Editors' Picks

Commingle, Shuffle & Fuse: It's All Good 07/24/08

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Mad Mardigans Mix

What do you get when you mix Godsmack with Green Day?
JJ Fad with
Journey? BlueBeat Crate-ologist Piterdeveirs333 gives us the answer with the new featured Crate Mad Mardigans Mix, which is described as "everything you need", all in one package.

This new program is chockfull of musical goodness from Classic Rock like The Doors, Santana and Fleetwood Mac, the 80s (Men At Work, The Police), on through the Alternative of Third Eye Blind and Green Day. Let's not forget some of the one-name divas (Madonna, Shakira, and Aaliyah, and what the heck, Walt Disney's Fantasia (Leopold Stokowski) just to mix it up. Put it all together and you've got a rockin' time that covers the last few decades without missing a beat!



- The BlueBeat Crew

Make My Funk The P-Funk! 07/16/08

The story of Parliament-Funkedelic starts in New Jersey, with the formation of the Parliaments, a doo-wop group that struggled along until breaking big in 1968 with a soul hit 'I Wanna Testify'.
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A Parliafunkadelicment Thang

Later absorbing the sounds of the long-haired hippies (sharing stages with Detroit-area garage rockers like MC5), they "turned on" and morphed into the black acid-rock aggregation
Funkadelic. With the addition of bassist Bootsy Collins and horn men Maceo and Fred (who had just quit as long-time sidemen to James Brown), they revived the Parliament moniker and brought
the funk to a whole 'nother level.

With disco hits in the 70s like 'Flashlight' and 'One Nation Under A Groove', and into the 80s with George Clinton's 'Atomic Dog', their popularity has never waned with their die-hard fans. In the late 80s, they enjoyed a new wave of success thanks to the hip-hop artists, from De La Soul to Dr. Dre, who sampled their grooves.

Put a dip in your hip, a glide in your stride, get on the mothership and take a ride with A Parliafunkadelicment Thang from BlueBeat user greenbongo.

Some prominent members of the P-Funk Family:
George Clinton
Maceo Parker
Bootsy Collins
Bernie Worrell
Eddie Hazel

- The BlueBeat Crew

Cool, Calm, Collection: Musical Therapy For The Frazzled 07/10/08

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Calming The Nerves

What better way to unwind at the end of the day than with some relaxing music? BlueBeat user goofygirl has the answer with the new
Calming The Nerves DJ Crate.

Contemporary folk artists The Duhks and Nickel Creek meet singer-songwriters Melissa Etheridge and Shawn Colvin, with a dash of Windham Hill's George Winston
and William Ackerman in this soothing collection. Kick your shoes off, crank up the 'ol PC and picture yourself on a deserted island...



- The BlueBeat Crew

London Calling! Be The DJ Comes to the UK! 07/02/08

We are excited to announce that BlueBeat has secured the proper licensing to bring our popular Be The DJ across the Pond, to our good friends in the UK! Now they, too can make their own programs, to be streamed and enjoyed throughout the globe with the rest of our user-created DJ Crates!



- The BlueBeat Crew

Compendium of Carlin 06/25/08

George Carlin passed away Sunday, June 21st
at age 71. A comedy icon, Carlin evolved from a button-down stand-up telling jokes into a modern truth-teller who was always able to "tell it like it is".
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Tribute to George Carlin

His comedy hinged on pointing out the absurd contradictions in our world, particularly regarding the use of language. Comedians Mort Sahl and Lenny Bruce
pioneered the concept of stand-up as straight social commentary (as opposed to jokes, where any message is often more obscured).
Stand Up Or Shut Up
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Carlin followed their lead, but he was not an Outsider; part of his appeal was as an everyday guy (albeit with a razor sharp wit).
Comedy
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Today, legions of comedians from Chris Rock to Jerry Seinfeld owe a huge debt to Carlin's style of "observational humor". BlueBeat user alteredegoes has put together a DJ Crate of Carlin (and a few others), George Carlin. We'll miss George, but we know that wherever he is now, he's probably already got something to say about it.

Also be sure to check out The Time Machine's huge Comedy program, as well as the hilarious Killer Playlist Stand Up Or Shut Up

Links to some of George Carlin's career highlights:
13 HBO Specials
"Rufus" from "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"
Brain Droppings (book)
Seven Dirty Words
Shining Time Station (kid's TV Show)
The Eleventh Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
1975 SNL premiere

- Jeff Thornton

So Much Music, So Little Time... 06/20/08

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New Arrivals!

There's so much great music happening, sometimes it's a difficult to keep up on all the new stuff! As usual, a myriad of fresh titles have been added to New Arrivals, a DJ Crate that can help you navigate through the tidal wave of new releases available.

Let's start with Daniel Lanois, who began as a producer working with a variety of artists (including Raffi) before making his mark with a distinctive atmospheric sound on 80s albums with U2,
Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel. His latest work as a recording artist is similarly slow and moody, working as a fine complement to Barry Adamson (of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds fame), whose music incorporates soundtrack influences to create Alternative Rock with a film-noir vibe. Film soundtracks are also a key element of The Cinematic Orchestra's music, and their new Live At Royal Albert Hall is featured here.

