Playlists, new samples player, web subscription playback

Continuing the torrential pace of new software, we have released a playlist page, a new player for thirty-second samples, and the ability to play subscription tracks in the browser. All of this software is somewhat beta.

Until a few weeks ago, when you opened a playlist created in Yahoo! Music Jukebox in the browser you were likely to get a nearly-blank white page that looked like an error message. No more. You will now see a full-featured module which includes the ability to play tracks and to comment on playlists. You can browse playlists by creator and you can browse playlists which a person has commented on, so there is a content-focused social network.

Play buttons will give you full songs if you are a Yahoo! Music Unlimited subscriber, and 30-second samples otherwise. The player is now rendered in the page rather than in a pop-up window.

Here are some playlists to help you get started:

• The Big Takeover by Ian Rogers is, I think, about exploring fresh releases, and has tunes from Dizzee Rascal, Pharoahe Monch, Bad Brains, and Betty Davis.
• My Acid Soul playlist is instrumental soul jams.
• Ilianna Car Songs by Adam Brett is music for his baby daughter. This is a fun theme, and if you have another playlist like it you might want to leave a note on Adam’s playlist.
• International Lounge Music by Steve Raymond is a playable version of a text-only playlist published in Food and Wine magazine.
• Ode to Rubber playlist by the great Robert of the Radish. See also his personal blog entry about this playlist.
• Over In About An Hour: Volume 8 (dishwashing music) by Johnny O’Brien.  See also his personal blog entry about this playlist.
  

We hope you’ll dig it.

Release notes

• There isn’t yet a convenient way to look up a playlist URL or to your find your own playlists in the browser. If you have Yahoo! Music Jukebox you can open it up, navigating to a playlist, copy the link to the clipboard, then go to a browser and open that link. In the browser you can submit a comment on a playlist, then click on the link to your playlists in the posted comment.
• Yahoo! Music Unlimited playback only works in Internet Explorer on Windows. In Firefox you can either use the IETab plugin or wait for our own plugin to be ready.
• Many alpha users had to upgrade or rebuild their Windows DRM setup.
• Sample playback works on the Mac if you have Flip4Mac installed. We could only deliver subscription tracks if Windows DRM was supported, which it isn’t, so this is blocked on the same old same old. About Linux support, we’ll do samples if we can find a reliable way to do WMA in the browser.
• The new player is only used in the playlist pages for now. We will hook it up to the rest of the new pages soon.

Makin’ It Faster: Yahoo! Music Jukebox 2.1 Is Here

When I talk to Yahoo! Music Jukebox users, I eventually hear a certain 4-letter word that makes me cringe: S-L-O-W. And, as much as I like to defend my favorite music player, that’s one I’ve never really had a good answer for… until now. On Tuesday, we made YMJ version 2.1 live as the download from our Web site. As I’ve mentioned before, we’re not trying to pack more features in as much as we’re trying to keep improving quality and performance. I can talk about things like fewer crashes and improved performance, but this time I’ve got some hard numbers to share.

I sat down with a stopwatch and tried some common tasks on my machine, from playing an MP3 to streaming a song from Yahoo! Music Unlimited.

Certainly every system is different, and your mileage may vary. But, I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished here, and I hope you feel it too.

Get Yahoo! Music Jukebox 2.1

As with every release, there are a ton of under-the-hood changes – too many to mention, but I went through the list and picked some other highlights you may be interested in.

• Burner settings now available in Preferences dialog.
• My Music: right click menu items better enabled
• Memory leak in user interface fixed
• Uninstall/Reinstall no longer uses up a machine activation
• Auto update causes no longer causes improper shutdown
• Uninstall of YMJ no longer uninstalls Messenger skin.
• Save playlists in “Playlists” folder by default for MTP devices. Allows playlists to work on more devices
• Improved relicensing of YMU tracks
• Mini Mode YMJ now retains window position
• Ripping a CD no longer crashes when playing LAUNCHcast
• My Music loading enhancements
• Playlist created using “Create similar playlist” works again
• Navigating to the CD plugin no longer causes the playlist page to be unclickable
• Additional checks for album art for transfer to portables.
• Fixed crash when downloading lots of tracks
• Fixed deadlock if you go to the Download manager too quickly

Whew. We think that makes this one of the more important updates we’ve done. Let us know what you think.

And, if you’re into more new stuff, and need something to test drive the new YMJ 2.1, try out my FreshnessCounts playlist of new alt & indie rock for 2007. Let me know what you think of the tunes and the Jukebox they’re playing on.

Get to rockin!

Mick Orlosky
Product Manager
Yahoo! Music Jukebox

Yahoo! Music Blog, Back In Action

Hello out there. Apologies for this blog being mostly dark as of late. We’ve been busy. But I hereby commit to you that we will be stepping up our game at ymusicblog.com, posting more often as we bring you more and more of the unbelievable newness at Yahoo! Music. Subscribe to ymusicblog.com, and don’t miss out on any of the goings on.

Soon our good friend and early 90s hip hop connossieur Brian Marshall will be doing a post about the new Music Videos player, but for now I’ll simply leave you with a couple of playlists from UK’s Mojo Magazine. I’m happy to report that my in-depth catalog analyses aren’t necessary anymore, the Yahoo! Music Unlimited catalog is very much to parity with all of the competition. Still, I discovered a fair amount of music through those exercises so I’m still trying to make it my business to check out new music through Mojo’s review section each month. Below are two playlists from the January issue of Mojo (yes, I’m two behind): their “50 Best Albums of 2006″ listing as well as the record reviews section.  Enjoy.
Mojo Magazine’s 50 Best Albums of 2006

Not the strongest year in memory, but plenty of audible fun to be had in 2006. While I don’t back Mojo’s top 50 as my personal 2006 best-of (mine would also include The Drones, Jay Reatard, The Melvins, Mission of Burma, and Neko Case), it’s still a great list of things-not-to-have-missed. Definitely don’t pass over the Midlake track “Roscoe”, or the gorgeous Bert Jansch record that Beth Orton is all over. Click here for the playlist.

