of the ideas that have shaped the country along the way: liberty, freedom, home, music, and a Saturday night or two. It even begins with the birthday song I have sung to friends and family for years whenever their special day comes around. After all, 250 candles deserve something a little different. I have a feeling some of those visitors are going home with a different picture of America than the one they arrived with. This year's 4th of July seemed like the right time to celebrate that.

America 250

01 Sheriff John - Birthday Cake Polka

02 Jennifer Rocket - Stand Up Baby

03 Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom

04 Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band

05 George Thorogood & The Destroyers - American Made

06 Lee Greenwood - God Bless The USA

07 David Bowie - Young Americans

08 Earth, Wind & Fire - Freedom

09 Sister Sledge - All American Girls

10 Alan Jackson - Home

11 Elvis Presley - An American Trilogy

12 Common Ground - This Is America

13 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

14 Journey - Liberty

15 Garth Brooks - American Honky-Tonk Bar Association

16 Kim Wilde - Kids In America

17 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl

18 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys - Liberty

19 John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads

20 Junior Brown - Freedom Machine

21 Beach Boys - Back Home

22 Brad Paisley - American Saturday Night

Americanos

One of my favorite parts of this year's World Cup has been watching visitors from around the world experience everyday America. Not the landmarks or the postcards, but the things most of us stopped noticing years ago. Sometimes it's a restaurant, sometimes it's the size of a grocery store, sometimes it's unlimited drink refills or discovering ranch dressing for the first time, and sometimes it's a place that somehow turned a gas station into a destination all by itself. Seeing those reactions has been a nice reminder that culture isn't just found in museums. A lot of it happens in the ordinary places we pass every day. This pick is really about perspective. Tomorrow's 4th of July seems like the perfect time to celebrate that. I have a feeling some of those visitors are going home with a different picture of America than the one they arrived with.

Americanos

01 Holly Johnson - Americanos

02 Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup - We No Speak Americano

03 10cc - Americana Panorama

04 Lady GaGa - Americano

05 David Bowie - I'm Afraid Of Americans

06 Halsey - New Americana

07 Lou Bega - You Wanna Be Americano

08 Laibach - Americana

09 The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Americano

10 Leningrad Cowboys - Americano

11 Alec R. Costandinos - Americana

12 Eight To The Bar - Young Americans

13 Soup Dragons - Americana Sweetmeat

14 Stanley Clarke - Campo Americano

15 Moe Bandy - Americana

16 Mana - Somos Más Americanos

17 Ray Davies - Americana

Happy Anniversary! (repost)

Repost: This connection or pick of anniversary songs is because today is my anniversary. Been married quite a while (since '07 if you want to know). I actually celebrate it twice a year six months apart because we had a church wedding six months after our actual wedding. Makes it kind of fun. Now these songs, however, are not all celebratory, but they do all have Anniversary in the title. Just don't play them for you other half and expect it to be all nice-nice. Some are. Some are not. I keep hoping there will be a better, newer anniversary song to celebrate, than the Little River Band, which isn't really about their anniversary, but celebrating that his significant other is happy with someone else. But it sounds happy! Oh well! Duran Duran is more in line with the sentiment, but it's not their best song.

Happy Anniversary!

01 Mission UK - Prelude Anniversary

02 Al Stewart - Anniversary

03 Tony! Toni! Tone! - Anniversary

04 The Pogues - Anniversary

05 Todd Rundgren - Happy Anniversary

06 Tom Jones - Anniversary Song

07 Shep And The Limelighters - Our Anniversary

08 Blur - Anniversary Waltz

09 Toy Dolls - The Anniversary Waltz

10 John Cale - On A Wedding Anniversary

11 Andy Williams - Anniversary Song

12 Suzanne Vega - Anniversary

13 Duran Duran - Anniversary

14 The Cure - Anniversary

15 Cowboy Junkies - Anniversary Song

16 Merle Haggard - Anniversary Blue Yodel

17 Al Jolson - Anniversary Song

18 Little River Band - Happy Anniversary

19 Giveon - Heartbreak Anniversary

20 Saint Etienne - Sadie's Anniversary

21 Jim Capaldi - Oh How We Danced (Anniversary Song)

22 Jimi Hendrix - 51st Anniversary [Mono]

23 Robert Plant - Anniversary

Pulsing Aura

Two wormholes opening on consecutive days seems a little excessive. Then again, I watched enough wormhole science fiction to believe they probably happen more often than we notice. I even named one of my boxers Ka D'Argo and a foster Aeryn Sun, so I guess I committed to that idea years ago. This pick turns the dial up from yesterday. Fire, rescue, battles, martyrs, robbers, rats, and a Mississippi Queen all come charging through, somehow staying in step despite coming from completely different musical worlds. At 140 BPM, I probably didn't have much choice.

Pulsing Aura

01 Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Fire

02 Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers - Chitterlings Con Carne

03 5000 Volts featuring Tina Charles - I'm on Fire (Disco Purrfection Version)

04 Brainstorm - Lovin' Is Really My Game (12inch Extended)

05 Plimsouls - Zero Hour

06 Box Tops - The Letter

07 Earth, Wind & Fire - You

08 Echo & the Bunnymen - Rescue

09 Pretenders - Kid

10 Berlin - Sex (I'm A ...)

11 Bauhaus - Stigmata Martyr

12 The Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap

13 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Battleship

14 Mongo Santamaria - We Got Latin Soul

15 Ohio Players - Jive Turkey

16 The Jam - Start!

17 The Clash - Bankrobber

18 Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation

19 Mountain - Mississippi Queen

Fantastical Parade

Another wormhole opened and this group wandered through together. They probably should not fit nearly as well as they do, but that is half the fun. I still build these around the music first, then sit back and see what else shows up. This pick turned into a Fantastical Parade of unusual voices, quirky personalities, and songs that seem happier traveling in odd company than on their own. The title is another clue to the game behind these mixes. I have a feeling plenty of people already have it in their pocket, even if they have not connected the dots yet. Has anyone figured it out? If you do, please let everyone else keep guessing. My friend ID is always available if you want to compare collections.

