Mix Tape Friday: Finest Worksongs
We have a long set this week to keep your toe tappin’ during the holiday weekend — and, in honor of Labor Day, it’s all about work.
R.E.M.: Finest Worksong
Elvis Costello: Welcome to the Working Week
Bruce Springsteen: Working on the Highway
Donna Summer: She Works Hard for the Money
The Members: Working Girl
Julian Cope: Five O'Clock World
Michael Jackson: Workin' Day and Night
DEVO: Working in the Coal Mine
King Missile: Take Stuff from Work
Johnny Paycheck: Take This Job and Shove It
Alex Chilton: Lost My Job
Cate Brothers: Union Man
Billy Bragg: There Is Power in a Union
Bob Dylan: Workingman's Blues #2
The Clash: Working and Waiting
The Replacements: God Damn Job *
eels: All in a Day's Work
Warren Zevon: The Factory
Patti Smith feat. Tom Verlaine + Richard Hell: Piss Factory
R.E.M.: Oddfellows Local 151
New Order: Working Overtime
Uncle Tupelo: Factory Belt
P.J. Harvey: Working for the Man
Ministry: Work for Love
NRBQ: Whistle While You Work
Nellie McKay: Work Song
Pernice Brothers: Working Girls (Sunlight Shines)
John Lennon: Working Class Hero
Randy Newman: Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)
Richard Thompson: Friday on My Mind
Loverboy: Working for the Weekend
Stan Ridgway: I Wanna Be a Boss
Detroit Cobras: Boss Lady
James Brown: The Boss
Elvis Presley: Big Boss Man
Snoop Dogg: Da Boss Would Like to See You
* UPDATE: Because I strive to keep Haahnster and Pistols at Dawn musically happy, I searched high and low, finally tracking down the 'Mats track ... God Damn!
Warren Zevon wins the prize for the best work crew: R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry — and Bob Dylan on harmonica — on "The Factory." How Dylan ended up playing on this track is included in the Zevon bio, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.
A very close second for best work crew: Patti Smith, of course, with Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell. My deep, loyal love for all things R.E.M. and Zevon edged out this hardworking, beyond-cool team.
The hardest-working man in rock 'n' roll, the late James Brown, also makes an appearance on Finest Worksongs.
This week marks the first hair band appearance on Mix Tape Fridays: Loverboy. This is one of the very few hair-band songs I like. Somewhere I have this on 45, stashed way back in a box with my Def Leppard “Photograph” and AC/DC “All Night Long” singles.
Have a great Labor Day weekend, kids! If you’re in the Atlanta area, look me up at the Decatur Book Festival.
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Labels: dedicated to the Northwest Doppelganger, finest worksongs, mix tape, MP3 links are for sampling only and are disabled after two weeks, you were expecting another name for this tape?
posted by Cup @ 12:01 AM
35 comments
35 Comments:
I need a goddamn job/I need a goddamn job/I really need a goddamn job...Goddamn it...Goddamn it...Goddamn!!!
The 'Mats didn't make the cut?!
I thought just us Chicago folks knew the old Ministry. Damn girl, you get around.
Great mix!
What was that one song..."Birth, School, Work, Death." Hell if I can remember that band's name who sang it.
I hate (HATE,HATE,HATE) picking up songs I would put on your list Beth - but also know you love 'em too:
Roy Orbison - Working For The Man
and had you been a student of Oz Rock, I would have insisted/expected:
Jimmy Barnes - Working Class Man (you may remember it as the closing song to the movie "Gung Ho". Or not.)
and Da Boss has so many working songs but two favourites of mine are "Facotry" and "Seeds", although the latter is maybe an unemployment song as much as anything else...
omg! 'work for love'!!!!!
i haven't heard that since i wore shredded fishnets on my arms!
Fitting I should see this just before heading for work. They'll be more fun to hear around 4 pm. There are several I don't know so thanks for the ongoing education Beth.
Excellent set! A couple more I thought of: "Blue Collar Man" by Styx and "Car Wash" by Rose Royce.
"Photograph," despite its less than awesome origins, is an excellent song.
Also, I would have possibly gone with Mr. Bragg's "St. Monday," so I could say, "I'm not workin' on a Monday," since it would have been Labor Day thematic as well.
I started reading the list and thought "Johnny Paycheck should be here". Check.
Then you blew me away by including Loverboy. Any Canadian old enough to be listening to the radio in 1981 when this came out can't help but remember that intro: the cowbell and then that snare that sounds like a large pane of glass being thrown off a 10-story building.
Great work !!!!
HAAHNSTER: I should have known you’d nail me for that oversight! I’ve searched everywhere for my Stink CD and MP3s, but couldn’t find them anywhere. And I can’t find the MP3 online … God damn! I hate leaving The ‘Mats out of any mix tape.
TENACIOUS S: The Beloved Ex was a big Ministry fan, so he got me up to speed on their earlier stuff. Plus, former drummer Bill Reiflin is now R.E.M.’s drummer. How could they escape my notice?
BECKEYE: Are you thinking of The Godfathers?
MOUNTJOY: I enjoy your suggestions. Roy’s “Working for the Man” made it through the first two rounds, but I cut it since the playlist ran so long. I tried to stick to one song per perfomer, and decided to go with the live Bruce track — but “Factory” nearly made it. Keep the suggestions coming!
