Use this area to post your track lists, commentaries, manic ravings, comics, or whatever for CD Swap #3 Group 2.

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Chicken Feather Bed Bugs Bunny Hop Sing Out Side Street Walker Texas Ranger Cookie Dough Boy Wonder Years

My track listing is as follows:

Kenji Kawai - Reincarnation
Tool - Lateralus
Gary Jules - Mad World
Stone Temple Pilots - Lounge Fly
3x3 Eyes - Love Theme
Coldplay - The Scientist
Enigma - Gravity of Love
Jewel - Foolish Games
Rammstein - Du Hast
Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt"
Karl Jenkins - Palladio
Nine Inch Nails - Ruiner (Version)
Oliver Shanti - Sacral Nirvana
The Coral - Pass It On
Moby - Hymn
Classical Chinese - Sword Dance
Boards of Canada - Kaini Industries
U2 - Unforgettable Fire
Eagles - Desperado

I've got one copy burnt so far, but since I insist on burning all music CDs at 1x speed to avoid any glitches or skips, I can't say yet when I'll have them all sent off. But, just so's there's no favouritism, I'll wait until all are burnt before I send them out (though, obviously TheGovernor will get his first, being a Brit).

It's actually my preference for people to hear the music first without having access to a tracklist, but I'll supply one in each of the CD cases regardless. The first one to recieve their disc can feel free to post it, or if nobody does after a few people recieve theirs, I'll post it myself.

All I will tell you right now is that the theme is "music that should be in a video game."

Seconded.

I have most of the tracks outlined and some sort of vague theme, but I'm kind of stalled there. Once I finalize the tracks I figure the burning process shouldn't take long. Unless I decide to take another try at burning songs from this one disc that always gives me static and whatnot. Sigh.

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The what mentioned above is total fiction. Please don't take it seriously!

I guess that last part really belongs in my own group's thread and not here. Oh well. I'm pretty tired. Give me a break. Anyway, I just wanted to support Drexle's preference there.

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The what mentioned above is total fiction. Please don't take it seriously!

Someone agrees! Victory is mine!

By the way, this is hardly to be considered a full soundtrack. There's just no way to fit that many songs onto the mix. I'll supply little tags denoting what scene the track brings to my mind. You can tell me if I'm smoking crack after you hear it.

Well, I posted off my CDs today, so expect them within a week or so, you lucky lucky people.

Incidentally, I will be away on holiday for a week as of tomorrow, so should any of you receive your CD in that time, you will have to postpone your awe praisegiving until my return...

Well I got mine today; bless the British Postal service for being rather good for once; I'll hold back any comment I have till you return, but needless to say its brilliant, love the oriental vibe running through, and its peppered with some great rock tunes; Having looked through some of the entries for the last CD swap, maybe you'd like to give a bit more detail about why you chose certain tracks, etc, but I guess that also can wait till ya get back, happy hol.

I got mine today, Chi -- haven't had a chance to listen to it. It looks very professional, and the lyric sheet is a nice touch.

I'm going to try to borrow my friend's CD burner on Wednesday -- and if all works out, the CDs should be posted by Friday. Here's hoping.

Also, you'll forgive me if my CD cover looks a little bit like hastily scrawled magic marker. You don't know how many hours in Photoshop it takes to get that effect!

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"Old" is the old new.

Chi's disc - Recieved. Listening in progress.

I've gotten mine, too. I'll be listening to it during the day.

As for my own CDs... working on them has had to be a low priority for a bit, but I hope to finally be able to finish them this weekend.

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"I've got my finger on the pulse of America... and I've got my arm draped casually across the upper thigh of Canada."

For some reason, my car won't play burned CDs, so I haven't been able to listen yet, either.

I've just burned everyone a copy of my CD, though. Do y'all want me to post some spoilers or should I keep the track list until I actually send the discs?

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"Old" is the old new.

Hello, I return! Glad to see the British Postal Service cut the mustard for once - I will post more about certain individual tracks later on, but I'm pleased to have had positive feedback thus far...

Sorry it's taken me so long to write anything, but school has been eating up a lot of my writing time (not to mention listening time).

I was imediately struck by the first track, because I swear I've heard it in Ghost in the Shell. I like this song a lot better here in the context of a CD than I did when it was just playing and playing and playing over just background scenery shots in the movie.

So far, I think I enjoy the instrumental tracks the most. See, to me lyrics are secondary and if I don't like them the just get in the way of enjoying an otherwise great piece of music. This is why I like so many songs with incomprehensible lyrics, I suppose. I espeically enjoyed Reincarnation and Sword Dance.

I'm also pleasently surprised to hear the Johnny Cash version of "Hurt." He really did that song justice, I say. I like it better than Reznor's version. I was a bit skeptical when I heard he was going to do this, because I've heard Cash's version of Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage," and it was pretty bad.

