Your opinion, please: 366-band, 411 track 1981 box set

Why yes! Please read upthread. :-)

So far I'm finding that about 10% of it is stuff I'm very familiar with by some of my favorite bands. Another 10 or 20% is stuff I'm pretty familiar with but haven't heard for years. But the great part is of course the 30 or 40% of it that are songs I've never heard or artists I've never heard of but want to hear more immediately. I'll add some more in-depth thoughts later when I've had more time to digest.

I hope you aren't finding the stuff you don't know to be substancially lower quality than the stuff you do know.

http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=passions

I was never all that into them, myself, but I guess it's kindof interesting they shared a label with the Cure.

Personally, the Passions are one of the more underrated female-lead post-punk bands I know, along with PragVec and Neonbabies (whom I just discovered) and maybe Y Pants. They're a much poppier type of post-punk generally, but with a nice slightly dark rock polish to them. I highly recommend '30,000 Feet Over China,' but 'Michael & Miranda' are both quite good, too. As they're both well out of print (and not looking likely to be otherwise, that I'm aware) email me and I'll see about getting copies to you.

O. Nate ---

Thanks so much! Several people have used that word to describe the set, and I take it as a high compliment of the one thing I can take credit for, which is putting all this stuff in one little place.

I wish I could explicate my choices like you have, Ned. But I guess if I could, it would take 20 pages, as long as this mix is. . .

Yeah, the Passions were amazing. Barbara Gogan's still active musically.

Oh, and also the time John Peel read out the final verse of "d'ye ken John peel" that I had been looking for, to put online as a tribute last year. Bit late now tho.

If you're having those responses halfway through the first disc, I think it's going to be a fun set for you : )

That kind of thing makes me really happy. All my experience with this music is obviously out of context--nevertheless, it's associated with many memories even for me. That I picked the right tracks to bring back the time for those who were there---pure luck, but gratifying nonetheless.

Yeah, I spent a sort of absurd amount of time normalising and doing subtle dynamic gain and manually removing the worst pops to get the stuff to sound good together. Fortunately, there was usually a general cleanliness and sparcity of production on a lot of music then, so production-wise they were easeier to flow together than, say, Big Black, My Bloody Valentine, and a pre-war blues record, etc. But the quality of recording, mastering, mixing varies pretty greatly. It was a lot of work, but hopefully worth it--the sort of thing that hopefully no one will really notice, unless they're prone to thinking about that sort of thing.

I found that by reencoding the briefcase tracks at a slightly lower bitrate (still VBR) I could fit a _LOT_ more on the disc. So, I've now changed it to hold 252 tracks, 207 bands who aren't on the main mixes. This has allowed me to fit in a lot of the stuff I'd previously had to leave out but didn't want to based on musical interest/quality. I don't think it's noticably diminished the audio quality--they were already mp3s, so either you already didn't like how they sounded or you probably won't notice the difference.

Anybody whose copy hasn't gone out yet will get this version. With this disc, the set now comes to officially 408 bands/artists, 482 tracks, 24.5 hours.

Now, to be fair, I'd like to offer to send this version to everyone who's already got a copy, if they think they need _MORE_ 1981. Alternately, I'll make the folder available on my soulseek. So, email me at the address below. If you need a physical replacement, it'll take a while---as in, when I'm done with all the copies of the full set, which could be months from now. But I'd still like to make it available to you.

*PLEASE* make sure to make your subject line say "BRIEFCASE" so I'll notice the emails seperate from others.

Here's the updated briefcase tracklist:

