Our Version of the Mixtape

Here we like to throw back to our roots of growing up in the 80s and making mixtapes for our friends and crushes. The art of the mixtape is a dying art form. We are keeping it alive here, but we are updating it by including the music video.

Find all of our playlists on our YouTube Channel - Pop Culture Academy.
This week's playlist is all about rhythm in pop and rock. Of course, you can always enjoy it as is, but it might make more sense on this occasion if you tuned in to this week's podcast as well.

Listen on Spotify, iTunes, Podomatic, YouTube or directly on our website.

Fascinating Rhythms
September 21, 2020

1. Pharrell Williams, "Happy"
2. Neil Peart, "Tom Sawyer"
3. Phil Collins, "In The Air Tonight"
4. Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean"
5. Phil Collins, "The Must Be Love"
6. Fountains of Wayne, "Halley's Waitress"
7. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Into the Great Wide Open"
8. Alanis Morissette, "Thank U"
9. Van Morrison, "Sweet Thing"
10. The Beatles, "Love Me Do"
11. Styx, "Mr. Roboto"
12. Barenaked Ladies, "One Week"
13. The Eagles, "Take It To the Limit"
14. Queen, "We Are The Champions"
15. Dave Brubeck, "Take Five"
16. Pink Floyd, "Money"
17. Sting, "Love Is Stronger than Justice"
18. Peter Gabriel, "Solsbury Hill"
19. Led Zepplin, "Black Dog"
20. The Police, "Message in a Bottle"
21. The Police, "Synchronicity"
22. Led Zepplin, "Good Times, Bad Times"
23. John Bonham, "Fool in the Rain" drum solo
24. The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again"
25. The Drumming Brilliance of Stewart Copeland
For some of our thoughts on this week's playlist, read our blog. ​

Cab Driver
​September 14, 2020

1. Chuck Berry, "Nadine"
2. Daryl Hall, "Cab Driver"
3. Paul Simon, "Gumboots"
4. Harry Chapin, "Taxi"
5. Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi"
6. Price, "Lady Cab Driver"
7. Lenny Kravitz, "Mr. Cab Driver"
8. Rick Springfield, "Taxi Dancing"
9. Tori Amos, "Taxi Ride"
10. Morrissey, "Come Back to Camden"
For some of our thoughts on this week's playlist, read our blog. 

Guided by Children
September 7, 2020

1. The Smiths, "Panic"
2. Leonard Cohen, "Last Year's Men"
3. Tina Turner, "We Don't Need Another Hero"
4. Pat Benatar, "We Belong"
5. Talk Talk, "Happiness is Easy"
6. Gorillaz, "Dirty Harry"
7. The Rolling Stones, "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
8. XTC, "Dear God"
9. Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall, Part Two"
10. Yo La Tenga, "Nuclear War"
For some of our thoughts on Van Morrison, read our blog. 

Happy Birthday, Van Morrison
​August 31, 2020

1. "Into the Mystic"
2. "Sweet Thing"
3. "Caravan"
4. "Days Like This"
5. "Wild Night"
6. "Brown Eyed Girl"
7. "Gloria"
8. "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)"
9. "Domino"
10. "Moondance"
For some of our thoughts on Huey Lewis and the News, read our blog. 

Huey Lewis And The News
August 24, 2020

1. "Do You Believe In Love"
2. "The Heart of Rock & Roll"
3. "I Want A New Drug"
4. "The Power of Love"
5. "Jacob's Ladder", live, 1987
6. "Naturally", Dave Letterman Show
7. "I Know What I Like" , live 1987
8. "It Hit Me Like A Hammer"
9. "Couple Days off"
10. "While We're Young"

Perfect Pitch
​August 17, 2020

1. The Decemberists, "The Sporting Life" - Clever as hell, though once again I'm not sure the narrator is all that happy with how things have turned out.
2. Fountains of Wayne, "All Kinds of Time" - Here's the genuine emotion...a zen realization wrapped in a brilliant ode to college football.
3. Men At Work, "Be Good Johnny" - Johnny doesn't actually want to play sports -- he only likes dreaming, all the day long -- but his father is so insistent.
4. Simon & Garfunkel, "The Boxer" - Why are there so many songs about boxers? 
5. Bob Dylan, "Hurricane" - Not just a great song about sports but a great political song as well.
6. Drive-By Truckers, "Daddy's Cup" - Yes, racing is a sport too. 
7. Simon & Garfunkel, "Mrs. Robinson" - Only a passing reference here, though it's a good one, and a brilliant song.
8. Ben Folds Five, "Boxing" - "Boxing's been good to me..." 
9. John Fogerty, "Centerfield" - Probably the most directly about sports, and I love Fogerty, but never been a huge fan of this one.
10. Dan Fogelberg, "Run for the Roses" - The most emotional entry on the list, but maybe a little too much so. They're only horses, after all. ​