Why did you chose this version of Ruiner for the CD, Chi? I prefer the other one I've heard (though for the life of me I don't remember which album it was on).

It is indeed from the GITS soundtrack, though the song "Reincarnation" is not heard fully in the movie, only snippets of it now and again (particularly the chanting). I much prefer it in abstraction from the film, and the extended singing by Saeko Higuchi is very moving, IMO.

I'm glad you liked Sword Dance, as I was in two minds about including it or not - I'm a personal fan of Chinese folk music, and that piece is my favourite.

Cash's covers can be hit and miss. I bought his most recent album, mostly out of respect to the man's passing, and it's got a mix of good and bad stuff on it. His cover of "Desperado" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" are rather poor, but "Hurt" is done with a lot of passion and I also think it exceeds Trent's original.

The original version of Ruiner is on "The Downward Spiral", whereas the version I included on my compilation is from "Further Down The Spiral". I guess I prefer the second version because it has more of an instrumental feel to it, and is generally angrier than the original. I like to listen to NIN when I'm feeling angry about stuff, so the angrier the better ;-)

Incidentally, don't you think Alan Rickman's portrayal of Professor Snape in the Potter movies looks like Trent Reznor? Maybe it's just me...

I swapped with Chi "on the side"

It stikes me how much that compilations become a microcosm of our own personalities. My first one was just that - a tiny bundle of my life expressed through tunes I like. Umfumdisi said of mine "It was just like he took bits of himself and shook them around and put 'em on CD"

That's how Chi's CD comes across - like an audio after-image of the man himself - the recurring Oriental themes being balanced perfectly by the full-on rock and the introspective melancholy.

"Mad World" by Gary Jules (was that a cover or the original?) was haunting.

Other tunes I knew like the Boards of Canada and Coldplay just served to reinforce the whole thing more. The greatest compliment I can pay any CD swapper is that I will be playing this again and again. And I will be doing just that.

Thanks Chi.

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Please replace the handset, and try again.

quote:

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It stikes me how much that compilations become a microcosm of our own personalities. My first one was just that - a tiny bundle of my life expressed through tunes I like. Umfumdisi said of mine "It was just like he took bits of himself and shook them around and put 'em on CD"

That's how Chi's CD comes across - like an audio after-image of the man himself - the recurring Oriental themes being balanced perfectly by the full-on rock and the introspective melancholy.

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I am so pleased that the intent behind my CD was noticeably realised, Jes - the pieces I chose were indeed meant to reflect the various parts of me, and that you were able to recognise this means it was a success.

I first heard it as the credits rolled for Donnie Darko (a very good film if you've yet to see it, BTW) and later heard it by chance on the radio where I discovered its title and artist. As to whether it's the original or not, I don't know - but the version on my CD is the version that I first heard. And yes, it is haunting - it's the sort of song which deserves a moderate pause once it finishes to give you time to come back from drifting away.

Thank you, Jes - I am touched.

Wow. All this heartfelt reviewing just doesn't seem complete without some brutally honest kvetching.

WARNING! If you don't care about my opinion, don't read this post, because that's about all it contains

Reincarnation -- I thought anime BGM! It sounded familiar. As an individual piece it was very interesting. I really enjoyed the singing
Lateralus -- intro was great, after that it sucked
Mad World -- not bad, as far as maudlin folk-rock goes
Lounge Fly -- A bit generic, but fun to listen to. I liked it
Love Theme -- You got lucky with Reincarnation, but here's the sad truth: anime BGM is awful stuff
The Scientist -- Only women should be allowed to whine musically
Gravity of Love -- I like the sound of this one a lot. Deep sounding without actually having to be deep; enjoyable rhythms
Foolish Games -- Jewel? Jesus Christ
Du Hast -- Who can not like guitar techno with artificially deepened German lyrics? This one was great!
Hurt -- there's no reason I should like this song, and yet, sometimes when I hear one like this, I can't help it. This is the kind of song I wouldn't consciously choose to listen to, but if it came on the radio I wouldn't be able to turn it off.
Palladio -- I have this CD, too. Aside from the three movements of "Diamond Music," it's just so-so. But the track you selected was great.
Ruiner -- Can't go wrong with NIN. I'm only familiar with their (much) older stuff; this was almost as good as the old stuff I love
Sacral Nirvana -- A bit hippy new-agey for me, but overall a pleasant listen
Pass It On -- There's no reason I should like this song, and I don't.
Hymn -- ambient and Moby-esque
Sword Dance -- When it comes to classical Chinese music, I'm not very refined; it all sounds the same to me. (I don't dislike it; it just all sounds the same.)
Kalni Industries -- This was a fun track. It was like eavesdropping on someone playing a maze game on the original Nintendo.
Unforgettable Fire -- When it comes to U2, I'm not very refined; it all sounds the same to me. (And unlike classical Chinese music, I heartily dislike it.)
Desperado -- It was only so-so before it was played to death; now it's inexcusable

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"Old" is the old new.