231. Agent Orange - Miserlou (2:06)
232. Black Flag - What I See (1:55)
233. Blue Orchids - Dumb Magician (2:54)
234. Blue Nile - The Second Act (4:20)
235. British Electronic Foundation - Optimum Chant (4:11)
236. Cabaret Voltaire - Landslide (2:07)
237. Cardboards - Electrical Generator (3:32)
238. Comsat Angels - Now I Know (BBC) (4:14)
239. Crash Course in Science - Flying Turns (2:58)
240. Creatures - Thumb (3:58)
241. Cure, The - Primary (3:34)
242. Dancing Cigarettes - Puppies in a Sack (4:22)
243. dB's, The - I'm In Love (3:28)
244. Diagram Brothers - Bricks (2:42)
245. Dif Juz - Cs (4:49)
246. DNA - 5-30 (1:04)
247. Durutti Column - Jaqueline (2:19)
248. Embarrassment, The - Sexy Singer Girl (2:14)
249. Eno, Brian and David Byrne - Mea Culpa (Edit) (1:46)
250. Eurythmics - Sing-Sing (4:05)
251. Fall, The - Lie Dream of a Casino Soul (3:11)
252. Family Fodder - Dinosaur Sex (9:01)
253. Fire Engines - Discord (Single) (2:40)
254. Gang of Four - Outside the Trains Don't Run On Time (3:17)
255. Go-Go's - Automatic (3:08)
256. Homosexuals - In Search of the Perfect Baby (5:28)
257. Liaisons Dangereuses - Etre Assis Ou Danser (3:26)
258. Liquid Liquid - Lock Groove (In) (3:56)
259. Lounge Lizards - Ballad (3:25)
260. Minutemen, The - Boiling (0:57)
261. New Musik - This World Of Walter (2:55)
262. Newman, Colin - Inventory (2:11)
263. Orange Juice - Wan Light (2:30)
264. Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Yodel 1 (4:09)
265. Public Image Ltd - Go Back (3:46)
266. Sound, The - Judgement (5:03)
267. Stranglers - Everybody Loves You When you're Dead (2:41)
268. Teardrop Explodes, The - . . .and The Fighting Takes Over (3:54)
269. Wire - Our Swimmer (Edit) (2:29)
270. X - The Once Over Twice (2:30)
271. Yellow Magic Orchestra - Seoul Music (4:45)
272. Young Marble Giants - Posed by Models (1:24)
273. You've Got Foetus on Your Breath - I Am Surrounded by Incompetence (4:52)
274. Zoomers - From the Planet Moon (2:55)
275. 45 Grave - 45 Grave (3:21)
276. 999 - Bongos on the Nile (2:55)
277. A Flock of Seagulls - Telecommunication (2:32)
278. ABC - Tears Are Not Enough (Edit) (2:22)
279. Adam & The Ants - Prince Charming (3:17)
280. Airmail - In a Moment (5:16)
281. Alternative TV - My Hand Is Still Wet (3:19)
282. Angelic Upstarts - I Understand (2:53)
283. APB - Talk To Me (3:00)
284. Aquila - Without a Care (4:16)
285. Article 58 - Lost & Found (3:26)
286. Au Pairs - Love Song (2:48)
287. Avacados - I Never Knew (2:23)
288. Babylon Dance Band - When I'm Home (2:34)
289. Bad Brains - Pay to Cum (1:30)
290. Bangs, The - Getting Out Of Hand (2:14)
291. Beakers, The - Four Steps Toward a Cultural Revolution (1:29)
292. Beelzebub Youth - Push Push Push (2:03)
293. Bene Gesserit - Do You Know (3:48)
294. Berlinski Zid - Mozgani na Asfaltu (2:44)
295. Birnbaum, Dara - Kojak-Wang (0:55)
296. Black Uhuru - Youth Of Eglington (5:02)
297. Blackouts - Young Man (2:57)
298. Blah Blah Blah - Central Park (3:53)
299. Blancmange - Sad Day (Early) (2:24)
300. Blasters - This Is It (2:15)
301. Blondie - Rapture (Edit) (3:39)
302. B-Movie - Remembrance Day (3:44)
303. Bouncing Czechs - 1992 (Edit) (2:22)
304. Bow Wow Wow - Why Are Babies So Wise (2:55)
305. Bunnydrums - Little Room (3:04)
306. Buzz - Life Ends (1:57)
307. Calm, The - Lol Coxhill (2:09)
308. Chameleons - Here Today (BBC) (3:43)
309. Chefs - Someone I Know (2:07)
310. Chemicals Made From Dirt - Ike (2:27)
311. Cherry Boys - Too Much Confusion (2:44)
312. China Shop - Kowtow (3:53)
313. Chords, The - One More Minute (3:35)
314. Christian Death - Dogs (2:54)
