Modern Manners - The playlisters dilemma
Dear Auntie Word
As someone with a reasonable collection of music (62-present), I am often prevailed upon by my friends to provide the soundtrack, or backing music, to social events that they are hosting "Oh go on, Muttn" they say "you like music". I assume I am not alone in this experience.
They say "Can you put together some stuff that can be on in the background early but then get dancier later".
"You choose"...
pause...."BUT"
(and here we come to the nub, or crux of the matter)
"Could you please just put in some...." and here I leave it to you to put in your own nightmare music choice..for the sake of argument, lets say Michael Bolton.
What happens next.....what do I say??
My next assignment is for a woman of otherwise impeccable taste but whose ears are used to keep her glasses on. For Michael Bolton read in this case Simply Red.
It's a new dilemma inasmuch as in days of yore when platters were spun you could just 'forget' to play the the damnable thing and hope the host didn't notice. Now the playlist has to be prepared in advance (I've even had one vetted in the past). In addition I don't want to be manacled to the HiFi for the night, being something of and ankle-shaker and rug-cutter myself.
What form of words can overcome this shocking state of affairs?
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If they were asking you to cook dinner...
...they wouldn't tell what vegetables to serve, would they?
I'd slide out of the job on the grounds that you're not going to make yourself popular. Or suggest they do what we did at the Christmas party. Everybody plays three tunes. Then nobody can complain.
Possibly.... but fraught with danger
By definition I would expect that your Christmas party was attended by a group of people with splendid musical taste (I assume). Definitely not the case here!
Suppose I'll have to go along with her and play it. Which then raises the question of what to play after it to bring the music back on track. I think its 'Stars' she wants.
So that's the question. What track should I administer as an antidote?
That may be true about the people attending the party but...
...they're having to play their choices to people with the most painfully over-developed sensitivities.
Thank you Dr Hepworth
So reading between the lines of your response...'play it and get over yourself'.
Sage advice.
If there is a Professor of Pop, as we found out this week on the telly (what does that man DO? If he's taking the public shilling I'd dearly love to know), have you thought of freelancing as a Pop therapist? Bet there's a buck to be made in that game.....
Play Positively 4th Street
There are plenty of worse versions of it than Simply Red's.
I quite like Simply Red. I think Mick Hucknall is a really good singer and a fairly good songwriter.
He's a bit of a tit but I quite admire him for putting his money where his heart is and financing a reggae label.
His cover of The Stylistics' You Make Me Feel Brand New is a tremendous feat - one singer doing the parts of a vocal group that between them have a vast range.
One of the most talented British musicians of the past thirty years whether you like him or not.
By God Sir....
You may have it. Just downloaded it and it's so crazy it just might work.......The Word ..A magazine...A website... An online musical therapist.
Easy this one...
"You want me to do the music, you get what you're given"
At least you'll not get asked again.
Back in the day I did a load of party tapes (on cassette - c90s)and had to put up with two very dear but immensely annoying friends who insisted the tape be regularly fast forwarded to particular tracks they decided had to be heard immediately.
This did not enhance the party mood very much.
That reminds me...
When I was in charge of the 'specialist music' of a Virgin megastore a few years ago, a customer came up to me and asked me to recommend him a jazz album suitable for a dinner party. I thought it over for a second and suggested "Kind Of Blue" by Miles, because it's brilliant and other people might even have heard it and like it. He hadn't heard it. So off he went with his purchase. The following day he returned and said he'd like to exchange it, on the grounds that it was a bit 'strange'...
At this point my hackles rose, and I vowed to exact my revenge. "Sorry about that, Sir!", I fawned, "perhaps you'd like this one more". I handed him a copy of "The Inner Mounting Flame" by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He thanked me graciously and headed off. My last words were 'keep your receipt'.
Never saw him again...
easy solution
Copy and MP3 that you like.
Change the tags on a song that you like to show Simply Red Stars, schedule it for later in the evening, then say "Oh it was on, maybe when you went to the toilet ?"
Alternatively, put Dubstar Stars on which is a great song and pretend you got Mick Hucknall and a musician confused.
Dubstar
are indeed a fine choice, but c'mon Muttn', you know already that if a friend asks you to put something together, it's their night, not yours. You do it, they love you for it, you move on.
Last Summer I had to put three playlists together for the 'inter-band' periods of their wedding night. I was chuffed to be asked (much for the same reason you stated 'Hey Oeuf, you like music.' Yes guys, so 90 minutes of Josh Rouse and Patty Griffin it is.
Anyway, I did as asked, presented them with the nice shiny, edited lists full of what I thought was great party music, and the laydee asked to add some of her choices. I blinked not an eyelid and did as I was told. People got up. People danced, we all had a good time and bless them, I now have various 'Best Of 80's dance grooves' compilations on my i-Pod. You can't beat the juxtaposition of Rainy night in Georgia with the extended 12" remix of To Cut A Long Story Short. No, seriously...
You are right
Of course, but it goes against the grain. Actually I was thinking of kicking off the evening with Pawn Hearts to get everybody in the party mood! As a matter of interest and sliding a little off topic, what do you (all) believe to be (in your experience) the two greatest back-to-back tracks for dance that non-afficionados will go for?
With me 'Boogie Nights' and 'Pick up the Pieces' in the 70's section always deliver. Now if somebody could give me the next two.....
You can never go wrong with.....
...Oh What a Night (December 63) by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and, although it's bit of a cliche, Abba's 'Dancing Queen' will always get the ladies round their handbags.
Follow that up with 'Blues For Ceaucescu' by the Fatima Mansions and they'll be eating out of your hands.
Hmmm,
Get Down On It (Kool and the Gang) followed by The Walrus of Love and You're the First... seemed to go down well.
The song. Not the Walrus.
70's disco filling nicely....
I'm also adding 'Brick House' (Commodores). Thanks for the help.
Having watched 'Shallow Hal' yesterday Cake have made a suprise entry in the post-milleneum pile with 'Comfort Eagle'- listened to that on the way to work today (St Pancras - looks splendid, but my dear, the prices, the people...)and have resolved to delve further.
we were not warned
in a shedcast not so many moons ago about the do's n don'ts of such occasions. I seem to recall a great deal of correspondence in Word's letter pages including some with strict rules to abide. As Mr Ellen learnt the hardway, best not to open up the evening with Bruce's Radio Nowhere for one.