M Is FOR MASHUP - February 15th, 2012
U Z O : 17 New DJ Useo Mashups Album
By DJ Useo
Hey HEY! It's really happening! Yes, there'll be one new mashup album from me every month this year. It took a good bit of anticipatory planning, but to me it's all worth it. The first new Useo album was last month's '
FRIKKENFRACK 5 : Useo's Strangest Mashups'
( suprmchaos.com/bcEnt-Wed-012512.index.html ). I'm still reeling from the positive praise I heard from many. I didn't expect that. Download numbers are always high, but comments, especially glowing ones are generally scarce. Normally, when I hear the word 'genius' thrown around, I think of Wile E. Coyote, super-genius, not me. Lol. But I really did get feedback of that nature. Keep in mind FRIKKENFRACK was super-weird mashups using artists like Arthur Godfrey, the Cramps & Ken Nordine.
Now I offer you 'U Z O :17 New Mashups'. It's very much in the vein of my last 'normal' mashup album 'Mashups For Cool Cats'. I followed the same general formula of employing artists & tunes that most music-appreciating fans will know. I also did the same thing as usual & made way more tracks than I needed. It's a real treat for me to sit down with some of my fan club, 'the Useoettes' & hash out which tracks get used. It seemed more difficult than usual this time, since all the tracks got thumbs up initially. After 3 rounds of track removal, we eventually whittled them down to one lone disc's worth. Among the tracks that got bumped were Fleetwood Mac vs Duran Duran, Paul McCartney And Wings vs Foreigner, & Adam Ant vs Kraftwerk.
The 17 new tracks appearing on 'U Z O' are all huge faves of mine, that I'm pleased as punch to've mixed. I think it'd be appropriate to show you the full playlist, as my blog doesn't have that printed list.
01 - Dare You To Roam (The B-52s vs Switchfoot)
02 - Apologize Cars (One Republic vs Dave Clarke)
03 - That Laughing Mashup (Praga Khan vs Crookers)
04 - Square Isolation (Elvis Presley vs Joy Division)
05 - Realm Of Bruce (Adam Ant vs Bassomatic)(2011 Remix)
06 - Hott Mercy Street (Peter Gabriel vs Kid Rock)
07 - No More Mr Nice Button (The White Stripes vs Alice Cooper)
08 - Break On Through Boxer (The Doors vs Simon & Garfunkel)
09 - The Invasion I Love (R.E.M. vs Adam & The Ants)
10 - Loaded Rebel (Public Enemy vs Primal Scream)
11 - Here Comes Your Man Burning For You (Blue Oyster Cult vs The Pixies)
12 - Digging In No Rain (Blind Melon vs Peter Gabriel)
13 - Take A Day In The Life Back (The Beatles vs Pink Floyd)
14 - Pour Some Ice Queen On Me (Def Leppard vs The Stranglers)
15 - Me I Disconnect From Yoko (3on4 vs Sukia)
16 - Club Thieves Like Us Bang (Usher vs New Order vs Brainrock)
17 - Riders On The Santeria (Sublime vs The Doors)
I gave it my best to keep each track engaging enough that y'all could keep listening without any crappy, filler tracks. I made sure to have at least a couple with Adam Ant, as I really like him. Most of my recent regular albums features a Beatles vs Pink Floyd mashup, as they always go over extremely well. The Pixies vs BOC one, the Simon & Garfunkel vs Doors one & the White Stripes vs Alice Cooper one all got superb pre-release word-of-mouth. I actually made the 3on4 vs Sukia track at the request of 3on4 themselves. I loved their Yoko track & was pleased they liked my mix of it. Yup, I gave it my best try to ensure a totally satisfactory, normal mashup experience for y'all. I thought I'd succeeded, but even though one fan told me he loved the collection, he didn't think it was 'normal'. Maybe I will never make normal mashups, but it's good to know they like them anyway.
I posted multiple mirror links for the full zip file & also a page of the single tracks, if you don't want them all. So check it out. Almost every single interested person went for the full file. Barely 3 people bothered with the single tracks. I found that immensely satisfying. There's a lot of great bootleg, mashup material available currently, as you'll know if you read
last weeks column with 6 complete mashup albums
( suprmchaos.com/bcEnt-Wed-020812.index.html ) , & it appears I'm accepted among my peers so I'm happy as a clam! Get my new album 'U Z O'
here
( www.groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/02/u-z-o-album.html )
If you want more of my albums, go here
( djuseomashupalbums.blogspot.com/ )
Podcast Of The Week
It might be hard to pronounce oTschEn 's name, but you won't experience any problems enjoying his splendid mashup podcast.' MASH-UP-MIX' Is now up to episode '?'. Every show features great mashup selection mixed into one long uninterrupted track. No host, no promos, no hecklers. Hear for yourself why I consider to be a welcome addition to the mashup podcast community.' MASH-UP-MIX-FEBRUARY (2012)' is available with many previous shows
here
( otschen.blogsport.de/ )
&
here
( otschen.official.fm/ )
Mashup Tip : Mixedinkey is a splendid program for determining pitching, beats per minute & more. It aint free, but it's worth paying for.