315. Clash, The - The Magnificent Dance (3:25)
316. Club Tango - Performance (Edit) (2:24)
317. Colours Out of Time - The Waiting (BBC) (3:38)
318. Commericals - Simon (2:18)
319. Conservatives - Suburban Bitch (1:21)
320. Crispy Ambulance - The Presence (Edit) (3:19)
321. Dalek I Love You - Heartbeat (2:53)
322. Damned, The - Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Edit) (2:51)
323. Dangerous Girls - Men in Suits (2:41)
324. Danse Society - Continent (4:40)
325. Dark Day - Extermination (1:10)
326. Deep Freeze Mice - Dr. Z (3:38)
327. Department S - Age Concern (2:31)
328. Digital Dinosaurs - The Sideways Man (2:22)
329. Doctor Mix & The Remix - Brand New Cadillac (1:47)
330. Dramatis - Love Needs No Disguise (4:39)
331. Drowning Craze - Storage Case (3:05)
332. Dum Dum Dum - Dum Dum Dum (2:56)
333. Effigies - Strong Box (1:11)
334. Eight Eyed Spy - Lazy In Love (2:56)
335. Ejectors - Little Johnny (2:41)
336. Electric Guitars - Continental Shelf (2:55)
337. Essential Logic - Fanfare In the Garden (3:06)
338. Ex, The - Weapons for El Salvador (2:47)
339. Factrix - Thin Line (2:20)
340. Fair, Jad - Fish Can Talk (0:52)
341. Fast Set, The - King of the Rumbling Spires (2:00)
342. Fifteen Minutes - Last Chance for You (2:39)
343. Fingerprintz - Shadowed (3:04)
344. Five Or Six - The Trial (2:49)
345. Fleshtones - The Dreg (3:10)
346. Freddy And The Fruitloops - Right & Wrong (3:09)
347. Front 242 - Body to Body (4:10)
348. Generation X - Dancing With Myself (3:47)
349. George Harrassment - Yoghurt (1:20)
350. Gifted Children - Lichtenstein Girl (3:13)
351. Gilbert & Lewis - Hung Up To Dry Whilst Building An Arch (2:24)
352. Girls At Our Best - Go for Gold (3:22)
353. Gizmos - Biscuits & Gravy (2:05)
354. Goldman, Vivien - Launderette (3:44)
355. Gordon, Kim & Miranda - Working Youth (0:49)
356. Haig, Paul - Mad Horses (4:34)
357. Haircut 100 - Favourite Shirt (3:05)
358. Harrison, Kevin - People in Space (1:55)
359. Icehouse - Icehouse (Edit) (3:04)
360. Icicle Works - When Winter Lasted Forever (Edit) (2:25)
361. In Camera - Die Laughing (4:38)
362. Ippu-Do - Mission Impossible Theme (2:22)
363. It's Immaterial - A Gigantic Raft (Edit) (3:23)
364. Jackson, Joe - Beat Crazy (3:21)
365. Jagatara - Hey Say! (Edit) (2:58)
366. Jam, The - Absolute Beginners (2:51)
367. Kontakt Microfoon Orkest - Do the Residue (4:49)
368. Lambrettas, The - Decent Town (3:12)
369. Last Four Digits - Diddy Wah Diddy (1:52)
370. Leer, Thomas - Kings Of Sham (3:55)
371. Legal Weapon - Daddy's Gone Mad (2:36)
372. Liliput - Eisiger Wind (3:28)
373. Limp, The - Marked Man (2:45)
374. Lovich, Lene - New Toy (3:15)
375. Ludus - Mutilate (2:33)
376. Macs, The - I'm 37 (2:39)
377. Malaria - How Do You Like My New Dog (2:49)
378. Marine - Life in Reverse (2:44)
379. Mass - Cross Purposes (4:26)
380. Maximum Joy - Strech (Edit) (2:57)
381. Medium Medium - The Glitterhouse (2:16)
382. Men At Work - Who Can It Be Now (3:19)
383. Metal Urbain - Hysterie Connective (Early Version) (2:43)
384. Meteors - Graveyard Stomp (2:05)
385. Method Actors, The - You (3:59)
386. Minny Pops - Dolphin's Spurt (2:56)
387. Misfits, The - Halloween (1:46)
388. Modern English - Black Houses (5:44)
389. Monochrome Set - Ten Don'ts For Honeymooners (3:05)
390. Moore, Thurston - The Fucking Youth Of Today (0:49)
391. Mr Science - Mr. Science (2:23)
392. My Captains - Converse (4:29)
393. Naked Lunch - La Femme (5:23)
394. Names - Music For Someone (1:56)
395. Nasmak - Vaseline des Artistes (3:14)
396. Native Hipsters - Tropical Fish in the Sink (3:38)
397. Neonbabies - Profi (3:50)