Mojo Filter (New Music Reviews), January, 2007

Each month the back of Mojo Magazine features 40+ pages of reviews. The reviews span all forms of popular music, from rock to urban to jazz to americana to underground. I try to drag/drop all the new music albums into a playlist each month.

These Mojo playlists are a great way to do a bit of discovery. Sure, the playlist features some crap as even the two star reviews make it into the list. But the amount of great music I’ve stumbled upon this way in the past two years has made this a worthwhile exercise. Even knowing what’s crap is worthwhile knowledge, and since with Yahoo! Music telling us what you don’t like allows us to do better personalization for you, knowledge of what you don’t like breeds a better Yahoo! Music experience!

So stay tuned to a revived Yahoo! Music Blog, snuggle up with the Mojo playlist each month, rate on Yahoo! Music, and post a comment on the blog letting us know your favorites for each month. It’s about the music, after all.

ian c rogers
Yahoo! Music

This Week in Playlisting

In playlisting news this week, the San Luis Obispo Times selected the “greatest songs ever inspired by a rumbling stomach”. Tegan Quin, half of the Canadian indie outfit Tegan and Sara, talks about tracks that are loaded onto her iPod over at the Onion A.V. Club. Eric Berlin of Blogcritics.org selects his 5 favorite bands of all time. Andrew Careaga continues with his podcast of the “100 Albums That Changed His Life” over at Bloggedy Blog. The New York Times’ new playlist includes Mars Volta, Mammatus, Bibio, Nick Cave, Moondog and Feathers. Johnny Knoxville creates a “Big Gay Playlist” to coincide with his appearance on the cover of Out magazine. And last, but not least, the Yahoo Music Unlimited playlist community turns up some great lists: Fullmanator crafts a Break Up/Move On compilation for the broken-hearted. Circular Reasoning puts together 20 Forgotten (Alt Rock) Hits of the 90s, The Rugs Don’t Work publishes Volume 4 of their mix tape series Over In About An Hour, YMU Playa creates (on purpose) “An absolutely horrific playlist, bookended by 2 Technotronic tracks, featuring some of the cheesiest (or darn catchiest) pop-techno hits to come out of the early ’90s”, and Jay Frank creates a playlist of number one songs from 12 prominent radio formats over at the YMUplaylisters group.

In this latest edition of our ongoing playlist-centric series, I want to talk about the “inspired by” playlist. Where a themed playlist is made up of songs about one specific topic (clowns, fire, mice, rivers, McDonald‘s, etc), an “inspired by” playlist contains compositions that may, on the surface, sound like they’re about different things, but are in fact, inspired by the same thing. The inspiration can be a person, like an actor, a murderer or politician. A geographic location, like a country, city or natural wonder. A work of art, like a painting, a song or a book. Or it can be an idea or concept, like communism, childhood or resurrection. The possibilities are endless and the hardest part is discovering what the true inspiration was for the songwriter. Luckily, there are gazillions of songs where the original inspiration is self-evident, besides these, a little digging into published interviews on the web can reveal a wealth of information in regards to what inspired an artist to write a song.

Below are some examples:

Rush Songs Inspired By Literature

Play It! “Neil Peart is considered the best rock drummer in the world and I won’t argue the point. Neil is also a writer, of sorts, and the lyricist for the band. I feel comfortable in saying that his lyrics are over-the-top, but at least he’s well read. This playlist features Rush songs inspired by literature.”

Songs Inspired By Pachelbel’s Canon In D Major

Play It! “Pachelbel’s Canon In D Major is one of the most heard songs at weddings across the nation, second only to the Wedding March. There is no denying that the composition is beautiful and bursting with emotion. This playlist starts with Pachelbel’s Canon and is followed by 9 songs which are inspired by the Canon or sample it. Artists include Blues Traveler, Coolio, Oasis, The Farm, Green Day, Vitamin C, Brian Eno and more.”

Songs Inspired By Actors

Play It! “Many songs have been inspired by the lives and work of actors and actresses, as well as by the personal relationships they have had with musicians. This playlist contains 22 tracks that have been inspired by actors or actresses. You can read the story behind many of these at songfacts.com.”

Until next time, won’t you try your hand at an “inspired by” playlist and share it with the world?

Here are a few more playlist ideas from the Radish for you to mull over.

Songs For A Divorce Party

I would not wish a divorce on my worst enemy, but if you become an unfortunate statistic on the battlefield of love then I may have the soundtrack for you. This playlist contains a perfect collection of songs for your next divorce or breakup party. There are literally thousands of separation songs sung from a “woe-is-me” perspective. If this is what you’re looking for, this is not the playlist for you. The majority of the songs found here are empowering and spiteful. When you’re going through a divorce you don’t need melancholy music to drive you further to depression. What you need are songs that tell it like it is, and lay the blame squarely on your ex, truth be damned. Snide remarks and an independent spirit hit the spot at a time like this and these songs may be just what the doctor ordered. So get some good friends together, put this list on, then lift a glass and a middle finger. You have my word, it will get better.

