Any Major Decade: Favourites Vol. 1
Any Major Dude With Half A Heart turns 10 years old this week. The first post was a narrative effort about plastic surgery inspired by Smokey Robinson”s rigid smile. But within a couple of weeks it became a music blog, paying tribute to Swedish indie artists, female folk-rock and indie singers and the great Ben Folds. Soon I got a following, especially thanks to Totally Fuzzy, an aggregator site on which music blogs could advertise their latest posts (it still exists, though with a different focus). As the months progressed, I had regular features: pissing off the taste police by defending acts like Barry Manilow or Wet Wet Wet; paying tribute to newer acts from the independent side of things, such as Josh Rouse;Â “Music for Bloggers”, wherein I punted blogs and dedicated a suitable song to them. Some of these bloggers have remained friends, most notably Whiteray of Echoes In The Wind (www.echoesinthewind.com). For a couple of years I even ran an annual “award show” for my favourite blogs. Later came the relatively short-lived “Great Moustaches in Pop“ series, a series on answer records (that I should turn into a CD-R Mix), and one of songs about murder (ditto).
The biggest project was The Originals, a series of pieces on lesser-known originals of famous songs. It was a mammoth project which I”d like to revise one day (as I did with the Elvis originals, Bacharach originals and Christmas originals), though the workload for it is immense. There are 700 such songs in my collection. For the first few years, I posted individual songs on various filehosting sites. The first of these was Z-Share; the most regular was Mediafire, until that service turned to crap. Around that time it seemed to me that concentrating on CD-R length themed mixes was the better way to go. Most of these mixes I make for my own pleasure, as a creative outlet. I take joy in sharing what I love. A few mixes were made as a means of documentary; most notably the History of Country series, which is still up, with an eBook that can be downloaded free. The mixes are usually accompanied by home-made covers. These are made especially for the readers. I have fun making them, though I have no idea whether anybody ever uses them.
In January 2010 I started the In Memoriam series, which I know many people are looking forward to every month. In the course of researching the monthly departed I”ve come across a number of sites and blogs that chronicle the latest celebrity deaths. I don”t think I”m overstating things when I describe my efforts as the most comprehensive monthly run-down of the latest music folks who have left us. Certainly none I”ve seen pay tribute to them by way of music (though some do so by posting YouTube links). These songs, I must add, aren”t always endorsed by me. Over time, this blog has received many plaudits, which is of course always very nice to hear. Comments are always the lifeblood of the blogger. When a post receives no comments, I am tempted to retire from running this show. It is frustrating when a few hundred people download a mix and have nothing to say. Usually the next post gets engagement, and all”s well again. A couple of times musicians from back when commented to thank me for keeping their music known, which was wonderful. And, of course, there was the time the notable songwriter Norman Gimbel e-mailed me to give me his version of how Killing Me Softly With His Song came about.
The most impressive public plaudit was the inclusion of this blog in the Playboy 2013 Music Guide. Mine was the only music blog to feature, alongside artists like My Bloody Valentine, Kendrick Lamar, Caitlin Rose and Richard Thompson. “All blogs have strong opinions, but few have the expertise and imagination of Any Major Dude With Half a Heart,” editor Rob Tannenbaum wrote. ” A champion of the championless, the Dude puts together thematic MP3 playlists. The best posts at HalfheartedDude.com are the R&B compilations from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, which resurrect great songs that should never have been forgotten.” By way of acknowledgment I created a mix of seemingly random songs. The unmentioned punchline was that the covers of the albums from which these songs came featured nudity (because Playboy, y”see).
To celebrate these ten years, I”ll be posting compilations of some of the best songs from the various mixes that have appeared here. I”ll start off with two comps of tracks from my favourite 40 mixes over the years; mixes which I still play regularly (the second mix follows next month). The tracklisting is in random order (well, not random ““ I take care in sequencing them). If forced to choose, I”d rate the two Any Major Morning mixes as my all-favourites, maybe just ahead of the two Jimmy Webb compilations. 
This mix is, as always, timed to fit on a standard CD-R. I’ve not made covers for it. PW in comments.