398. Neonbabies - Spass Muss Sein (1:57)
399. Neu Electrikk - Lust of Berlin (2:46)
400. No More - Suicide Commando (3:19)
401. Oingo Boingo - Capitalism (3:40)
402. Our Daughter's Wedding - Airlines (3:35)
403. Passage - Hip Rebels (3:28)
404. Philosophic Collage - Toxic Poppies (1:34)
405. Pin Group - Ambivalence (3:28)
406. Plimsouls - Mini-Skirt Minnie (2:42)
407. Plus Instruments - Things (2:20)
408. Poison Girls - Ideologically Unsound (2:39)
409. Police, The - Darkness (3:10)
410. Polyphonic Size - Mothers Little Helper (3:06)
411. Polyrock - Rain (4:01)
412. Pop, Iggy - Sea of Love (3:40)
413. Positive Noise - End In Tears (3:47)
414. Post Raisin Band - Pink Lincoln (2:25)
415. Predator - He Thinks He Knows Me (3:00)
416. Quad Pi - Near You (2:07)
417. Rally Go - Mass Brew Action (2:34)
418. Ranaldo, Lee - Shift (0:45)
419. Red Asphalt - Red Asphalt (1:51)
420. Red Cross - Puss 'N' Boots (2:33)
421. Red Krayola - An Old Man's Dream (2:30)
422. Reflections - 4 Countries (1:53)
423. Revillos - She's Fallen In Love with a Monster Man (3:19)
424. Room, The - Bated Breath (4:01)
425. Russell, Arthur - Sketch for Face of Helen (Edit) (3:31)
426. Schizoid - White House (3:13)
427. Scientists - She Said She Loves Me (2:09)
428. Second Layer - Distortion (Edit) (2:39)
429. Shivvers - Remember Tonight (3:21)
430. Simple Minds - Theme for Great Cities (Edit) (4:13)
431. Ski Patrol - Cut (3:55)
432. Slow Children - Spring in Fialta (3:24)
433. Slugfuckers - Schizo Revolution(1981) (mid-fi) (3:44)
434. Social Distortion - Telling Them (3:08)
435. Sort Sol - Misguided (4:19)
436. Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short (Edit) (3:19)
437. Spanish Dogs - Cleveland (2:39)
438. Splodgenessabounds - Cowpunk Medlum (2:36)
439. Starter - Part of You (3:09)
440. Stolen Power - Little White Lies (2:45)
441. Strutz - Break Point (2:21)
442. Student Nurse - Discover Your Feet (2:34)
443. Suburban Lawns - Computer Date (1:05)
444. Subway Sect, The - Parallel Lines (2:38)
445. Surplus Stock - Let's Kill Each Other (3:19)
446. Swamp Children - Call Me Honey (4:53)
447. Swell Maps - Forest Fire (released 1981) (3:01)
448. Takahashi, Yukihiro - Something in the Air (4:51)
449. Tame O'Mearas - Curl Curl (2:18)
450. Tanks - March of the Slugs (4:39)
451. Teenage Filmstars - I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (2:55)
452. Telefones - Solid Ground (3:12)
453. Tenants - Submind (2:48)
454. The Past Seven Days - Raindance (Edit) (4:57)
455. The The - Untitled (3:23)
456. Theatre of Hate - My Own Invention (3:17)
457. Theoretical Girls - Electronic Angie (Studio) (3:37)
458. Thompson Twins - Politics (2:20)
459. Times, The - Biff! Bang! Pow! (2:51)
460. Triffids - This Boy (2:55)
461. TSOL - I'm Tired Of Life (1:50)
462. Tucker, Maureen - Louie Louie (2:41)
463. Two by Fours - Another 8 Hours (1:34)
464. UB40 - One in Ten (4:33)
465. Urban Verbs - Business and the Rational Mind (4:51)
466. Urinals - I Hate (2:02)
467. U-Turn - Price of Fame (2:16)
468. Vapors, The - Jimmie Jones (Single Version) (3:23)
469. Visage - Mind Of A Toy (4:28)
470. Vital Disorder - Let's Talk About Prams (2:17)
471. Volk, Hugh - Talk of the Town (2:04)
472. Walking Floors - No Next Time (2:26)
473. Wall of Voodoo - Crack the Bell (3:33)
474. Wanderers - Beyond the Law (2:08)
475. Watt, Ben - Departure (1:35)
476. Weirdos, The - Weird World (Demo) (3:02)
477. Wild West - Fierce Atoms (2:25)
478. Work, The - Duty (1:04)
479. xAx - Banging Your Head (3:41)
480. Xmal Deutschland - Schwarz Welt (2:39)
481. Xpozez - New Law (1:19)
482. Zounds - Demystification (3:45)

