Evening all. Just a quick bit of information I wish to share with you all. Are you new to this Spotisfaction thing? Do you want to listen to a playlist that some bloke with a shaved afro and dangerously long fingernails posted last month but don”™t want to trawl through the entire blog looking for it? Well you”™re in luck, because you can now head over to the Spotisfaction Archives here (or if you”™re prejudice against clicking text links you could click that little clock icon on the top right of this blog). Contained within is every single submission we”™ve published. Woot. Is that still too much effort, then you can head over to either Dave”™s Spotify profile or my Spotify profile, which also feature the entire Spotisfaction back catalogue. Right, back to work. [Thom]

Post author By The Spotisfaction Team
Post date June 10, 2010

Evening all.

Just a quick bit of information I wish to share with you all. Are you new to this Spotisfaction thing? Do you want to listen to a playlist that some bloke with a shaved afro and dangerously long fingernails posted last month but don”™t want to trawl through the entire blog looking for it? Well you”™re in luck, because you can now head over to the Spotisfaction Archives here (or if you”™re prejudice against clicking text links you could click that little clock icon on the top right of this blog). Contained within is every single submission we”™ve published. Woot. Is that still too much effort, then you can head over to either Dave”™s Spotify profile or my Spotify profile, which also feature the entire Spotisfaction back catalogue.

Right, back to work.
[Thom]

Tags News, Thom Lavelle

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1S5l780zG4BN8346lpLaA8

Hi all. We”™re testing a new ”˜group author”™ feature today, so hopefully you”™ll see a kickass avatar next to this post indicating that it”™s yours truly behind the ol”™ keyboard”¦ Bear with me if it doesn”™t work, as I”™ll be panicking behind the scenes trying to figure out why it”™s knackered”¦

So far this afternoon I”™ve been listening to a playlist by Sean Adams of DrownedinSound.com, and bopping like a loon. I suggest you check it out, as featured on Spotify”™s blog.

Our playlist today was lovingly crafted by Ben Hawling, and is the second of his “The Soundtrack To My Life”¦” series. It”™s a nostalgic trip through 2007, and is truly an aural treat.

(Part 1, entitled “2006”, can be found here)
[David]

70 Spotisfaction Wednesday (9 Jun) – BHawling.

I Can Only Disappoint U – Mansun
Setting Sun – Howling Bells
I Like Birds – Eels
Get Real Paid – Beck
Breathe In – Frou Frou
Hundred – The Fray
Arc Of Time – Bright Eyes
Beating Heart Baby – Head Automatica
Buddy Holly – Weezer
Such Great Heights – The Postal Service
Little Of Your Time – Maroon 5
The Unshockable – Maximo Park
Like A Feather – Nikka Costa
Here Comes The Fuzz – Mark Ronson
Can”™t Make A Sound – Elliot Smith
Just A Test – Beastie Boys
Feathers – Fields
The Way I Are – Timberland ft. Keri Hilson
It”™s Not About You – Scouting For Girls
Goodbye Mr A. – The Hoosiers
Watch Me Fall Apart – Hard – Fi
Good Life – Kanye West
Brazen (Weep) [Perfecto Mix] – Skunk Anansie
Bodysnatchers – Radiohead
The Night Sky – Keane
One More Time – Daft Punk
Singing For The Lonely – Robbie Williams
Crack The Whip – The Spinto Band
Silent To The Dark – The Electric Soft Parade

The soundtrack to my life”¦”¦”¦.. 2007!

As with 2006 before it, 2007 was full of key life molding moments, all of which were supported by an excellent soundtrack! This year charted my transition from the first year of university to the first half of my second year, and all the friendships and dark times in between.

