Win! Win! Win! Win! Win!
Okay, there's the shameless headline - so what will you win? Well, I'm not going to announce the prize yet...but it will be good. It will be music of some kind. And you will enjoy it. What I will do is introduce the competition.
I want to hear your stories of the best mix-tape you ever made - this could be a proper "mix-tape" (as in an actual cassette tape) or it could be a CD you have made based on an iTunes playlist. It's still a mix-tape.
You are only allowed to name three of the artists/songs that were/are on the mix-tape - instead you have to describe the thought process that went into making the tape. Was it for someone special? Did the
y become "someone special" after they received your tape. Have you made the perfect mix-tape but never found the perfect person to give it to?
If you have never made a mix-tape/personally selected compilation CD but you have received one/some, then you can write about that.
Best entry will win. Remember you can only mention three of the artists/songs - the rest is how you describe the story behind the selection; the effect that the mix-tape had; the care that went into creating the blend and flow; the way it was received; what, if anything, happened between you and the recipient of your best mix-tape. (Or, if you were the one that received the mix-tape then your story will be the feelings you had when you first listened to it; what you thought of the music; had the person catered to your tastes; whether you learned about new music from that mix-tape - and so on).
So, that's the competition. Place your answer in the comments below.
The reason for the giveaway is two-fold a) we have not had a competition here at Blog on the Tracks in a while and b) this is my 500th post!
Yes, 500 posts by me for you; with your input - your comments driving the topic some days. As does your silence, deciding that my choice of subject for the day was not of interest; not worth adding to...the good news there is tomorrow is always another day here at Blog on the Tracks; another day, another post...
I started writing "anniversary" blogs to mark 100, then 200, then 300, then 400 posts. And now we are at 500. I feel like a lot has happened in the last hundred posts. But then, I always say that. Proof: I have just looked back at the post Four Hundy and found this sentence early on - I feel like a lot has happened in the last hundred posts.
The day after I wrote that post I published my interview with Phil Judd. I was really pleased with this - it was the start of a run of blogs relating in some way to New Zealand music. That run lasted a month and finished with an interview with Sam Hunt. It was fun to plan ahead and put those posts together.
And there are more interviews ahead - currently there are a few in the bank. They will appear over the next few weeks. My apologies for not being able to bring you an Alice Cooper interview; it would have been fun to do - but I was let down by the people behind the scenes. Twice. It happens sometimes...I thought Alice would have been a great subject for this blog though and readers might have enjoyed it. So, my apologies there.
I still have a list of ideas for possible blog-posts. I add to it from time to time; there are still topics listed from when this blog started, nearly two years ago, that we haven't got to yet. But we will. And I am still (usually) open for offers.
The run of NZ Music Month blogs was significant for me - beyond the Phil Judd and Sam Hunt interviews - for introducing a guest blog by Roger Shepherd and a guest blog by Rosie Tin Teacaddy. There will be more guest blogs...
A big thank you to Stuff.co.nz for hosting this blog; for promoting it - for allowing me to poke fun (from time to time) at New Zealand bands, or, for that matter, international bands - and for allowing me to write run-on sentences about music every day, Monday-Friday, sometimes posting twice a day, sometimes recycling reviews, sometimes writing about nothing more than the number of posts I am up to.
This blog is written by me (usually) but it takes the work of others to see it posted. So thanks heaps to the people at Stuff for the hours spent each week editing and posting my work.
And thank you to you - to the readers. To those that get wound up and angry and write in; to those that get excited and defend me when another commenter is being mean; to those that encourage and stir the debate.
And to those angry about short sentences.
Blog on the Tracks will keep going as long as you keep reading, keep suggesting topics, keep writing in and creating threads.
And yes, soon, things will get, well...Toxic.
Until then - I am keen to hear mix-tape stories. The best will win a special prize to celebrate 500 posts of this blog that discusses (and shows that) music matters.
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First of all Happy 500, what a milestone and accomplishment. My mix tape story is set back in 2005, Wellington Rugby Sevens. Met a very beautiful young lady from Queenstown and I from Wellington. Spent the weekend together and went our separate ways. She wanted something to remember me by so the first thought was a mixed cd to send to her. Mario - You should let me love you, Salmonella Dub - Love your Ways and Robin Thicke - Lost with out you were the main songs we listend to on that particular weekend. To cut a long 4 year story short, we moved to mutual ground in Christchurch 6 months later, we married 1 year later with Salmonella Dub as our wedding song and now have a beautiful baby boy due in December.
Six months of a mixed CD being listened to made the heart grow fonder.
Happy 500 once again
Ka kete
I made a mix for my boyfriend when he was making his very first 'movie' thing for you tube (he's a trainee pilot and posts a lot of his flight scenery online.) I got the perfect mix down with the neverending story theme as he was in the clouds, are you ready to fly by German band 'Dune', and lastly the ever cruisey Fly away by Lenny Kravitz - to everyone else they may seem lame but when I was doing it I was imagining his happy face when he's flying and trying to get the feel of the moment - he was so proud of his finished product with my mix-tape, he made DVDs for everyone listing me as the musical genius behind it ;) I got lots of smushes and kisses for being fab (of course) :)
I enjoy the blogs that stir up a bit of controversy. I know people say you do it on purpose....and maybe you do, i don't know. But the fact you havent had any controversy lately shows that you don't just do it to get more readers. In fact, i think the first blog I ever read of yours was something about John Lennon being the least talented Beatle! I didn't agree with you, but it got me reading regularly. I will think of a mix tape story soon......