Fantastical Parade

01 Cake - Short Skirt, Long Jacket

02 Ric Ocasek - Bottom Dollar

03 Wall Of Voodoo - Tomorrow

04 Tom Tom Club - Don't Say No

05 The B-52's - Bad Influence

06 Talking Heads - Blind

07 ABC - The Look Of Love

08 After The Fire - Der Kommissar

09 Buggles - I Am A Camera (12 Mix)

10 Shriekback - Nerve

11 Heaven 17 - Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry

12 The Neon Judgement - Babys On Fire

13 The Psychedelic Furs - Angels Don't Cry (7` Remix)

14 Devo - Head Like a Hole

15 Spandau Ballet - Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)

16 Blow Monkeys - Superfly

17 Pet Shop Boys - West End-Sunglasses

What's The Connection? Message 2

Sometimes getting the message across takes longer than the message itself. I can spell something out repeatedly, provide examples, even hand over the instructions, and AI will still decide I probably meant something else. At least the spelling and grammar will be goodly. That felt oddly appropriate for this Connection. Messages are everywhere. Some are clear. Some get mangled beyond recognition before they arrive. This is the message to you: I love and hate AI. I just had to get that off my chest.

What's The Connection? Message 2

21 Cymande - The Message

22 Adam Faith - A Message To Martha

23 Temptations - Message From A Black Man

24 Love - A Message to Pretty

25 Demon Fuzz - Message To Mankind

26 Dandy Livingstone - Rudy, A Message To You

27 Kool & the Gang - Music Is the Message

28 Skyy - Sendin' A Message

29 Everly Brothers - Take a Message to Mary

30 Tony Allen - African Message

31 King Sunny Ade & His African Beats - 365 Is My Number-The Message

32 World Party - Put The Message In The Box

33 Ray Barretto - Ancestral Messages

34 Prince Far I and the Arabs - A Message

35 Esbjorn Svensson Trio - The Message

What's The Connection? Cheyenne

Cheyenne always sounded more like a place than a people to me. Maybe that's because I grew up with the television show before I knew much about the history behind the name. That turns out to be fitting, because this Connection wanders back and forth between the people, the places named after them, and whatever else borrowed the name along the way. If you want to Jump On It instead, the Apache are only a click away. This one is plainly different.

What's The Connection? Cheyenne

01 Hanoi Rocks - Cheyenne

02 The Ken Darby Singers with Orchestra - Cheyenne

03 Ennio Morricone - Farewell To Cheyenne

04 Bo Diddley - Cheyenne

05 John Stewart - Cheyenne

06 Jason Derulo - Cheyenne

07 Joe Nichols - Old Cheyenne

08 George Strait - I Can Still Make Cheyenne

09 The Hold Steady - Cheyenne Sunrise (2018 - Remaster)

10 Kansas - Cheyenne Anthem

11 John Denver - Shipmates And Cheyenne

12 Garth Brooks - The Beaches Of Cheyenne

13 Fishbone - Cheyenne Star Forever Moore

14 Guided By Voices - Cheyenne

15 Bill Monroe - Cheyenne

16 Micky & The Motorcars - Rock Springs To Cheyenne

17 Bobby Darin - Shipmates In Cheyenne

18 Roy Orbison - Cheyenne

19 The Ataris - The Cheyenne Line

20 The Fuzztones - Cheyenne Rider

21 Pistol Annies - Cheyenne

What's The Connection? Apache

Apache always makes me think of Taza. He was my first dog as a kid. His dad was a show dog named Cochise (look him up), so somebody decided to keep the theme going. Taza was extremely well trained, although he never had much of a show business career. My brother and I spent plenty of nights sleeping in his spot with him anyway. I got the dog because my doctor said I was allergic to dogs and my pop called nonsense on that. His solution was simple. Put me around dogs all the time and I'd get over it. Back then we also thought seat belts weren't really needed. We lived. Decades later I still have boxers, and I am still allergic. Pop wasn't completely right, but he wasn't completely wrong either. Somewhere in there is the Connection. We weren't brave, just thought differently.

What's The Connection? Apache

01 Mike Oldfield - Cochise

02 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Apache Rose Peacock

03 Ted Nugent - Geronimo And Me

04 Modern Talking - Geronimo's Cadillac

05 Gianni Oddi - Geronimo

06 Sugarhill Gang - Apache (Jump On It)

07 Incredible Bongo Band - Apache (Grand Master Flash Remix)

08 Johnny Cash - Apache Tears

09 Nancy Sinatra - Geronimo

10 Michael Martin Murphey - Geronimo's Cadillac

11 Elton John - Indian Sunset

12 Los Straitjackets - Lonely Apache

13 The Shadows - Geronimo (Stereo)

14 Sheppard - Geronimo

15 Les Elgart & His Orchestra - Geronimo

16 Bow Wow Wow - Uomo Sex al Apache

17 Bobby Valentin - Geronimo

18 Audioslave - Cochise

Friday Connection Repost

Repost of a What's The Connection? for a Friday. Not as many great Friday songs, although I'm sure I am missing something (let me know in the comments). And I was totally lazy for the cover, appropriating a creative commons image and barely touching it. Click on it anyway. A few of these tracks are just so great and any compilation with both the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone can't be bad. And those aren't the best tracks by those guys...