NPR’s All Songs Considered: June Through August 2006

All Songs Considered is a weekly music program started in January of 2000 by NPR’s All Things Considered director Bob Boilen. At first, the show featured information and streaming audio about the songs used as bumper music on All Things Considered. The program has turned into a source of discovery for new music of all genres. The program has featured such diverse artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Nick Drake, and Bright Eyes. One is as likely to hear electronica from the Congo, the latest indie buzz band, rock classics or world music.

In 2005, All Songs Considered began live concerts from Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club, and has featured acts such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Decemberists, Interpol, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Calexico with Iron & Wine, Lucinda Williams, Sigur Rós, Death Cab for Cutie, and many others. This playlist fetaures 30 artists that the show has featured between June 1st and August 10th, 2006.

Artists Killed in Automobile Accidents

Play The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that an average of 114 people die in car crashes each day in the United States. Most of these fatalities are caused by drunken driving, speeding or a general disregard for safety. However, the victims also include those who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although we don’t like to think about it, every time you get into a car you put your life at risk. Traffic deaths can affect every level of society, and that includes musicians, both famous and not. In fact, musicians are at greater risk because they must travel much of the time to make their living. Long days and nights on the road can be monotonous for the tour bus driver. Combine this with the pressure of making it to the next stop on time and the musician’s reputation for hard partying and you have a recipe for disaster. This playlist includes songs by artists who have lost their lives in automobile accidents.

Robert Burke
Yahoo Radish

This Week in Playlisting

In playlisting news this week the Guardian asks a bunch of musicians to name their favorite summer songs. Thus Spake Drake lists the first 10 videos played on MTV when the channel debuted 25 years ago. (with video links) Slate speaks about the growing compilation CD music market, which now accounts for 25% of records sales in Europe. Fullmanator has tackled two more television series playlists: Nip/Tuck, and CSI: Miami. YMU Playa creates a playlist of songs that profile the UK electronica label Ninja Tune. Stylus lists their top 10 favorite pronunciations found in song. AfterEllen lists the top 10 love song covers for lesbians. The Rugs Don’t Work creates a preemptive soundtrack playlist for the upcoming film The Last Kiss. And finally, Lucas Gonze has created a Yahoo Music Engine plugin that will display the Yahoo Radish directly in YME, so if you get stuck trying to decide what to hear, you’re only one click away!

In previous Yahoo! Music Blog playlisting columns we’ve talked about the themed playlist, the songwriter playlist, the mixtape playlist and the record label playlist. This week I’d like to talk about the “News Story Playlist”. That is, a list inspired by, and built around a specific news story. The bigger the story the more playlists you’ll find floating around. For example, hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and the war in Iraq have inspired thousands of playlists, but any news story is fair game. It’s only a matter of time until most news stories on the web will give you the option to listen to a “soundtrack” as you read. Like the bumper music on a show like NPR’s All Things Considered, you can tie the subject matter of the story to music. See examples below:

Chupacabra Caught in Texas!
Play It! COLEMAN, Texas — A Texas farmer may have found what some would call a “chupacabra,” a legendary animal known for sucking the blood out of goats. Reggie Lagow set a trap last week after a number of his chickens and turkeys were killed. What he found in his trap was a mix between a hairless dog, a rat and a kangaroo. [more]

Bird Flu Blues
Play It! (CNN) ABUJA, Nigeria — The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in two more Nigerian states, the Agricultural Ministry said Thursday. The strain has been confirmed at two farms in Kano state and one in adjoining Plateau state, said Tope Ajakaiye, a ministry spokesman. Sixteen other countries have reported outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of avian flu in birds. Human cases of the deadly strain have been found in seven of those countries. [more]

Rap Star Proof Shot Dead in Detroit
Play It! (Detroit Free Press) — Outside Detroit’s hip-hop scene, rapper Proof was best known as Eminem’s close friend, but the 32-year-old artist who was shot to death Tuesday morning was a mega-talent in his own right, a lightning-tongued MC and improviser who won Source Magazine’s national rap battle in 1999. He was young, gifted and, like far too many African-American males, died long before his time. [more]

Gasoline Price Blues
Play It! WASHINGTON (CNN) — Pressured by looming midterm elections, sinking poll numbers and angry consumers, President Bush is expected to outline a four-point plan on Tuesday aimed at fighting rising gasoline prices. The speech, set for 10:05 a.m. ET in Washington, comes after Bush ordered a federal investigation into possible cheating or illegal manipulation in the gasoline markets. [more]

Producer Dallas Austin Arrested in Dubai
Play It! DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Grammy-winning hip-hop producer Dallas Austin faces drug possession charges in the United Arab Emirates that could land him a lengthy prison term, Middle Eastern legal sources said Tuesday. [more]

You will notice that the above playlists fall into two categories. The first are those directly connected to music. For example, the story about music producer Dallas Austin being arrested on drug charges in Dubai features a set of songs that he’s produced. As people read about his unfortunate predicament, they can actually hear his work. In this case the music adds real value to the news.

The same is true of the story that reports on the death of rap star Proof. Those not familiar with his music can simply click a button and listen while they read the story. The News can drive music discovery and sales and the music can add value for news publications and blogs.

The other type is a bit more fun. Any story that is not directly related to music can have associations based on the subject matter. For example, the list “Gasoline Price Blues” kicks off with “A Gallon of Gas” by the Kinks, which has the opening lyric:

“I’ve been waiting for years to buy a brand new Cadillac
But now that I’ve got one I want to send it right back
I can’t afford the gas to fill my luxury limousine
But even if I had the dough no one’s got no gasoline”

This song is the perfect accompaniment to a story about the rising price of gas and the frustration of the American people. You can finds songs for any subject under the sun with a little poking around in YMU. If you get the inkling, share your own news story playlist over at the YMU Playlisters group.