( www.mixedinkey.com/ )
Latest Useo Thing
'The Last Dance Of Mr. Brightside' (The Killers vs The Raveonettes) was originally intended to be on my new album 'U Z O', but I couldn't wait to release it because I loved it so much. Well, surprise, SURPRISE, so did the tons of you who heard it. It did about 4 times as well as any of already popular other recent tracks. It even made the front page of the MASHSTIX forum through sheer popularity. It's gorgeous, & energetic, combining elements from both tracks beyond simple instrumental & acapella. Listen for extra elements like keyboard & guitar, mostly from the Raveonettes, who are far & away one of my favorite current bands.
Hear it here
( www.groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/01/last-dance-of-mr-brightside-killers-vs.html )
Podgornio, The Mashup Psychic Predicts
Whitney Houston will send a message to us from beyond the grave demanding we cut out the excessive amount of Whitney tribute mashups. I miss ya Whitney.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Severe Conservative Syndrome (New York Times)
Mitt Romney has a gift for words - self-destructive words. On Friday he did it again, telling the Conservative Political Action Conference that he was a "severely conservative governor."
Sabrina Rubin Erdely: One Town's War on Gay Teens (Rolling Stone)
In Michele Bachmann's home district, evangelicals have created an extreme anti-gay climate. After a rash of suicides, the kids are fighting back.
Charlie Brooker: The true value of money - or why you can't fart a crashing plane back into the sky (Guardian)
Banknotes aren't worth the paper they're printed on. The entire economy relies on the suspension of disbelief.
Ask Pastor Paul: Answering Questions About the Afterlife (Huffington Post)
Dear Pastor Paul, When I was 8 years old I was taught two things in the same week that have forever baffled me. The first was that accepting Jesus was the only path to heaven; and the second was that there were a billion people in China who had never heard the name Jesus and would never have a chance to hear that name.
John Henley: Why willpower matters - and how to get it (Guardian)
Willpower is a mental muscle that you can train. Those who do so are more likely to lead happy and successful lives.
Richard Lederer: Four Cheers Five Victor Borge
The Comedian of the Keyboard, also known as The Unmelancholy Dane, exited the earthly stage December 23rd, 2000. Victor Borge, the irrepressible musical humorist, didn't quite make it into the true third millennium, but he lived almost 92 very full years and performed more than a 100 nights a year right up until the spotlight winked out.
A Dopey move? Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fan gets ENTIRE CAST of Disney film tattooed on her back (Daily Mail)
A Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fan has paid the ultimate tribute to her favourite film - by having the entire cast of characters etched on her skin.
Jennifer Lewis: A Collection of Incredible Matchstick Art (Flavorwire)
Have you ever held a kitchen match and thought, "Why make fire when I could make Hogwarts?" Yeah, we haven't either. Does that make us pyromaniacs? Possibly, but let's take a minute to admire the special few who view tiny flammable sticks as art supplies for elaborate creations. Some matchstick artists devote years to building a single structure, using hundreds of thousands of matches along the way. Pretty cool, eh?
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
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answered:
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Kinda overcast, but no rain.
Fans Break Guinness Record
"Simpsons"
Even Comic Book Guy would have to be impressed with this show of support by two "Simpsons" fans: Jeremiah Franco and Carin Shreve have set a new Guinness World Record for longest continuous television viewing by watching 86 hours and 37 minutes of the Fox 'toon.
The marathon viewing session was sponsored by the network in honor of the 500th episode of "The Simpsons," which airs on Fox Sunday night.
Franco and Shreve, both from California, each won $10,500 and loads of "Simpsons" swag for their dedicated couch surfing session.
The 500th episode of "The Simpsons," titled "At Long Last Leave," finds the Simpson family kicked out of Springfield when their fellow residents finally get fed up with their shenanigans. They hook up with an off-the-grid community outside of town, and when Marge and Homer try to sneak back into Springfield, the less-than-friendly reaction from their old neighbors has them appreciating their new 'hood even more.
"Simpsons"
Comedy Central Renews
"Key & Peele"
The sketch-comedy series "Key & Peele" has earned a second season from Comedy Central two weeks after its premiere, the network said Tuesday. The 10-episode second season will debut in the fall.
The series, which is created by and stars "MADtv" veterans Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, drew 2.1 million total viewers on its January 31 premiere. That's Comedy Central's best launch since the 2009 debut of "The Jeff Dunham Show."
