Top Ten Warm Up Tracks I Use Before Podcasting or Broadcasting
Something a touch more gentle today. With all the audio work I’ve done this week at The Podcast Network, Leith FM and All About Symbian, I’ve been very aware of the process that I’ve been using. partly because the last few weeks I’ve tended to be noting what works and doesn’t work in audio programming in general (why is Terry Wogan the best morning DJ… why do I prefer Brian Matthews at the weekend… what is it about Dave Lee Travis that just worked… and so on). And one thing I’ve noticed is that to get me ‘in the right mood’ for podcasting I’m tending to test the mixing desk and levels with the same tunes, and using those to kick me into performance mode. Which tracks? Read on for my secrets!
Thunderstruck, by AC/DC
Quite simply, the key to the energy in TPN Rock. If you listen carefully to any TPN Rock show, and you’ll recognise the opening with the jingle I call “The Barbarella Intro.” My jingle board doesn’t program it this way though. Every TPN Rock session opens with Thunderstruck, then the Barbarella Jingle, then the actual show. And if I ever get a webcam up and running for a recording session, you’ll see me rocking on my heels, punching the air, hair flying everywhere, and the adrenalin building up for the explosion…
School’s out for ever…
When the Bombs Come, by Mike Borgia
I’ve a number of personal favourite tracks and bands from TPN Rock, but strangely, the one that’s managed to worm into my head is this Soft Rock tale of love from Mike Borgia. It’s cheery in a way The La’s were, it’s powerful in a 80’s stadium power ballad, and has delicate guitars like Mike Oldfield, and it’s all from someone unsigned. It gives me hope that music can still surprise me. You can catch Mike and When the Bombs Come in TPN Rock Again #52.
Build Me Up Buttercup, by The Foundations
Speaking of cheery, I can’t think of track that doesn’t fail to put a smile on my face as much as this, mainly because it brings to mind an image of a deranged karaoke session with Vikki and Josi standing on top of a bar table half-way down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. It really does put me in the happy frame of mind that’s needed to relax into a show.
Tracy, by Deja Voodoo
Chris and Matt, the guys from Back of the Y, from The Devil Dared Me To also have a band – Deja Voodoo. This track is from the Devil film, and is a lament for the love of Randy Campbell’s life, Tracy ‘Tragedy’ Jones. As well as being kick-arse rock and roll (and squarely in the AC/DC mould) the energy and drive Chris and Matt have was a jot to behold in Austin. This is lighters held high material at the top of your voice. You’ll find it at the end of this TPN Rock show.
The Chain, by Fleetwood Mac
The stand-out track from the Rumours album, the ultimate 70’s rock and roll story where pretty much every potential combination of sleeping partners in the band happened. And then they all fell out. And hated each other. And then they wrote an album. Pure, raw, emotion, crashing beats, powerful guitars, and of course, that riff…
I’m going to stop my start watch…
Jumping Jack Flash, by The Rolling Stones
There’s a lot of tracks from The Stones that work, and I’m always hard pushed to choose which one. Paint It Black has the classic opening, Mother’s Little Helper is great to sing along to (as long as nobody is listening closely to the lyrics), and Wild Horses is really powerful, but I tend to come back to this one. If anyone asks why The Stones were better than the Beatles, here’s the answer. Mix together rock, wicked lyrics, a pinch of the blues. Seek out the live version from Get Yer Ya Yas Out if you can.
Here Comes My Baby, by The Tremelos
It’s another cherry song from the pre-bubblegum sixties era – an ear of music I have a great love for. I lvoe teh fact that songs were frequently traded round groups, and that sometimes those covers became the accepted norm. Such is the fate of Cat Steven’s track Here Comes My Baby, which as far as I’m concerned will always belong to The Tremelos. It’s just so bouncy. And they whistle!!!
The Wonderful New Breakfast Show, by Chris Moyles for Fabulous Radio One
There’s something uplifting about this track. It’s one that Moyles and his team made himself to open his very first Radio 1 Breakfast Show, and features audio clips from former legends in the same slot (Tony Blackburn, Noel Edmonds, Dave Lee Travis and Simon Mayo). And for all that Moyles loves himself, that belief drives his on air personality. I manage to take on board as well whenever this plays. And the wordplay in the lyrics gets my brain into that playful mode as well.
Danse Macabre, by Camille Saint-Saen
You know those times you can’t be bothered doing anything? And you’ve either got a podcast deadline coming up or the clock is ticking towards your shift on the microphone? Yep I get that too (and I’m getting it a lot just now, I’m really melancholy at the moment). And that’s where the Danse comes in useful. Starting at a very low pace, with ominous orchestral arrangements, it drifts higher and higher, switching moods rapidly, playing with emotion, to a crashing finish. Is it any wonder so many modern movie soundtracks appear to have lifted from it (yes, I’m looking at you, Potter)? Guaranteed to push me forward when needed.
And the man at the back said everyone attack.
Hell Raiser, The Sweet
Probably the band most closely associated with the Glam Rock explosion in the early seventies, The Sweet just hit every one of my nerves. Good guitar based rock, the prominence of the lyrics and the song as well as a strong image and on stage performance. I can’t help singing along to this [or Ballroom Blitz / Teenage Rampage / Wig Wam Bam / etc]. If I’m already on a high and ready to perform, this is the one that flashes up “Oscar Nomination” in the subtitles.
–
So there’s mine. Now, what do you use?
May 11, 2007; About My Sites, Broadcast Radio, Digital Music, Podcasting;
Possibly Related posts:
- TPN Rock: The Rock Show. Podcasting Continues To Grow
- Mike Borgia on today’s TPN Rock Session
- TPN Rock Live – Streaming and Podcasting Together
- This Week’s Rock Show, and it’s Loud!
If this is your first time here, why not consider subscribing to my RSS feed?
Comments
3 Responses to “Top Ten Warm Up Tracks I Use Before Podcasting or Broadcasting”
Leave a Reply
[...] possible, and thanks to licencing I can get some rock classics in there as well (hey you all get to hear my warm up)! At some point in the show, I’ll switch the recorders on and record that week’s Friday [...]
[...] possible, and thanks to licencing I can get some rock classics in there as well (hey you all get to hear my warm up)! At some point in the show, I’ll switch the recorders on and record that week’s Friday [...]
[...] over the stream from Mark, and I’m into an interesting warm-up section. Because not only do I need to be on the boil almost immediatly, I need to get the audience fired up as well. Thanks to the stream being a fully registerd, [...]