Finally, I leave you with some other playlist ideas from the Radish.

Beatles Covers: Acoustic

Play At this point, everyone on the planet knows about the resistance to making the Beatles catalogue available for online distribution. It’s only a matter of time until you can download and stream the music of the Beatles. A good analogy would be if the Beatles refused to make their music available on CD when that medium was introduced in 1982. Sure they could have continued to sell cassette tapes and LPs, but as the demand for the CD became dominant, the Beatles would have to give the people what they wanted or lose ground to pirates. The refusal to join the Internet music revolution, I would argue, has hurt Beatles’ catalogue sales. Sure, a band as iconic and important as the Beatles doesn’t need the Internet to spread the word, the music speaks for itself, but as new generations turn to the web completely for music discovery will they still discover the Beatles in the same numbers as previous generations? Maybe, but maybe not. And if they do discover them, will they acquire the MP3s by buying the complete Beatles library on CD and ripping them, or will they continue to turn to P2P, AllofMP3.com, public libraries and friends?
By continuing to hold out for the best possible money-making model, the copyright owners are losing revenue every single day. Will increased profit per download or stream make up the difference? Who knows, but in the meantime there are literally thousands of Beatles cover songs available online reaping the benefits. This playlist contains 50 classic Beatles tracks, all of them arranged with an acoustic backbone. Listen to other Beatles-related playlists here.

The Best of 1981

Play 1981 was a year of transition in the world of music and in my life. It’s the year my family moved from Scranton, PA to Cape Cod, MA. It was tough leaving my friends at the time, but it was the best thing my parents could have done for my future. Where would you rather live? We moved when I was in the eighth grade and it was an exciting time for a young 13-year-old boy. Crazy technology was exploding all around us; cable television, the Walkman, video games and a new channel called MTV, which opened the world of music to many an impressionable young person. Music and American radio were seeing the pinnacle of arena rock. Bands like The Rolling Stones, The Police, The Kinks, Queen, The Who, Rush and The Cars released important albums in 1981 that would become classic rock staples for decades to come. In addition, college radio and MTV were helping to launch the careers of bands that were an “alternative” to the popular rock of the day. U2, R.E.M., The Cure, The Psychedelic Furs, Adam & The Ants, The Tom Tom Club, Romeo Void and others released albums in 1981 that would see serious airplay on the fledgling MTV network. Heavy metal was become more popular and American punk was coming into it’s own. Funk and R&B were still hot, and rap was in it’s infancy. Disco on the other hand, was on it’s way out. This playlist includes over 6 hours of the most critically acclaimed popular music of 1981. The playlist lacks country, blues and jazz for the sake of continuity.

The “Woe Is Me” Classic Rock Playlist

Play I saw Willie Nelson and John Fogerty in concert last night at the Verizon Amphitheatre in Charlotte, NC. It was a bit depressing to see Willie having to share the bill with Fogerty, and to make matters worse, the venue was only about half-full. Willie Nelson is a living American legend and at 73 years old, the chance to see him in concert won’t be an option for too much longer. Both shows were great and we had good seats, but my depression over the poor attendance was highlighted by the Fogerty song “Lodi“, which speaks about the tough life of a struggling musician. When I think of depressing music the blues come to mind first, followed by the Smiths and Morrissey, they take the “woe is me” genre to a whole new level. But “Lodi” had me pondering self-pity songs in the world of classic rock. When you think of classic rock, the first thing that comes to mind is P-A-R-T-Y, self-pity is one of the last things most correlate with the genre. This put the bug in me to collect the best of depressing classic rock songs. The resulting playlist contains over 3 hours of dispiriting AOR-friendly rock that gives Morrissey a run for his money. If you want to wallow in your own self-pity click play and rock on.

Robert Burke
Yahoo Radish

This Week in Playlisting

There has been a lot of action this past week in the world of playlisting. Andrew Gilstrap of Popmatters offers song advice for increasing your friends tolerance for country music with his article entitled Sneaking in the Twang. The Guardian selects the Top 10 Songs About London, but leaves out the top choice of most music aficionados, “London Calling” by The Clash. Also, be sure to check out the Top 50 London Songs in YME. The Onion A.V. Club lists 12 Delightfully Odd Concept Albums, with the Louvin Brothers‘ Satan Is Real topping the list. Robin Hilton, the producer of NPR’s All Songs Considered, selects her Top 10 Living Songwriters. The New York Post lists the Top Summer Songs from the last 50 years. Keira Knightley, currently starring in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man’s Chest, has revealed a personal playlist crafted specifically to help her get through pre-menstrual symptoms. And Greg Stepanich of the Palm Beach Post creates a Fourth of July playlist made up of compositions by American composers.

In other news, a new Yahoo Music Unlimited specific playlist blog was launched this week by Simon Carless. The blog is YMU Playa and is yet another place to visit when you’re longing to discover, or learn something new about music. Add it to your feed reader along with The Rugs Don’t Work and the Yahoo Radish and you can easily browse playlists daily in search of those that spark your interest. It’s exciting stuff, we are witnessing the beginnings of a community that offers so much more than the per-track download model does. I hope you’ll become part of it, if not as a participant than as an active listener. Remember, you can always kick around playlist ideas over at the YMU Playlisters group.

This week I wanted to examine the “Label Playlist”, that is, a playlist that pulls songs from albums which have been released by an independent record label. Of course, you could do this with major labels as well, but they’re certainly not as fun, or as well defined. Many independent labels have a particular sound they are looking for in new acts. This means that label-centric playlists not only give you an overview of the music released by a record company, but can have excellent continuity as well. Below are some links to YMU playlists organized by label.