SAN-BAN

That's the title of my CD. Chi should appreciate it, if no one else does: it's Japanese for "third" or "number three."

You US kids should've gotten my CDs by now. I'd like to say that the tracks aren't listed because I read Drexle's suggestion and thought it was great. Actually, I didn't even read the back posts to this thread until after I shipped. I actually left them blank because no matter what your handwriting is like, it's got to be better than mine. AND I don't have a CD label maker.

I was planning on posting a track list here, but I actually did like Drexle's suggestion, so I'll let y'all listen and see for yourselves, and I'll post the list after the Brits have gotten their packages. But I did want to warn you about some crappy things about my CD:

[list]
[*]There are no labels, as I explained
[*]The CDs themselves are not labeled, for the same reason
[*]The volume levels are screwed up between tracks. I copied these tracks (Yes! Off actual CDs that I paid for and legally own!) at my friend's house because his CD burner works whereas mine doesn't. However, he lives in a 1500 sq. foot house with EIGHT dogs the average size of an Irish setter, and the entire bottom floor is under construction. Also, he has no A/C. So instead of making the tracks all nice and volume-consistent, they're all the volume levels they were at originally, because it was faster. I especially wanted to fix #11, whose volume drops in the middle for no apprent reason. (It's like that on the master, too.)
[*]The track names on the CD are screwed up, also because I wanted to get out of that house as soon as possible
[*]The pauses between tracks are too short, again because of the copy location
[/list]

I tried to put the tracks in an order I thought would provide for an interesting shift between genres without anything too sudden, but I found that if I listen to it on random it's actually better. Oh, well.

Enjoy, kids. I look forward to more from y'all.

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"Old" is the old new.

Ahh, that appeals to the cynic in me - good stuff!

Yes, as I mentioned previously in this thread, I think the piece works better as a standalone rather than as backdrop.

That's a pity, 'cos Tool are without doubt my favourite metal band, and although that track isn't their best, it's a good one. However, each to their own.

I'd say it was folksy rather than folk-rock, but maybe I'm just splitting hairs.

With regards to the general nature of STP, I concede that it probably is a "generic" track, but never-the-less a good example of their stuff.

Aww, say it ain't so!

Virtually all music is a whine of some sort or other ("oh I love her"/"oh how my heart hurts" yadda yadda). When it comes to stuff like metal, for example, I'd say a lot of that is whining - it's just louder and less obvious. However, I realise most people either love or hate Coldplay so fair enough.

The deepness is brought about by the resampling of a classical piece "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff, which is probably what makes it sound deep without being deep, as you aptly put it.

Come, come, you said only women are allowed to whine musically, and yet you write this off out of hand? Tsk tsk.

Good old Rammstein. If you liked it, you might also like "Das Modell" and "Alter Mann".

It's your emotional self trying to come out, Scyess - don't fight it! ;-)

As with most people I originally heard it on the advert, and I agree that it is probably the best track out of all of them.

I'm a relative newcomer to NIN, but they've yet to disappoint me. Some of the Versions of their music aren't so good, but this particular one is splendid.

Only a bit? ;-) It's from a CD of meditation music, so it is at once meant to be something you can focus on or just let flow over you. Either way, it's not so outlandish as to make you switch it off, and you didn't, so that's good.

Disappointing, but fair enough.

Is Moby-esque a compliment or an insult?

It all comes down to time and exposure - I've listened to so much of it now that I can differentiate, but I understand what you mean.

Hehe, good point.

This track was included because it was mine and my (now ex) girlfriend's song. I guess it's only got value to me, but I decided to include it all the same.

Ooooh, now I'm offended! ;-) It's a shame you see it that way, 'cos "Desperado" is my most favourite song of all time, which is why it gets pride of place as the last song you hear on the compilation (the last one stays with you, so they say). However, opinion is as opinion does, so I'm not about to change that.

Suffice it to say, you've evidently liked enough of my CD for it not to have been a complete disaster, and that's fine by me.

Got mine today sycess, listening in progress

Got mine today too, Scyess - first off, I really liked the minimalist feel of the cover. It was actually rather fun listening to a CD without any track listing at all. Here's my thoughts...

Track One: My immediate reaction to this was dislike, but I have to admit that on a second listening, the music was good. The vocals still grated, as I have animosity towards anything even so much as approaching rap, but overall it wasn't too bad.

Track Two: This one appealed to me, and I was left wondering what its origin was. At first I thought Middle Eastern, then East European, but there again perhaps even Russian. I couldn't decide, and it'll probably turn out to be none of them, but either way, I did like it, and it got better once the "tra la la la-ing" started too.