Do you have any objections with me submitting the track names to CDDB, so that the next person who wants to dump this onto their iPod/whatever doesn't have to type all the track names in? Wanted to check before I went ahead and did it...

Thank you!

I'm fine with submitting the tracklisting. Just don't mention my name or email address anywhere, if you don't mind. I meant to do it myself, but I couldn't figure out how.

I.M.

that briefcase is fantastic looking. and 1981 was a special year too.

I'm afraid it has been : \ Drop me an email and I'll put you on the 'Briefcase' list, and I'll get you the final version eventually.

I've had a few friends express interest in a listening party this weekend, so I'll make sure the word is heard.

That's incredibly geeky and incredibly cool. Hope they like it!

Supposedly some kids in my town are organising a "1981" dance party. I might DJ, even though I don't really "dance".

Haha! If it helps any Mark, I feel the same way you do. Especially since some of the added songs were d/l from me personally only a week before and previously unknown to our compiler. While I don't think including them was a crime in and of itself (I do not think of them as my property), I do think it's a bit dodgy to then claim he "had to leave them out" of the original set for other reasons, and it also leaves me in a position of having to catch up with the other songs added just like everyone else. I.M. is not going to be d/l anything from me anymore if I have anything to say about it, and I don't want any new and improved Briefcases, either.

Friend, by my count, not more than 4 tracks of the 71 I added to the briefcase were downloaded from you, so I'm not exactly sure what you're problem is. It seems you have issues, and your slanted communication has bugged me since day one. Frankly, I'll go a step further than not downloading anything from you--I'd rather not have to talk with you ever again. You speak as though you're giving commands, you ask for my albums list, the only reason I can imagine being you'd like for me to send you albums; you complain about how other people who aren't experts were getting their sets before you, so I bumped you up in the queue; and you tel me I'm ego tripping for sharing with you the nice remarks from Mr. Reynolds I'd just then discovered. You can take your crumby sub-Crispy Ambulance bore-core records and keep them.

*bows*

(Am listening to the final disc right now. Can I just say again how genius this is, and that I can't wait to listen to the Briefcase -- the older version, which though I wouldn't mind the newer one is MORE than perfectly fine.)

One final thing---I think being 10 years old in 1981 doesn't quit qualify you as having "been there". You spoke to me in the most condescending tones, in your aged wisdom and insight; while every guy who really has insight, like Ned or Simon and everyone else, has been supportive and helpful.

You absolutely *do* think of all of this as your property; what confuses me is how, knowing as much of it as you know, you manage to have such piss poor taste.