Second Mix CD For Girlfriend Lacks Poignancy, Coherency Of Original
Several critics, including the two roommates of compilation artisan Bob Peterson, expressed disappointment in response to their first hearing of the sequel to the first mix-CD he made for his girlfriend of two months.
"Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but it lacks the punch and originality that the first one had," commented roommate Steve Walsh.
"Yeah, he totally used the same formula. It moves the exact same way as before, but with a weaker song selection," added roommate Jim (no last name given). "It's not without its redeeming moments. Including The Streets on it was a nice addition. Unfortunately, as a whole it just lacks a theme or statement."
When asked about his new release, the mix-maker expressed similar feelings of doubt, admitting to having reconsidered screening the tape for his roommates before releasing it to his girlfriend, but also said that, "I'm glad that I gave Steve and Jim a chance to listen to it, so now I can keep from making the same mistakes when I try to wrap up the trilogy. That is, if there will be a trilogy, assuming that my girlfriend doesn't dump me on the weakness of this attempt at social commentary through mixture of pop genres."
Appearing to be annoyed and frustrated, he continued on by rhetorically asking himself, "How does one please the critics and the audience?"
Girlfriend Liz Hartman told reporters, "Oh yeah, that mix he made me last month… it was nice. I'm not so sure about that one weird sounding song, but besides that the songs on the tape were a lot of fun to listen to."
When asked if there was any anticipation towards the next installment, she replied that yeah, she was sort of looking forward to it, "I guess".
The "weird sounding song" referred to the first third of Peterson's personal favorite segue in the original compilation.
"In the first one, I seamlessly blended Zappa, Beck and Brewer and Shipley...and, damn, it was nice!" he boasted. "How can you top that? 'For Your Love' by the Yarbirds followed by the English Beat's 'Mirror in the Bathroom' [the new CD's midpoint climax] just doesn't have the same oomph."
When told that his girlfriend's favorite song on the disc was "Love is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia, Peterson replied, "Yeah, I like that song too, mostly because of Martin Scorsese's use of it in Casino, but it was on there for contrast! I mean, did she even listen to the next song [the Velvet Underground's "White Light White Heat"]? How can you take 'Love is Strange' seriously when it's being followed by screeching guitars and lyrics steeped in references to coke and heroin?"
As an afterthought he added, "Shit, I hope she doesn't mistake my inclusion of Coldplay on the latest tape for being anything but ironic."
Peterson says the secret of his past successes was to not repeat the formulas of past mixes.
"If you do the same pattern of 'fast song, faster song, slow song, mid-tempo, then a bring-it-all-home-fat-groove for the first five tracks on each mix', yeah… it's going to get stale. I try to reinvent the mood every time."
Peterson's previous masterpieces have included, "Take it to the Bridge - Funk Mix", "Music to Make Love to", "Music NOT to Make Love To", and "Music for the Stoned, Volumes 1 & 2." The latter two-volume opus is heralded as the high-water mark in Peterson's song organizational artistry.
Said Jim, "One day Steve and I smelled the unmistakable scent of weed upstairs, which is no big deal, but the next thing you know, [Peterson] comes down with these two CD's, puts them on and we were like, 'Whoa, you've got some talent, dude!' I mean, I never really got high before that day, but when I heard that mix, I thought to myself, 'If this is what getting stoned is like, then I've got to get in on it'. He molds songs into each other like sculptors do clay."
Even recently, Peterson's first mix for Hartman received high accolades from critics.
"I know the CD wasn't made for his roommates or any of his friends," said neighbor Greg Fisher, "but that he ended the disc with an obscure Flaming Lips song, followed up immediately with 'Beyond the Sea' by Bobby Darrin is a sign of genius. But on the new one… ending with Wilco? Come on, why not close it out with 'The End' by the Doors or, even worse, Pink Floyd's 'Brain Damage/Eclipse' while he's at it?"
"I mean, shit, I wanted to start dating Bob after hearing that first mix he made," added Fisher.
Peterson is now taking some time off to decide on a possible career change.
"I don't know if I'm going to make another mix for a long time," he admitted. "You have to like the songs you put on the mix, and being a purist, I just couldn't go back and rip off songs from mixes that I gave to other girls. I'm running out of ideas."
Peterson did not indicate how long a hiatus he would take, but roommates Walsh and Jim remain hopeful that he will find his voice again when he returns.
"We never let him make mixes for parties, because, frankly, he doesn't know shit about what people want to hear when they're drunk, horny and want to dance. You won't find any 50-Cent or post-1991 Madonna in his collection. But for most other situations like getting high, taking road trips or even needing a good mix to nail your girlfriend to, he's the man to go to," quoted Jim.
Upon release of the new CD to Hartman, she was quoted as saying, "I really like that Coldplay song, but the one that sounds like hyenas being slaughtered… what is it?... Mr. Bungle? He thinks that's music?"
