1. "Little Fern"--Portastatic, Score! 20 Years of Merge Records, Volume 13: Mindy Kaling (2009):
A quick reminder that Portastatic is the side project of Superchunk front-man and Merge co-founder Mac McCaughan. This song was originally released on the 2005 album Bright Ideas. It appears here on the 2009, 20 year anniversary subscription box set from Merge Records on an album curated by actress, Mindy Kaling. Bright Ideas is my favorite Portastatic album, and I actually got to see them live in Houston on this tour. It was a nice live fix for me since Superchunk was on hiatus. It was a bittersweet night as the Astros were eliminated from their one and only world series appearance. They did not play this song but it is still definitely SHUFFLE GOLD!!
2. "Revelations"--Superchunk, Foolish (1993):
A deep cut from this album that featured "Driveway to Driveway" and "The First Part." Superchunk made their network television debut on Conan with "The First Part." The album gets a lot of attention because it came out after Mac and Laura (bassist and other Merge co-founder) broke up as a couple. Whatever the context, it is an excellent album and this song holds up as SHUFFLE GOLD!!
3. "Me, Myself, and I"--De La Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989):
I had listened to a fair share of rap up to this point (Run D.M.C., Public Enemy, et al), but this album blew my doors off. It was a completely different approach with built-in inside jokes and a different type of consciousness. It led me to Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers, and other Native Tongue groups. For me, there is not a better hip hop single than this song. Another SHUFFLE GOLD!!
4. "Living Loving Maid"--Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II (1969):
"Don't tell me you've never gotten the Led out!!??" (--Dewey from School of Rock). As a hard rock kid, it was inevitable for me to go through a Zeppelin stage. I had obviously heard them on the radio, but I remember in jr. high getting a hold of my step sister's records. She had Zoso (IV) on vinyl, and needless to say I was hooked. I would never say I was a super fan, but I had time periods where I would have Zeppelin on heavy rotation. They always resonated better with me than the Stones or the Beatles. This was the second single off of this album and is most definitely worthy of SHUFFLE GOLD!!
5. "The Breadman"--Superchunk, Tossing Seeds (Singles 89-91) (1991):
I seriously did not rig this shuffle!! This album was Superchunk's first compilation. It was a later purchase for me as I tended to focus on buying the studio albums. This song is a solid early single. It is not one of my all-time favorites but it clearly qualifies as classic Superchunk. History is made as all 5 rate as SHUFFLE GOLD!!
This is the dream! Congratulations on shuffle serendipity. Bonus for me is Superchunk and Portastic on Spotify. Still no De La though. Hope you were able to grab what you needed when they gave it all away on Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't mention it but I can't hear "Living Loving Maid" without also listening to "Heartbreaker". That's the way I was raised on the radio.