Lo Recordings Sampler – This compilation comes to us courtesy of YMU Playa. It features songs by artists on the somewhat obscure electronica label Lo Recordings out of the UK. From down-tempo haze to full-out electronic assaults, this is an ultra-hip list.

Matador Records Sampler – Matador Records has a reputation for signing artistically significant indie bands to it’s roster. On top of the label’s commitment to releasing quality records, they also have an indie-friendly reputation for their anti-corporate culture.

SST Sampler – Ian Rogers put together this playlist of songs by artists on the legendary punk label SST, co-founded and run by Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn.

Hush Records Sampler – Hush Records features mostly mellow, acoustic-based indie bands. Some of my favorite Hush artists include Corrina Repp, Reclinerland, and Super XX Man. They also have at least two Decemberists albums available.

Barsuk Records Sampler – Barsuk Records (pronounced bar SOOK) is Russian for “Badger” and this small Seattle label has helped launched some bands who are becoming (became?) household names, including Death Cab For Cutie and Rilo Kiley.

Sub Pop Box Set – The Seattle based Sub Pop set their place in history with the release of the debut album Bleach by Nirvana and their involvement with the birth of Grunge. Since that time they have released a diverse mix of indie, grunge, alternative and retro music.

There are still heaps of independent labels that need public playlists published. Won’t you build one for your favorite independent?

Finally, I leave you with some further playlist ideas from the past week.

Jethro Tull Family Tree

Play The All Music Guide lists 21 musicians who have, at some point in their career, been part of the renaissance rock unit Jethro Tull. This playlist selects songs by bands that are connected to Jethro Tull through at least one member. It contains a mix of celtic folk, classic rock and progressive rock, just as one would expect, but not as much flute as you would find on the typical Tull record. If this playlist was a visual medium, you would also notice a reduction in man tights and codpieces. So count yourself lucky. Band family trees are a great way to become familiar with the connections between groups through common members. And many times they can turn you on to an artist you were not familiar with, especially if you’re a fan of the band being traced. For example, most won’t be surprised by the Jethro Tull connection to Ian Anderson’s solo material, Fairport Convention and Pentangle, but Black Sabbath, Whitesnake and The Proclaimers? Yes, it’s true, and you can dig further by clicking on a band member’s name at the end of this article. Be sure to check out our other Band Family Tree playlists or create your own with the help of allmusic.com or bandtoband.com.

Ode To Chicago

Play Chi-town has played second fiddle to New York City since it was incorporated in 1837. This number two spot on the “greatest cities in America” list has earned it the nickname ”Second City”, in addition to numerous other labels. The metropolis is a ganglion of American culture and it’s musical heritage could spin off piles of fine playlists. For this one however, we focus on songs that pay homage to the city in some way. Of course, the list contains no-brainers like “Sweet Home Chicago” by Robert Johnson, “My Kind Of Town” by Frank Sinatra and “The Night Chicago Died” by Paper Lace, but also contains lesser-known odes from scads of musical genres. Sufjan Stevens kicks off this playlist with “Chicago” from my favorite album of 2005, Illinois, which is the second effort in his audacious attempt to create on full-length album for each of the 50 states. (Also, see Michigan). Other artists in the list include Ryan Adams, Wilco, Jim Croce, Merle Haggard, Smashing Pumpkins and more. Continue with this article to see the complete list with links to each artist.

Jazz Standards From The 1930s

Play The 1930’s were years marked by worldwide suffering caused by the great depression. About two months before the clock struck midnight on January 1, 1930, black Thursday happened. The great Wall Street crash of ‘29 ushered in an economic depression that would last most of the decade and the Dow Jones Industrial Average would not return to it’s pre-crash levels for 25 years. The 30’s were a time of pain and hardship and a period that would see nations march into yet another world war. However, one of the cultural benefits was the amount of great music produced in the 10 years between 1929 and 1940. Music experienced a boom during the 1930’s, in part, because musicians could draw on the creative energy created by hard times and partly because audiences were hungry to escape the dim realities of life. This energy between artist and audience sparked a creative explosion that gave us some of the most memorable songs ever written. This playlist contains 95 of these classic standards as performed by a diverse cross-section of jazz artists that span the last 75 years. From early jazz pioneers like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, to golden age legends like Coltrane and Monk, to classic crooners like Sinatra, Bennett and Mel Torme, to modern day torch singers like Norah Jones and Diana Krall. This 6+ hour playlist provides an excellent overview of not only the music of the 1930’s, but a glimpse into how these timeless tracks have been interpreted over the years.

Robert Burke
Yahoo Radish

This Week in Playlisting

In playlist news this week, the Guardian’s music team selects songs or albums that they ”just can’t turn off”. From new indie sounds by the likes of Bonny Prince Billy, The High Dials and The Decemberists, to the classic soul of Al Green, to the exquisite African meanderings of Ali FarkaTouré and Toumani Diabaté.

Broadcast Newsroom comments on CNN anchor Anderson Cooper’s celebrity playlist, which reveals his good taste and sense of humor.

David Harrell talks about the overload of music available today and the lack of time people have to listen to it all, or for that matter, filter it. “The total volume of available music–old and new, from artists at all levels of success–just keeps expanding, faster than ever. Digital distribution makes it economical for record companies, from the smallest indies to the major labels, to re-release out-of-print albums, rarities collections and outtakes… I’m certainly not complaining about having more music to choose from, but at some point, something has to give–you can’t listen to EVERYTHING, even within a fairly narrow genre of music.” Of course, the playlist is the filter that overcomes this overload problem for the consumer.

