Playlist Corner: Winter - Part 1, The Shiver and Part 2 - The Warm Up

SNOW!

Despite Richard Curtis's insistance otherwise, snow in London is not all that frequent.

So it thrills, even if our tiny amounts seem desultory to someone from an actually snowy country (they won't waste much time telling you this).

It also dominates the press who finally have an excuse to shove doom off their front pages and instead feature the unalloyed delight of children tobogganing on tea trays. Before the pages return to norm next day, acccusing Britons of being work-shirkers, calling into school and work sick to continue playing in the snow. Well, lockdown's changed that too.

At least we've been given something new to look at from out windows.

At least I don't have to worry about the commute this year

Time to dig out some shiver/warming up music...

Winter Playlist - Part 1, The Shiver

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2fUv6fONukAbpFJcva4Vl5

PLAYLIST

1) Tim Rose - Snowed In

2) Georgy Sviridov - The Snowstorm: II. Waltz

3) Aztec Camera - Walk out to Winter

4) Antti Paalanen - Winter's Dance

5) Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

6) Vince Guaraldi Trio - Skating

7) Billy May - Snowfall

8) Al Petteway - Roving on a Winter's Night

9) Headless Heroes - The North Wind Blew South

10) Ralph Vaughan Williams - Sinfonia antartica [No. 7]: V. Epilogue (Alla marcia moderato, non troppo allegro)

11) Lidia Ruslanova - Valenki, Valenki

12) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Tumblers

13) Bellowhead - Cold Blows The Wind

Winter Playlist - Part 2, The Warm Up

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5BE3KE7PsqjYFTQ03EPnN0
(ignore the December songs)

PLAYLIST 

1) Love Unlimited - It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It's Spring)

2) The Mills Brothers - December

3) Chet Atkins - Winter Walkin'

4) Julie London - Warm December

5) Marvin Gaye - Purple Snowflakes

6) Alma Cogan - Never Do a Tango with an Eskimo

7) Fountains Of Wayne - Valley Winter Song

8) Bernard Herrmann - By The Fireside

9) Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Winter Wonderland

10) Fontaines D.C. - Winter In The Sun - Darklands Version

11) Ted Heath - Hot Toddy

12) The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter

13) Benny Goodman - Winter Weather (feat. Peggy Lee) - 78rpm Version

14) Tom Hanks - Hot Chocolate

15) Connie Francis - I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter

16) Ella Fitzgerald - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

#seasonal #winterwonderland #WinterMusic #wintersongs

Playlist Corner: Happy New Year!

HAPPY 2021!! As I'm sure you agree, may it be a safe, kinder new year.

But more specifically, in the words of Tony Camargo in El Año Viejo (I will never tire of this), I hope it brings you:

"a little goat,

a very black little mule,

a very white little mare,

and a nice mother-in-law."

You know - what really counts.

PLAYLIST NOTES

1) Ella Fitzgerald - What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

2) The Specials - Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)

3) Tony Camargo - El Año Viejo

4) Bing Crosby - Let's Start The New Year Right

5) Jo-Ann Campbell - Happy New Year Baby

6) The Cast - Auld Lang Syne

A beautiful version with the likely original melody.

7) The Zombies - This Will Be Our Year

One of the most perfect songs. Tenderly and perfectly used in The Middle.

8) The Kinks - Skin and Bone

A joyful anti-Atkins, anti-New Year Resolutions song.

9) Charles Brown - Bringing in a Brand New Year

10) Waterson:Carthy - New Year Carol - Residue

11) Sam Cooke - I Wish You Love

12) Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Barbaro - Look Around the Corner

13) Lightnin' Hopkins - Happy New Year

14) Otis Redding & Carla Thomas - New Year's Resolution

15) Nina Simone - Feeling Good

16) The Walkmen - In the New Year

17) Regina Spektor - My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year)

#newyear #jazz #ska #Mexico #pop #rock #rhythmnblues #folk #soul

Playlist Corner: Winter - Part 2, The Warm Up

 Part 2 is here! After the shivery tracks of the Winter Playlist Part 1, I hope this warms you up. Lots of cozy sounds. Best enjoyed with a hot drink

Winter Playlist - Part 2, The Warm Up

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5BE3KE7PsqjYFTQ03EPnN0

PLAYLIST NOTES

Love Unlimited - It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It's Spring)

The Mills Brothers - December

Chet Atkins - Winter Walkin'

Julie London - Warm December

Marvin Gaye - Purple Snowflakes

Alma Cogan - Never Do a Tango with an Eskimo

Fountains Of Wayne - Valley Winter Song

Bernard Herrmann - By The Fireside

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Winter Wonderland

Fontaines D.C. - Winter In The Sun - Darklands Version

Ted Heath - Hot Toddy

The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter

Benny Goodman - Winter Weather (feat. Peggy Lee) - 78rpm Version

Tom Hanks - Hot Chocolate

Connie Francis - I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter

Ella Fitzgerald - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

#winter #playlist #christmasmusic #christmasplaylists #festiveplaylists #seasonal #winterwonderland #WinterMusic #wintersongs

Also available at:

https://www.facebook.com/mikichristmasplaylists/posts/703209303670956

Playlist Corner: Winter - Part 1, The Shiver

It begins!!! Christmas began early for everyone this year, and thank fuggles for that.

