Jan 29, 2015

[Niveous]

Niveous checking in. I can't believe the first month of the year is almost over already. But looking back, I can't be sad about the time gone by. It was a good productive start to a year where I want to focus on music. And next month is FAWM and I can't wait for the challenge.

This morning before heading into work, I downloaded a few sampler albums from some indie labels. I figured it might be a good way to find some new bands. That got me thinking...

If there was a Songfight sampler to introduce new listeners to Songfight, what songs would you put on the sampler?

[rone rivendale]

Melvin's entire catalouge.

[fluffy]

Rone Rivendale's entire catalog.

[Niveous]

I think you are both confused as samplers aren't supposed to be your personal spank banks or snuff films.


(you can choose which is which)

[HeuristicsInc]

Problem with that is the huge time range on the life of the mighty SF. I think you're the person most able to answer your own question, because who else has listened to the whole archive?
-bill

[iVeg]

If the Jukebox had a way to stream winner playlist, that would be cool. Make it easier to pick out the songs you'd want for sampler, too.

[Tyler Zahnke]

If I made a sampler, I would do something the Jukebox doesn't let people do; pick songs from sidefights. Most of my picks would be from the main Song Fight; Nick Bellando's Golfpunk Drives a Cadillac (2000), Kissing Contest's Standing in the Death Car (2000), Octothorpe's Down to the Atom (2001), Prosthetic Johnson's Firecrackers (2001), two from What We Need More Of Is Science (2003) maybe MC Hawking and Bob Genghis Khan, Jim of Seattle's ABCD Puppies (2004), Jim of Seattle's Welcome to (2005), and possibly some others. I'm unsure whether I'd even include Frontalot! But then again, it's hard not to, with that many wins. I just know I'd have to include BSS's Our Plans are on Hold (2013) and J$KM's Starting a Witch Hunt (2013). But what about one-time appearances like Donny Longjohns with Don't Like Reggae (2012)? And sidefights? Well, Nur Ein has had some goodies; Nur Ein VII brought us the song Cassettes by DJ Ranger Den (2012), and Rolf is a Nazi brought us the Sound of Music theme by Octothorpe (2005).

[Hoblit]

It'd have to be a double album.

But here are four old-skool pieces that would just have to be on it.

http://www.songfight.org/music/do_it_fo ... aptain.mp3

http://www.songfight.org/music/red_robo ... drobot.mp3

http://www.songfight.org/music/firecrac ... ackers.mp3

http://www.songfight.org/music/more_tha ... er_mts.mp3

I really wish I hadn't taken so much time away from listening to fights, man. There is a lot to catch up on and I'm certain I've missed out on some gems.

[Lunkhead]

If the Jukebox had a way to stream winner playlist, that would be cool. Make it easier to pick out the songs you'd want for sampler, too.

Go here to play all 770 winning songs from the archive, via the Jukebox:

http://sfjukebox.org/songs?minDate=&winner=true

[Lunkhead]

Also, for those who don't know, if you sign in to the Jukebox you can make your own playlists of songs from the archives.

Not to get too off topic, but, I would actually like to incorporate side fight data into the Jukebox. There are various issues with the side fights data, though. Primarily the mp3 files were self-hosted and many of the links are 404 these days.

I don't know what a really "representative" sample of the archive would be. I know what I like, which is heavy on folks who contributed a lot in the 2003-2006 time frame (whether they started then or earlier). I don't know that a truly representative set of songs would be something I would enjoy very much. Do you want to give new people a true peak into the fact that Song Fight! has stuff like Lightning Ear Fart in it?

[Niveous]

But what about one-time appearances like Donny Longjohns with Don't Like Reggae (2012)?

Donny Longjohns = Paco del Stinko

[Tyler Zahnke]

I didn't know Donny was Paco! Donny must be his strict rightwing country/radical personality! But as to you, Lunkhead, I think we should work together and comb the Internet for sidefight data; omit the 404s we can't fix from our list completely, and go to subdomains such as the Nur Ein directory and pick stuff up that was never listed on the Song Fight site, and just build it from there. And as to those four "old school" fight clips, the true best of those four was Starfinger's More Than Soup. And I know a lot of people hate Lightning Ear Fart, and you're right, he does a lot of noisy not-music, but he also does good raps, like Merry Christmas (2003) and Dog Without Warning (probably 2003). But the rest is noise and loops, but one of those two just might make it.

