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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
I like to switch between these two:
- Of Montreal's "Sunlandic Twins" (because it moves me)
- El-P's latest (because I imagine being chased by dogs and helicopters)
I complain about this to the trainers regularly. It's especially bad in areobics classes where the instructors favor the Britney-Aguilera-Madonna-Disco mix. I avoid those instructors like the plague now. High level aerobics are hard enough without feeling like the body is fighting with the music. Call me sensitive.
On the other hand, some instructors routinely pick excellent music and their classes are a pleasure. There are just too few of them.
And while the research my be technically correct that genre doesn't matter, i *do* believe that good workout music has a certain charactersitic that can be quantified, with the right fingerprint, descriptors and PCA program.
Here are my choices for good workout music that I have on my ipod:
Jump in the Line (Baseketball vrsion) - Aerobics
Seven Nation Army (White Stripes) - Tread, elliptical, spin
The Way - Aerobics
Further on Down the Road (Eric Clapton) -Tread, elliptical, Spin
Spirit in the Sky (Norman Greenbaum) - Tread, elliptical, spin
I Feel Like a Woman (Shania Twain)- Aerobics
Volcano (Jimmy Buffet)- abs
Baby, You Can Drive My Car (Beatles) - Toning, abs
Legs (ZZ Top)- tread, elliptical, spin
Jessica (Allman Brothers)- tread, elliptical, spin
Mas Qui Nada (Brazil 66)- tread, elliptical, spin
Honky Tonk Woman (Rolling Stones) - Anything aerobic
Short Skirt, Long Jacket (Cake) - toning, abs
Lake Charles (Lucinda Williams) - cool down
After 45 minutes of these tunes, you will feel refreshed and energized as opposed to 45 minutes of the electronica pop princesses who will make you feel like they've "Hit you baby one more time."
My chain gym, LA Fitness, actually plays a decent selection of music. They used to play a lot of uncensored gangster rap, but I guess someone at corporate finely took notice of all of the complaints and found a better mix for a gym in which 75% of the members are between the ages of 35 and 50. We now get a mix of best of 80s, and 90s with a healthy dose of current pop hits. I still would prefer my own mix, but the music is so loud that I have to play my ipod at way to high a volume to drown it out, so I don't bother trying anymore.
My gym doesn't play much techno. They will play pop country, and I find it nauseating. BodyFlow classes (Les Mills' yoga/pilates/tai chi) sometimes have some awesome music.
Here's my playlist for the elliptical machine--with that machine, especially, you want to kind of get the beats to coordinate w/ the movement so it drives you forward instead of pulling you down. I start mellow and work my way up, but try to vary the beats. My music really helps me kick it faster and endure longer than the other elliptical folks, because instead of being bored, I'm actually grooving and enjoying myself.
Jolene - Dolly Parton
Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
Eternalists - Talib Kweli & Hi Tek
September - Earth Wind & Fire
Gone Daddy Gone - Gnarls Barkley
Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
Turn to Stone - ELO
Workin' Day and Night - Michael Jackson
Your Touch - The Black Keys
American Girl - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
The Seed (2.0) - Cody Chestnutt & the Roots
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Hip Hop is Dead - Nas
Number One - Kanye West/John Legend
You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
PYT - Michael Jackson
Twenty Five Miles - Edwin Starr
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face - Coldplay
Movin' On - Elliott Yamin
Radio -- Apes & Androids
Else -- Built to Spill
Sweet Sweet Heartkiller -- Say Hi to Your Mom
Hey Now Now -- The Cloud room
Our Swords -- Band of Horses
The Wonder -- Figurines
German Engineering -- Maritime
Electric Slide -- The Wildlife
Ten Thousand Lines -- Electric President
Heart it Races -- Dr. Dog
We Will Become Silhouettes -- The Shins
Skeleton Key -- Margot & The Nuclear So And So's
Wolf Like Me -- TV on the Radio
Black Cab -- Jens Lekman
I Think I Need A New Heart -- Magnetic Fields
I Want to Be Your Driver -- Nic Armstrong & The Thieves
I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes -- Tom Vek
Alone Again Or -- Calexico
This Room -- The Notwist
Trouble -- Voxtrot
Such Great Heights -- The Postal Service
A selection, since I have more than one song for some of the bands:
In Transit - Albert Hammond Jr.
Eyes - Apollo Sunshine
I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
Holla! - Baha Men
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Banquet - Bloc Party
She's So Modern - The Boomtown Rats
Jique - Brazilian Girls
The Right Profile - The Clash
Clampdown - The Clash
My Way - Conehead Buddha
Connection - Elastica
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down - Elvis Costello
Rankin' Full Stop - The English Beat
Oh No - Gogol Bordello
Walking Contradiction - Green Day
What You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani
Dance Wid' Me - Hepcat
Arms Aloft - Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
Holy Roller Novocaine - Kings of Leon
Cornman - Kinky
We Share Our Mothers' Health - The Knife
Ooh La - The Kooks
Off The Record - My Morning Jacket
Twin Cinema - The New Pornographers
Excuse Me Mr. - No Doubt
Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit) - Noisettes
Here It Goes Again - Ok Go
Karma Hunters - The Pinker Tones
Steady As She Goes - The Raconteurs
Whoo! Alright-Yeah...Uh Huh - The Rapture
Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Hooplas Involving Circus Tricks_96 - Say Hi To Your Mom
I Turn My Camera On - Spoon
Hard To Explain - The Strokes
Oh! Gravity - Switchfoot
Thinking Of You - Test Your Reflex
Mama's Room - U T I O G
Alive With Pleasure - Viva Voce
Dope Nose - Weezer
My Doorbell - The White Stripes
Y Control (Brooklyn Fire Retouch) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
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