Now Playing
Current DJ: Andy Vaso
Caribou Honey from single (Merge) Add to Collection
The CHIRP Blog
Entries categorized as “Friday MP3 Shuffle” 276 results
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle: Happy Birthday Brian Eno Edition
Today is the birthday of Brian Eno, one of the most prolific and influential musicians of this or any era in music. His talent for production is not just displayed on his own albums (of which he has over 40) but his numerous collaborations with a who's-who of Pop and Rock icons, from John Cale to The Talking Heads to David Bowie to U2.
Eno also helped create the music genre called Ambient. At a time when Punks dug in with noisy simplicity and Progressives were getting grandiose and complicated, Eno and a few others went in a different direction, fashioning gentle, atmospheric music that blends into surroundings as much as it commands attention. His album Ambient 1: Music for Airports floats by at a glacial pace, but if you listen to it a few times it might permanently change your perception of music. Over the decades, Eno's innovations and curiosity have paved the way for musicians of the acoustic, electric, and electronic variety to express themselves in new ways. To celebrate the occasion of the godd Mr. Eno's birth, take your MP3 player, press the "shuffle" button, and share the first 10 songs that you hear:
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle: Happy Birthday Alex Van Halen Edition
Today we wish a very Happy Birthday to Alex Van Halen, drummer of the band that bears his name. Alex doesn't get mentioned in musical anecdotes nearly as much as his band mates, which is understandable considering he shared a stage with David Lee Roth, the textbook obnoxious/mesmerizing front man, brother Eddie, the electric guitar innovator, and Michael Anthony, the charasmatic bass player whose backing vocals were in retrospect quite critical in getting Roth's lead vocals across. Alex’s distinctive drum kit sound powered the band to the pinnacle of the Rock world between 1978 and 1984 with albums that included Van Halen, Van Halen II, Diver Down, and, natch, 1984. The band’s longevity and high-profile lineup changes may have worked against their legacy as one of the groups that showed just how big (and sucessful) Hard Rock music could get. They’re still together, though, with Roth returning to the fold after a long absence, Eddie’s son Wolfgang handling bass duties, and Alex still laying down the beat. So give the drummer some and say Happy Birthday by pressing the “shuffle” button on your MP3 player and sharing the first 10 songs you hear:
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle: Happy Birthday D’arcy Wretzky Edition
Today is International Workers' Day, a day designated to aknowledge working people across the globe, and originally meant to commemorate the Haymarket Riot that happened in Chicago in 1884. It's also the birthday of D'arcy Wretzky, the original bass player for The Smashing Pumpkins. Although she has kept a relatively low profile recently, Wretzky's place in the annals of Rock history is secure through her work with Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin during a time marked by artistic brilliance and inner turmoil that saw both the peak of Alternative Music's popularity and also its waning years as boy bands and Brittney Spears took over the charts.
Let’s wish D'arcy a Happy Birthday and give a salute to working people everywhere by taking your MP3 player, pushing the Shuffle button, and sharing the first 10 songs your hear…
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle - Happy Birthday Q-Tip Edition
Today is the birthday of Kamaal Ibn John Fareed aka Jonathan Davis aka Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Along with fellow MC Phife Dawg, Tip set a standard of excellence few musicians get to. Instantly distinctive voice? Check. Unbelievable flow on the mike? Check? Brilliant musical backgrounds, samples, and accompanyments over which to deliver poetic, insightful rhymes? Check and mate. (If The Low End Theory isn't somewhere in your list of Top Hip-Hop Albums of All Time, you're doing it wrong).
Let's wish the Midnight Marauder a Happy Birthday by grabbing your MP3 player, pressing the “shuffle” button, and sharing the first ten songs you hear:
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle - Happy Birthday Tony Orlando Edition
Gather ‘round, children, and let me tell you a tale of a time when polyester was the fabric of choice for young people and the variety show was a coveted means of making a living. A time when entertainment required more than wardrobe malfunctions and twerking. It’s the early ‘70s, and one of the main men from that era is Tony Orlando. Born in Hell’s Kitchen in NYC and first making the pop charts at 16, the singer and record producer got his big break when he flanked himself with two gorgeous backup singers and hit the TV airwaves with a collection of polished, AM-Radio-friendly Pop music that included the mega-hits “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” and “Candida.”
Orlando’s time in the spotlight ended when the ‘80s took over, but like Wayne Newton and Tony Bennett, he’s still performing regularly in Vegas and Branson, MO, proving that longevity doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing in the music business if you have talent. Let’s wish him a Happy Birthday (and hope he never gets roped into singing duets with Lady Gaga) by grabbing your MP3 player, pressing the “shuffle” button, and sharing the first ten songs you hear: