I made this playlist after I had open heart surgery to replace a leaky valve in my heart several years ago (I’m fine now thanks). That’s why a lot of these songs feature broken or damaged hearts.

Heart Full of Holes (2007):

• Heartbeat – Buddy Holly
• Devil in His Heart – The Donays
• Heart – Nick Lowe
• Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? – Moby
• Heart Full of Holes – Mark Knopfler
• Fidelity – Regina Spektor
• I’m a Broken Heart – The Bird & The Bee
• The Heart’s a Lonely Hunter – Thievery Corporation (w/David Byrne)
• Heart of Glass – Nouvelle Vague
• Expressway to Your Heart – Soul Survivors
• What Becomes of the Brokenhearted – The Funk Brothers (w/Joan Osborne)
• Piece of My Heart – Big Brother & The Holding Co.
• Unchain My Heart – Joe Cocker
• When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer – B.B. King & Eric Clapton
• You’re Breakin’ My Heart – Harry Nilsson
• Only Love Can Break Your Heart  – Saint Etienne
• Secret Heart – Feist
• The Bleeding Heart Show – The New Pornographers
• Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

Video Playlist:

(All rights reserved by the copyright owners. This nonprofit, fan-made video playlist is solely to promote awareness and interest in the artists and the music.)

“Shake Rattle and Roll” was one of the first “rock” songs and an antecedent to the term “rock and roll” (both essentially referring to the same thing). Whatever the reference, even with today’s artists, there’s still a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on.

Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes (2014):

• Shake Your Hips — Joan Osborne
• I’m Shakin’ — The Blasters
• Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes — Los Lobos
• Shakin’ All Over — The Guess Who
• Shake, Rattle and Roll — Big Joe Turner
• All Shook Up — Elvis Presley
• Hippy Hippy Shake — Chan Romero
• Twist and Shout — The Beatles
• Shake Some Action — The Flamin’ Groovies
• Let England Shake — PJ Harvey
• Shake It Out — Florence + The Machine
• Shake — The Head and the Heart
• Shakedown Street — Grateful Dead
• Shakey Ground — Phoebe Snow
• Shake — Otis Redding
• Shake a Tail Feather — Ray Charles (with The Blues Brothers)
• Shake Shake Mama — Bob Dylan
• Shake ‘Em On Down — North Mississippi Allstars
• Can’t Shake These Blues — Chris Smither
• Shake It Off — The Spinto Band
• Shake the Disease — Depeche Mode
• Shake It Up — The Cars

Video Playlist:

(All rights reserved by the copyright owners. This nonprofit, fan-made video playlist is solely to promote awareness and interest in the artists and the music.)

I originally made this mix several years ago when iPods were new and Razor scooters were the hot toy (hence the illustration). Heavy on British pop (what else is new) with Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters closing it off because it just isn’t Christmas without “Der Bingle.”

Santa Rocks

A Collection of Some of Santa’s Favorite Rockin’ Holiday Tunes!

• Thanks for Christmas — The Three Wise Men (XTC)
• Wonderful Christmastime — Paul McCartney
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — Ringo Starr
• Christmas Time (Is Here Again) — The Beatles
• Christmas Day — Squeeze
• I Believe in Father Christmas — Greg Lake
• Gabriel’s Message — Sting
• Walking in the Air — The King’s Singers
• Comfort and Joy — Simon and Garfunkel
• Light of the Stable — Emmylou Harris
• River — Joni Mitchell
• Blue Christmas — Sheryl Crow
• 2000 Miles — The Pretenders
• Christmas Wrapping — The Waitresses
• Mele Kalikimaka — Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters

Video Playlist:

(All rights reserved by the copyright owners. This nonprofit, fan-made video playlist is solely to promote awareness and interest in the artists and the music.)

The idea behind this mix was not to focus so much on traditional country, or even “alt.” country, artists – but rather rock artists doing country(ish) songs or country artists doing covers of rock or pop songs. In other cases I picked the songs because they seemed to me to be examples of contemporary artists using country instruments in an “unconventional” or unexpected way.

[Unconventional] Country Time Mix (2010):

• Hit ‘em Up Style – Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Saga of the Old West – Steve Martin
• Father’s Son – Fistful of Mercy
• Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons
• Can’t Find My Way Home – Alison Krauss
• Tragedy – Peter Wolf (w/Shelby Lynne)
• Stuff You Gotta Watch – Levon Helm
• What You Gonna Do Leroy – Buddy & Julie Miller (w/Robert Plant)
• Move Up – Patty Griffin
• I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party – Rosanne Cash
• Rocky Racoon – The Beatles
• Country Honk – The Rolling Stones
• Complicated Shadows – Elvis Costello
• Amanda Ruth – Rank and File
• Ways to be Wicked – Lone Justice
• The Thrill is Gone – Jerry Garcia & David Grisman
• Ooh La La – The Ditty Bops
• I’ve Gotta Feeling – The Secret Sisters
• Beg Steal Or Borrow – Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs
• Buckets of Rain – Neko Case
• Silver Lining – Steve Poltz
• Southfried Backyard Train – Paul Curreri

Video Playlist:

(All rights reserved by the copyright owners. This nonprofit, fan-made video playlist is solely to promote awareness and interest in the artists and the music.)

I made this CD about fathers for my dad over 10 years ago. Good dads, bad dads and even ones who worry about the effects their son’s driving will have on their drinking habits. Happy Father’s Day to one and all…

Hold Me My Daddy:

• Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
• Stay Up Late – Talking Heads
• Beautiful Boy – John Lennon
• Put It There – Paul McCartney
• Fool To Cry – The Rolling Stones
• Papa Come Quick (Jody And Chico) – Bonnie Raitt
• Hot Rod Lincoln – Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen
• A Boy Named Sue – Johnny Cash
• Daddy Could Swear (I Declare) – Gladys Knight and the Pips
• Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone – The Temptations
• Piece of Clay – Marvin Gaye
• Dreams of Our Fathers – Dave Matthews Band
• Daddy Don’t Live In That New York City No More – Steely Dan
• Hold Me My Daddy – XTC
• Trouble Me – Natalie Merchant
• That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine – Simon & Garfunkel
• Danny Boy – Tony Bennett

Video Playlist:

(All rights reserved by the copyright owners. This nonprofit, fan-made video playlist is solely to promote awareness and interest in the artists and the music.)

I find these songs interesting because they take some lightweight, throwaway hits, and recast them in a way that makes them hold up to repeat listening. Or at least give them a completely different sound than their more popular counterparts.

Bubblegum Pop (2006):

• I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
• Liar Liar – Debbie Harry
• Needles & Pins – Ramones
• …Baby One More Time – Fountains of Wayne
• Baby, Now That I’ve Found You – Alison Krauss
• Bad Time To Be In Love – The Jayhawks
• Love Hurts – Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris
• Love Grows – Freedy Johnston
• Can’t Get Used To Losing You – The English Beat
• I Got You Babe – UB40 (w/Chrissie Hynde)
• Sugar, Sugar – Big Youth
• More Today Than Yesterday – Goldfinger
• I’m Not In Love – The Pretenders
• California Dreamin’ – José Feliciano
• Sweet Emotion – Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon
• You Showed Me – Lightning Seeds
• Eye of the Tiger – Paul Anka
• One – Aimee Mann
• You’re No Good – Elvis Costello
• The Letter – Joe Cocker
• Yummy Yummy Yummy – Julie London

Video Playlist:

Original Versions:

(All rights reserved by the copyright owners. This nonprofit, fan-made video playlist is solely to promote awareness and interest in the artists and the music.)