1. Alabama 3 – Woke Up This Morning (1999)
Any Major TV Themes Vol. 1
2. Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time – Driving Somewhere (2007)
Any Major Roads Vol. 1
3. Marc Cohn – Listening To Levon (2007)
Any Major Radio Vol. 1
4. Little Feat – Willin’ (1972)
Any Major American Road Trip – Stage 3 (Amarillo to the California Coast)
5. Barbara Jean English – So Many Ways To Die (1972)
Any Major Soul 1972/73
6. Webster Lewis – Give Me Some Emotion (1979)
Any Major Funk Vol. 1
7. Bill LaBounty – Living It Up (1982)
Not Feeling Guilty Vol. 1
8. Big Sound Authority – This House (Is Where Your Love Stands) (1984)
Should Have Been A Top 10 Hit – Vol. 1
9. Aztec Camera – Walk Out To Winter (1983)
Any Major Winter
10. Brooklyn Bridge – Worst That Could Happen (1969)
Any Major Jimmy Webb Collection Vol. 1
11. Scott Walker – Joanna (1968)
Any Major Summer Vol. 3
12. Carpenters – Road One (1972)
Any Major Flute Vol. 1
13. Fleetwood Mac – Silver Springs (1977)
Any Major B-Sides
14. Townes Van Zandt – I’ll Be Here In The Morning (1968)
Any Major Morning Vol. 1
15. Dave Alvin – Rio Grande (2004)
Any Major Mexico
16. Lyle Lovett – Just The Morning (1994)
Any Major Coffee Vol. 1
17. Bap Kennedy – Please Return To Jesus (2012)
Saved Vol. 3
18. Justin Townes Earle – One More Night In Brooklyn (2010)
Any Major Night Vol. 1
19. Jeff Tweedy – Simple Twist Of Fate (2007)
Any Major Dylan Covers Vol. 1
20. Nick Drake – Saturday Sun (1970)
Any Major Week Vol. 1
PW = amdwhah
Hi,
I just want to express my gratitude for all the hard work that you do. I really enjoy your mixes and the History of Country in particular. Also the soul mixes from the 60s and 70s. I sincerely hope that you continue.
best wishes and a large thank you
Bo
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !!! Great work, great mixes, great music and greeat background information !!! Long may this continue, as I’m looking forward to your mixes (and ideas) every week !! Thank you !
Dude, can you by chance re-up your Playboy-mix ? I was not following you back then and now you have made me curious …
Hearty congratulations to the King of Music Bloggers!
I can’t claim to have been with you from the very start, Dude, but considering my own (original) blog began about ten years ago, I reckon I must have discovered you pretty early on. I know I lost touch a few years back when my son arrived, but it’s been to rediscover you over the past year or so and catch up on what I missed.
Thanks for all the great tunes you’ve introduced me to over the years, many of which have encouraged me to go out and buy new music I’d never have known about otherwise.
Long may you reign!
I’ve been through a rather rough spot lately and as a result haven’t commented in quite some time. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped following you, Dude. I still receive your emails and visit each new mix. Thank you for all that you do. It may be your passion but it can’t be easy and must take much time and effort. Your blog is still at the top of my list. — JohnnyDiego
Wow–ten years is a long time for doing the labor-intensive work you do here. I can’t remember which other music blog linked to you, years ago, which first brought me here–there used to be so many good music blogs and so few good ones now. Thank you for keeping the torch burning. Oh, and I almost always print out the CD covers you make, and burn an actual CD of the mix to keep in the car. Looking forward to the next ten years!
The Any Major Country series changed the way I listen to an entire genre. Thank you
Thank You !
Congratulations, sir, and thank you for your work (and for the nod). I remain a faithful reader and continue to find treasures here. (The folder for tunes I’ve found here and nowhere else now contains 1,127 tracks!) May we both log another decade and more!
@JOI
It’s back up now.
Thanks for your excellent compilations – and yes, I do enjoy your homemade cover art! Keep up the fine work.
1,127 tracks? I am quite stunned by that number… Another decade of blogging? Let’s hope there’ll be a world left to blog at!
Hearty congratulations on your first decade. It’s fantastic work that you do….informative and such a great source for discovering/re-discovering music that I haven’t heard before…or forgotten about. I am sooooo guilty of not giving my thanks previously for all the effort you put into your mixes and for that I can only apologize. I’m particularly fond of the session player mixes. Any thoughts on compiling a Roger Hawkins mix? Once again, thanks for creating this very fine site.
Here’s to the next ten…..
Thank you very much !!! Love it !
Just want to add my voice to the chorus thanking you for all the effort you put into the great writing and music of this blog. I always look forward to each post, and visit the blog regularly. Thanks so much!
Congratulations on your anniversary and fabulous site. I never miss it. I vote for more of the Originals series, as I share your love for those original versions. Don’t be reluctant to re-up the links on the older ones (sort of your own version: the originals of the Originals posts.) Many thanks for all of the enjoyment.
Congratulations and keep it up! I get many ideas and tracks to use on my weekly radio show from this site. I probably enjoy the originals series and soul mixes the best, though there’s always good discoveries to be made on each mix.