Track Three: This one puzzled me, but its strangely dischordant nature did work. I thought the talkover was reminiscent of UNKLE, and whilst the occasional screams were off putting, overall it worked well.

Track Four: The distorted vocals on this Neo-Hymnal piece were good, and I enjoyed it. It put me in mind of a Church Service in some warped Sci-Fi futuristic vision with a 1950s theatre organ.

Track Five: "One Of These Days" by Cop Shoot Cop, an acceptable rock song that I'd not heard before but nevertheless enjoyed.

Track Six: A French folk/country song, which probably has meaningful lyrics as well as accordion playing, but for me it was a case of take it or leave it.

Track Seven: "I Ain't Drunk" by Albert Collins, had a certain feel-good factor to it and was fun to listen to.

Track Eight: A nice piano piece with intriguing stringy sounds in the background; rhythmic and thoughtful, my only misgiving was that it didn't go on for long enough. A very good piece which I enjoyed a lot.

Track Nine: A pleasant rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in which you can actually make out the lyrics. I don't recognise the singer, but she sounded like Sarah McLachlan to me (surprising, given your hostility to all things Jewel, Scyess!) and was overall pretty good.

Track Ten: The intro promised a lot, but then the lead singer opened her mouth and in my opinion all was lost. As with track one, I felt the vocals let this one down, which is a pity, because instrumentally I liked it.

Track Eleven: This amusing "Pop Goes The Weasel" instrumental number was fun, I felt. Nice!

Track Twelve: When this one began I thought it was about to burst into Freddie Mercury singing "We Will Rock You" but it transformed into a rather more warbly piece with drums. On the whole, ok.

Track Thirteen: I liked this one a lot - it had a Celtic feel to it, even if it wasn't meant to. It had that "get up and dance" sensation to it as well which was good.

Track Fourteen: This piece perplexed me, in a good way. It began with eerie chanting that reminded me of Perfect Blue, and the cymbal clatters were atmospheric. However, it then began to change, and by the end it sounded like someone had recorded the noise of a man being killed with a circular saw! For its general weirdness, I score this one highly, and will be listening to it many times over.

Track Fifteen: I'm sure this is a famous classical piece which I should know the name of along with its composer, but I do not. Suffice to say, it was rousing and good, solid stuff. A nice end to the compilation, I felt.

Overall Chi-score, 7/10

Wow, great thread guys. I just wanted Drexle to know that I shipped his "swap on the side" CDs out today.

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Chicken Feather Bed Bugs Bunny Hop Sing Out Side Street Walker Texas Ranger Cookie Dough Boy Wonder Years

I'm just now listening to Scyess's disc as well. I'm only three tracks in so far. I have to say I really like track 2. I believe it's Northern European, isn't it?

I'm not so fond of track 1, and track 3 is listenable though not so much my thing so far.

Virtually all music is a whine of some sort or other ("oh I love her"/"oh how my heart hurts" yadda yadda). When it comes to stuff like metal, for example, I'd say a lot of that is whining - it's just louder and less obvious. However, I realise most people either love or hate Coldplay so fair enough.

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I disagree with that, I'm afraid. Whining about being in love (unrequited or no) or looking for love is just the sort of default that most rock & roll derivatives have stuck with. Singing can be whining -- or it can be screaming or explaining or, at its best, just singing.

Come, come, you said only women are allowed to whine musically, and yet you write this off out of hand? Tsk tsk.

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All poodles are dogs, but not all dogs are poodles. (Thank God.) Just because the only musical whines I like come from women doesn't mean that when a woman whines I have to like it. 8)

It's your emotional self trying to come out, Scyess - don't fight it! ;-)

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It's enough to make me want to whine musically!

Only a bit? ;-) It's from a CD of meditation music, so it is at once meant to be something you can focus on or just let flow over you. Either way, it's not so outlandish as to make you switch it off, and you didn't, so that's good.

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Hey, I didn't switch anything off. I'll try anything once.

But even though hippy new-agey things bug me on principle, I occasionally can like them. Among the more embarassing CDs in my collection is a Yanni CD. I can't believe I'm admitting this. (At least I didn't tell you about my Bloodhound Gang CD... ah! Damn.)

Is Moby-esque a compliment or an insult?

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Neither; just a statement.

It all comes down to time and exposure - I've listened to so much of it now that I can differentiate, but I understand what you mean.

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It might come down to too much exposure -- being forced to watch Chinese cultural opera snippets for hours on end by my father-in-law. Ick.

Actually, I was very happy to hear your CD. Even if everything on it sucked but one track, at least I'd have that one track. But in reality I liked many of them. And I'd never heard most of them, which is always a pleasure.

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"Old" is the old new.