Back in Mar2018, self-indulgently using the General Discussion forum, I posted a thread titled "Two Gord songs on an Aussie's funeral album". It described the CD I had compiled with 4 tracks to be played at my far-distant funeral and 15 other lifetime favourites. I swore it would be the only time I compiled such an album (for a funeral or any other purpose). However, recently I thought back to the half-a-dozen songs that didn't have room to fit on the album and a few more that I've been obsessed with over the years. The result is a CD titled "Dave B's 60th Birthday Album (... two years early)", fronted by a photo taken on my recent 58th birthday holding up my uncomfortable-looking 40Kg golden retriever in the kitchen.
Its 15 songs (with comments I added on the album cover) are as follows:
Rickie Lee Jones "On Saturday Afternoons In 1963" 1979
Broderick Smith's Big Combo "Last Train From Mobiltown" 1981
_(Former railway station near Melbourne/My favourite pub gig song)
The Moody Blues "The Day We Meet Again"
_(Introduced to their music in 1981 via album 'Octave')
Bob Seger "Mainstreet" (from 1981 live album 'Nine Tonight')
Gordon Lightfoot "A Lesson In Love" 1986
_(Re circus pioneer PT Barnum and Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind)
Rickie Lee Jones "Flying Cowboys" 1989
Shane Howard "Heart Of My Country" 1990
_(He's from western Victoria with passion for outback & indigenous)
Van Morrison & Paul Durcan "In The Days Before Rock & Roll" 1990
_(Durcan is an Irish poet)
Jethro Tull "Stuck In The August Rain" 1995
Tony Rice "Go My Way"
_(Got into bluegrass via 1996 album 'Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot')
The Corrs "Borrowed Heaven" 2004
Jackson Browne "Where Were You?" 2008
_(Re Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and president George W Bush)
James Taylor "Angels Of Fenway" 2015
_(Melbourne Football Club last won in 1964/I wish they'd do a Boston Red Sox)
Sia "Never Give Up" 2016
_(From my favourite recent movie 'Lion', connecting India and Australia)
Chris Rea "Driving Home For Christmas" 1988
_(My favourite Christmas song/Written in London-Middlesbrough traffic jam)
If anybody wants to hear the tracks available on YouTube:
On Saturday Afternoons In 1963
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAvHwV_pDNo
Last Train From Mobiltown
(not on YouTube)
The Day We Meet Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4QcxhsnXpQ
Mainstreet (live version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoVCxQtQGls
A Lesson In Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUssC6AblTs
Flying Cowboys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Gs1mDFuEM
Heart Of My Country
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCvKGp894aQ
In The Days Before Rock & Roll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgCqTaPMJ7A
Stuck In The August Rain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTStrr4Phu8
Go My Way (Tony Rice's cover version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKNTbL6zxT0
Borrowed Heaven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVyIOacWg2s
Where Were You?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63WCvb2_dU0
Angels Of Fenway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K1qZi6Z0e4
Never Give Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oTq-FfOsBk
Driving Home For Christmas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgDgQbhHuZw