#555: Oooh, it's a mystery....

Now hava whole new bag of musical tricks at work, including a ton of tapes I put 2gether 15+ years ago that R numbered but have no other info on them, so that when I slap something on the tape player I have no idea what I'm gonna get.... It's sure 2 B something from The Collection, but I don't know WHAT. I'm sure I've got some kinda contents lists buried around here somewhere, but that doesn't help me at work....
The result so far is that I'm constantly suprised ... which is kinda nice, since I was getting bored with the old stuff. I'm also noticing that summa this new stuff I DON'T RECOGNIZE until some1 starts singing, IF they do. Which means its bn 2 long since I've played summa this stuff....
Tho I worked part-way thru Fri nite with some Old Reliable Oldies, I started the grab-bag approach as Fri wore on & carried it in2 Sat nite. The playlist so far (from memory) has included:

Beatles -- Thank You Girl.
Focus -- Hocus Pocus 2.
Fleetwood Mac -- Dissatisfied.
Jethro Tull -- Love Song.
Turtles -- Grim Reaper of Love, Outside Chance, We'll Meet Again.
Elvis -- Blue Moon of Kentucky, Mystery Train.
Left Banke -- Desiree, I've Got Something on My Mind.
Dream Academy -- The Edge of Forever, In Places on the Run, Johnny (New Light), This World, Bound to Be.
Clannad -- In a Lifetime, Theme from Harry's Game, In Fortune's Hand.
Spider -- New Romance (It's a Mystery), Shady Lady.
Christopher Cross -- I Really Don't Know Anymore, Minstrel Gigolo, Poor Shirley.
The Who -- Dreaming from the Waist (live).
Pete Townshend -- Zelda, Now and Then.
Badfinger -- In the Meantime/Some Other Time.
Judie Tzuke -- Welcome to the Cruise, Sukarita, For You, These are the Laws, Stay With Me 'til Dawn.
King Crimson -- Elephant Talk, Frame by Frame.
Pretenders -- Don't Get Me Wrong, Hymn to Her.
Moody Blues -- The Other Side of Life, No More Lies.
Procol Harum -- In the Autumn of My Madness/Look to Your Soul/Grand Finale (live).
'Til Tuesday -- Voices Carry.
Alan Parsons Project -- I'd Rather Be a Man.
Trisha Yearwood -- Thinking About You.
Pam Tillis -- I Was Blown Away.

...That's all I can remember. A coupla people asked about Judie Tzuke, sucked in by the huge production on her STAY WITH ME 'TIL DAWN album (1979) -- + I had it cranked-up pretty loud 2 increase the dramatic impact. I even wrote down her name & the album title 4 1 guy so he could look it up on the Net. Maybe I helped her sell another 1....
Didn't have NE other signs of intrest, tho lotsa folks noticed I was rockin' out pretty loudly 4 Cinco de Mayo. Hey, it was Sat nite, right...? Even Procol Harum sounds pretty rockin' if you crank it up loud enuf, as I did -- those live trax have great biting guitar & lotsa good bass, & Gary Brooker's vocals R great. & then there's the orchestra....
This Grab-Bag approach will B continuing. Ghod knows what else I recorded eons ago & then 4got about. Should B fun....

Am also re-reading John McPhee's brilliant THE CURVE OF BINDING ENERGY 4 about the 5th time -- more missile-base research. & in off moments I'm re-reading Clive Barker's BOOKS OF BLOOD (starting with "The Age of Desire," also plan 2 re-read "Dread," "Revelations," "In the Hills, the Cities" & a few others), & am slowly getting in2 Jack Ketchum's COVER -- which so far isn't as immediately gripping as most of his other novels, but it's still pretty vivid. Usually he goes right 4 the throat 1st thing (as in JOYRIDE or THE LOST or OFF SEASON), not sure why he's holding back here. But he's almost always pretty freakin' great, so....
Plan 2 do a post on "Author's Notes" soon -- have written about this stuff B4, about how sometimes the writers' stories BEHIND the stories R better than the actual fiction, tho I'm not sure NE1 agrees with me. This post will appear as soon as I finish a list of all my faves so I don't 4get NE obvious 1's....
My roommate is "enjoying" a long weekend & will B filling the house with his blaring TV during mosta his waking hrs, so it'll B at least Tues B4 I can play NE music & at least Tues nite/Weds morn B4 I can get NE new music reviews posted. Sorry 4 the delay.... NEbody gotta room they wanna rent? Somewhere where there's JOBS? I know, I know, stop laffing....