[fluffy]

Lunkhead's already done a lot of work in fixing up the archive data where it's fixable, and making a note of things that are permanently missing. Having the main archive perusable is as done as it's going to get. What's more difficult is finding a good representative sample of music from Song Fight!'s entire history that demonstrates the creativity, versatility, and, for lack of a better term, Song Fight!iness of Song Fight!.

Which is why this thread exists - so we can make suggestions of what we think are some of the biggest standout songs.

I think pricklypears' "A B C D Puppies" should be on the list, for example, as should NiL's "Tracks for Future Practice." They aren't good songs by any means but they are certainly interesting, quirky, and demonstrative.

And where would we be without Octothorpe's "Been to China?" Without that song, Song Fight! as we know it literally would not exist right now.

[Tyler Zahnke]

Been to China may have been the first song Spud was in, but no matter what people say, Spud technically isn't the only fight master; it says on the main fight site, "Presented by Spud and JB." So to include JB, what about On A Line? I believe that was the first John Benjamin Band song.

[fluffy]

That is sooooooo not even remotely the point I was making.

Been to China was Octothorpe's first fight. If they hadn't won, they probably wouldn't have stuck around. If they hadn't stuck around, Spud wouldn't have decided to start up Meanwhile during the times that Song Fight! was going without updates, and turn it into songfight.org when Collin outright disappeared on us.

Maybe someone else would have taken the reigns. Maybe not. But it's Spud who decided to make a backup site, and turn it into the real thing when the original disappeared, and really paid a hell of a lot of attention to what makes Song Fight! Song Fight!, and if it weren't for Octothorpe winning Been to China, that wouldn't have happened.

There have been plenty of other songwriting contests on the Internet, many of which have directly tried to rip off Song Fight!, but none of them have stayed around, because none of them are by people who understand what makes this place work so well.

Also, Been to China is a fun song that shows the character and spirit of this place perfectly. On A Line is nice but, no offense to JB, it's not even in remotely the same ballpark.

[Tyler Zahnke]

You are right! I was just pointing out, JB runs modern Song Fight along with Spud. Been To China definitely should be on the compilation, but what should we do as a tribute to JB helping with the site?

[fluffy]

What We Need More Of Is Science.

[Tyler Zahnke]

Yeah, forget what I said about MC Hawking and Bob Genghis for that fight; MC Hawking and JB on this sampler! I actually have a hard time deciding between What We Need More Of Is Science (2003) and Red Robot (2001) for best JBB song.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Problem with that is the huge time range on the life of the mighty SF. I think you're the person most able to answer your own question, because who else has listened to the whole archive?
-bill

Let the record show, I, BLT, invented the term "the mighty Song Fight!"

...if someone can find an earlier reference to which in the archives, be my guest.

[Spud]

just for historical accuracy, BLT, did you invent "the might Song Fight!" or "the mighty Song Fight!"? There is a big difference...

[Spud]

That is sooooooo not even remotely the point I was making.

Been to China was Octothorpe's first fight. If they hadn't won, they probably wouldn't have stuck around. If they hadn't stuck around, Spud wouldn't have decided to start up Meanwhile during the times that Song Fight! was going without updates, and turn it into songfight.org when Collin outright disappeared on us.

Maybe someone else would have taken the reigns. Maybe not. But it's Spud who decided to make a backup site, and turn it into the real thing when the original disappeared, and really paid a hell of a lot of attention to what makes Song Fight! Song Fight!, and if it weren't for Octothorpe winning Been to China, that wouldn't have happened.

There have been plenty of other songwriting contests on the Internet, many of which have directly tried to rip off Song Fight!, but none of them have stayed around, because none of them are by people who understand what makes this place work so well.

Also, Been to China is a fun song that shows the character and spirit of this place perfectly. On A Line is nice but, no offense to JB, it's not even in remotely the same ballpark.

...not a dry eye in my house tonight. Thank you, fluffy. Thank you. Thank you again.

[fluffy]

I need to post semi-drunken rambles more often.