January – March

The start of the year saw the end of a 3 month long relationship for me, and the gathering of a new set of friends, as I moved into a new house on the uni campus. I was still at the height of my Mansun obsession (still ongoing) at this point, but was also embracing new music from around the time, such as Howling Bells and The Fray. My new room was on the second floor of the house and neatly overlooked the SU bar, which was awesome. As the days got sunnier, and as I watched the sun stretch across the fields, a whole host of sun drenched melodies and tracks entered my ears, including Eels, Frou Frou, Bright Eyes and The Postal Service. Both Eels and Bright Eyes seemed to fit the atmosphere of those lazy days, in completely different ways. Whereas Frou Frou and Postal Service provided the blissful ethereal paint upon the warming canvas. A housemate also got me into Head Automatica at this time, and I remember walking around listening to ”˜Beating Heart Baby”™ non stop.

April – July

Maroon 5”™s second album came out around this time, and despite being full of heartbreak songs, was never out of my ears purely down to its infectious pop hooks. When hanging out in our house one day, a friend claimed that listening to Elliot Smith reminded her of chilling out on the grass and watching the clouds as the sun streamed across everything. I immediately agreed, and quickly got into his ”˜Figure 8”™ album. After hearing some of Mark Ronson”™s ”˜Version”™ album, I bought his more hip hop influenced album and instantly loved it. This coincided with my fascination with 2 many dj”™s, who use Nikka Costa”™s ”˜Like A Feather”™ a lot on their bootleg albums. That summer was fuelled with smiles and dancing, woop!

August – October

I first got into Beastie Boys in the summer of this year, and never looked back. I was given the Fields album by my sister Jo during August, when I was working full time in Moss Bros and had no money. It provided a light in the dark. Also I loved the energy and charm that the band omitted in such a short album. As I was staying at home a lot at this time due to no money, I was watching a lot of television. Thanks to a recent installation of Sky, I had all the music channels, so watched the launching of Scouting For Girls and The Hoosiers, plus loads of R & B tracks. My second year fresher”™s week was good, but I still had no money, and was annoyed at the way some of my new housemates were acting. Anyway, Hard-Fi”™s ”˜Watch Me Fall Apart”™ summed up my feelings here. ”˜Good Life”™ represents the moment I got paid, and got a massive student loan installment, meaning I could buy a shit load of stuff. This track seemed to sum up my attitude towards spending loads of money and generally being rich and happy. What a fool!

November – December

Radiohead released the amazing ”˜In Rainbows”™ in October of this year on the internet, and I paid Â£5 for it. I went to Swansea to visit a friend that week so listened to that album all the way there and back on the train. I picked up a copy of Paul Oakenfold”™s remix compilation album at this time and the Skunk Anansie track appeared soo haunting, yet beautiful. Keane”™s charity single ”˜The Night Sky”™ came out here and always reminds me of walking through Oxford wearing a green jacket and scarf in the height of Autumn while the leafs fell all around me. One of my favorite memories! For my 20th birthday, me and my housemates went out to a club. At five minutes to midnight, they played ”˜The Way I Are”™, one of my favorite songs of that year, followed by ”˜One More Time”™, my favorite song ever!! Was such a great moment surrounded by close friends hearing the best music! I re-visited Robbie Williams”™ ”˜Sing When Your Winning”™ album in December as it reminded me of my youth. I bought The Spinto Band”™s first album, and Electric Soft Parades”™ ”˜Holes In The Wall”™ for a tenner in a record store and tended to listen to them both as I traveled to work in Oxford from Cheltenham over the Christmas holidays of 2007.

Ok, so overall, not as eventful as my 2006. But 2007 was awesome in soo many other ways. The majority of music that I got into in 2007 remains my favorite songs or band”™s to this day, and it is all down to the memories. You see, even though nothing much happened to me, nothing notably bad happened either, making 2007 great”¦”¦.when compared to 2008!

Nuff said!

