From D: Put your .mp3 collection on random, list the first 10 songs it plays. No editing allowed (though I don’t mind editorializing, myself).

Mousse T: Horny (Clean Version) from DJ Mix 2000 (1998, 3:54): One of the side effects of DJing for years was picking up a lot of CDs that I otherwise wouldn’t have — this was one of them. Actually, this track is one of the more listenable tracks from the album (which really isn’t saying much), and I can at least listen all the way through (if I’m distracted) without jumping for the “skip forward” button.

The Vienna Boys’ Choir: Heiligste Nacht from Christmas in Vienna (1991, 4:26): I actually got to meet (and sing with, if I remember correctly) one incarnation of the VBC many years ago, when they came through Anchorage and I was still a member of the Anchorage Childrens’ Choir. This is an album that normally only gets played around Christmastime, as I’m no big fan of Christmas music, especially off-season.

The Sisters of Mercy: Torch from Floodland (1987, 3:51): I couldn’t listen to SoM for the longest time, after they got heavily overplayed at Sharkey’s, one of the earliest alternative clubs in Anchorage. Lots of SoM every weekend drove me away from them after a while. A few years later, I finally got back into them, and now there’s not much SoM that I don’t enjoy.

Queen: Don’t Try Suicide from The Game (1980, 3:52): While I’m a long-time fan of Queen, this has to be one of their worst songs ever. Why is it that Grand Master Flash has been the only artist ever to come up with an anti-(bad thing of choice) song that was actually good (in this case, his anti-cocaine jam “White Lines (Don’t Do It)”)?

Madonna: Vogue (Bette Davis Dub) from Vogue (1990, 7:28): I’ve always had a lot of respect for Madonna, and generally enjoyed the music she’s put out. No matter what you may think of her or her music, she’s managed to keep herself in the headlines and put out a lot of good, solid, pop/dance music for many years now, generally doing so entirely on her own terms, whether that meant being outrageously sexual, outrageously religious, or just outrageous. The famous Madonna/Britney kiss was one of the first big indicators I’ve seen from her that she might be slipping and getting a bit desperate for press — hopefully that was just a momentary aberration.

DJ H. Geek: I Don’t Know Who I Am… from 3 Years and Counting… (1998, 10:07): DJ Geek, aka Kory, is a friend of mine that I DJ’d with for a few years at Gig’s. He went from mixing to creating his own music, and was nice enough to occasionally toss a CD of his my way. These days, I’ll be listening to something, hear a track I don’t recognize right off, think “hey, that’s good…who is it?” and realize that it’s one of Kory’s tracks. Not bad, not bad at all.

Love and Rockets: Lift (Malibu) from Resurrection Hex (1998, 4:17): As good as it is, there’s so much more to LaR than just “So Alive”. Have any of the members of Bauhaus gone on to any projects that weren’t listenable?

Deconstruction: E-Trance from Trance Sexual (1996, 5:32): Random rather forgettable trance, really. Not bad, not great. Just there.

Die Krupps: To the Hilt from Rings of Steel (1995, 4:47): Die Krupps aren’t one of my favorite industrial bands, and many of the remixes on the Rings of Steel album are more impressive than the original versions, but they’re not bad.

White Zombie: I’m Your Boogieman from The Crow: City of Angels (1996, 4:29): Cheezy, yeah. Loud, yeah. And virtually always a lot of fun. Who needs actual substance when good samples, drums, guitar work, and a healthy dose of pure attitude will do?

[See also: What’s your song? | The Answer is Probably “Yes” | Linking to the iTunes Music Store | Another Music Meme: Cover Me | iTunes Essentials: Goth ]

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