First impressions are often lasting impressions, and the opening track on an album can set the mood for the rest of your listening experience. The opener can reel you in, turn you off or surprise you… Of course, that’s all assuming you are old-school and actually listen to an album from beginning to end, as it was intended. Shuffling aside, local musicians Jake Ward (of garage rock band Eureka, California) and Emiliegh Ireland (of psychedelic-folk group Helen Scott) offer their mixtapes of favorite firsts. I suppose the real challenge here is deciding which opener to open with! And what will the flow be like on a mixtape comprised entirely of beginnings? Visit Flagpole.com to stream this and all previous Mixtape Wars. As a point of reference, we’ve included the name of the album each song opens in parentheses after the track title. First things first… let’s get started.
Emileigh Ireland’s Mixtape
1. “Futile Devices” by Sufjan Stevens (Age of Adz)
Why Emileigh Ireland picked this track: One of my favorite songs is The Beatles’ “Her Majesty.” It’s light and short, yet still has time to lyrically arc a stolid bittersweetness into hope. “Futile Devices” feels like that song almost in reverse, ending itself and beginning the album with a hopeless sigh.
Jake Ward’s reaction: Webster‘s defines an opener as “a person or thing that opens.” Well, this track does just that, and I like his phrasing.
Emiliegh Ireland
2. “Second Hand News” by Fleetwood Mac (Rumours)
EI: The vacillation of the bemoaning plea, “Won’t you… let me do my stuff?” against the ending round of, “I’m just secondhand news,” beautifully sets up the entire album of conflicting perceptions clouded by emotion. Also, every time this album comes on, I get the urge to go on a road trip into the mid-afternoon sun.
JW: I had a feeling after I saw you walk home with Rumors that this would show up. Good call, though there is nothing more disturbing than picturing Lindsey Buckingham laying in the tall grass doing his “stuff.”
3. “Crimson & Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells (Crimson & Clover)
EI: This album, this song, brings me right to the moment I knew I was moving to Athens. I was visiting for spring break, the morning was as fresh as the coffee, and nothing ever felt so right as those first six tremolo strums.
JW: “Hey, what rhymes with clover?” “Over?” “OK, that’ll work.” And thus, this powerhouse of a song was born. So simple and so perfect.
4. “No Reply” by The Beatles (Beatles for Sale)
EI: This album was my jam at age nine. I think it’s interesting how this song still resonates, even though the technology we use to ascertain that information has changed.
JW: This is my favorite Beatles opener after “It Won’t be Long.” I’ll argue that this has one of the best bridges out of any song.
5. “Sentimental Journey” by Esquivel (Space Age Bachelor Pad Music)
EI: Instrumental break! Esquivel’s brand of space-age bachelor pad music is so lush. And it’s hard to be in a bad mood when there’s such pleasant whistling.
JW: I am loving Esquivel! He’s like the Mexican half brother of Jack Nitzsche, but instead of studying surf culture, he was glued to the TV writing jingles in his head.
6. “Care of Cell 44” by The Zombies (Odessey and Oracle)
EI: Whenever it was that I first heard this song, I assumed the story line was from a female perspective about her man in prison, despite the clearly male vocals. It wasn’t anything I really thought about. Not in the hundreds of times I’d probably listened through the album. Then one day, my eyes opened. I realized my initial prejudice, to assume those gender roles, was clearly absurd. This is what art can do.
JW: This is without a doubt the most infectious song to have ever been written about prison. Colin Blunstone’s vocals are fantastic. The Beach Boys/Beatles influences are obvious, but The Zombies create something entirely their own.
7. “Stereo” by Pavement (Brighten the Corners)
EI: A literary group I was in, in college, played a word wit game we called “Nuncle.” This involves repurposing quotes, characters, incidences and so on from literature or pop culture into conversation and responding with another repurposed quip. This album feels like a game of Nuncle. To the phrase,“Hi ho, Silver, ride,” I say, “Genius.”
JW: Everybody always mentions the line about Geddy Lee, but really, the gem here is the opening line: “Pigs. They tend to wiggle when they walk.” Perhaps the best opening line ever?
8. “Speed of Life” by David Bowie (Low)
EI: Another instrumental. Given my penchant for music of the 1960s, I’m almost surprised that Low is my go-to David Bowie album. I find it entrancing, though. Sometimes the first phrase of this song will get stuck in my head in a loop. I don’t mind.
JW: I never owned Low, and I feel like maybe I’m missing out. I guess it’s time to go buy Low.
