The Art of the Mix CD–What are your rules?

“The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you gotta take it up a notch, but you don’t want to blow your wad, so then you have to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules.”
- Rob Gordon (played by John Cusack) in “High Fidelity“

Ever since I left my 80GB iPod on the plane coming back from Myrtle Beach a few months ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about going back to making mix CDs, like I did back in the days before there was such a thing as an iPod. (And let’s be honest, I did make mix tapes, and talk about an arduous process, and thank god those days are over.)

My iPod Touch has 8GB, but I leave it open for Podcasts (like Adam Carolla, Doug Benson’s “I Love Movies” and “Real Time with Bill Maher”) and some music, but I mostly use it for work- or social-media related activities. In fact, it’s pretty much how I stay on top of Twitter (@scottcohen13 and @scottwritesall for those of you interested).

Listening to those mixes reminded me of one of my favorite movies, “High Fidelity.” The movie begins with the classic lines:

“What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent video games, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery, and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?“

(If you haven’t seen it, go rent it now. It’s hilarious. It has Jack Black right before he hit it huge. It’s a romantic comedy that’s more for guys. And yes, I’ve read the book. Nick Hornby’s books are awesome. I read “About a Boy” before it became a movie. I’m like that.)

So that being said, I remember being able to make amazing mixes back in my late high school/early college days. And then I remembered something else about why they were so good: I was a sad, lonely bastard. I wrote a symphony channeling that ennui; I created mixes that had beautiful beginnings, transitions between songs, and endings.

On that note, let’s talk about what I try (tried) to do with my mixes:

1. I try to start the mix off with a piece that has a slow build. Create some sort of anticipation. Much like my music background and love for Ravel’s Bolero (look it up, it’s classical music) would dictate, the slow build is what I’m all about. Brings people in if they’re patient. If they’re not patient for mixes at least the first time, I want nothing to do with it. (This coming from a man who my wife will tell you never stays on a radio station very long unless Journey, Midnight Oil, or Gin Blossoms comes on… yes, weird. Don’t ask. Seriously.)

2. I think deeply about the transitions between songs. I like for songs to have some sort of smooth flow between each other. For example, I’m a big Coldplay fan (yes, shoot me, whatever. I think their second album “Rush of Cold Blood to the Head” is the best one of the four they’ve had because, in my opinion, the first six tracks play like movements in a symphony. The transition between them is nearly perfect in my head, between the tonality, the pace, and the messages in each song. (Yes, I was a music major when I started college–and Les Miserable is my all-time favorite musical/opera.)

3. I always try to bring in different eras of music, finding a common thread between them. If you listen hard enough, it’s really not that difficult. That’s why I have mixes that boast the musical cocktails on Christopher Cross, REM, Peter Gabriel, Augustana, Alabama 3, and the Alan Parsons Project. (Yes, I think I pulled it off.)

4. The last song on the CD needs to be the one that reminds you of what the rest of the CD gave you. Or provides a powerful message that screams that it is the end of the disc. For example, one of my favorite songs of all time is “Nothing Really Ends” by dEUS. It ends three of my mixes. (Yeah, I need to branch out a bit.) And my favorite lyric: “I once told a friend that nothing really ends, no one can prove it.” Pretty awesome. And a great way to end a mix.

Well there you have it. So as not to bore you anymore on my mixology diatribe, I’ll bring to a close with a question:

What are your rules for a mix CD?

I’d really like to know.

Tagged as: alabama 3, alan parsons project, augustana, christopher cross, coldplay, deus, high fidelity, ipod, jack black, john cusack, mix cds, music, peter gabriel, REM