Take one - Sadly White, But What Can You Do?

For the past few years I've put together a compilation disc of my favorite songs of the previous year. It used to be from my favorite albums of the year, but the music industry changes, alterations in how I listen to music and, um, downloading have changed everything.

The last couple of years I have been able to work on the yearly playlists on the fly as the year progressed. I'd find some good songs, put them in a file, and arrange them. If a better song or segue came along it could be easily changed. Thank you iTunes.

This year I'm going to put together a mix of songs from the past decade. Twenty songs. Two from each year. Take one, the beta issue has been completed and burned tonight for car listening.

Some years it was tough to pick only two songs, others more difficult to find a worthy pair. Remembering, especially the first half of the decade when I was not really keeping lists, has been rewarding. I found a few songs long forgotten, but they never really left me. I'm sure as the year comes to a close there will be more than one head slapping moment of how could I not include this song, or what the hell is this song from 2004 doing here? I admit that year has been my biggest challenge, with two songs I doubt will make the final upload.

I'm very surprised at what is not going to be on here. Some groups put out a lot of good records that I listened to often, but for some reason two other songs that year, or more, did better work. Hey, Creedence never had a number one hit either.

Tonight, I'm happy with the first version, and look forward to the rest of the year to see how it evolves. Then there's the fun of the liner notes, and the memories attached to each song. Twenty different stories of the past ten years of great changes in my life. It's all far from completion.