Ben Hawling

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QyniFGinWgsCVugoGI3Tt

Afternoon, kids. World Cup day, wooo! We”™re split at Spotisfaction Towers – personally, I”™m ridiculously excited and am now pretty much resigned to a month of lounging on the sofa to the despair of my ever patient wife (no change there, then). Thom, on the other hand, would rather gouge his eyes out with a rusty spoon than watch a bunch of girly blokes poncing around. Horses for courses, I guess, but I”™m totally the one in the right here”¦ I”™ve managed to luck out in the sweepstakes this time around – in the two I”™m participating in, I”™ve drawn England and Italy. Not the best, but better than Algeria and USA so in your face Pat, HAH!

Anyway, to business.

We”™ve got a few announcements to make next week and, to be honest, we really hope you like them. I don”™t want to give away too much, but we”™ve listened to your feedback and are ready to roll out some pretty cool things for you all. Come back next week for the scoop :)

Today”™s playlist is, quite simply, a pleasure. I always look forward to Woody”™s mixes and this one doesn”™t disappoint. I think it”™ll put a smile on your face. Unless your heart is cold and dead, or you”™re Rorschach from Watchmen. Freaks.

Love, hugs, and mealy bugs.
[David]

71 Spotisfaction Friday (11 Jun) – WWhyte

Let”™s Wade In The Water – Marlena Shaw
Mama Said – The Shirelles
Sex Education: Ghetto Style – Gil Scott-Heron
Johannesburg – Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackon
Soul Man – Sam & Dave
Spooky – Dusty Springfield
Inside My Love – Minnie Riperton
Everybody Loves The Sunshine – Roy Ayers Ubiquity
Good Taste Tip: Gift Receiving – The Shangri-Las
Remember (Walkin”™ In The Sand) – The Shangri-Las
California Soul – Marlena Shaw
War – Single Version – Edwin Starr
I”™m A Woman – Minnie Riperton
Save Me – Aretha Franklin
I Just Want To Make Love To You – Etta James
Introduction – James Brown & The Famous Flames
Get Up Offa That Thing – James Brown
Street Life – Randy Crawford
Baby It”™s You – The Shirelles
Les Fleurs – Minnie Riperton
I”™m Blue – The Shangri-Las
Wonderful World – Sam Cooke
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free – Nina Simone
September – Earth, Wind & Fire
Move On Up – Curtis Mayfield

Ok, so I”™ve always loved Motown, Soul and old R&B music but apart from going to the odd Motown/Northern Soul night back in my home town 5 years ago and the odd night at Komedia in Brighton, I”™ve rarely properly looked up artists from that era so I decided to take it upon myself to educate my ears and to look stuff up for a playlist.

I was mainly inspired by the first song Wade in the Water by Marlena Shaw, which is horribly overlooked, which my flatmate played me (he”™s obsessed with this kind of music but I did not cheat and ask him for suggestions!) and so it kind of went on from there.

I think the biggest revelation for me on the list was Minnie Riperton. I watched a program years ago about her but never remembered who she was. So to dig up some of her tracks was amazing. As was Marlena Shaw. I think when you listen to those songs they speak for themselves in regards to how brilliant they are. I find it surprising they aren”™t as famous as say Nina Simone or Aretha Franklin because they clearly had some major hits in their time.

Song such as ”˜War”™ and ”˜I Just Want To Make Love To You”™ also are stand outs. Not even musically but culturally with obviously those coke (or was it pepsi?) adverts and ”˜War”™ which I suppose, rather regrettably, I knew from the Rush Hour films, both bring back quite funny memories. Also finding out who the artists were that sang all these songs was fascinating.

This time I tried to include some random interludes by artists as well. Mainly inspired by listening to The Score by Fugees the other day. I loved the interludes between songs on that album so I thought I would be cool to hear some on a playlist as well. The bizarre Gill Scott-Heron interlude being my favourite.

All in all, this has been my favourite playlist I have put together. I recommend you don a 60s inspired outfit, do the Watusi and enjoy a Martini for this one! I really hope you like it as much as I do.

Woody