That’s What I Call Music!

I was reading a story in Salon yesterday that had this alluring opening line:

If you happened to have been born between about 1978 and 1981, there’s a fair chance you count yourself an obsessive [fan] of the Southern California rock band Weezer.

Now, I like Weezer, and have most of their albums, but I’m not obsessive about them. I’ve never seen them in concert, but I do think some of their videos are amusing and their songs are pretty good (a few hit and miss albums, but overall, a good band). 
But that’s not the general thrust of the article. It’s about a new book by Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin entitled This is Your Brian on Music:  The Science of a Human Obsession. Although I haven’t read the book (yet!), the article in Salon summarizes some of the main points Levitin makes about why music is such an important part of our lives, and why there are some songs that we really love (and hate).  It’s an interesting thesis that is, of course, backed up by a good amount of research.  But what I thought was very interesting was that it’s our teen years where we connect with music that we’ll supposedly love for the rest of our lives.  

This seem accurate to me.  I mean, there’s a point where many of us stop buying new music, and tend to listen to music that we find familiar and classify as “good.”  It could be Weezer, Public Enemy, Kenny Loggins, Madonna, or The Kinks, James Brown, or Tool.  These are the “classics” in our mind, and everything after that is derivative or “crap” that we just “don’t get why it’s popular.” 

So, with that, this week’s Mix Six will be a collaborative effort.  I’m hoping that the 6 or 7 readers of this blog will be a diverse enough group to suggest some songs (give me 2 to 3) that you think reflect the music you loved as a teenager.  Sound good?

Okay…Ready! Steady! Go!

–PK