Folklore: A Concept Album?
​August 10, 2020

1. Taylor Swift, "The 1"
2. Taylor Swift, "Cardigan"
3. Taylor Swift, "The Last Great American Dynasty"
4. Taylor Swift, "Exile"
5. Taylor Swift, "My Tears Richochet"
6. Taylor Swift, "Mirrorball"
7. Taylor Swift, "Seven"
8. Taylor Swift, "August"
9. Taylor Swift, "This Is Me Trying"
10. Taylor Swift, "Illicit Affairs"
11. Taylor Swift, "Invisible String"
12. Taylor Swift, "Mad Woman"
13. Taylor Swift, "Epiphany"
14. Taylor Swift, "Betty"
15. Taylor Swift, "Peace"
​16. Taylor Swift, "Hoax"

For more thoughts on Taylor Swift's Folklore and the history of the concept album, listen to our latest podcast. 

The Mixtape
​August 3, 2020

1. Sting, "A Thousand Years"
2. Hall and Oates, "Sara Smile"
3. Sade, "The Sweetest Taboo"
4. Ben Folds Five, "Kate"
5. Sting, "Little Wing"
6. Barenaked Ladies, "What A Good Boy"
7. The Police, "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"
8. The Beatles, "Real Love"
9. Dean Martin, "Ain't That A Kick in the Head"
10. Joe Jackson, "Steppin' Out"
11. John Hiatt, "Feels Like Rain"
12. Paul McCartney, "Heaven on a Sunday"
​13. Madonna, "Crazy for You"

The Immortal Peter Green
​July 27, 2020

1. Fleetwood Mac, "Black Magic Woman"
2. The Splinter Group, "Albatross"
3. Fleetwood Mac, "Oh Well"
4. Peter Green, "Magic"
5. Peter Green, "The Supernatural"
6. Fleetwood Mac, "Have You Ever Loved A Woman"
7. The Splinter Group, "Cross Road Blues"
8. The Splinter Group, "The Green Manalishi"
9. The Splinter Group, "Feeling Good"
10. Carlos Santana feat. Peter Green, "Black Magic Woman"

Happy Birthday, Cat Stevens
July 20, 2020

1. "Moonshadow"
2. "The Wind"
3. "Wild World"
4. "Father and Son"
5. "Morning Has Broken"
6. "Peace Train"
7. "Where Do The Children Play?"
8. "The First Cut Is the Deepest"
9. "If You Want to Sing Out"
​10. "Another Saturday Night"

Not Embarrassed
​July 13, 2020

1. Air Supply, "Making Love Out of Nothing At All"
2. Neil Diamond, "Love On The Rocks"
3. Barry Manilow, "Weekend in New England"
4. Al Stewart, "Year of the Cat"
5. Carpenters, "Rainys Days and Mondays"
6. John Denver, "Rocky Mountain High"
7. Chicago, "You're the Insipration"
8. Dan Fogelberg, "Leader of the Band"
9. Anne Murray, "Snowbird"
10. Sonny & Cher, "I Got You Babe"
11. Cnn, Sonny Bono Funeral - Cher's Eulogy

Your Summer Reading List
​July 6, 2020

1. The Police, "Don't Stand So Close To Me"
2. Led Zepplin, "Ramble On"
3. Gary Numan / Tubeway Army, "Are 'Friends' Electric?"
4. 10,000 Maniacs, "Hey Jack Kerouac"
5. The Hold Steady, "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night"
6. Devo, "Whip It"
7. Dire Straits, "Romeo and Juliet"
8. Rush, "Tom Sawyer"
9. The Cure, "Killing An Arab"
10. Duran Duran, "The Wild Boys"
​© Pop Culture Academy, 2020