A few years ago, after having recently graduated university and moving in to the real world when time wasting daily "reply all" emails between friends were the norm, myself and a few friends used to do "Top 5" emails where we had to come up with our Top 5 for whatever subject we decided. One day we came to songs and we decided 5 wasn't enough and expanded it to 25. Instead of the usual less than an hour contemplation that went in to a "Top 5" we decided we should put some effort in to it and spend a week to work out our favourite 25 songs each and then burn them on to CD's for each other.
It was a great idea because while myself and my friends did have similarilaties in our musical tastes (mainly rock) there was also quite a bit of divergence e.g. I liked metal more than my friends, one friend liked dance music and another liked more early 70s pop rock.
I can't remember the exact order I chose as I don't have the playlist with me but my Top 25 started with bang with Right Side of the Bed by Atreyu at #25, the 2nd CD started with Are You Ready? by AC/DC at #12 and finished with my favourite song The World I Know by Collective Soul at #1
In fact I was actually thinking, literally last week, that we should do updated Top 25's as they have undoubtedly changed over the past 5 years or so. The logistics with friends now being scattered around the world may be a bit tricky but it'll be worth it. I may have to send off that Reply All now...
A good mix tape is like a fine wine, it needs an alluring nose to entice the listener in, a full strong body combined with velvet finish to leave the listener with a feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction. And if presented to the right company both might just help you laid. Congrats on the big five double zero.
I still have my 1st mixed tape! I was off school after having my tonsils out. Mum had bought me a boom box to keep me occupied and I found what I thought to be a blank tape. I spent all day waiting for the radio to play my favourite songs so i could record them. Spice girls, five and Blue all featured on the tape. I had a microphone that plugged in that i used to "DJ" between songs. Mum was furious when she got home and discovered that I had taped over her compilation of Elvis' love songs that her 1st love had made for her. OOPS!! Came out at my 21st recently though!!
Side A Michael Jackson - Black or white NWA - **** the police Cannibal corpse - **** *** ****** *** Celine Dion - My heart will go own The Lion King Soundtrack - Hakuna Matata
Side B Slayer - Angel of death Miles Davis - Blue in Green Cleopatra - Cleopatra's Theme Megadeth - Holy Wars
The best thing about mix tapes is coming back to them 5 years later and basking in the gloriousness that was your teenage music taste!!!
The best tape I remember making required a whole lot of thought. It was for a specific occasion, I was heading up to a rowing regatta with my dad. Roughly a 6 hour drive in the truck (it was hideous). So my mix tape had to embrace my love of randomness without offending my dads country music loving ears in case he turned it off!
So I randomised my tape to keep him on his toes. I love System of a Down and Rage Against the Machine. But they were carefully interspersed with slightly more easy listening bands such as Incubus who I also love. Randomness is a fine art, one I still love to embrace :)
Ok I'm opting for a mixtape I made back in 1988. It was when I first got the opportunity to play what I wanted when I was given my first stereo system which comprised of a turntable, tape deck and tuner which sat in my bedroom.
I had no vinyl so I would spend my pocket money on blank tapes and record songs off the radio.
I choose the songs below for no other reason than they were three of the best songs the radio played at the time (for me as an 11 year old anyway). There was no real pattern from one track to the next just random songs I liked at the time. I was fractionally too young to appreciate GnR and Poison (too heavy), the latter I would go on and buy several tapes the following year. There was real care taken however in the editing where I would be waiting on alert for a song to come on with my finger hovering over the rec and play button. Once the song was ending I would then stop it just before the dj piped up and then tape a few seconds of silence as a buffer bewteen the following song. This would be a ritual for me most nights and rainy Saturdays. So from memory here are three of the best from my childhood memories. Happy 500.
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison Kokomo - The Beach Boys New Sensation - INXS
Guptill blasts Black Caps to victory in first T20
Quake felt across lower North Island
Hurricanes weather elements to beat Chiefs
One dead after Northland crash
New York apartment sells for NZ$105m
Flights disrupted as severe thunderstorms hit Auckland
Fatal speed-gliding crash near Wanaka
Bolivian squirrel monkeys arrive at Wellington Zoo
Hum, I don't have any mixed tape stories. That is to say, none of my mixed tapes/CD's/playlists were created with interesting stories behind them. I just like a random selection playing in my car.
However - HAPPY 500! Doesn't seem like that long ago that we were celebrating 400. Quality and quantity! I've particularly enjoyed the guest blogs - Rosy Tin Tea Caddy, Booga Beazley and especially Katy. Some very funny stuff there. Always look forward to the fun Friday blogs too.
Here's to another 500... and to that Toxic promise of yours ;)