Here’s my request (because I want to do this theme myself on the radio): a Nicky Hopkins tribute. I just looked him up to check and, lo and behold, it’s his birthday today! He would’ve been 73.
Anyway, if you still enjoy it, carry on because clearly, lots of folks enjoy what you do.
Congratulations on 10 years! I have to admit I probably don’t listen to your mixes as you intended. I add them to a running iPod shuffle playlist and the songs just pop randomly when I walk or run. The other day I heard a German language song followed by Blowfly. It is a great way to discover new music and rediscover songs that I overlooked. I am glad to see you included in this mix a favorite song that I discovered through your mixes: Aztec Camera’s “Walk Out to Winter”.
Congratulations Sir> Long live you and all the work that you do with this blog to keep a samplehead edutained.
I say edutained because every visit has me engrossed about a topic or an artist i had little or no knowledge of and for that i’m sincerely and eternally grateful.
I’m a fan this site and use you for ideas and tracks to use on my weekly radio show especially in tribute . I probably enjoy the In Memoriams series and Any Major soul series the best because there is always a gem hidden waiting to be sampled Hehehehe!
†editor Rob Tannenbaum is correct. you truly are “ A champion of the championless, and this continues to be fun and and more importantly you thoroughly enjoy it, Keep it moving because we all love and enjoy what you do.
Well Done & Congratulations AMDWHAH, Heres to the next 10
I didn’t realise you felt discouraged without comments. I’ll try and comment in future. I introduced my other half to your blog and she finds it simultaneously fascinating and a bit depressing (that’s the deaths bit) as do I. You have an incredible taste in music, keep up the good work and here’s to the next ten years.
Happy Birthday, amdwhah!
Love the blog. Especially love your blurbs and occasional focuses on professional musicians that aren’t household names but played on so many classic songs.
Happy 10th! Thank you for all the joy you have added to my life for years. And, I would go with either the Jimmy Webb mixes or the Hal Blaines.
Congrats. I read the blog every week. I just checked my browser and see that I added the bookmark on 2/10/2010. Nice to read about songs and artists that didn’t catch on here in the USA.
Liebste Grüße aus Dortmund.
Meine Vorgratulanten haben bereits alles gesagt, also Happy Birthday amdwhah! May your next ten years be as enjoyable to you as your last ten were to me.
Hi Dude, Congratulations on reaching 10 Years – what an achievement. I really appreciate all your hard work in collating many fine tunes and turning me on to stuff I might otherwise ignore or unintentionally overlook.
I especially look forward to the Any Major Soul collections and your monthly In Memoriam features – what an amazing job you did in 2016 with so many lost giants in the music world.
Long may you reign with us!
Thank you for continuing to keep this blog alive. I still burn CDs for my own use and appreciate that you still tailor your mixes to that length. I have many other projects in life and have been away from making compilations for a few years. When I try to get back into it, I find that there are too few bloggers left doing anything good, and the file hosts are increasingly bothersome. How I loved MediaFire and MegaUpload! I have over 3000 recordings now and when I download music, it’s mostly so that I can thin out the boxes by compiling several CDs to one. There are usually additional albums I need for a proper overview.
I still come back at least once a month for In Memoriam. I know you wanted to drop it because of the work involved, but I’m glad it received a stay of execution. Carry on, we all love you.
Congratulations!!……..I found your site by accident about 3 yrs ago and ever since then I visit on a regular basis (at least once a month) I find your mixes to be excellent.You have introduced to some artists and songs that are new to me but still enjoyable,especially in the context that you set them.I do admire your enthusiasm.I have no idea where you find the time and or the energy. I am just glad that you spare some of both to post your mixes.Thankyou
thanks for all the music!! once every month or two i’ll think ‘i need some new tunes, why dont i check out half hearted dude.’ haven’t been disappointed yet.
@halfhearteddude
Congretulation for keeping the blog for an awsome 10 years and looking forward for the next 10 years :-)
I was reading the liner notes of this collection (which is great by the way). And you mentioned how the comments you receive make you aware how much what you do matters to people.
So I wanted to let you know that I also make CDs of some of your mixes and listen to them in rental cars as I travel for work, and they often greatly shorten the travel because I lose track of time for a while. So thank you for that!
I’m an avid record collector with 4,000+ albums and according to my friends, I make a pretty good mix CD myself.
Yours are better! And I appreciate the artwork, as well. Rock on.
Thanks. That is so nice to know. Especially that of your 4000 CDs, some of my mixes serve to keep you companionship.