I've compiled the following mix from a bunch of albums that took that extra step for the fans. Bonus tracks. More to the point: hidden bonus tracks. As always, the only rule I followed was the song must be something I like. Potential downloaders will just have to trust me on this one.I'm of two minds when it comes to the hidden track. On one hand, it's pretty cool to find that buried gem as a sweet extra bonus to an album. On the other hand, sometimes bands tend to out-smart themselves in an effort to hide it. For example, I get annoyed when the final track has a few minutes of silence after it followed by the "secret" song. Those few minutes of silence ensure I will never play the album in its entirety or as part of a shuffle selection. Or if, like Dramarama once did, the band cuts up the bonus song into 5 second chunks of separate tracks, which plays perfectly fine until you press "random" and suddenly it resembles what I imagine the inside of Jessica Simpson's head must sound like.
Perhaps the best thing about the hidden track is the fact it isn't titled, which means the band is giving permission to the listeners to title it themselves. Personally, I jump all over that shit. For example, this mix really should look like this:
1. Eels [hidden track] (from Daisies of the Galaxy)
2. Marah [hidden track] (from If You Didn't Laugh You'd Cry)
3. Bleu [hidden track] (from Redhead)
4. The Foxymorons [hidden track] (from Rodeo City)
5. Kings of Leon [hidden track] (from Youth and Young Manhood)
6. You Am I [hidden track] (from Hourly, Daily)
7. Liquor Giants [hidden track] (from Liquor Giants)
8. Supersuckers [hidden track] (from Must've Been High)
9. Rich Hope [hidden track] (from Rich Hope & His Evil-Doers)
10. Tommy Womack [hidden track] (from Circus Town)
11. John Oszajca [hidden track] (from From There to Here)
12. The Right Ons [hidden track] (from Look Inside Now)
13. Cracker [hidden track] (from Gentleman's Blues)
14. Dramarama [hidden track] (from Sci Fi Hi Fi)
15. The Pietasters [hidden track] (from Awesome Mix Tape #6)
16. Thelonious Monster [hidden track] (from California Clam Chowder)
17. Heatmiser [hidden track] (from Mic City Sons)
18. The Auteurs [hidden track] (from New Wave)
19. The Libertines [hidden track] (from The Libertines)
20. The Honeydogs [hidden track] (from Here's Luck)
21. Sparklehorse [hidden track] (from It's A Wonderful Life)
22. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club [hidden track] (from Howl)
But why miss an opportunity? Here's my own titles for the tunes:
Peek-a-boo!
1. Eels Cheese Wheel Radio
2. Marah Monkey Cuffs
3. Bleu Excuse Me, Ma'am, You're Kneeling On My Neck Ruffle
4. The Foxymorons Tastes Like Children
5. Kings of Leon A Fieldmouse, A Tractor, and a Butane Torch
6. You Am I Two Pounds of Meat in a One Pound Robot
7. Liquor Giants The Scientologist's Arithmetic (Tom's Square Root)
8. Supersuckers (I'm) Trapped (in Parentheses)
9. Rich Hope & His Evil-Doers Shakespeare's Dong
10. Tommy Womack I'm Selling Mom's Urine On E-Bay*
11. John Oszajca Yeah, I Dunno, It's Like, You know?
12. The Right Ons Poultry Lamp
13. Cracker The Rise and Fall of Granny Bumthrust
14. Dramarama Let Go Of My Ears (I Know What I'm Doing)
15. The Pietasters O Spelunker, My Spelunker
16. Thelonious Monster Whore D'Oeuvres
17. Heatmiser The Gunt of Limbaugh
18. The Auteurs Life is Like a Box of Chocolates, Provided the Last Chocolate Means Certain, Inevitable Death
19. The Libertines The Boy Who Cried Wolf Blitzer
20. The Honeydogs Urinal Cake
21. Sparklehorse I Likes Dem Tiggies
22. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Sociopathic Type A Over-Achiever With a Bright Future in the Financial Industry
*actual title - it was too good to change
Full Disclosure: wherever possible, I've tagged each song with its real title.
Full Disclosure pt. 2: there just might be a hidden bonus track on this mix