And finally, Yahoo Music Unlimited and the Yahoo Radish got some press in the Washington Post this week. Staff reporter Yuki Nogushi’s article highlights big changes in the music industry, including an increase in the demand for music, driven by the Internet, as well as a sea change in how people discover music, away from radio and onto blogs and/or online music services. A quote by Yahoo Music’s own Ian Rogers sums it up nicely. When speaking about how technology is ushering in a changing of the guard in relation to music marketing he said, “You [no longer] end up consuming what’s marketed to you. With the Internet, you consume exactly what you want.”

For this week’s playlist category highlight I wanted to focus on the songwriter. As you know, not all songs are written by the artists known for performing them. In fact, some of the legendary, including the king himself, Elvis Presley, never wrote a song. Many songwriters choose to stay behind the scenes, either working for a label, a publishing house, or freelance. Playlists are a great opportunity to shine a spotlight behind the curtain. A chance to expose those composers who may not be household names, but whose influence on popular music is undeniable.

Below are some playlists that highlight the work of the unsung songwriter:

• The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller are among the most important songwriters and music producers in post-World War II popular music, although they’re not well known because of their work in the shadowy back-stage of the industry. The songwriting team’s tunes have been big hits for the likes of Elvis Presley, Charles Brown, Wilbert Harrison, Buddy Holly, The Drifters, The Searchers, The Coasters, Dion, Peggy Lee, and many more.
• Songs Written By Allen Toussaint – David O came through with this week with this playlist of songs written by Allen Toussaint. Although Toussaint has a visible career as a performer, this New Orleans legend has also written songs performed by artists as diverse as Boz Scaggs, Robert Palmer, Devo, Otis Redding, Glen Campbell, The Rolling Stones, Art Neville and many more. This playlist includes a fine selection for you to get familiar with.
• Songs Written By Bert Berns – Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967) (a/k/a Bert Russell and Bert Berns) was one of the great American songwriters and record producers of the 1960s. A pioneer of sixties rock and soul, Berns’ contributions to popular music are among the most significant of his generation. His untimely death from heart failure at age 38 put a stop to a remarkable run of success as songwriter, producer and record label chief. [more]
• Songs Written By Will Jennings – Will Jennings is a prolific and highly successful American songwriter. Born Wilbur Jennings, he has written songs for a number of motion picture soundtracks and numerous popular singers including Steve Winwood, Roy Orbison, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, and Céline Dion. Jennings was recently inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame on June 15, 2006 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
• Songs Written By Dan Penn – Not many folks know who Dan Penn is, but everyone has heard the songs he’s written. He’s a prolific songwriter who’s been crafting soul, R&B, rock, blues and country tunes for over 30 years. Dan’s songs have been recorded by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, The Box Tops, Wilson Pickett, Janis Joplin, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Irma Thomas, Patti Labelle, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Kris Kristofferson, Percy Sledge and many more. This playlist will give you a good overview of his work.

Some further playlist ideas from the past week:

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winners

Play It! The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences was established in 1957 by musicians, recording engineers and producers and is best known to the public for the yearly awards they give out called Grammys. Honestly, the major Grammy awards (Record of the Year, Artist of the Year) do not interest me much. However, each year the Academy gives away lifetime achievement awards that are reserved for artists who are nothing less than legends. Of the 126 artists who have been awarded a lifetime achievement by the academy, 122 of them have music available on Yahoo Music Unlimited. This playlist includes a standout track by each of these 122. It’s over 8 1/2 hours in length and is a great overview of the best in popular music. A time capsule, that if found by aliens a thousand years after the human race is gone, would certainly reflect well on our civilization. From the very first recipient in 1962 (Bing Crosby) to the inductions of David Bowie, Cream, Merle Haggard and Robert Johnson in 2006, there is not much in this list that a real music fan could disagree with (although some omissions definitely come to mind).

The Best of 1969

Play It! 1969 was a big year. The most notable event being the landing of the first man on the moon. In addition to this gargantuan historical event, 1969 saw the last public performance by the Beatles on the roof of Apple Records, Yasser Arafat appointed head of the PLO, Mickey Mantle retire, Jim Morrison of the Doors arrested for “lewd and lascivious behavior” after exposing himself on stage, the battle of Hamburger Hill fought in Vietnam, John Lennon and Yoko Ono conduct their famous “Bed-in”, the Stonewall riots in New York City mark the beginning of the gay rights movement, Ted Kennedy drives off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island and his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, is killed, the Charles Manson murders are committed in California, the category 5 hurricane, Camille, devastates Mississippi and 248 people die, Monty Python airs it’s first “Flying Circus”, the Brady Bunch debuts on American television, the Woodstock festival takes place, Wal*Mart incorporates, and last but not least, ARPANET is created, which would eventually lead to the Internet. On top of all that, the music was incredible. This playlist features four hours of the very best 1969 had to offer.

Songs For A Friend’s Most Unfortunate Accident

Play It! Sometimes a playlist can tell a story, or capture a moment in time, much like a diary. And this includes the bad times as well as the good. Today, I offer just such a playlist, and needless to say, it was not a great day. A close friend was on his roof attaching a safety line so that he could remove some plastic from his chimney, which was left by a mason. He lost his footing and fell. The home he shares with his wife and two dogs is a beautiful three story brick Colonial in Charleston, SC, and unfortunately, the roofline is about 25 feet high. He landed directly on his feet which broke both of his ankles and inflicted a compression fracture in his back. When his head caught up, his face met his knee and broke a cheek bone, orbit and dislocated his jaw. Gravity sucks.

