#564: CD-era update

Been a nice, smooth Memorial Day weekend so far -- weather's FINALLY gorgeous, sunny & in the 60s 2 low 70s, & gas prices haven't jumped up as predicted -- yet.
Still working on which CDs keep me most motivated at work. My overnite bag is full of discs, 2 the point where it's uncomfortably heavy 2 carry, but I've yet 2 find anything that'll keep me going from beginning 2 end. The last few days' playlist looks like this:

Adele -- Rumor Has It.
Spinners -- It's a Shame, I'll Be Around, Could it be I'm Falling in Love, One of a Kind Love Affair, I'm Coming Home.
The usual MOTOWN GOLD oldies -- played LOTS of times.
Turtles -- Happy Together, She'd Rather Be With Me, You Baby, She's My Girl, It Ain't Me Babe, Let Me Be, Elenore, You Showed Me, Outside Chance, Sound Asleep, Grim Reaper of Love.
Ronettes -- Be My Baby, Baby I Love You, The Best Part of Breakin' Up, I Wonder.
Righteous Brothers -- You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.
Ike and Tina Turner -- River Deep Mountain High.
Church -- Under the Milky Way, Reptile.
Badfinger -- No Matter What, Baby Blue, Name of the Game, Rock of All Ages, Meanwhile Back at the Ranch/Should I Smoke?
Sly and the Family Stone -- Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin, I Want to Take You Higher.
Bare Naked Ladies -- Brian Wilson, One Week, It's Only Me, If I Had a Million Dollars, Get in Line, It's All Been Done, Lovers in a Dangerous Time, Pinch Me, What a Good Boy, Light Up My Room, I'll Be That Girl, Leave, Alcohol, In the Car, Never is Enough, Who Needs Sleep, Some Fantastic.
Lick the Tins -- Can't Help Falling in Love.
Modern English -- I Melt With You, After the Snow, Carry Me Down, Tables Turning.
Fleetwood Mac -- Say You Will, Peacekeeper.
Police -- Omegaman, Secret Journey, Darkness.

I'll B adding more strange stuff, but the problem with mosta the weird stuff I like is that my faves rock out 4 maybe a track or 2, then the mood changes, leaving me with more weight 2 carry in my overnite bag. I need stuff that keeps me moving -- Nick Drake is not gonna work 4 me at Work.

COMMENTS? Well, there've bn a few. There's still a few folks saying I always have good music playing when they come in2 the store, & that's always good 2 hear. But I've heard more comments about the fact that I cut my hair SHORT 4 the summer after growing it out down 2 my shoulders over the past 2 years. (Cut my hair at home, BTW, with nothing but some sharp scissors & my electric razor -- only took an hr, & there wasn't even that much blood....)
1 Regular was SHOCKED that I would play something as recent & as POPULAR as Adele. Hey, don't judge me. The booming drums on "Rumor Has It" keep me moving, & the ending makes me laff every time. & at least it's not "Rolling in the Deep" or "Someone Like You"....
Also had folks asking 4 IDs on Bare Naked Ladies. 1 Regular mis-identified The Church as The Cure, & there R a few similarities.... Couple folks noticed I was rockin' out 2 Sly's "Thank You" & thrashing around 2 "Rumor Has It"....
I have my own issues. While reading Gerri Hirshey's pretty-Xcellent NOWHERE TO RUN: THE STORY OF SOUL MUSIC (review coming soon), it's Bcome pretty obvious 2 me that I hava real shortage of Soul/R&B in the house. Sure, I've got some Motown & some Spinners & some Stylistics (which I'm sure will NOT work at Work), but I've got hardly NE Aretha, NO James Brown, etc. Since the Soul/R&B has bn workin as a pretty good motivator 4 the last coupla wks, I'm gonna havta remedy this....
I have my own issues: Y'all already know I love The Ronettes. "The Best Part of Breakin' Up" slipped by as an ACCIDENT, & tho the words R pretty predictable, the performance is pretty great & gets better as it goes. The song is like some Ronettes-meet-the-Beach-Boys thing, especially the great false-ending. & I love the sultry way Ronnie sings "Come on beebee, don't say meebee...." Overall, it develops the same power & impact as "Be My Baby" & "Baby I Love You" & the amazing, joyous "I Wonder." Makes ME wonder if I actually HEARD "Breakin' Up" when I was testing-out their best-of a few months back.... Why didn't any1 warn me 30 years ago about how great these songs R? (Would I have paid any attn?)
Speaking of impact, "Lovin Feelin" is still stunning, & "River Deep" is somewhere beyond that -- 1nce I play the 1st I havta go on 2 the 2nd -- it's intresting how the more you play "River Deep" the clearer it gets. At 1st I just thot Tina was trying 2 scream her way thru the Wall Of Sound. Now I see she sings her way around it. It musta sounded kinda muddy on a car radio in '66 tho ... if anybody played it....
...& "You Showed Me," a Turtles hit I'd always resisted 4 being sludgy & boring, actually has a gorgeous midsection, + some neat harmonies.
More soon!