Side 1 / Side 2: Mixtape re-dux

Posted over 4 years ago

Artist:
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Jackson 5

As I said in my previous post, mix tape making deals with alchemy.

There are however some probes that have allowed me to strive for the philosopher's stone in the shape of a reel of magnetite.
First, do you remember what an audio cassette or tape looks like? It could give you up to 90 minutes of recorded music. This playback time would provide the "scope" for the mixes - remember they used to be 60 or 90 minutes. That would be the playing time (length of your mix).
The second feature was its double-sidedness. This would allow you to play on the moods of your mix. Side 1 could be some feisty Zeitgeist tunes and Side 2 could be more reflective tracks, for instance.
Today's CDs giving you up 80 or even 90 minutes of music still validates the first feature mentioned above i.e. "scope-length." We have lost the opportunity of "double-sidedness," though. Still, moods can be attained in other ways. (I like to have hidden tracks on my CD mixes and even playlists.)
I must confess I still I abide by this easy trick when making my "mix tapes."

Now if you had to build a mix tape around this song, what tracks would you add?

Comments (11)

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Bartleby says I realise this post is a bit flat as it was sort of ex-tempore. I didn't feel I'd have the strength to write anything wittier. It's all Soultronica's fault really with his incredible posts on David Mancuso et ali. I squandered my time reading his very educative insights.

Permalink posted 09/27/2007
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aummertime3323 says I remember what an 8 track looks like. lol

Permalink posted 09/27/2007
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ivylander says Because I am contrary and have a somewhat unsubtle sense of humor, I'd probably follow your song with this one. ~cE9Yh5T8DZo.mp3~

Permalink posted 09/27/2007
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Cody B says There used to be a Japanese website with pictures of thousands of blank cassette shells. Beautiful stuff. I love Maybe Tomorrow. Next Up ~D3NrvawPcVu.mp3~

Permalink posted 09/27/2007
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Lizziegreeneyes says you may hear from more than one person here - I may make mixes & place them on the round discs, but they were are & always will be mixtapes for me - hate the other alternatives... nostalgic sure - but it's one I am glad to have !!! There are others who could tell you that even two discs aren't enough for me half the time & I bleed into a third. I can change it up but I have so much music & so many things I want to say with those songs... I struggle to keep it to one mixtape ;)

Permalink posted 09/27/2007
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Thanateros says While, i am much more of a random person, I tend to fill up 30 gig on an MP3 player, hit random and see what I get, I would be inclined to add Petula Clark's Downtown to the mix. And thank you for the picture of the cassette, I had almost forgotten, brought back memories. Back in my mix tape days, and even into my cd mix days, I always liked giving them really weird titles, often with no relevance to the content. Such as "I am a Hipster Walrus" or "Ascertaining Fluidity". I've always loved words.

Permalink posted 09/27/2007
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ivylander says You bring up a great side point, Thanateros. Mixtape names are critical. Once a friend made me a mixtape entitled "Hypostasis of the Archons." It came from a college lecture he attended, and he included on the tape that segment of the lecture (which he had recorded, the weenie) on which the presiding professor explained the phrase. I can't remember anything else that was on that mixtape.

Permalink posted 09/28/2007
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soultronica says Oh Ms. B: You have posed an interesting thought here. I'm really going to have to think about this, because it's making me meditate on things I realize I've taken for granted for, oh, decades now. I'll develop a full post on The SSE, but I really do have to think before I speak. Isn't is a shame we (or at least, I) feel a need qualify (and therefore subtly diminish) Michael Jackson greatness to statements like "Isn't a shame he's never grown into a fully capable, sane adult?" But alas, I digress ... So much about mixtapes depend upon context, and hence the importance of Thanateros' observation about mixtape names. To some degree, I see mixtapes as sonic episodes in a never ending sitcom: the overall theme is relatively stable, but how you manifest the theme in a specific episode can vary widely. This exercise actually is quite difficult for me because none of the data I use to gauge context are present: - There's no song before - I don't know if the room has more men or women (or even if there's a room) - I don't know if the mixtape is for my couch or my car; my big system or my iPod (which will determine digital encoding parameters); - If it's a live mixtape as opposed to something recorded specifically for the mixtape format (The latter means it's much more tailored, since one has the 80-minute constraint, which I blow past all the time and end up breaking up 3.5 hours of content across three or more discs) Sorry to get so brainy about this, but this is a topic I take rather seriously; joyfully, but seriously. Anyway, this is frustrating for me, so I only can imagine the rolling eyes I'm getting by this point. So I'll presume to follow J5 with this:

mog.com More about this song Share

Permalink posted 09/28/2007
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Cody B says Nice track Soul! There is a lot that goes into it, and so many records to choose from. The theme is essential. I made a mix for my pops birthday and I didn't really give it a proper title and he didn't really get it. Then I sent him "this":http://mog.com/Cody_B/blog_post/49288, and he did.

Permalink posted 09/28/2007
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indiepixie says dude i miss tapes all together. i loved the dedication to listening to the whole one. My favorite part about mixed tapes was recording them using one radio player next to a tape player- the sound quality was horrible- and every once and a while I would zone out and the tape would catch half of a really bad radio announcer or a commercial. priceless. i still have some.

Permalink posted 09/28/2007
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Bartleby says Aummer: I can't remember what an 8-track looks like. Would you please refresh my memory? Ivy: Nice track. Thanks for your contribution. Lizzie: I agree with you. No matter how they may call it, no one's come up with a better or cooler term than "mix tape." It's just "euphonic." Thana: You and Ivy are right about mixing. The best mixes are the one which to make themselves through a secret and serendipitous stream of your libraries. Soultron: Mr Cool Cat, as I said in my comments. I didn't have the strength to delve into this vast subject. The public for whom your mixes are meant do obviously dictate your mixes to an extent... However, I think it's always nice to kick some new skits, even impose those on them. Cody: The mix for your dad sounds just so cool. A friend of mine used to call it "DJ-ing for the mind." Basically you would mention (post) tracks that you're listening to and the person who hears it will play it in their mind... Trying to mentally re-play the familiar songs and imagine what the unknown ones. Indie: Yeah, I still do that. Stream-ripping tunes that I hear on the web radios. Those were the days, weren't they? You'd anxiously wait for the song the DJ announced with your finger on "pause/rec" button... The best was when they would tease you with announcement of "exclusive new songs" by such and such. You would die in agony of waiting through commercial breaks, desperately hoping you didn't miss it when you went away from the ghetto-blaster to get that cup of tea.

Permalink posted 09/28/2007