59.5 music

When you were a kid, were you one of those who gleefully announced you were not just 8, but 8 and a half? Somehow that extra few months made you a little bit more sophisticated, or smarter, or more aware, or something.

Well, in my case, a couple of days ago -- on September 23 -- I turned 59.5. Not that getting this far is any great shakes, but I must admit, running up on 60 feels different than any other birthday I’ve had so far. I remember hearing someplace that a woman’s 40th (or was it 50th?) hits her harder than others. Then I heard a man’s 50th (or was it 60th?) hits him a bit differently. All I can tell you is that deep down in my brain #60 is working on me more than 50 ever did.

But aging isn’t the reason for this post today. It’s really more about music and that deep-seated interest some of us have had for years to play disc jockey.

Ever since I delivered the Journal Herald, Dayton’s old morning newspaper, back when I was in the sixth grade, I’ve been collecting recorded music. ‘Back in the day’ the collection was all on vinyl in 45 rpm format. I still have that old collection, too. Not that I play ‘em any more, but the collection is still in tact. The biggest chunk of those old 45s even got numbered and indexed in a carrying case. Remember those? Well, I’ve got two of them, plus a slew of other records that never fit in the boxes. And I’m proud to say that the first dozen or so pieces in the primary catalog are all Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Shows what I really liked back then. It’s tough to beat ‘Sherry,’ ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry,’ and ‘Walk Like a Man,’ you know?

But I suppose it was with the advent of cassette tapes and in-car tape players that my penchant to make playlists began. I’d mix and match songs, even audio clips from VHS movies, on high-quality 90 minute cassettes to create collections of stuff that, on many days, sounded better than radio in the car. On long trips the tape collections sounded better, too, because with them playing in the deck, I would never drive out of their ‘range’ like I could with radio station signals.

Now, like many of us, I listen to music digitally. The CD collection is much deeper than the old 45 and album collection ever was and takes up pieces of wall space in both my office and a walk-in closet upstairs. But the most recent game-changer, in my view, is mp3 format. With the content of many of my CDs now stored in iTunes on my Mac, I can create myriad playlists that can be truly delightful. Which leads me to 59.5.

A few years ago, while sorting selected mp3s into another generic e-playlist, I hit upon the idea of creating a unique eclectic collection containing both oldies and new stuff that somehow just fit together and felt right -- and would sound great in the car. Voila! The numbered semi-annual collection from Tom Schaefer was born. While I don’t have rights to duplicate these discs and distribute them, I do burn a handful of copies and share them with a few friends, most of them classmates who share my birth year. Each collection comes due on my birthday and 'half-birthday.'

I do wish I could make you copy of 59.5. More than that, I wish I could write more about why each piece on the one hour collection made the final cut. This time around, I did figure out how to add some ‘liner notes’ inside the printed playlist inserted in the CD jewelbox. I’m feeling more like a DJ / record producer with each new collection! It's my hope that when earthspeaks.org gets reorganized this fall, early winter, I'll have a 'playlist' link that will give more detail on these semi-annual collections.

So, for your reading enjoyment -- sorry it can’t be listening -- I present the 59.5 collection:

1. Wasted on the way Crosby, Stills & Nash

2. Love at the Five & Dime Nanci Griffith w. Darius Rucker

3. The older I get John McCutcheon w. Tom Chapin

4. Koji Island Paul Winter Consort (from Crestone)

5. Morning star Susie Ryan, Nadan

6. Sing the changes Fireman (Paul McCartney)

7. Stand by me John Lennon

8. Berkley woman John Denver

9. Brave Idina Menzel

10. The load out Jackson Browne

11. Stay Jackson Browne

12. You are goodbye Holly Conlan

13. Africa Toto

14. Somewhere over the rainbow Tori Amos

15. This is me Cheryl Wheeler

I could send you a copy if you asked really nice. ;-)

Today’s elder idea:

To all you out there -- all you moms and pops, you cats and kittens that always make a show a show. Thanks so very much for having us over. Keep smilin'. Be sharp. Be careful. Bye bye. Buy bonds. And love you, love you madly. Got to go now. Got to see a man about a record.

Gene 'by golly' Barry

hip rock disc jockey on Dayton’s WING (c. 1965)