WTC? Friday

01 Funkadelic - Friday Night, August 14th

02 Nancy Sinatra - Friday's Child

03 The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind

04 Rascal Flatts - Friday

05 Red Hot Chili Peppers - If You Have To Ask (Friday Night)

06 Doves - Friday's Dust

07 Rebecca Black - Friday

08 Bell & James - Livin' It Up (Friday Night)

09 Eric Paslay - Friday Night

10 Fishbone - DUI Friday

11 The Professionals - Friday Night Square

12 Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

13 Love And Kisses - Thank God It's Friday

14 Genesis - Get 'Em Out By Friday

15 Steely Dan - Black Friday

16 kd Lang - Friday Dance Promenade

17 The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

18 Yello - Friday Smile

19 The Specials - Friday Night, Saturday Morning

20 The Replacements - Love You Till Friday

21 Atomic Rooster - Friday The 13th

What's The Connection? Fade 1

I knew what the cover was going to look like before I found most of the songs. If the word is "fade," you're almost obligated to start blending colors together until everything looks like an old paint commercial. There was a period when ombré was everywhere. Walls, clothing, hair (porbably mine at one time), probably a few dogs if you looked hard enough. The trend eventually faded away, but apparently it was still lurking somewhere in the back of my mind when I put this Connection together. Or maybe I only noticed that afterward and invented the story to explain it.

What's The Connection? Fade 1

01 Queens Of The Stone Age - In The Fade

02 The Del Fuegos - Fade To Blue

03 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Fade

04 Mark Stewart - As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade

05 Treble Charger - Fade

06 Ultravox! - Cross Fade

07 Tom Petty - Don't Fade on Me

08 Visage - Fade To Grey (12'' Version)

09 Cabaret Voltaire - Fade Crisis

10 Metallica - Fade To Black

11 Solu Music feat. Kimblee - Fade

12 Sleater Kinney - Fade

13 Tears For Fears - Memories Fade

14 Floraline - Fade

15 Lee Perry and The Upsetters - Beware Fade

16 Mazzy Star - Fade Into You

17 The Warning - Red Hands Never Fade

18 Bill Laswell - Fade

Jermaine Jackson Pick

Jermaine always feels like the Jackson brother with the most complicated story. He was the one who stayed at Motown when the rest of the family left, largely because of his connection to Berry Gordy through marriage. He was also one of the few Jacksons who regularly played bass in the group's early years. Looking over this pick, I realized it is not really built around solo hits at all. The Jacksons selections all put Jermaine in the spotlight, many of the guest appearances exist because of his voice, and there is even a wonderfully unlikely DEVO connection tucked into the middle of the set. It ends up tracing his path through the family story, from bassist and brother to solo artist and eventually Jackson again. It is another interesting branch of the Jacksons family tree.

Jermaine Jackson Pick

01 Whitney Houston with Jermaine Jackson - If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful

02 Jermaine Jackson - Don't Take It Personal

03 Jermaine Jackson - You're Supposed To Keep Your Love For Me (Single Version)

04 Jermaine Jackson - Dynamite (7' Version)

05 Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious

06 Jermaine Jackson with Michael Jackson - Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good To Be True)

07 Jacksons - Torture

08 Pia Zadora & Jermaine Jackson - When The Rain Begins To Fall

09 Jackson 5 - I Found That Girl

10 Jermaine Jackson - Word To The Badd!!

11 Jermaine Jackson - I Think It's Love

12 Switch featuring Jermaine Jackson - Tahiti Hut

13 Jermaine Jackson - Daddy's Home

14 Whitney Houston & Jermaine Jackson - Take Good Care Of My Heart

15 Jermaine Jackson - Erucu

16 Jermaine Jackson - Let Me Tickle Your Fancy

17 Jermaine Jackson - Do What You Do

18 Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me (Single Version)

19 Jermaine Jackson & Miki Howard - Make It Easy On Love

Janet Jackson Guests

Yesterday reminded me how many different Janets there are. Today I ask what happens when you add somebody else to the mix. Sometimes she takes over the record. Sometimes she slips into the background and lets the guest shine. Sometimes it's hard to tell whose song it really is. For a pick, this one jumps between R&B, hip hop, dance, reggae, and a few combinations that probably should not work as well as they do. It also turns into a surprisingly good tour through a few decades of collaborators. Did you catch yesterday's bonus B side? There seem to be a lot of Jacksons around here lately. Also, I was just wondering today why do I own seven different sets of headphones?

Janet Jackson Guests

01 Janet Jackson featuring Missy Elliott - Go Deep (Timbaland Full Mix)

02 Janet Jackson with Missy Elliot - The 1

03 Janet Jackson featuring Daddy Yankee - Made For Now

04 Janet Jackson with Nelly - Call On Me

05 Chingy featuring Janet Jackson - Don't Worry

06 Beenie Man featuring Janet Jackson - Feel It Boy

07 Busta Rhymes featuring Janet Jackson - What's It Gonna Be

08 Janet Jackson featuring Kanye West - My Baby

09 Janet Jackson featuring Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell - Got 'Til It's Gone

10 Janet Jackson featuring Blackstreet - I Get Lonely

11 Janet Jackson with Cliff Richard - Two To The Power Of Love

12 Janet Jackson featuring Missy Elliott & P Diddy - Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You) (P Diddy Remix)

13 Janet Jackson with Missy Elliot - BURNITUP!

14 Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson - Scream Louder (Flyte Tyme Remix)