The "Key & Peele" premiere performed particularly well in the men 18-34 and men 18-24 demographics, earning a 2.6 and 3.3 in the demos respectively and earning the top spot in its timeslot in those demos.
The sketch-comedy offering draws on Key and Peele's "shared background and experiences growing up biracial in a not quite post-racial world," according to Comedy Central.
"Key & Peele"
Legendary Apache Warrior Exhibit
Geronimo
The story of a legendary Apache warrior who is said to have walked without leaving footprints as he evaded thousands of Mexican and U.S. soldiers easily overshadows that of other Apaches who were trying to protect their people and way of life from encroachment.
But a new exhibit at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, "Beyond Geronimo: The Apache Experience," draws on that warrior's fame while also exploring less familiar stories of other Apaches. The exhibit runs through January.
The story of Geronimo, who was born in 1829 and came to be seen as a freedom fighter, still stirs emotions. He evaded capture repeatedly but eventually surrendered to U.S. authorities and died in 1909 as a prisoner of war, but he endures as a symbol of American Indian resistance with a fierce fighting style. His image is portrayed in everything from souvenir spoons, dime novels, T-shirts and postcards, to board games and movies.
The exhibit isn't all weapons and military history. Visitors will see that Geronimo also was a family man and a showman who capitalized on his name recognition. He was permitted to make public appearances, selling the buttons off his shirt at train stops where people gathered to see Apaches, and autographed postcards, bows and other items at parades and the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
Geronimo
Sotheby's Finds Hidden Signature
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Thirty years ago, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat secretly signed one of his paintings in invisible ink, says Sotheby's auction house, which discovered the hidden autograph as it was preparing the painting for sale.
Sotheby's experts uncovered the secret this month as they were examining "Orange Sports Figure," which goes on sale Wednesday. The vibrant image of an abstract crowned figure is estimated to be worth between 3 million pounds and 4 million pounds ($4.7 million and $6.3 million).
Basquiat, a graffiti artist who became a 1980s art star, signed relatively few of his canvasses. But Sotheby's said ultraviolet light revealed the artist's name and the date 1982 beneath the work's layers of acrylic and spray paint.
"The signature just popped out," Cheyenne Westphal, head of contemporary art at Sotheby's Europe, said Tuesday.
She said staff were initially "surprised, astonished and puzzled" by the signature, which appears to have been written in the type of pen used to mark banknotes.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Oliver Stone's Son Converts
Sean Stone
Sean Stone, the son of Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone and a defender of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, converted to Islam on Tuesday while filming a documentary in Iran, he told Agence France Presse.
"The conversion to Islam is not abandoning Christianity or Judaism, which I was born with. It means I have accepted Mohammad and other prophets," Stone, whose famous father is Jewish and mother is Christian, told AFP. He underwent the ceremony in the city of Isfahan.
The 27-year-old did not say why he converted. Iran's Fars news agency said he had become a Shiite and taken the Muslim first name Ali.
Stone, who studied history at Princeton, has launched a co-production company to make movies based on Iranian history and culture. He said in September that he wants to make films in Iran, "because they're the biggest filmmakers in the Middle East, I'm very international-minded."
Sean Stone
Settles Bias Case
James Mee
The deputy who arrested Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson for drunken driving and later claimed he suffered religious discrimination at work settled his lawsuit Tuesday against the Sheriff's Department.
Attorneys for James Mee said a $50,000 settlement was reached and must be approved by a county claims board. A trial scheduled to begin this week was canceled.
Mee, who is Jewish, claimed his superiors discriminated against him after arresting Gibson in 2006. Gibson had appeared in a public service announcement while building close relations with the department.
Sheriff Lee Baca's spokesman Steve Whitmore said the department acknowledged no wrongdoing in the settlement.
James Mee
Sues Capitol Records Over Royalties
Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers is suing Capitol Records, claiming the company has not properly paid him for digital downloads, ringtones and other uses of his songs.
Rogers in the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Nashville is seeking a declaration that under his contract, he is owed 50 percent of net royalties for the licensing of his master recordings to third-parties like iTunes and Verizon Wireless. Rogers' hits include "The Gambler" and "Lady."
The lawsuit states that Rogers began an audit of Capitol's books back in 2007 and was engaged in fruitless settlement negotiations with the company for about three years before suing.
Rogers, who lives in Atlanta but maintains offices in Nashville, claims the company owes him at least $400,000. He said he does not know the total amount because Capitol has withheld some financial records.
Kenny Rogers
Wants $3 Million Gift Back
Ray Charles Foundation
The Ray Charles Foundation is demanding the return of a $3 million gift given to Albany State University a decade ago because the organization says the college has yet to use the money to build a performing arts center in the late artist's name.
In 2001, Charles gave the south Georgia school $1 million and donated another $2 million a year later after receiving an honorary doctorate from the college. The native of Albany, Ga., died in 2004 at age 73.
