Midweek mixtape review

Four tunes suggested this week:

Enya - Orinoco Flow

John Denver - The Eagle and the Hawk

Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire

Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like We Do (live version)

Do you like these songs? Do you have any to add to the mixtape this week?

Let us know in the comments.

Proto-hair from Britain

Formed from former players of Humble Pie and Motorhead, the band Fastway released their eponymous debut in 1983 (yes, I own it.) My favorite song on the record is this one, Say What You Will.

These guys really hit at the leading edge of the hair metal craze, but this song fits in comfortably with the genre. It has the thundering rhythm, the high pitched vocals, the guitar hooks, and the lyrics that barely make sense. This is ready made for the arena and everyone can wave their lighters and sing along.

Unfortunately, this video ends right as the final words "and you will!" hit with loads of reverb. You can use your imagination.

The video is high camp with mannequin like women in white jumpsuits driving a truck through all sorts of weather. Apparently for the purpose of getting out of town so that they can blow up their cargo. I missed the reason they do it. Maybe you can let me know after you watch it.

If any of you are hair metal fans, you might be wondering where are the bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Motley Crue (I'm not doing the umlauts), Poison, etc. I don't know. So far, their songs haven't jumped out at me. I'm sure we'll get to them.

Happiness Notebook Mixtape Project needs your songs

There's a growing list of songs and compositions on the right hand side of this blog. These are tunes that people find lift their spirits making them smile, laugh, dance, or just plain feel good.

You know one or two songs that do that for you.

Tell us what they are and we'll add them to the mixtape.

Just leave the title and artist in the comments. Let me know if it is a particular recording so that I can post an excerpt later in the week.

Thanks again to everyone that has participated.

Six dubbed to the mixtape

There is a reason that it's called a mixtape and this week's additions validate it. What a diverse selection of music: from campy Elvis country (unless you want the JXL remix, Aimee) to large gospel choir to the poppy punk sounds of the early days of The Police.

Here they are with 30 second samples:

Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation (as noted, remixed by Junkie XL and shot to #1 around the world...this is the original version for the Elvis movie Live a Little, Love a Little...song co-written by Mac Davis)

The Monkees - I'm a Believer (you probably know this, but Neil Diamond wrote this tune)

The Police - Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh Happy Day (it took a while to find a clip of the original version that was in the uplifting choral part of the song...when the alto soloist sings, the song is quite slow, with the chorus building tension in the background by repeating the title, then when they take the lead...well, you hear it in the clip...just makes me feel great...[remember, I am not a believer, well, maybe in The Monkees' sense of the phrase...this is very confusing...I like the song but not for religious reasons])

Cheap Trick - I Want You to Want Me (the live version from Live at Budokan is the only acceptable form of this song)

Tom Jones - What's New Pussycat? (a Burt Bacharach/Hal David campy classic written for Woody Allen's movie of the same name...I dare you not to laugh)

You might have noticed I dropped R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly from the list. While it is certainly a great song, and uplifting, I couldn't find a clip that demonstrated that. When I combined that with my inner voice telling me that he just wasn't fitting, I decided to drop it.

Big holiday week in the USA coming up, but we're still doing the mixtape. I'll be asking for new suggestions tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who braved the process and put forth a song or two. I'm still mildly disturbed by the subject matter of my little sister's nominations. Oh, well, that is my problem. I'll work it out.

Please consider subscribing to the Happiness Notebook. It's free and easy to do. I post just about every day and while I don't offer sage advice, I do offer...ah...uhm...my writing...? With the exception of the shirtless Tom Jones photo from this past Wednesday, nothing here should be too rough for kids.

Good size slate for the mixtape

Quite a few suggestions for the Happiness Mixtape Project have come in from loyal readers:

A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley

I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police

What's New Pussycat? - Tom Jones

I'm a Believer - The Monkees

Oh, Happy Day - Edwin Hawkins Singers

I Believe I Can Fly - R Kelly

My deepest apologies for this photo, it is the only one I could find that captures the essence of the Welsh crooner. Please refrain from throwing your undergarments at the screen.

Do all of these songs belong on the mixtape? Leave your opinions in the comments.

Another mixtape solicitation

It is that time again. We added two songs yesterday. We're looking for nominees.

Remember: I need a song and an artist specified.

Leave your selections in the comments.