If you're more in the mood for rocking out, the new Foxboro Hot Tubs may do the trick. Never heard of 'em? It's an open secret
that they are in fact Green Day doing a garage rock side-project, Stop Drop And Roll!!!.

Alternative meets the world on the new release from Firewater, with influences absorbed while recording in Israel and India, and Local H returns with their new 12 Angry Months.

Electronica and House fans aren't left out here: listen in for new CDs from Sascha Funke, Junkie Xl, and Junior Boys.

Sure, there's always an intimidating profusion of new things happening in music, but the New Arrivals Bin continues to give you the cream of the crop!

More New Arrivals:

- Jeff Thornton

Crate Digging Made Easy 06/12/08

You can find them lurking in the corner thrift store or searching online -- the fearless Cratediggers are intrepid souls, always on the lookout for those old dusty vinyl records. It's a dirty job, and if they have what it takes, they might track down the original vinyl copies of the lost classics. But you don't have to get your hands dirty: here at BlueBeat you can search through our extensive digital archives to dig out all kinds of rare music!


In tribute to the Indiana Joneses of record collectors, user Alteredegoes gives us Cratedigger's Classics, full of lost treasures like Coke, some funky Latin
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Cratedigger's Classics

Rock from Florida, and Seriously Deep, one of the oft-sampled albums from the Capitol Records producer-turned-recording artist David Axelrod. There's a little on the newer side as well, with Estelle, coming out of the UK with some soul and reggae sounds.

Finding new music (and old) has never been easier- just click your mouse!

- Jeff Thornton

Adults Only (A.K.A.: A Rose By Any Other Name...) 06/05/08

If you like true Soul and R&B music, you may feel a little left out when you turn on the radio.
Often it all seems geared towards kids, even when the lyrics are about getting down "in da club". What ever happened to Urban radio? Here's one great solution: BlueBeat user Kendra carefully combined some of the best Contemporary R&B and Neo-Soul artists into a new DJ Crate, Kendra's Music. The artists in this program have been setting the standard for current Soul, from the better-known (Anthony Hamilton, Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige) to the lesser-knowns who really
deserve some shine like Ledisi,
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Kendra's Music

Emily King, and Lizz Wright. These days, a lot of folks call this music Grown & Sexy, but by any name, it's got Soul with a capital "S".

Speaking of names, what's with this boring Crate title, Kendra? Such a great Crate is deserving of a great name. Ah well, a rose by any other name still sounds as sweet...

Some more artists to explore from Kendra's Music:
Vivian Green
Donell Jones
Chrisette Michele
Raheem DeVaughn
Heather Headley
Jaheim

- Jeff Thornton

Something Borrowed, Something Blue 05/30/08

Folk and blues tunes provided a solid foundation for the classic rock bands of the 60s and 70s to draw from. Many tunes like "Midnight Special" got picked up by the British blues bands, and Led Zeppelin in particular has earned a reputation for "borrowing" (without giving credit) tunes from folks like Willie Dixon (well, to be fair, they gave him credit- after he sued)! Just check out
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Which Came First?

Muddy Waters doing "You Need Love", aka "Whole Lotta Love" by Zep. Which Came First? DJ Crate draws a straight line from Leadbelly through Howlin' Wolf to Jimi Hendrix.
Once again, these "standards" are songs that truly stand the test of time, and are always ripe for a new interpretation.

Early Blues and Folk Songs meet the Rock World:
Crossroad Blues from The Complete Recordings by Robert Johnson
House of the Rising Sun from Bob Dylan
Shake 'em on Down from Shake 'Em On Down (Catfish) by Bukka White
Dust My Broom from Whose Muddy Shoes by Elmore James
Hound Dog from Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden
Another Man Done Gone from Sings Ballads And Blues by Odetta
Goodnight Irene from Goodnight Irene by Leadbelly

- Jeff Thornton

Bursting With Juicy New Releases 05/27/08

There are some more new titles folks should hear. First up: Santogold, an artist from the U.S. who comes out of fronting a punk band, with a new CD that many compare to UK artists like M.I.A. (because the musical influences come from all over the place). It's a hot record.
Also new is the long-anticipated Third from Portishead, a band that spawned legions of imitators with their blend of trip-hop, soundtracks, dub, and the dark vocals of Beth Gibbons back in the mid-90s. This is a worthy follow-up to their previous work, no matter how long we've had to wait for it. In a similar moody vein, Barry Adamson has charted his own path with a sound informed by
film soundtracks, rockabilly, and everything else he likes, all on one album! His new release Back To The Cat is the culmination
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New Arrivals!

of his efforts. Steve Winwood had almost fallen off my radar since his big Adult Contemporary hits of the 80s (I've always preferred the Traffic-era jams), but his new album Nine Lives is a return the the roots, with the feel of his early 70s stuff. He did something similar on his well-received 2003 album About Time,
also worth a listen. A sampling of these albums makes up the new DJ Crate New Arrivals, an easy & ideal way to hear all the best new releases. You should be warned that it also has Flight Of The Conchords, which could lead to dangerous laughter. Those crazy guys...

Other new titles of note:
Boo! by Was (Not Was)
Best Of Pablo Solo Masterpieces by Art Tatum
Lyfe Change by Lyfe Jennings
Maths And English by Dizzee Rascal

- Jeff Thornton

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