STORMS - Various Artists

YEAR: 2003

LABEL: Cerpts Productions

TRACK LISTING: Storms - Fleetwood Mac, Knowing Me Knowing You - ABBA, Every Little Thing About You - Raul Malo, Lovesong - The Cure, Winter Kills - Alison Moyet, Blue - Sarah McLachlan, If I Could Reach You - The 5th Dimension, Back To Then - Darius Rucker, Blue - Barry Manilow & Sarah Vaughan, Don't Take Your Love From Me - Frank Sinatra, Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & the Pips, No More Drama - Mary J. Blige, This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Elton John, If I Could Only Stay Asleep - Patsy Cline, Ghost In This House - Allison Krauss, Trouble - Cat Stevens, Black - Pearl Jam, Who Am I Foolin' - Cheryl Wheeler, Two Star - Everything But the Girl

IMPRESSIONS: It was never my intention to put up a cd mix I made myself however there's no other I would consider before this one. The only cd mix I've made which has a fan base; everyone who has heard it declared it a classic. So who am I to argue with them? I would certainly say this is the one cd mix I consider a perfect jewel. Made on the 7th of January 2003, this cd was the result of a breakup and a broken heart ripped out of my chest and trodden on with golf shoes. Not only was the year 2002 a tough one for myself but for others I knew and this cd resonated strongly with all of us. Not only does it contain my number one favourite song of all time (Pearl Jam's "Black") but it also contains my number TWO favourite song (Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama"); both songs won Song of the Year Penguin Awards in their respective years. It features the song which had the most ever plays on my first ipod "City Lights" (Everything But the Girl's "Two Star" which had racked up 18 plays before I got my new ipod "Podzilla"). The cd also features the second saddest song ever recorded: The 5th Dimension's "If I Could Reach You" (the number one saddest song ever recorded, in case you're interested, is Stan Rogers' "First Christmas"). I am still extremely proud of the mood I managed to sustain on this cd and consider it my finest programming job.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Storms - Fleetwood Mac, Lovesong - The Cure, Winter Kills - Alison Moyet, Blue - Sarah McLachlan, If I Could Reach You - The 5th Dimension, Blue - Barry Manilow & Sarah Vaughan, Don't Take Your Love From Me - Frank Sinatra, Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & the Pips, No More Drama - Mary J. Blige, This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Elton John, Ghost In This House - Alison Krauss, Trouble - Cat Stevens, Black - Pearl Jam, Who Am I Foolin' - Cheryl Wheeler, Two Star - Everything But the Girl

FACT SHEET: STORMS is a Cerpts CD Mix which was compiled on January 7, 2003. The cover art is by Edward Gorey.

PORTRAIT - The 5th Dimension

YEAR: 1970

LABEL: Bell

TRACK LISTING: Puppet Man, One Less Bell To Answer, Feelin' Alright, This Is Your Life, A Love Like Ours, Save the Country, Medley - The Declaration - A Change Is Gonna Come - People Gotta Be Free, Dimension Five

IMPRESSIONS: I used to spin the record on my black portable record player which closed up and could be carried like a suitcase. In 1970, the 5th Dimension was the ding dang diggety fershnizzle, ya'll. And this wasn't even the first album by the group I had; their first LP had been around the house since I was five seconds old. The song "The Declaration" is actually the Declaration of Independence set to music; and like SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK it is the reason why I can recite the entire document to this day. And if you need any more validation for the pop supremacy of the 5th Dimension . . . Nick Drake loved them!

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Puppet Man, One Less Bell To Answer, Feelin' Alright, Save the Country, Medley - The Declaration - A Change Is Gonna Come - People Gotta Be Free

FACT SHEET: PORTRAIT is the 5th Dimension's fifth album. The group consists of Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore and Ron Townson. This is the group's first album on Bell Records after leaving Soul City Records. PORTRAIT is one of the first albums recorded on a 16-track recorder. The impressionistic cover painting is by LeRoy Neiman.