Robert Burke
Yahoo! Radish

This Week in Playlisting

In playlist news this week, the Philadelphia Inquirer has created a “Philadelphia” playlist, but have refused to include Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom” or anything from a Rocky Soundtrack. Sirius Satellite Radio channel 75, “Standard Time”, will be broadcasting a playlist of songs for the wedding of Wisconsin couple John McHugh and Maggie Lee. The lovebirds sent an email to Sirius requesting some songs for their ceremony. Not only did the couple receive a response, but Sirius will provide all of the music for the wedding, as well as personalized dedications by DJ Lee Arnold. The US Navy Times has sent out a request to sailors for their “at-the-gym” playlist for a future R&R feature. And finally, Author Jami Attenberg provides the soundtrack for her book Instant Love over at Largerhearted Boy.

This week, I thought I would talk about the birth of the playlist and the “Mix Tape“. In 1963, Philips introduced the cassette tape. In the decade following, it enabled the home consumer to build their own musical compilations, and in the 1980’s cassette tape sales overtook vinyl due to the introduction of the wildly popular Sony Walkman. Before this time, playlists were controlled exclusively by record companies and radio stations. It was the cassette tape that brought the power of the playlist to the masses. I can think of whole days lost with a mountain of records and cassette tapes piled in front of the stereo, painstakingly copying songs to cassette one at a time. It took dedication and effort, but mix tape creation time was cut in half when I was able to purchase my first dual, high-speed dubbing cassette deck. Today, the art of the mix tape has been blown wide open by the Internet and subscription music services for a few reasons:

• It’s quick! You can now build playlists without the manual copying from record to tape, tape to tape, CD to tape, CD to CD, MP3 to CD, etc. You simply add songs to your “Now Playing” pane in Yahoo Music Unlimited, save it, and you’re done. The only time used, in addition to the actual selection and search process, is downloading the completed list to your subscription compatible device, emailing it, or publishing it to the web.
• Access. Back in the day, your mix tapes were limited to the albums you physically owned. Now you have a library of a million and a half tracks to choose from. More music = more possibilities and better mixes.
• Instant and worldwide distribution. With a mix tape on CD or cassette you could make a copy for a friend or two, but now your lists can be published to the whole world in seconds. The cost of blank media has been eliminated as have the time limits native to physical media.

Here are some good examples of Yahoo Music Unlimited “Mix Tape” playlists:

• Over in About An Hour – This goal of this playlist by Johnny O’Brien at The Rugs Don’t Work was to “create an one hour (ish) playlist that blends established artists with those that are up and coming, cross genres, decades and styles, and to dabble in moods, lyrical, and emotional journeys.”
• Steve Clark’s Best of 2006 – Steve Clark has listed a bunch of playlists on the ymuplaylisters group that feature his favorite tracks of 2006 as well as his favorites broken down by genre. A great way to get a sense of someone’s tastes and discover new music.
• Jharvell08’s Workout list – If you’re looking for a workout mix tape you can find plenty on Yahoo Music Unlimited, find one by searching playlists in YMU with the keywords “workout”, “exercise” or “gym” and see if the music you discover inspires you to work a little harder.
• Songs For a Friend’s Most Unfortunate Accident- The most popular mix tapes have to do with love affairs, breakups, road trips and workouts, however you can build one for any event in your life, both good and bad. This one speaks to an accident that put a good friend in the hospital. [more]
• Wedding Songs by lpqueenie – Are you looking for wedding music? Browse the playlists on YMU to see what others have chosen. It may jar your memory and help you find the perfect soundtrack for your big day.

Have you recreated your mix tapes in YMU yet?

As usual, I leave you with further playlist ideas from the Radish.

Songs Produced By Martin Hannett Martin “Zero” Hannett is a legendary figure, partly do to his creative production work on many influential records by the likes of Joy Division, The Buzzcocks, Magazine, New Order, The Stone Roses and others, and partly do to his eccentric, hedonistic behavior and lifestyle, peppered by heroin addiction. He helped to mold the sound that came out of Manchester, England in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Hannett played bass with the Mandalaband, which eventually became Sad Cafe, but it was his production work that lives on past his death from heart failure on April 18, 1991. In the late 70’s Hannett was excited about introducing electronic synthesizers, even though they were facing opposition from rock & roll purists. It was Martin who convinced Joy Division to add sythesizers to their landmark album Unknown Pleasures. [more]

Songs That Sample Dr. Lonnie Smith This playlist contains a dozen hip-hop tracks that sample jazz keyboardist Lonnie Smith. Unfotunately, most fans of the hip-hop artists in this playlist are not familiar with Lonnie Smith. The turban-topped “Dr. Lonnie Smith” (as he likes to be called), was born in Lakawanna, New York, just outside of Buffalo, into a musical family who had a singing group and radio show. Smith credits his mother as a major influence in his musical career, introducing him to gospel, classical and jazz music. He began his musical career playing the trumpet, then moved on to forming a vocal group in high school. Music store owner Art Kubera gave Smith his first Hammond B3 organ, the instrument with which he has become famous. His affinity for R&B melded with his own personal style, and he quickly became a local legend. He moved to New York City, where he met George Benson, the guitarist for Jack McDuff’s band. [more]

The Top 20 Musical Mullets of the 1980s Sometime around the turn of the century, circa 1999 – 2000, a website called Mullets Galore caught fire and was soon the subject of water cooler talk in offices across the nation. If you ask me, this distraction was a contributing factor to the dot com bust. What could be funnier than photos of mullets? How much VC was spent on paying whole departments to surf Mullets Galore? Ah, the flush years…
Anyway I digress, the mullet, for those in a coma since 1999, is simply a haircut that is short on the sides and long in the back. The style is strongly associated with the demographic most likely to attend a truck pull, be arrested for domestic violence and drive a hand-painted Camaro. Billy Ray Cyrus in particular, helped the order of the crimson nape claim the mullet as their defining hairstyle. However, a little time spent revisiting photographs of 80’s bands, especially new wave bands, reveals that the mullet was once embraced by a higher echelon of society. This playlist examines 20 of the greatest musical mullets of the 1980s. Continue the article to enjoy a plethora of mullet photos. [more]

Robert Burke
Yahoo! Radish

This Week In Playlisting

Hola Yahoo! Music freaks.