This December I'll be having lots of mini-playlists alongside this year's main Christmas playlist, because why not. And I'll be re-uploading the old links soon, as I know they're out of date.

But enough admin! Here's the first playlist of the season. Enjoy!!

Winter Playlist - Part 1, The Shiver

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2fUv6fONukAbpFJcva4Vl5

Part 2 - The Warm Up will be coming soon 

Go for a shivery walk and a listen.

PLAYLIST

1) Tim Rose - Snowed In

2) Georgy Sviridov - The Snowstorm: II. Waltz

3) Aztec Camera - Walk out to Winter

4) Antti Paalanen - Winter's Dance

5) Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

6) Vince Guaraldi Trio - Skating

7) Billy May - Snowfall

8) Al Petteway - Roving on a Winter's Night

9) Headless Heroes - The North Wind Blew South

10) Ralph Vaughan Williams - Sinfonia antartica [No. 7]: V. Epilogue (Alla marcia moderato, non troppo allegro)

11) Lidia Ruslanova - Valenki, Valenki

12) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Tumblers

13) Bellowhead - Cold Blows The Wind

#winter #playlist #christmasmusic #christmasplaylists #festiveplaylists #seasonal #winterwonderland #WinterMusic #wintersongs

Also available at:
https://www.facebook.com/mikichristmasplaylists/posts/701498923841994

Cosy in the Cold

     Winter again.

     Pictures of people skipping work to play in the snow front the newspapers, followed by pie-charts the next day of how much money the economy has lost due to the people skipping work to play in the snow. Early evenings and dark mornings. Chapped lips and icy boots. I won't lie, the magic of winter has certainly dimmed with the onerous task of the journey to and from work. But it hasn't gone completely. Delicate cobwebs still freeze and bare trees dazzle in fractal glory. The squeaking crunch of boots on snow. The silence. And the second lot of headlines always seem sulkier than the first.

     A friend was once telling me about her trip to Australia. And she said something like: "They kept going on about how sunny it is. It's so boring. And it's too hot. I like winter. I like my scarves and sweaters." I've always liked that sentiment. I like my scarves and sweaters. I like it being cold, if only for the fact that it means I must try and get cosy. And one of those really satisfying feelings will always be entering a warm room from the cold, unwrapping layers, and feeling tingly as your nose and ears get flushed with warmth once again. 

Recycling Is A Good Thing

One nice things about blogging again was to go through my old posts and not be entirely disappointed by what I found. I.e. enjoying reading my own stuff.

Yes, I know.

Anyway I found this post and realised how much I liked it, and decided to put it again here for your enjoyment and to celebrate the new year.

Self-publication has its advantages.


 January smells good....

...depending on where you are of course. If in Camden it smells a lot like urine and weed. But that's an aside. It feels good to write '01' in dates - like a brand new start. It feels fresh and crisp, and tastes refreshing, like a snowflake on the tongue.

So why is it so traditionally depressing?
I guess the post-Christmas period plus New Year's is a bit of a clue.
The double whammy of pressure to have a nice time with your family and buy presents, plus the all too soon frying-pan-in-the-face of the end of the year, forcing you to reassess how your numerous life plans have turned out. Badly, almost 100% of the time.

Time moves back into play after getting so deliciously out of focus during the holidays.

Credit cards look more threatening than they used to.
Bathroom scales definitely get more use.
Hope slowly crumbles.

Is it that it?

Maybe January needs another chance. After the month of December where it is (theoretically) all about other people we should remarket January as the Month of Me. Time to relax, reboot, use those thousands of bath products we were given over Christmas etc. Focus on oneself to give those new hopes the best chance of working.

2010 was a bit of strange year for me. 2011 might be worse. But then again it might be better.

Hope is less crumbly. Now it feels more chewy, like gum.




Resolution #1
Work on better metaphors.

http://tonra.com/

 

 

 

 

January smells good....

...depending on where you are of course. If in Camden it smells a lot like urine and weed. But that's an aside.

It feels good to write '01' in dates - like a brand new start. It feels fresh and crisp, and tastes refreshing, like a snowflake on the tongue.

So why is it so traditionally depressing?

I guess the post-Christmas period plus New Year's is a bit of a clue.
The double whammy of pressure to have a nice time with your family, buy presents, plus the all too soon frying-pan-in-the-face of the end of the year, which forces you to reassess how your numerous life plans have turned out.
Badly, almost 100% of the time.

Time moves back into play after getting so deliciously out of focus during the holidays.

Credit cards look more threatening than they used to.

Bathroom scales definitely get more use.
..
.
Hope slowly crumbles.


Is it that it?

Maybe January needs another chance. After the month of December where it is (theoretically) all about other people we should remarket January as the Month of Me. Time to relax, reboot, use the thousands of bath products we were given over Christmas etc. Focus on oneself to give those new hopes the best chance of working.

2009 was a bit of strange year for me. 2010 might be worse. But then again it might be better.

Hope is less crumbly. Now it feels more chewy, like gum.




Resolution #1
Work on better metaphors.

http://tonra.com/