15 Janet Jackson featuring Khia - So Excited

16 Janet Jackson with Luther Vandross - The Best Things In Life Are Free_pn

17 Cardi B featuring Janet Jackson - Principal

18 Shaggy featuring Janet Jackson - Luv Me Luv Me

19 Herb Alpert with Janet Jackson - Diamonds

Janet Jackson Pick

Janet is one of those artists where everybody can make a greatest hits playlist, but once I started pulling tracks together I noticed how many different Janets there are. New jack swing Janet. Velvet rope Janet. Dance floor Janet. Quiet late night Janet. Even a little rock Janet sneaks in. For a pick, this one stays surprisingly balanced. The big singles are here, but it never feels stuck in one era or one mood. I also finally got around to the Janet playlist I mentioned years ago in the family pick post, so I can cross that off the list. Maybe you'll tell me what I missed.

Janet Jackson Pick

01 Janet Jackson - No Sleeep

02 Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes

03 Janet Jackson - Love Will Never Do (Without You)

04 Janet Jackson - Nasty

05 Janet Jackson - If

06 Michael & Janet Jackson - Scream

07 Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation

08 Janet Jackson - All For You

09 Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately

10 Janet Jackson - Feedback

11 Janet Jackson - Miss You Much

12 Janet Jackson - The Pleasure Principle

13 Janet Jackson - Don't Stand Another Chance

14 Janet Jackson - Together Again

15 Janet Jackson - Young Love

16 Janet Jackson - Any Time, Any Place (R. Kelly Mix)

17 Janet Jackson - Rock 'n' Roll

Jacksons Pick Repost

Repost: There are tons of choices to make for a Jacksons playlist pick. Most compilations include either the Jacksons or the Jackson 5. This has both. It does not include Michael's hits, nor Jermaine's (and nothing from Rebbie or Janet or Randy or Tito etc.) just all of the boys together. It's not all disco or Motown, but a little of all their stuff. It does contain their biggest hits as both the Jacksons and The Jackson 5. Look for the Jackson Family pick and some individual Jacksons.

Jacksons Pick

01 Jackson 5 - I'll Be There

02 Jacksons - Dreamer

03 Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye

04 Jacksons - Show You The Way To Go

05 Jackson 5 - ABC

06 Jackson 5 - I Want You Back

07 Jackson 5 - Mama's Pearl

08 Jackson 5 - The Love You Save

09 Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine

10 Jacksons - Enjoy Yourself

11 Jacksons - Shake Your Body Down To The Ground

12 Jacksons - Blame It On The Boogie

13 Jacksons - Can You Feel It

14 Jacksons - Walk Right Now

15 Jacksons - Lovely One

16 Jacksons with Mick Jagger - State Of Shock

17 Jacksons - Torture

18 Jacksons - Heartbreak Hotel (This Place Hotel)

Jackson Family Pick Repost

Repost: Well, since I was reposting this, I fixed an error, added a track, so this is the new version of this. The Family Jackson Pick is all the biggest hits (for me) of the Jackson family. So I include the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons, but also a Michael, Janet, Jermaine, La Toya, Rebbie, Randy, Tito, Marlon and Jackie. With so many, I am bound to have forgotten someone, but I hope not. I gave most of the solo spots two tracks, one each for Jacksons and Jackson 5 (since it sort of is the same group) and also for Jackie, Randy and Marlon. One track is from Janet and Michael! Eventually, I will do a Janet pick (maybe a Jermaine), but the rest of these Jacksons, I don't think I could make one with enough that I like. This will have to do.

Jackson Family Pick

01 Tito Jackson with Kenny Neal, Marlon Jackson & Bobby Rush - Love One Another

02 Randy Jackson - How Can I Be Sure

03 Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes

04 Jackson 5 - I Want You Back

05 Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson - Scream Louder (Flyte Tyme Remix)

06 Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious

07 Rebbie Jackson - Fly Away

08 Jermaine Jackson - Do What You Do

09 Jackie Jackson - Stay

10 Jacksons - Blame It On The Boogie

11 Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

12 Rebbie Jackson - Centipede

13 Janet Jackson - Together Again

14 La Toya Jackson - Sexual Feeling

15 La Toya Jackson - Just Wanna Dance

16 Michael Jackson - Beat It

17 Tito Jackson featuring Big Daddy Kane - Get It Baby

18 Marlon Jackson - Don't Go

Michael Jackson 2

The man is still all over the radio and somehow putting out fresh material. It is a bit wild for someone who basically died of milk, but the momentum never really stopped. This set mixes in some of those posthumous releases alongside the older stuff, which feels right with the new movie out now. Hard to believe how there are still "new" Michael Jackson songs going crazy on the charts. I remember watching the cartoon as a kid in The Valley. We were actually pretty close to Neverland, though I never made it past the gates myself. This latest pick sits nicely next to volume 1 to show how the different eras of his career actually mesh together. It makes you wonder how much more is left in the vaults.

