CD number one - liner notes for "around the world in 80 minutes"

first i’d like to thank all the little people who helped me put this album together. actually, there’s nobody to thank. all the blood, sweat and tears that went into this cd are all my own. which means if you don’t like it, that’s my fault too. i can live with that.

the concept of the cd was to provide a musical trip around the world in 80 minutes, with no more than one stop in each location. so please forgive me a few things. first, we clearly stop in argentina twice. but the first stop is only 1:37 long, and it’s really just an introduction to song number two. next, we don’t exactly go consistently in an eastern direction, but i did try to stick to a sensible itinerary with very little backtracking. finally, i came as close to possible to 80 minutes as i could. i think i’m off by 17 seconds.

a’ight, down to the songs:

1. i love ska, and los fabulosos cadillacs do it very well. not quite as well as the specials, but not everybody can be as special as the specials. i couldn’t resist this song as an opener.
2. did you know what “el matador” means? this guy i know who breeds horses for a pastime didn’t know, and he named a beautiful arabian horse “el matador”. i had the unfortunate task of telling him that it means “the killer” (or, as the babelfish translator says, "the killing one". that translator is always good for a laugh). somehow i don’t think he minded. this song is a favourite of mine. the whistles are a great touch.
3. this song is from the cidade de deus soundtrack (that’s city of god for the non-portuguese speakers in the crowd). if you haven’t seen the film, you really must. this song satisfies my need for funk. if all of brazil was as cool as that movie and this song, i think we would have stayed a lot longer.
4. four songs in, and this is the fourth song with horns. did i mention i like horns? songs like this really make me want to discover more about african power pop music. this one is from a compilation called red hot + riot, which i highly recommend if you like this tune.
5. amadou & miriam are suddenly everywhere. i chose something with a bit more mali and a little less manu chao. regardless, it’s another great album.
6. if i had my choice of any artist in the world i’d like to see live, femi kuti would be at the top of the list. sadly, he was in ottawa for the blues festival two weeks after we moved to edmonton. that one hurt. i also like the fact that femi kuti isn't afraid to get political in his music. femi kuti really is a musical god.
7. i thought amy winehouse might make for a nice transition from africa to europe. i know she’s very hyped, but i think it’s well deserved. plus, a girl who sings about carpet burns is rather refreshing.
8. please forgive my fascination with french rap. i suppose i could have used a nouvelle vague song to represent france, but then i’d really be stealing from dj rocket. plus, i thought that mc solaar fit better here.
9. okay, i know it sounds argentinian, but one of the members of the gotan project is from switzerland! who knew?
10. carla bruni is an italian supermodel who sings delicious french songs. what’s not to like? plus, my wife walked down the aisle to a carla bruni song. i’ve just realized that this is the second song in a row from artists that were introduced to me by dj cola. thanks, buddy.
11. in case you recognize it, this is the tune that was running in the background all through “little miss sunshine”. i had discovered it about a year previously through salon.com’s audiofile. oh, and i can’t remember what these guys connection to russia is, but i guarantee you there is one.
12. another slightly liberal choice of location. k’naan is canadian, but he’s originally from somalia. if all his songs sounded this good, i’d be a huge fan.
13. if i told you the story of this song, you wouldn’t believe me.
14. i can understand if this song isn’t for everybody, especially the voice synthesizer, but i can’t help myself. i’m a bit embarrassed about it, but i reckon admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. the truth is, i can’t get enough of this tune.
15. dr. pepper and i did PhDs together in the department of psychiatry (don’t worry, we’re not psychiatrists, we just play them on tv). this song was the unofficial theme song of our office. most of the dialogue in this song is from a wayne and schuster skit. after hearing this song a few times, just try and stop yourself from calling people “crazy in the coconut”.
16. i tossed this little gem on there as a transition to some vastly different songs to come. it helped that the dj was from japan. thanks to dj rocket for this one.
17. the quiet first 50 seconds bother me a bit in the middle of a mixed cd, but there wasn’t much i could do about that. these guys are american, but they are mexican-born. one of their fathers is a famous mexican mariachi singer. how happy was i to discover that?
18. i heard this tune on bbc radio 6 (the greatest radio station in the world, imho). the dj said “i think this song is still going to sound fantastic thirty years from now”. i’m inclined to agree. this song has dj cola written all over it. consider this a pre-emptive strike.
19. i figured that after a trip around the world everybody needs a rest. i love the great lake swimmers’ dreamy songs that seem perfect for hot summer nights (notice the crickets in the background in this one). plus, they’re canadian, and what better way to end an around the world cd than with a song called “this is not like home”?

i hope you liked this little trip. the phone lines are now open for your comments and criticisms...

dj pants