Last Christmas, we gave you our heart, but you were too busy doing real stuff.
Hey, it’s perfectly understandable. We launched a “special gift” on Christmas morning 2009 with zero fanfare. Is it any wonder that so few knew something was waiting for them under the Internet tree? And so the year passed into the next, and in-between, several computer failures, server dumps, and general “life-stuff” threatened files and made the prospect for a more, shall we say, extroverted return of the mega-mix in question near impossible.
Near, but not quite there. At one point or another, a lightbulb clicked on somewhere and someone decided to put the contents on a DVD-R. They did not have the insight to actually label the disc though, so it was only by happenstance, wishbones and a couple favorable fortune cookies that the contents were recovered. And so, with a bang and not a whimper, we’ve decided to present all of y’all with a big, fat holiday gift early.
How about this for a premise — the members of the Popdose staff were asked, “If you were stuck on a desert island with an iPod that could only hold three songs, which three songs would you choose?”
The response to that provocative question was literally the breadth of music itself. Think I’m kidding? Alongside time-tested pop-music favorites, there was opera, thrash metal, soul, musical theatre, and barbershop, all passing the staff’s stringent “necessary three” criteria, all for the sake of giving our readers what we consider to be the best.
That’s not all. A few surprises have been smuggled in as well — an extra live cut or two, a Shep Pettibone remix, and artwork to accompany the mix, to further explain our choices. What else would you expect from your friends at Popdose?
Distant Sun – Crowded House, from Together Alone (1993)
Walk Away From Love – David Ruffin, from The Ultimate Collection (1998)
You’re An Ocean – Fastball, from The Harsh Light of Day (2000)
More Than This – Roxy Music, from Avalon (1982)
He’s So Shy – The Pointer Sisters, from Best of the Pointer Sisters (2000)
Jesus Walks – Kanye West, from The College Dropout (2004)
Don’t Disturb This Groove – The System, from Don’t Disturb This Groove (1987)
‘Til I Die – The Beach Boys, from Surf’s Up (1971)
It’s Not Easy Being Green – Kermit The Frog, from Best of the Muppets
(2006)
Cruel To Be Kind – Nick Lowe, from Labour of Lust
(1979)
Me And My Big Ideas – Tears For Fears, from Raoul & The Kings of Spain
(1995)
Time After Time – The Urbane, from Glitter
(2004)
And there’s much more where that came from. You can download the full mix here, here, and here — and our liner notes here — when you right-click on each link and select your computer’s “save” option.
(But wait – there’s more!)
What’s left in that bag for all the good readers who did snag the mix last year? Well, this is where we pull out the Bonus Round: a fourth batch of tunes (again, right-click to save), brand new to this edition. Think of it as the 2000 to your original Fantasia. And once again, from the entire staff of Popdose, we want to wish everyone a happy holiday season however (or if) you celebrate them.
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