The money was given solely for the construction of the performing arts center, yet it only exists "on the drawing board and in an unapproved downsized plan," the foundation said in a statement.
Charles was specific on how the money was to be spent, said foundation president Valerie Ervin.
Albany State University spokesman Demetrius Love said the gift was never restricted and that the school continues to pursue additional funding for the building, which is expected to cost at least $23 million.
Ray Charles Foundation
Pandering To The Right
Afghanistan
An Afghan government request that female television presenters don headscarves and avoid heavy make-up angered journalists on Tuesday, who said the move was proof authorities expected the Taliban to regain a share of power.
Afghan and U.S. officials have been seeking peace negotiations with the Islamist group ousted over a decade ago as a means to ensure stability after foreign combat troops leave, though the talks are in a very fragile state.
In a letter distributed to media, the Ministry of Culture and Information said it had received complaints from members of parliament and families that female news presenters were not observing Islamic and cultural ethics.
"All female news presenters must avoid heavy make-up and wear a headscarf," Minister Sayed Makhdoom Rahin told Reuters by telephone, adding this applied to state and private TV stations.
The ministry's plea came as a surprise to some Afghan media. All female anchors appear with their heads covered, sparking suggestions the directive was designed to impress the Taliban by pandering to their ultra-conservative views.
Afghanistan
WikiLeaks-Style Scandal
Vatican't
The Vatican is having its own version of the WikiLeaks scandals that have hit the United States, spokesman Federico Lombardi has said following a recent rash of leaks to the Italian press.
Newspapers have published letters by a whistleblower alleging rampant corruption in the Vatican, as well as accusing the Vatican bank of failing to enforce laws against money laundering.
Observers have said the leaks are evidence of an internal power struggle in the Vatican, particularly against Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone.
Asked later Tuesday about persistent rumours that the pope could resign, Lombardi said: "If this issue is ever seriously broached, we will discuss it. For now there is nothing serious and therefore nothing to say."
Vatican't
New In Vegas
Mob Museum
In one room, a ghastly photo wall of bloody, uncensored images showcases the mob's greatest hits.
In another, visitors are taught to load a revolver. And for when a gun just won't do, an oddball collection of household items - a shovel, a hammer, a baseball bat and an icepick - show the creative side of some of America's most notorious killers.
On the 83rd anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Sin City is honoring one of its earliest relationships with the grand opening of a museum dedicated to the mobsters that made this desert town. There are tommy guns, money stacks and a bullet-riddled brick wall from the 1929 massacre that saw Al Capone seize control of the Chicago mob.
Las Vegas has long been enamored with its gangster roots. Its longtime former mayor played himself in the mob flick "Casino" and hotels here often promote their nefarious origins. But the publicly funded, $42 million Mob Museum represents a new height in Sin City's lawlessness devotion. Even the local FBI agents are in on it.
It's the second mob-themed attraction to open in Las Vegas in the past year. The Mob Experience at the Tropicana casino on the Las Vegas Strip quickly shut down because of slow ticket sales and other problems. It's slated to reopen later this year under the name Mob Attraction Las Vegas.
Mob Museum
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Feb. 6-12. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "Grammy Awards," CBS, 39.91 million.
2. "NCIS," CBS, 20.98 million.
3. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 19.33 million.
4. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 18.13 million.
5. "The Voice," NBC, 17.84 million.
6. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 16.27 million.
7. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 16.21 million.
8. "Person of Interest," CBS, 15.14 million.
9. "The Mentalist," CBS, 14.68 million.
10. "60 Minutes," CBS, 14.25 million.
11. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 13.31 million.
12. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 13 million.
13. "Modern Family," ABC, 12.9 million.
14. "Unforgettable," CBS, 11.86 million.
15. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 11.82 million.
16. "2 Broke Girls," CBS, 11.47 million.
17. "Smash," NBC, 11.44 million.
18. "Mike & Molly," CBS, 10.95 million.
19. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 10.88 million.
20. "Rob," CBS, 10.74 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Dory Previn Shannon
Dory Previn Shannon, who helped pen the score for the film "Valley of the Dolls" and the theme for "Last Tango in Paris," has died. She was 86.
According to her husband, Joby Baker, Previn Shannon died Tuesday of natural causes at her farm in Southfield, Mass.
She earned Oscar nominations in the 1960s for writing lyrics alongside Andre Previn's music for the films "Pepe" and "Two for the Seesaw." She and Previn were married from 1959 to 1970.
She won an Emmy Award in 1984 for co-writing the theme song for the TV show "Two of a Kind."
She sang at Carnegie Hall, wrote a libretto for Mozart's opera "The Impresario" and recorded many albums, including "Reflections in a Mud Puddle" and "Mythical Kings and Iguanas".
Dory Previn Shannon
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