Two to the tape...a light week

We have two tunes to add to the mixtape this week.

Nikki Blonsky (as Tracy Turnblad): Good Morning, Baltimore

Michael Torke: Bright Blue Music, performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Zinman

The link for Bright Blue Music will open a pop-up from Amazon. I chose this because it contains a full minute of the nine minute work. The sample also contains one of my favorite moments, where the orchestra builds momentum with snippets of strings, brass, and woodwinds to an emotional crescendo. My little laptop speakers do not do it justice. This is meant to be played loudly. For me, this music is as sure of a pick-me-up as a shot of caffeine and the effect is more immediate.

Aimee left a comment with a couple of song recommendations. I'll tack those on to tomorrow's post after a thorough evaluation. I'm wondering where all of these 70s songs are coming from with her. She was a little kid in those days.

I should add that Aimee is my younger sister (by a considerable margin.) We have an older sister, Sandra, but I have never called her anything but Sis. (Aimee used to refer to me as "Brother" if I recall correctly.) But sibling stuff is for another post.

Good Morning, Baltimore and Hello World!

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A decidedly Baltimore theme for the mixtape

Well...the only music that will be added this week are the two pieces that I put forth on Sunday:

Good Morning, Baltimore - Nikki Blonsky

Bright Blue Music - Michael Torke, composer; performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Zinman

Two pieces, two Baltimore references.

I know that must gall you.

You cannot let this stand.

You must put forth your favorite happy music to be included on the mixtape this week.

Just leave a comment with your recommendations. You can even do it anonymously.

Oh my...I'm begging. I'll stop.

But I'll start up again next week if you don't help me out here.

We need your tune recommendations

We're building a nice selection of happiness music here at the Happiness Notebook. Thanks to everyone who has recommended songs so far. Your work isn't done however.

I need you to recommend more songs. Everyone can do so. The worst thing that could happen is that we don't include it.

What would make that happen? Well, let's say you nominated Tom Dooley by the Kingston Trio or The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. Or maybe you really like Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds so you nominate one of his more uplifting songs. Well, despite the fact that all of these are marvelous songs and classics at that, they really aren't happy tunes.

There is a time and a place for sad, gloomy songs. We need them, but that's for another mixtape project.

In the meantime, let's hear the uplifting tunes that you love. They need not be superficial, though some will be. Any genre is fine.

Leave your suggestions in the comments.

I have to thank the folks at says-it.com for their perfect custom image generators.

Happiness Notebook Mixtape Week 2

Another week down and another slate of songs to add to the Happiness Notebook Mixtape. Here they are:

Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

December, 1963 (Oh What a Night) - Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

Chelsea Morning - Joni Mitchell

As - Stevie Wonder

What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

That is a fine selection of happy tunes. Click on the titles to hear a 30 second clip.

Tomorrow, we'll be soliciting more songs. Think about the music that makes your toes tap or makes you smile or just makes you feel good. You don't have to be able to dance to it, though that is ok, you just need it to make you feel happy.

Do you like the list so far? What type of music is it missing?

This week's slate of happy tunes

A very short, sweet simple list of tunes this week:

December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) - Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons

What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

Chelsea Morning - Joni Mitchell

Feel free to discuss what you like or dislike about these songs or to nominate more songs to be added to the Happiness Notebook Mixtape by leaving a comment.

We'll be adding these songs and possibly others on Saturday.

Asking for more songs for the mixtape

It's Sunday, so it's time to ask for nominees for songs to include in the Happiness Mixtape Project.

Leave your nominees in the comments.

Happiness Notebook Mixtape Week 1

(Indigo Girls from pickettphoto.com)

After a week of vigorous debate on the selection and worth of each of our nominated songs, we have our first group of tunes to add to the Mixtape.

I've tried to add a 30 second excerpt of each tune. Just click on the song title to hear it. Beatles' songs are not available for preview.

Beatles - Here Comes the Sun (1969) (excerpts not available, you should already own Abbey Road anyway)

Katrina & the Waves - Walking on Sunshine (1983)

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (1998) or Sting - Fields of Gold (1993) (I included Sting's original version because I like it.)

Bob Marley & the Wailers - Three Little Birds (1977)

Indigo Girls - Closer to Fine (1989)

Get your happy thinking caps on. Tomorrow we'll solicit more nominees.