Michael Jackson 2

19 Michael Jackson - Butterflies

20 Michael Jackson - Off The Wall

21 Michael Jackson - Earth Song

22 Michael Jackson with Akon - Hold My Hand

23 Michael Jackson - Remember The Time

24 Michael Jackson - Chicago

25 Michael Jackson - Dangerous

26 Michael Jackson - Jam

27 Michael Jackson & Justin Timberlake - Love Never Felt So Good

28 Michael Jackson - Hollywood Tonight

29 Michael Jackson - Scream

30 Michael Jackson - In The Closet

31 Michael Jackson - P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

32 Michael Jackson - Human Nature

33 Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

34 Michael Jackson vs Earth, Wind & Fire - Don't Stop 'Til September

Michael Jackson 1 repost

Repost: Originally I wasn't going to post this, but some people had messaged me and asked why the disco (leopard) series hardly had any Michael Jackson in it. The reason is this playlist. Any disco party I played, I would of course play the songs in the disco series that I have already posted, but I also brought along this playlist of my MJ picks. Yes. I also brought along Saturday Night Fever, some extra Bee Gee's etc. I wasn't going to post this, because you can find tons of great Michael Jackson greatest hits albums out there. This is just my pick. Many of you will disagree with some of my choices, but I stand by them. Tell me your favorites in the comments. You've probably already seen the companion Jacksons playlist. And tomorrow I post the second volume (never posted before.)

Michael Jackson Pick

01 Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine

02 Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

03 Michael Jackson - Working Day And Night

04 Michael Jackson - Rock With You

05 Michael Jackson - Billie Jean 

06 Michael Jackson - Beat It

07 Michael Jackson - Thriller

08 Michael Jackson - Bad

09 Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal

10 Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel

11 Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror

12 Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana

13 Michael Jackson - Black Or White

14 Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone

15 Michael Jackson - You Rock My World

16 Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney - Say,Say,Say

17 Michael Jackson - Ease On Down The Road

18 Michael Jackson - One More Chance

RIYL Y&T (Recommended If You Like Yesterday and Today) repost

Repost of this pick: Bay Area band (Oakland, Caifornia) Y&T also known as Yesterday and Today hasn't done much lately, but were and are influential in the area of heavy metal. At least one member of Metallica started playing because of this band. Anyway, as a California boy, I liked the band and I love making RIYL compilations every now and again. So here are my recommendations if you like Y&T. Or if you like one of these songs and don't listen to Y&T, perhaps you should. And try to find the albums of all these artists, they are all good. BTW this song by them isn't even the best or most popular, but it does rock.

RIYL Y&T

01 Y&T - Don't Stop Runnin'

02 Michael Schenker Group - Armed And Ready
03 Montrose - Bad Motor Scooter
04 Triumph - Fight the Good Fight
05 Krokus - Screaming In The Night
06 Helix - Rock You
07 Autograph - Turn Up The Radio
08 Motley Crue - Smokin in the Boys Room
09 Kix - Girl Money
10 Ratt - Round And Round
11 Black 'n Blue - Hold On To 18
12 Great White - Once Bitten Twice Shy
13 Dokken - Into The Fire
14 King Kobra - Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)
15 L.A. Guns - Sex Action
16 Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize
17 Hush - Hot Tonight
18 Shnazz - (I Want To) Jump On Your Bones
(click on the cheesy homemade cover)
x

Rock and Roll Connection volume 3 repost

Repost of this 2021 post: Yet another attempt at another volume of What's The Connection? Rock and Roll. A couple of these songs would be in my ultimate Rock and Roll playlist (if I was constrained to one CD's worth of songs) and I would switch out some of the other volumes selections, but all in all a good Rockin' playlist, even if I was lazy in the cover. But make sure you check out the other volumes. Leave a comment if you have any Rock and Roll favorites I missed. It is time to make a volume 4...

WTC Rock and Roll Volume 3

48 Donny & Marie Osmond - A Little Bit Country (A Little Bit Rock 'N Roll)

49 Young Fresh Fellows - Rock 'n' Roll Pest Control

50 Haim - Rock N Roll Rules

51 Sha-Na-Na - Rock 'N' Roll Is Here To Stay

52 Ringo Starr - A Dose Of Rock 'N' Roll

53 Queen - Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll

54 Y&T - Rock & Roll's Gonna Save The World

55 The Cure - I Hate Rock And Roll

56 Gary Glitter - Rock and Roll Part 2 (The Hey Song)

57 The Runaways - Rock 'n' Roll

58 AC-DC - It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)

59 Brian Setzer - Rock 'n' Roll Ruby

60 Cheap Trick - Rock 'N' Roll Tonight

61 Johnny Winter - Rock And Roll

62 Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

63 Beach Boys - Rock And Roll Music

64 Outlaws - Stick Around For Rock & Roll

65 Legs Diamond - Rock And Roll Man

66 Dio - King Of Rock And Roll

67 Electric Light Orchestra - Rock 'n' Roll Is King

68 Mother's Finest - Niggizz Can't Sang Rock & Roll

69 Jerry Lee Lewis with Jimmy Page - Rock And Roll

Rock and Roll Connection volume 2 repost

Repost of this one too: Another one in the What Is The Connection? Rock and Roll series. Too many to just have one CD/Playlist of Rock n Roll songs. Same cover design for this volume, but click on it anyway. Notice that I ended the last one with I hate Rock N Roll and started this one with I love Rock N Roll. Coincidence?

