A Leave of Absence and FOT help needed

[wood and iron]

Hey all,

Apparently dollars American is the required currency to receive goods and services. Bereft of said currency, I started working at Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA for the summer and before college starts up again. The job takes up 10+ hours a day so I have zero time to check the FOT board and thus have fallen way behind in any and all discussions. I have been able to keep up with the podcasts (Juggalos!).

So here is where the FOTs can help me. I usually work the Log Flume ride, however, every once in a while I'll work the Cosmotron. The Cosmotron is an indoor ride of the Himalayas or Music Express variety; carts go around in a circle up and down while loud music and a light show dazzle your very eyes. The music played during the ride is already selected by the park and loaded on a bunch of minidiscs. Fortunately, in between rides while customers are leaving and entering the ride, the operators are allowed to play music of their choice. The operators take turns selecting the music and doing the light show. When I work there I am stuck 2/3rds of the time listening to either terrible dance music (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Kevin Rudolph, etc) or the macho bullshit rock popular among meatheads (Nickelback, Saliva, 3 Doors Down).

I already have made a mix of my own music and while I find it to be an audible pleasure from start to stop it goes over like a lead balloon, as I expected.

I want to make another mix. I would like any and all FOTs to chime in with suggestions for songs to put on the mix. I'm not worried about pleasing the dance-lovers or meatheads at all. I want to subtly educate them in music (says the elitist snob).

A few caveats:

1) Absolutely no cussing in the song. Also, no extreme offensive lyrics (topics like abortion are generally not considered amusement ride friendly). This is a family park after all.
2) Should sound good over a very loud and very shitty PA system.
3) All styles of music are appreciated for suggestions.

So if you fellow FOTs could help me out, I'd be in great debt to you. I'm looking for a CD's worth of music. I swear I'll play this thing.

Also, if any FOTs end up at Knoebels and sees a tall, big dude with a name tag that says Chris W at either of the roller coasters, the flume or the Cosmotron, let me know you're from Newbridge (or some other high sign) and I'll do my damnedest to do something nice for you.

[Andy]

I would be blasting this album, start to finish, over and over

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCPLn4R9Vdo

[Be The Boy]

I encourage you to stay with the mix you have.  The meat heads aren't going to notice your impeccable taste so there's no need to over think it.  

That said you can go with anything played on the show.  No toilet talk and I don't recall Tom playing any songs that explicitly dealt with abortion recently.  

[wwwes]

Gotta say, if abortion is out, that SEVERELY limits the number of tracks I could recommend to you.

[buffcoat]

"Brick" by Ben Folds Five... Never mind.


Remember, absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.

[JonFromMaplewood]

I love that ride. 

I would give up on "educating."  That never works and only annoys the people around you and leads to your own frustration.  I used to try and "educate" people when I worked at Blockbuster fifteen years ago and all I got were blank stares. Or, if someone took my movie recommendation, they came back the next day either hating the recommendation or dismissing it with a quick "Well, it was definitely quirky."  People like what they like and will only be swayed to change by some charismatic figure in their life, not by the Blockbuster employee or the guy operating the ride.  Let it be.

Anyway, here is a list of upbeat, quality pop songs that I think are also mellifluous enough not to alienate the teeming masses. I think they go well with getting on and getting off a ride:


Robyn: "With Every Heartbeat"
Fannypack: "Smack It Up"
Electric Six - "Danger! High Voltage"
Donna Summer - "I Feel Love"
Flamin' Groovies: "Have You Seen My Baby"
Jim Ford: "I'm Gonna Make Her Love Me Til the Cows Come Home"
Beck: "Gamma Ray"
Prodigy - "Baby's Got A Temper"
Santogold - "Creator"
Iggy and The Stooges - "Shake Appeal"
M.I.A. - "Bird Flu"
David Bowie - "Queen Bitch" (despite the name, no turlet talk)
The Thermals - "A Pillar Salt"
Babe Ruth: "The Mexican/For A Few Dollars More"
The Dirtbombs - "Underdog"
Snow Patrol - "Spitting Games" (Don't judge! They were okay before they totally cheesed out)
The Gossip - "Lesson Learned"
Iron Knowledge - "Showstopper"
New Bomb Turks - "Pretty Lightning"

[wwwes]

If we're going to be all SERIOUS about suggestions now, then fine. My tastes don't run as cool as others on here, but almost anything by The New Pornographers or Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (or Chisel, for that matter) works. The Go Team is really upbeat and the lyrics are impossible to make out.

As far as tracks go, some of my favorite upbeat ones are:

The Apples In Stereo - Go, The Rainbow
The Dirtbombs - Get It While You Can, Ode To A Black Man
The White Stripes - Hello Operator, Stop Breaking Down
XTC - The Mayor Of Simpleton or Earn Enough For Us  (or something off White Music)
Reigning Sound - Stormy Weather
Apollo Sunshine - I Was On The Moon
Spoon - Jonathan Fisk, The Underdog
The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Gonna Run
Brendan Benson - Tiny Spark, I'm Blessed

I'm also partial to a band called The Features, almost all their stuff is upbeat without toilet talk.

Also, if you donated to the show, why not pop in the excellent Ram tribute?

[Chris L]

Aba-Daba Do Dance

[iAmBaronVonTito]

i am going to disagree and say you can still educate.  the fact of the matter is, anyone who doesnt appreciate the classics is a dope to begin with and it wouldnt matter what they think anyway.

i think any number of the beatles or paul mccartney would work- who dont not like the beatles?!  anything else, like david bowie, t-rex, big star, etc. needs to be the popular tracks or tracks that are as poppy as the popular tracks.  i have found that my favorites tend to be the worst tracks to play since i see this music differently than they do.  

definitely throw hip hip in there- also stick to the popular tracks (the tracks you enjoy).  



there really is a science to making a mix, especially for that kind of crowd.  i hope i helped.