Of light hair, 80s gymnastics, and Mrs. Gretzky

The 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles was the United States' time to shine. Because of our boycott of the 1980 Olympiad in Moscow, the Russians and the Eastern Bloc boycotted the LA Olympics in retaliation.

The US Men's Gymnastics team won quite a few medals that year including a team gold. But Mitch Gaylord stole the show with his perfect 10.0 on the horizontal bar. He didn't medal because he blew it in the compulsory round, but it set the stage for a few years of Gaylord celebrity.

In 1986, a movie was made about a young gymnast who injured himself with a radical move on the high bar and was battling to get back in the game. Along the way, boy meets girl, and so on. Not a great film, but it did feature Janet Jones, the future wife of hockey great Wayne Gretzky. She's sporting a rare female mullet. Well, it wasn't so rare in those days.

But what about the music? It's Andy Taylor. Not the sherriff, but the guitarist from Duran Duran and, later, the Power Station. Andy isn't really hair metal, but he had hard rock chops and looks. This is a pop tune, and like quality pop-metal, it uses crunchy guitar chords and a catchy chorus to keep the hands clapping. If it wasn't for Andy Taylor, Duran Duran would've sounded like every other New Wave act. He helped them become pop stars as much as Simon Le Bon.

The song is Take It Easy, from the American Anthem Original Soundtrack (1986) and yes, I once owned it...on a cassette way back in the late 80s. It has long since disappeared.

I started to go with another song today, but that song was somewhat melancholy and the gray dark rain continues and I thought that maybe I was responding to the weather. So, I chose a song that I know makes my toes tap and keeps me smiling. The fact that we get to witness bad acting at the very beginning makes it all the more charming.

Does anyone remember this movie? If I said Gaylord, Daggett, Vidmar, and Conner would it help you recall the '84 Olympics? What about the guy from China, Li Ning? He was the essence of cool athletic excellence. I think the rain is making me nostalgic.

First slate of Mixtape Project tunes

We received a number of song recommendations for the first go round of the Happiness Mixtape Project. Here are the ones that we're condsidering this week:

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

Fields of Gold - Sting (Eva Cassidy's version was nominated, but you probably know Sting's original best)

Closer to Fine - Indigo Girls

Walking on Sunshine - Katrina & the Waves

Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & the Wailers

There were other recommendations, but these were the ones that could be tied to an artist easily enough. (Some of the nominees came courtesy of my Facebook post at The Happiness-Project group's site.

I think that these will probably all go in by silent acclamation. I'd prefer that folks weigh in how much they love these songs, or why they think they fall short. Either way is fine with me. We'll add the selections to the list on Saturday morning (right before field hockey.)

What do you think? I am asking for your judgments, so don't withhold them.

Help wanted: The Happiness Notebook Mixtape Project

I need your help.

We all have songs that make us feel good. We all know songs about happiness, contentment, celebration and relaxation.

So, let's catalogue them. Let's build a mixtape library of happiness. But I need your help or it will not work.

If you're like me, you probably are really knowledgeable on songs from a certain period, like, in my case, the 70s or the early 80s. This is a severe limitation when trying to build a happiness repertoire.

Another limitation is our personal preferences for musical styles. There are so many genres and sub-genres of music and most of them have possible works that we would include in the happiness category.

This cannot be a one person effort.

We need song nominations.

Here is how we'll handle it:

1) Each Sunday, I will post a solicitation for your nominations.
2) Let's set a personal limit of two nominations each week per person.
3) Nominations are made in the comments only. Emailing me will not make it a nomination.
4) Positive discussion on the merits of the nominations also takes place in the comments.
5) On Wednesday, I will post a slate of songs that up for inclusion in the Happiness Mixtape.
6) We vote, in the comments, on those we want to include. Voting will end on Friday.
7) On Saturday, I will post the latest additions. We'll keep a list on the right side of the blog.
8) This in no way, affects the irregular posting of hair metal videos. That is a separate effort that keeps me happy.
9) I'll act as the final arbiter. However, even if a song doesn't make it the first time around, it is still eligible to make it in subsequent voting. It just needs to be renominated and make the slate of potential entries.
10) Let's keep this light and fun. Also know, that if you don't participate, then the mixtape is going to be full of late 70s and early 80s pop rock songs...ahem.

My nominations will also appear in the comments.

Start nominating!