9. “Metronomic Underground” by Stereolab (Emperor Tomato Ketchup)
EI: The dueling female vocals that often wind their way through the spacey lines and noise make Emperor Tomato Ketchup such a bright album. There’s enough going on, where it could easily be a bit of an incoherent mess, but they seem to keep it tight, effortlessly.
JW: This reminds me a of a Cure song in the way that it just layers and layers and layers. After listening to this, I am exhausted—but in the best way.
10. “Terrapin” by Syd Barrett (The Madcap Laughs)
EI: Contrary to how difficult and stressful the recording sessions are said to have been, The Madcap Laughs has often been my go-to album for closing out these relaxed languid evenings that seem to happen more and more often as the weather warms and summer approaches. What a way to end the day… and begin an album.
JW: Before going completely off the deep end, Barrett crafts this beautiful, sparse, haunting pop song. How nice of you, Syd.
Jake Ward’s Mixtape
1. “Begin” by Lambchop (I Hope You’re Sitting Down)
JW: “Men can do nothing without the make-believe of a beginning.” —George Eliot
EI: I saw Lambchop at Merge XX. It was my favorite performance of the fest. I love the cadence of his voice in this song.
Jake Ward
2. “Mathilde” by Scott Walker (Scott)
JW: After leaving the Walker Brothers, Scott starts his debut album with this Jacques Brel song. Throw in some horns for good measure, and it’s a solid opener.
EI: The opening trumpet phrase is such a great attention getter! The orchestration throughout gives this song such a drive, but it’s the horns, I think, that make this song really pop.
3. “Death on Two Legs” by Queen (A Night at the Opera)
JW: This song showcases everything great about Queen and how there will never be another Queen.
EI: Queen is such a great anthem band. Both this and the previous songs feel so theatrical in their scope. With Queen in particular, the call and response between Freddie and the chorus at parts remind me of the chorus of classic Greek theater.
4. “Ana Ng” by They Might be Giants (Lincoln)
JW: What better way to open an album than with a perfect pop song.
EI: The transition into this song is really great. I almost put this song on my mix! One of my favorite parts of this song is the phone call recording “I don’t want the world/ I just want your half.”
5. “Like a Fool” by Superchunk (Foolish)
JW: A slow Superchunk song? Mac hitting a falsetto? Yes and yes. It’s the obvious setup for Foolish.
EI: Nice. I like the slower tempo of this opener. The high note when he sings “fool” reminds me, pleasantly, of the Doobie Brothers’, “What a Fool Believes.”
6. “Pretty Green” by The Jam (Sound Affects)
JW: The bass recalls “Swingtown,” and it’s a standout for being the most stereotypical Jam track on the most un-stereotypical Jam album.
EI: The bass line here is so funky. This song sounds like it would be fun to rock out to live in theater. I can totally get behind The Jam.
7. “21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson (In the Court of the Crimson King)
JW: There is something to be said for the “epic opener.” And this has something for everyone—fake wind sounds at the start, long, drawn-out instrumentals and anti-Vietnam imagery.
EI: I’m so glad this song is on here! King Crimson has been one of those bands people have told me for years that I’d like, but I just haven’t gotten around to listening to their albums yet. I think this is the final push I needed.
8. “Invaders” by Iron Maiden (The Number of the Beast)
JW: I’ll never forget knowing nothing about Iron Maiden, buying “Number of the Beast,” putting this on and just being blown away. Also, I can’t think of another band that consistently hits it out of the park with their openers.
EI: This song reminds me of my older brother; he’s always been into a bit heaver music than I, and, as I recall, he went through an Iron Maiden phase. The shredding! The vocals remind me of David Lee Roth.
9. “I Confess” by The English Beat (Special Beat Service)
JW: I think this is the best song The Beat ever recorded. Everything about this song is firing on all cylinders. The hooks, the piano, Wakeling’s voice, Saxa’s sax, the lyrics. I don’t care what follows; I’m sold.
EI: All right! Another song with a strong horn line. This is an ideal song to dance alone in your room to. Which is maybe something I did while listening to this.
10. “Baba O’Riley” by The Who (Who’s Next)
JW: I’m not really going to break new ground on why this song is amazing, but let me end by saying fuck you, BTO, for ripping this off for your stupid song.
EI: This is such a great synth line, and I keep wanting to pump my fist every time he says, “teenage wasteland.” I was reading the Wikipedia page for The Who a few weeks ago, and I thought it was interesting that Keith Moon was the one who thought of adding the violin towards the end. It’s an awesome tempo change.
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