Picture the scene: you've just stepped out of the Hercules Moments DeLorean and you find yourself in the 90s. MC Hammer pants and Walkmen are all the rage. Deciding to ignore the fashion of the day, you pick up a Walkman and head home to 2012...
Over the past few months, we've been getting in touch with bands, celebrities and more to ask them to create eight-song-long mixtapes for YOU. So crack out your Walkman and enjoy...
Aberdeen indie pop band The Little Kicks have gone from strength to strength over the last few years, receiving critical acclaim from both Scottish and UK music press for their debut album Boxing Clever and their follow-up album The Little Kicks, and becoming renowned for their brilliant live performances. Scott from the band made us a mixtape and he kindly introduced it himself.
"Now I listen to as much obscure, unique modern pish as the next muso but instead of attempting to sound interesting with my pretentious views and insanely irrelevant musical intellect I thought I’d concentrate on the greatest ones: the songs which have shaped my musical interests and inspired me the most. They also fit rather well as an 8 track mix tape, which is convenient…"
The Beatles - Saw Her Standing There
I absolutely love this song, it's a feel good upbeat 3 minute perfect pop song. Imagine you wrote this and it was the opening track on your debut album...just imagine!?
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Led Zeppelin - Rock n’ Roll
Does exactly what it says on the tin. This song is over 40 years old and still sounds brand new today. The test of a track is playing it to a child: they’ll tell you pretty bluntly whether it’s good or not. I did this once and was subjected to Rock n' Roll for about a month non-stop, so be careful!
[LISTEN]
The Police - Message In A Bottle
The Police are one of my favourite bands and I draw a lot of my drumming style from Copeland. This song brings memories of seeing them at Twickenham when they did that fashionable thing of reforming to buy a condo or feed a coke habit. I didn’t care though as it gave me a unexpected opportunity to see them. Anyway, they started with Message In A Bottle's roaring riff and the place went nuts, everyone on their feet clapping along, Copeland battering the sh*t out the kit and generally creating an amazing sound. It broke down for the verse; Sting approached the mic and calmly belted out the opening line… WOW, I have never seen so many people (including myself) stop in amazement! 90,000 people actually looked around at each other and shouted “holy shit his voice is f*cking amazing!”
[LISTEN]
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
I recently acquired the multi-tracks of this, which I’ve actually listened to individually in amazement at how good each element is. It’s just an absolute dream (excuse the pun). Steven, the Little Kicks singer, does an acoustic version, which is so good it will definitely be used as a b-side (I can say that as I had no involvement in creating his said masterpiece).
[LISTEN]
Miles Davis - Flamenco Sketches
This is possibly the best of the bunch for me, maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but just a sublimely beautiful piece of music. The track starts in tension and builds until 2.32 where the piano plays two chords providing the release; it’s my favourite 5 seconds of music! Miles released alternative takes of the album Kind of Blue; there are about 4 of this tune and none are even half as good as the one used on the album.
[LISTEN]
U2 - Pride
It was November 7th 1998, I was 14. I went into town and bought the recently released U2 Best Of 1980-1990 took it home and stuck it on whilst getting ready to get smashed at the park on a half bottle of vodka! My dad sitting downstairs had been subjected to Idlewild’s Hope is Important for about a month and curiously ventured upstairs to see where the familiar but new sound to the household was coming from. He came into my room and said “alright son, that mum’s new CD you’re listening to?” I replied with “na I bought it today, it’s pretty good like!” His eyes lit up, his first born had finally started listening to decent music (in his eyes), and needless to say a drum kit was bought. My dad was a drummer in his younger days, and had been looking for a reasonable excuse in my mum's eyes for buying one!
[LISTEN]
Michael Jackson - Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough
This song is just the coolest, funkiest thing ever! The string sounds are incredible and the percussion is just unbelievable. When I studied music we had to perform this live with all the perc; basically there were 6 percussionists playing cowbells, agogo bells, shakers, claps, woodblocks and additional floor toms; so much fun! The floor tom hits at the end of every four bars in the chorus is just genius! The vinyl version ends with just the perc, listen some day then you’ll appreciate it when you hear the full track, alternatively just listen to our Anti-Work Song as it’s a blatant rip off!
[LISTEN]
David Bowie - Let’s Dance
Another funk wonder hit to round of the 8 track journey. I‘ve loved this track for years; it always reminds me of drunken parties at my mums, where it’s a consistent crowd pleaser! Chic were playing at Rockness last year, so I and others managed to convince our group that this was definitely one of the best things you’ll ever see and should definitely go to. I even underestimate that, it was unbelievable! I only really knew of Chic’s hits, not the fact that Nile Rogers had written/produced basically every song on a best of funk compilation. They played a medley of his other hits not released under the name of Chic, check it out, seriously its jaw dropping what he’s done! Then check out Nile's story about co-writing Let’s Dance with Bowie, just incredible!
[LISTEN]
Check out The Little Kicks' updates on Facebook and Twitter, listen to their songs on SoundCloud, or check out their website.
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