WTC Rock and Roll Volume 2

23 Joan Jett - I Love Rock N Roll

24 Chuck Berry - Rock And Roll Music

25 Billy Lee Riley - Flyin' Saucer Rock N' Roll

26 Bongwater - Rock N Roll Part 2

27 The Cramps - God Damn Rock N Roll

28 Velvet Underground - Rock and Roll

29 Gruppo Sportivo - Rock N Roll

30 Soft Boys - Rock 'n' Roll Toilet

31 Mano Negra - Rock And Roll Band

32 Iggy Pop - My Baby Wants to Rock & Roll

33 David Bowie - Rock N Roll Suicide

34 C&C Music Factory - Here We Go , Let's Rock & Roll

35 Ramones - Rock N' Roll High School

36 Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

37 Jethro Tull - Too Old to Rock n Roll, Too Young to Die

38 Shonen Knife - Golden Years of Rock N Roll

39 Cake - Rock N' Roll Lifestyle

40 Danny And The Juniors - Rock N Roll Is Here to Stay

41 Righteous Brothers - Rock and Roll Heaven

42 Shaun Cassidy - That's Rock N' Roll

43 Herman Brood - Rock N' Roll Junkie

44 Spinal Tap - Rock and Roll Creation

45 King Missle - Rock-N- Roll Will Never Die

46 Simpletones - Rock N' Roll Star

47 XTC - History of Rock and Roll

Rock and Roll Connection volume 1 repost

It was time to repost this one. Links were bad and it's just a good one from one of my early posts. So many songs with Rock and Roll in the title, that it would be impossible to gather them all, but here is  my attempt to come up with the best ones. This What's The Connection? will come in several volumes, so I hope you look forward to them all. I designed the album cover so click on that. Leave a comment on what other Rock n' Roll songs you like. These are some of the ones I like.

WTC Rock and Roll Volume 1

01 Reunion - Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)

02 Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)

03 Led Zeppelin - Rock And Roll

04 Motorhead - Rock 'N' Roll

05 Kiss - Rock And Roll All Night

06 AC-DC - Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

07 Rick Derringer - Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo

08 Edgar Winter - Keep Playin' That Rock 'n' Roll

09 The Byrds - So You Want To Be A Rock'N' Roll Star

10 Boston - Rock & Roll Band

11 Moody Blues - I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)

12 Huey Lewis And The News - The Heart Of Rock 'N' Roll

13 Paul Collins' Beat - Rock 'N' Roll Girl

14 Billy Joel - It's Still Rock And Roll To Me

15 Bob Seger - Old Time Rock & Roll

16 Bad Company - Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy

17 Nashville Pussy - Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw

18 Ozzy Ozbourne - Rock 'n' Roll Rebel

19 Blue Oyster Cult - Cities On Flame With Rock & Roll

20 John Cale - Dirty Ass Rock 'N' Roll

21 Traffic - Rock and Roll Stew

22 Jesus and Mary Chain - I Hate Rock N Roll

Kinks Pick

Yesterday I posted a repost of my Kinks Kovers Kompilation. When I first posted it I was planning on posting this one, too. Something must have happened. So, years later here it is. Compare it to the Kovers version and also to any of the commercially available comps of theirs. It's a little different. Probably different from your favorites too. Something about this band. They are so good and yet so bad at the same time. Some of the best Rock ever written and also some of the most stupid songs ever. Some of both are on here, because I love the stupid ones as much if not more than the others. You tell me what your favorite Kinks song is.

Kinks Pick

01 Kinks - Don't Forget To Dance

02 Kinks - Waterloo Sunset

03 Kinks - A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy (Single Version)

04 Kinks - Dedicated Follower of Fashion

05 Kinks - Everybody's Gonna Be Happy

06 Kinks - Sleepwalker

07 Kinks - Tired Of Waiting For You

08 Kinks - Stop Your Sobbing

09 Kinks - (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman (Disco Mix Extended Edit)

10 Kinks - Sunny Afternoon

11 Kinks - Get Up

12 Kinks - Do It Again

13 Kinks - Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)

14 Kinks - I Need You

15 Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night

16 Kinks - You Really Got Me

17 Kinks - Better Things

18 Kinks - Juke Box Music

19 Kinks - Till the End of the Day

20 Kinks - Victoria

21 Kinks - Destroyer

22 Kinks - Lola

23 Kinks - Come Dancing

24 Kinks - A Well Respected Man

Kinks Kovers Repost

Repost: This was fun to do. But also frustrating at the same time. I like the Kinks and originally was making a pick of my favorite Kinks songs. But I got to the frustrating part. The Kinks are great songwriters and sometimes great at recording. They are too British for me at times and my favorites are sometimes not anywhere near the top listened to songs by the Kinks. I compare them to the Who, but the Who were better in the studio. For instance, You Really Got Me. A great song. But Van Halen does it way better than the Kinks. In fact I like that song done better by 801 with Brian Eno. And Stop Your Sobbing. There is no doubt that the Pretenders do a much better version of the song. So that's not true for every song. But definitely a few. So I took some of my favorite covers of Kinks songs and put this together. Not an end all be all covers collection, just some of my favorites. Many versions of songs on this one. Some of my favorites: Shonen Knife, The Fall, Stranglers, The Jam, Nancy Sinatra, etc.

Kinks Kovers

01 Queens Of The Stone Age - Everybody's Gonna Be Happy

02 Def Leppard - Waterloo Sunset

03 Buster Poindexter - Alcohol

04 David Bowie - Waterloo Sunset

05 Sonny & Cher - Set Me Free

06 Pretenders - Stop Your Sobbing

07 Green Day - Tired Of Waiting For You

08 Yo La Tengo - King Kong

09 Stranglers - All Day & All Of The Night

10 The Standells - Sunny Afternoon

11 801 - You Really Got Me

12 Monks Of Doom - King Kong

13 The Hammersmith Gorillas - You Really Got Me

14 Bob Geldof - Sunny Afternoon

15 Van Halen - You Really Got Me

16 Big Star - Till The End Of The Day

17 Silicon Teens - You Really Got Me

18 The Sun - (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman

19 The Fall - Victoria

20 Robbie Williams - Lola

21 Lee Rocker - Come Dancing

22 The Jam - David Watts

23 Ace Frehley - Lola

24 Patti Lupone - Superman (Wish I Could Fly) (Live)

25 Shonen Knife - Till The End Of The Day

26 Gary Lewis & The Playboys - A Well Respected Man

What's The Connection? Workin' 1 (repost)

This repost connection is about working. I included jobs, hours everything about work in the USA. That means not all of them have work in the title, but they are all about having to work. In the Coal Mine, In the Car Wash or in the office, it's all work. A couple where people are tired of working (for good, or just until the next day and are stopping for a drink at the bar to recharge) and at least one about finding work. One of my favorites is the Rush song from early pre-Neil Peart Rush. It shows where they were going and is the best early Rush you will find.

