CD Mix Smackdown Results

JUSTIN "Hoeger the Horrible"

VERSUS

DANNY "The King of Scots"



I love a good CD mix smackdown – especially when the two combatants hurl insults at each other.

That’s just good times.

So I happily agreed to judge the mix-off between Justin and Danny.

While they both created good mixes, this is a smackdown, which means one absolutely has to be better. Hence, I’ve decided to grade each CD based on my top 5 personal rules for a great CD.

So here goes:

1.) Packaging
Presentation sets the tone for the musical experience to come. Plus, a nice cover shows the mixer was serious about this project.

Danny:

With cover art inside and out, plus a fancy disk label, Danny obviously put some effort into this. I’d give it a higher mark if there was more color.
Grade: A-



Justin:
Just look at this thing:


If I were a teacher and this were Justin’s homework, I’d call his mother for a parent-teacher conference. I might even suggest he be held back.
Grade: F

2.) Liner notes
Don’t you hate it when you buy a CD and the liner notes are lame? Without liner notes, we might as well just download the music. With a mix, I want to know why this person chose these songs.

Justin: There’s some decent information here, but not a lot of thought. I like to know why, personally, the mixer chose the songs. Does the song conjure great memories? Does it remind you of someone you love?
Grade: C
Danny: He mentions that he was named after Elton John’s “Daniel,” but again, by and large, he doesn’t explain why he personally chose the songs here. Tell me what this song meant to you, what events it recalls, etc.
Grade: C

3.) Does it introduce listener to new music?
I always think it’s important to introduce people to new (and awesome) music. That way they feel like they have something new and exciting.

Danny: The songs on Danny’s CD are all very familiar – most classic rock enthusiasts will have several of these songs -- so there were no surprises. Even among the well-known performers, he could’ve chosen deeper cuts. (Say, “Living Loving Maid” or “Going to California” from Zeppelin or “Nobody Told Me” from John Lennon.)
Grade: D
Justin: Songs from the Beatles, Queens of the Stone Age, Alice in Chains and the White Stripes were definitely recognizable. But there are several songs here that I had not heard. I even liked a few of them, including the Modest Mouse song.
Grade: B

4.) Flow and variety.
A good mix CD will offer a nice variety. Those different songs should then be put together in a sensible order.

Justin: With songs by Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley, the Beatles and Depeche Mode, there’s decent variety here (though, as a rule, I LOATHE Depeche Mode). He could’ve done a better job with flow, though, alternating quieter songs in between the guitar-heavy rockers.
Grade: B
Danny: Though the songs are typical, there’s a pretty good mix here, from the soul of Jamiroquai to the 80s pop hits of Simple Minds and Tears for Fears to Zep rock and the more contemporary Coldplay. Good flow, too.
Grade: B+

5.) Song selection.
This is, of course, the most important element of the mix CD, which basically asks: Is the music good?

Danny: From the get go, Danny lost a lot of credibility by having a CD titled, “The Most Awesome British CD in the History of the Universe . . . Ever,” and then failing to include A SINGLE song by either the Beatles or the Stones.

Are you serious?

The glaring omission almost made me throw this CD against a wall in disgust. To include Pink Floyd and Tears for Fears and not include two of the greatest bands in the history of music is, well . . . far from awesome.

He did include the Who, Genesis, the Police and Elton John, so I know his judgment isn’t completely whacked. Hence, I’ll cut him a little slack just because it’s still a good CD to listen to.
Grade: B +
Justin: OK, I need to take a breath because I’m still worked up over that Beatles/Stones thing.

Breathe . . .

All right.

Justin has put together a strong CD here. While his songs were edgier and more current, on the whole I’d say that if I were driving to Paso and I had these two CDs, I’d listen to Danny’s first. I mean, come on – it’s got “Roxanne,” “Baba O’Riley” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Heavy hitters there.
Grade: B

FINAL TALLY
After calculating the totals, it’s clear that Justin was hurt badly by his failure to package. If he’d even scored a C+ in that category, he would’ve tied Danny.

For his part, Danny lost points by choosing obvious songs. And then there’s the glaring omission I talked about earlier.

After calculating their totals, I felt bad about their low scores (B- and C), so awarded extra credit for maximizing the space on their CDs.

Final report card:

Danny: B
Justin: C +

Winner:











--Pat P.