The Mixed Tape

I just made two mixed tapes instead of reading for my Race and Violence class. Why? Because I am a horrible procrastinator. But also, because Mixed tapes are brilliant! They help you to say what you would want to if you could only find the words. To me they say "this is what I would be telling you if we were in a movie and I was playing guitar outside your window". A mixed tape can be the difference between a happy day or a sad day, a friend lost or a romance beginning.

And they are so much fun to make. The gift that just keeps on giving. I have recieved mixed tapes and then forgotten about them only to find months later that they were the best pieces of music I would ever hear. Mixed tapes can be meaningful and they can just be a bunch of really awesome songs. (You should make sure the reciever knows which! otherwise "i love you" songs might just be interpreted the wrong way.) The great thing about mixed tapes is that you can have so many different songs on one incredible cd. The best cds I've recieved have been full of songs I have never heard of and subsequently come to love! Once you think you have an idea of someone's music style, mixed tapes give you reign to run with it, to pick songs like it or by the same band.

To me, making a mixed tape is a long and personal process. I don't just put a bunch of random songs on a cd, I usually have a theme or at least a concept of what I want to cd to say. I recieved a cd once which had a poem hidden in the lyrics of each song. When you wrote down the 4th or 17th or 21st line of the song and then put it together with the rest, it was a message. Yours don't have to be as complicated as this! I would say though, that there are some important things to keep in mind when making your cd.

The TITLE! All good mixed tapes have a wicked awesome title. One that is going to tell the reciever exactly what they are getting. I often choose a lyric or title of one of the songs in the mix.

The FIRST SONG! Very important! The first song sets the tone for the rest of the cd. It is also what will hook the listener in. I'm sure we are all guilty of listening to the first song of an album and thinking "oh this is rubbish I won't bother listening to the rest". Not good. You want to hook them in right from the start.

The TRACKLIST! Order is everything! This is going against everything I believe (aka messiness!) but the order of songs on a mixed tape matters. If you are hiding secret messages in your mix, this is obviously even more important. I would say, always listen to the cd you are making before you burn it, to make sure the tracks fit together nicely. I also often put the same "types" of song together. For example, slower acoustic tracks together and then getting heavier as the cd progresses. Obviously, whatever you think is best, depending on if/what you are trying to say.

The FINAL SONG! Again, got to be a killer. You want the listener to be thinking, "man that was an awesome cd" by the end, not "it was ok in the middle but kinda ended crappy". I sometimes put one of my favourite songs at the end. However, you do run the risk of having it listened to less. Your call!

The COVER ART! Sure sometimes it's fine to give a cd in a plastic case of an old cd you just pulled the cover out of. But why not go all out? DEFINITELY make a tracklist and stick it somewhere inside the cover. There is nothing more annoying than not knowing what you're listening to! But you could make a front cover. Cut and stick pictures from magazines. I even made a whole booklet once. It becomes a real project, but when you're giving a mixed tape instead of a bought present then it shows you have put love, time and energy into it!

Ideas for themes: you probably have a fair idea of what you want your mixed cd to say, why your making it, who it's for, but here a few of my suggestions...

* Classics! I said earlier that mixed tapes often have new music on them, well this is true, but some of the best are filled with "memory songs". Ones that you (and the person recieving the cd) love.

* Love! Duh. There are about 10 million love songs out there. But pick the right ones. What genre? Which artist? LISTEN TO THE LYRICS. Lyrics can be soooo important. Sometimes it's beautiful music, but more often than not, the lyrics that you are hearing actually mean something. Especially, if it's a cd of love!

* New music. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

*Road trip cds! My favourite. Literally put on whatever is going to make the time pass more quickly. And that everyone can sing along to.

I recently made cds about: the future, change, missing someone, girl power, being happy, birthday, autumn...i also just finished one for my friend Christine which just has music I know she will love on it. Even if it doesn't have a specific theme, a mixed tape will let someone know you are thinking about them. The more effort you put in, the more it will show, and the more likely you are to get one back! And that's the point right? Sharing beautiful music. So go. Make. Listen. Love. Be happy!

(I also found this Colt 45 comic strip about mixed tapes. It's pretty awesome!)