What's The Connection? Workin' 1

01 Huey Lewis and the News - Workin' For A Livin'

02 Loverboy - Working For The Weekend

03 Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money

04 Dolly Parton - 9 To 5

05 Johnny Paycheck - Take This Job And Shove It

06 Junior Brown - Ain't Gonna Work Today

07 Dwight Yoakam - Let's Work Together

08 Tennessee Ernie Ford - Sixteen Tons

09 John Conlee - Working Man

10 Rose Royce - Car Wash

11 Jim Croce - Working At The Car Wash Blues

12 Lee Dorsey - Working In The Coal Mine

13 Michael Jackson - Working Day And Night

14 Prince - Let's Work

15 The Silhouettes - Get A Job

16 The Vogues - Five O'Clock World

17 Ike & Tina Turner - Proud Mary

18 Rush - Working Man

19 Weird Al Yankovic - Dog Eat Dog

20 James Brown - Living In America

21 Grandmaster Melle Mel - We Don't Work For Free

What's The Connection? Tired

Repost: I think I must have been getting little sleep around the time I was making this Connection. All songs with Tired in the title. My favorites of the tired songs I own. I only give myself the room on a CD, even though no one uses CD's anymore. So go ahead and place these in your iPod or on your phone and enjoy feeling tired, or sick and tired. I remember when I started this that the Beatles I'm So Tired was the inspiration to start it, but The Kinks and Rocky Burnette tunes were the ones that kept me going. Love all three of those songs! BTW, those are my tired dogs on their bed. They did not always look like this. Most of the time they were constant wiggle butts. 

What's The Connection? Tired

01 Buck Owens - Tired Of Livin'

02 Canned Heat - I'm So Tired

03 The Chavis Bros - So Tired

04 Leroy Thomas - I'm Tired And Hungry

05 Mose Allison - So Tired

06 Dynamic Nutones - Sick & Tired

07 Junior Wells - So Tired

08 Savoy Brown - I'm Tired

09 Rod Stewart - So Tired

10 Slowdive - So Tired

11 Uriah Heep - So Tired

12 Black Sabbath - Sick And Tired

13 Johnny Guitar Watson - Too Tired

14 Rocky Burnette - Tired Of Toein' the Line

15 Kinks - Tired of Waiting for You

16 Johnny Winter - Tired Of Tryin'

17 LCD Soundsystem - Never as Tired as When I'm Waking Up

18 Buckwheat Zydeco - I'm Just So Tired

19 Hoodoo Gurus - Waking Up Tired

20 Haircut One Hundred - So Tired

21 Pixies - I've Been Tired

22 Beatles - I'm So Tired

23 Neville Grant - Sick and Tired

24 The Rolling Stones - Looking Tired

Do You Wanna Dance Repost

Not much I can say about this pick. Do You Wanna Dance was a playlist I made years ago on cassette. I redid it on CD and now as a playlist. I loved making cassettes at the time. It took real time to record. As for this pick, it's just songs I considered to be danceable. I probably have played every one of these songs at a gig somewhere way back then. When you play this, you will feel your butt start to wiggle, because these are very danceable. Tell me what you like (or don't) and what you would place in it's stead. The cover is similar to the cassette I originally made. Moody red with a script like title.

Do You Wanna Dance?

01 Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way

02 Pseudo Echo - Funkytown

03 Soft Cell - Tainted Love-Where Did Our Love Go

04 Book Of Love - Tubular Bells

05 Depeche Mode - Route 66

06 S-Express - Theme from S-Express

07 2 Men A Drum Machine And A Trumpet - Tired Of Getting Pushed Around

08 The Romantics - What I Like About You

09 Communards - Never Can Say Goodbye

10 Chic - Jack Le Freak

11 New Order - Blue Monday

12 Ministry - Everyday Is Halloween

13 Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind

14 M.A.R.R.S. - Pump Up The Volume (12 inch Mix)

15 Stock Aitken Waterman - Packjammed (With the Party Posse)

16 Otis Day & The Knights - Shout

Bliksem 1 (Repost)

Repost of this playlist pick I called Bliksem. That is Dutch for Lightning. Not because it has anything to do with weather at all. But I started with Blitzkreig Bop and Ballroom Blitz, which all kinda mean lightning in German. The idea was to get songs that matched in intensity, if not speed of those songs. I guess it could be RIYL those songs. You could possibly use this as a playlist to run, or ski, or just to drive to. In fact, a couple of these songs are in my On The Road Again series (all songs to take on the road). I did post them one day three years ago. So enjoy this pick, I left off a couple that I might use in volume two including one of my favorites: Betty Blowtorch. One day I might make volume 2 (I did make it already). So leave any suggestions, but for volume 3, but only until after you listen to the pick. It's kind of like the Beat This pick. It just sounds good together.

