Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

compilations

I’m kind of a firm believer in the “what music you listen to says a lot about you” theory. It’s especially come into play since the release of iTunes 4, which allows people to share their music libraries and playlists over local networks and the Internet. It’s fun poking through my coworkers’ music libraries and checking out what they’re listening to, what songs they play the most.

It’s also kind of disconcerting to know that someone else is doing the same thing with my collection, and possibly making value judgements based on what they see. I think it’s had an effect on the songs I have in my library. Don’t want to be the weirdo with Celine Dion in my playlist (which, I wouldn’t, anyway, as I think she’s devilspawn, but that’s another story…). Will I be teased for having George Strait ballads in my playlist? Are the Goo Goo Dolls too mainstream? Am I a complete geek for having “Duel of the Fates” from Episode I in my library? (Actually, the answer to the latter one is “yes.”) Don’t want to be looked down upon for “unsophisticated” musical tastes and not having a library filled with obscure indie rock. (My coworkers are nothing like the outspoken music snobs of High Fidelity, but still…)

I do have to admit that with this whole office music-sharing process (which began even before iTunes 4 came out), I have picked up a lot of great music that I might never have tried out before, like Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me, Billy Bragg and Wilco’s Mermaid Avenue and the whole Ben Folds/Ben Folds Five catalog.

A random person in my building whom I’ve never met (his away message on Rendezvous is always “fucking with zee germans,” which is odd to see in a workplace) out-of-the-blue IM’ed me last week and complimented me on my music library, then disappeared again. It was strange.

Speaking of music and playlists, Slate has a story about Starbucks’ new line of compilation CDs put together by famous musicians. (“Sheryl Crow Made a Mix Tape for You” - 05/09/03) Participants so far have included The Rolling Stones, Lucinda Williams and Sheryl Crow.

What the series tries to do is split the difference between two forms of compilations. One form is mass-produced: everything from old K-Tel packages to the millions-selling “Now That’s What I Call Music!” series … The other form is compilations made by actual fans — swapped by friends, given by music nuts to their romantic targets — a process that the narrator of Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity memorably described as being something like writing a letter. It certainly sounds cool to get a letterlike mixed tape from your favorite artist. But it turns out that famous musicians aren’t guaranteed, or even especially likely, to have more compelling musical knowledge than anyone else; their mixes are hit and miss. What’s more, if you know the artist’s work (which is probably why you bought the disc), then the compilation can end up being pretty predictable. It’s more like getting a form letter. Or, in the case of Mick Jagger, a letter you wish you hadn’t opened.