BARISTA BRAT: I’ve been dancing at my desk all week to “Work for Love.”
DALE: Interested in the new songs you like — and hate.
BLOWING SHIT UP WITH GAS: I considered “Car Wash” — along with “Wichita Lineman” and “Temporary Secretary” — but decided to hold the job-specific songs for another day. And Styx? Well, not a huge fan, so I don’t have any of their MP3s.
PISTOLS AT DAWN: I wanted to throw the union stuff in their, so “There’s Power in a Union” was a no-brainer for me, thus taking the Bragg slot.
ANANDAMIDE: Thank you, sir. I think any mix tape that includes Patti Smith and The Clash, Johnny Paycheck and Snoop Dogg, Loverboy and Zevon is pretty darn good.
You forgot "Take This Job" and "Whoomp, There It is." You know, the version that says
Work that thing
(Work that thing)
Work that thing
(Work that thing)
Work it all around the room!
What, no Woody Guthrie? I'd've gone with "Talking Hard Work." But I didn't have that Billy Bragg track, so it's all good. I haven't listened to Ministry in many years, but I used to love one of their CDs that I can't even remember the title of anymore.
Cool mix!
I thought of the same song that Beckeye did. Love that album. I was working at a record store when it came out and we played the shit out of it. The follow up album "More Songs About Love And Hate" was also a huge record to me.
I was starting to get worried when I had scrolled down 3/4 of the way without seeing Loverboy... nice save.
WRITE PROCRASTINATOR: I tried to avoid working thangs and concentrated on working jobs. But now I'm workin' it all around the room.
SCRIVENER: I just wasn't in a Woody mood this week.
SHELLY: Thanks!
MICHAEL K: I don't have any of their stuff on MP3; may have to hunt some down this weekend.
BLOG PORTLAND: I hope you were wearing your headband and red leather pants as you typed that comment.
You've always got the best music Fridays!
You really should look up "Shove This Jay Oh Bee" by Biz Markee and Canibus -- from the Office Space soundtrack. It's a hip-hop remix of "Take this Job and Shove It" -- brilliant! My favorite to rock out to on the way home on a Friday!
One more comment: a question for Beth The Themed Mix Tape Expert. GTG is looking for suggestions for a "soundtrack" for Macbeth -- he suggested that we should start with Sympathy for the Devil, but I think that might be too cliche. Ideas?
I figured as much, you Wobbly. I was hoping it was just your enduring love for the Pattersons and their backing of Billy on said track.
And no Replacements "God Damn Job?" Okay, that song isn't very good, but they should be on every mix ever.
I was trying to second the initial comment...damn it for not noting that. "Well played, Haahnster," my comment would have ended, had I not clicked too quickly.
Beth, your tenacity is awe-inspiring.
That's a damn sweet collection of songs.
This is one of the most thorough themed mix tapes I have ever seen. To this I say "woo!"
eels! Rock on, Beth!
You are blowing me away here, Beth! I can't wait to listen to all the songs I don't know. And one thing you have to say for Loverboy, they weren't afraid to rock the cowbell.
BLUE BLANKET: I completely forgot about "Shove This Jay Oh Bee" — and I have it at home, dammit. Maybe next Labor Day weekend. I've been thinking about the Macbeth soundtrack and have some ideas; I'll think 'em through and let you know this weekend.
PISTOLS AT DAWN: This Wobbly wasted valuable office hours tracking down an MP3 of "God Damn Job," so you'd better appreciate the God Damn Job I did, doll.
ANONYMOUS: And you should just plain be ... well, I'll stop before I embarrass the others, shy boy.
HAAHNSTER: I blog to impress you, Haahnster.
SPLOTCHY: I like 'em. Sadly, I cut a bunch of great tunes due to my limited daily bandwidth on MyDataBus.
SCOTT: Woo away — and come back next Friday for another brilliant installment of Mix Tape Friday.
EVIL GENIUS: E is da man, isn't he!
BARBARA: Gotta love the cowbell. Let me know which new tunes you like.
what about Rudgren's "Bang a Drum" for the reference to beating a drum like it was the boss' head?? too vague?
The Godfathers. That's it.
Oh, what about putting RuPaul's "Supermodel" on there? You gotta work, work it girl...
nobody knows music like you, dear bethy... I think there's a book in your mix tape friday's. I'M JUST SAYIN'.
Awesome mix tape! Lovin' it! Martin
Another most excellent mix. Though I could use a little seansoning of Ray Charles or prehaps some John Lee Hooker to complete it to my tastes. Hmmm...yes I will have to add a few songs just for me. But I still give you mix a solid 5 stars. ^_^
HOT LEMON: That made it through the first couple of rounds, but I ended up cutting it since one local station played it every Friday afternoon for years; that is, they played it to death and ruined the song for me.
BECKEYE: Girlfriend, former Atlantan RuPaul will make a list soon ... but we want to honor her, not think of her working. And it was "Supermodel."
JEWGIRL: I should have begged Josh Jackson this weekend, shouldn't I? I could be the Hollis Gillespie of music.
EEBIE: YAY!
ARTFUL DODGER: I ended up cutting a few blues tunes — as well as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and Louis Armstrong — because they didn't seem to fit with the rest of the tunes. Maybe I should have kept them ......
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