Bliksem 1

01 Judas Priest - Breaking The Law

02 Deep Purple - Highway Star

03 Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop

04 ZZ Top - Cheap Sunglasses

05 Golden Earring - Radar Love

06 Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The Gallery

07 Styx - Renegade

08 J Geils Band - Must Of Got Lost

09 Sweet - Ballroom Blitz

10 Bachman-Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

11 Electric Light Orchestra - Four Little Diamonds

12 AC-DC - T.N.T.

13 Brownsville Station - Smokin' In The Boys' Room

14 Jefferson Starship - Ride the Tiger

15 Sniff 'N' The Tears - Driver's Seat

16 Cheap Trick - Surrender

17 Heart - Barracuda

18 Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

19 The Knack - My Sharona

20 Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Recommended If You Like (RIYL) Get Closer (repost)

I do like these picks. Recommended If You Like or RIYL. It is a fun sort of compilation, but easy for you to skip. If you don't like the main song or the main band, you probably won't like the rest of the songs. It is designed to give you songs that sound similar in feel to the main comparison song/band, whatever. In this case it is Seals & Crofts Get Closer. When I first heard Seals & Crofts I thought it was pleasant enough music, but at the time I was listening to the Isley Brothers and, I'm sorry, they are better. I grew to like Seals & Crofts and this song got me to listen to more stuff like it. Not the same kind of stuff like our last RIYL a few days ago. I hope you like this one. Leave a comment about any choices I might have missed or a RIYL that you would like to hear.

Recommended If You Like Get Closer

01 Seals & Crofts - Get Closer

02 England Dan & John Ford Coley - Nights Are Forever Without You

03 Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway

04 Jefferson Starship - Runaway

05 Randy Vanwarmer - Just When I Needed You Most

06 Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds - Don't Pull Your Love

07 Doobie Brothers - You Belong to Me

08 Firefall - Strange Way

09 Stephen Bishop - On And On

10 Kenny Loggins - This Is It

11 Ambrosia - You're the Only Woman

12 Chicago - Just You 'N' Me

13 Carly Simon - You Belong To Me

14 Walter Egan - Magnet And Steel

15 Bread - Lost Without Your Love

16 Pablo Cruise - Love Will Find A Way

17 Christopher Cross - Never Be The Same

18 Rita Coolidge - We're All Alone

19 Bob Seger - We've Got Tonight

20 Climax Blues Band - I Love You

21 Gino Vannelli - I Just Wanna Stop

22 Paul Davis - I Go Crazy

Beat This (RIYL Hoodoo Gurus Leilani) Repost

Repost: This is kind of a RIYL (Recommended If You Like) playlist. I put Hoodoo Gurus in the title, but really it may not have started with them. But it kind of doesn't matter with RIYL's because pick any song that you like and the rest should be a little matchie-matchie. It has to do with the drum sound. To me they all have a similar feel. I know they don't actually, but they all could easily follow another. The Adam and the Ants track was from a flexi disc, but the rest should be on one album or another. Although the Passengers does seem difficult to find outside of Australia. Anyway enjoy this pick and by all means make some suggestions for a future volume. Not sure why, but I have always liked the cover. Simple.

Beat This

01 Hoodoo Gurus - Leilani
02 Multi Coloured Shades - Teen Sex Transfusion
03 Butthole Surfers - Dum Dum
04 The Cramps - Goo Goo Muck
05 Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Pump It Up
06 Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
07 Godfathers - This Damn Nation
08 Billy Idol - Mony Mony
09 Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy
10 Go Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed
11 Josie Cotton - Johnny, Are You Queer
12 The Pandoras - In And Out Of My Life (In A Day)
13 Passengers - Girlfriend's Boyfriend
14 Bongos - Space Jungle
15 Fleshtones - I've Gotta Change My Life
16 Jules and the Polar Bears - Good Reason
17 Adam and the Ants - A.N.T.S.
18 Modern Lovers - Roadrunner
19 Soft Boys - Give It To The Soft Boys
20 Figures On A Beach - In Camera Obscura
21 Sweet - Ballroom Blitz

What's The Connection? Jungle repost

Repost of one of the first posts on this site back in November 2021: A wide variety of songs with Jungle in the title. This Jungle What's the Connection? was inspired by my listening to Bootsy Collins and the Jungle Brothers at this time (over and over again). I got mesmerized by the two albums (EP and album). So i started thinking of other Jungle songs I liked. This is what came out. I am positive that there are hundreds more. Tell me your favorite Jungle song in the comments. I added George of the Jungle theme song, because there was room at the end of the CD. As always click on the album cover. BTW, If you dig the Bootsy, I suggest getting the whole EP: the long versions are killer.

WTC? Jungle

01 Richard Cheese - Welcome To The Jungle.mp3

02 Electric Light Orchestra - Jungle.mp3

03 Steve Miller Band - Jungle Love.mp3

04 Jethro Tull - Bungle in the Jungle.mp3

05 Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie.mp3

06 The Chakachas - Jungle Fever.mp3

07 Morris Day & The Time - Jungle Love.mp3

08 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Jungle Man.mp3

09 Yello - Jungle Bill (Essential Version).mp3

10 The B-52's - Juicy Jungle.mp3

11 Bongos - Space Jungle.mp3

12 Brian Eno - Back In Judy's Jungle.mp3

13 The Cramps - Jungle Hop.mp3

14 Creedence Clearwater Revival - Run through the Jungle.mp3

15 The Vines - In The Jungle.mp3

16 The Eternals - Rockin' In The Jungle.mp3

17 The Cadets - Stranded in the Jungle.mp3

18 Rico - Jungle Music.mp3

19 Bob Marley - Concrete Jungle.mp3

20 Bootsy's Rubber Band - Jungle Bass (Short Version).mp3

21 Jungle Brothers - Straight Out The Jungle.mp3

22 TeeVee Toons - George of the Jungle.mp3