Robert of the Radish here, I must say that I’m honored by the invitation to post at the ever-expanding Yahoo! Music Blog. I’ll be posting a weekly recap of all things related to playlisting, which, if you haven’t noticed, is becoming an art form in and of itself. The number of playlists being built online continues to grow exponentially, and this is a very good thing. However, the downside is that this makes finding playlists an artform, too! In my regular Yahoo! Music Blog column, I hope to hightlight the gems that exist at the ymuplaylisters group, within Yahoo Music Unlimited, at the Radish and elsewhere on the Internet. In addition, I hope to point out other playlist-focused news and offer tips and resources for those who wish to help take playlisting to the next level.

So, onward to the meat of this sandwich…

65 year-old legend and Rock & Roll poet, Bob Dylan, recently jumped on the playlisters bandwagon with a radio show where he acts as DJ and curator. Sure, celebrity playlists have been around for quite some time and other celebrities also have radio shows, including Tom Petty and Snoop Dogg, but Dylan’s show advances it further. It’s called Theme Time Radio Hour and as the name suggests, Bob selects tracks around a different theme each week. To date, he has broadcast shows focused on Coffee, Mothers, The Weather, Baseball and Drinking. A song’s subject is a great way to put a playlist together, and they get better when focused by genre, mood or style.

Here are some good examples of theme-based playlists for your perusal on YME:

• 7 Songs, 2 Wheels, 1 Dream – I found this bicycle-themed playlist by Mick O on the ymuplaylisters group, it’s concise but perfect for a short, full-speed bike workout.
• Anti-Iraq War Songs – The war in Iraq is now about as popular as MC Hammer pants. The streets have been paved for a plethora of modern protest songs. Remember the great music that moved a nation during Vietnam? Well, round two is here now.
• Songs About UFOs – This playlist starts with the original version of “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” by Kaatu, and ends with the Carpenters version. In between these two slices of white bread, you’ll find some of the tastiest UFO-centric tracks by bands both famous and unknown.
• Taco Playlist – I’m a sucker for off-the-wall themed-playlists. I found this one, crafted by siedam2000, while browsing the public lists on YME. 8 tracks that use the taco as an artistic device. Keep the random lists coming!
• Low Key River Songs – This one takes the subject-based playlist a step further by limiting the songs not only to a river theme, but also to a mellow vibe. This helps solidify the mood and listenabity of the list. Perfect for a lazy day by the river.
• Drinkin’ Music – This playlist by wabj3562 is a good example of how a themed playlist improves when limited to a single genre. It features country songs about one of our favorite pastimes. Also, check out the Radish lists: Country Songs About Drinkin’, Blues Songs About Drinkin’ and Country Songs About Whiskey.

To help kickstart you boondogglers, I have a treat for you. All you need to do is post your best themed-playlist (YMU link and description) to the ymuplaylisters group by noon EST on Friday, June 9th. I will pick my favorite and the winner will receive the following:

1. A rare ADVANCE copy of the new CD by Live – Songs From Black Mountain
2. A rare import single of the Prodigy’s Firestarter
3. The Who’s Quadrophenia Live DVD, which doesn’t hit stores until June 6th
4. The Who’s Tommy Live DVD, which doesn’t hit stores until June 6th

This is NOT a contest. This is me looking at playlists, picking a favorite, and sending someone a CD I got for free in the mail.
In other playlist news, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton revealed what’s in her playlist, the National Review picked “The 50 Greatest Conservative Rock Songs” and Paste Magazine selected the “100 Best Living Songwriters“.

Finally, I leave you with further playlist ideas from the Radish.

Roxy Music Family Tree
Band family trees are playlists that include a song by every artist connected to the featured group through it’s members. In this case, we start the list with Roxy Music, but include solo project tracks by Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera and the other members, as well as the different bands each has been involved with. The list is long and gives fans of Roxy Music a excellent wide-view perspective on the group. Band Family Tree lists can be created with relative ease by using All Music Guide and Band To Band for your research, and the best part is how much you learn about the band you choose to feature. [more] Play It!

Road Trip Playlist: Charlotte, NC to Charleston, SC
Don’t be fooled by the title. This is not your run of the mill playlist of “songs for driving”. No my lovelies, this is much more. Not only do you get all the music you need for the 3 hour trip between Charlotte and Charleston, but each song is timed to tell you something about where you are at the time the song plays. Of course, results may vary depending on your driving habits, but the fast forward, pause and reverse buttons on your subscription compatible device can get you back in synch. Someone get on the LA to SF list! [more] Play It!

Songs For A Funeral
This is a morbid subject for a playlist, but an important one. I asked music bloggers and insiders what they would want played at their funerals. The results are in this list. Have you thought about the music you wish to have played at your funeral? No? Well now you have a chance to think about it. If you don’t specify it in your will, you may be aghast as you look down onto your funeral service while “The Wind Beneath My Wings” plays. And remember, you’ll be with no physical body to stop it. [more] Play It!

Robert Burke
Yahoo! Radish