The very first thing that would go into my iPod would be my entire John Hartford collection. His original songwriting, vocals, sense of humor, incredible fiddle and banjo mastery, and penchant to write superb love songs is simply as good as music can get. God bless John Hartford. I wish we had our time again, I wish we had our time. The second upload would be Gove Scrivenor's classic "Shady Gove". With Doc Watson playing on most of the tracks along with appearances by Hartford and Buddy Emmons, this album has stood the test of time. This is an exceptional recording. Lastly, Asleep At the Wheel's "Still Swinging" would quickly be loaded up. You've just got to have some Bump, Bounce, Boogie. The 2nd disc in this three cd box set is a live recording from 1977. The Wheel never sounded better than when they were backed by the powerful brass section. This is swing music at its very best.

I'm just remembering what I loaded first.
John Hartford Collection
Tony Rice
A merelfest cd from 2005 with a lot of Doc and others.

Not far off from Max's list.

I'd have to put You Turn Me On (I'm a Radio) first. Mainly to further the cause of inconsequential ambiguity.

I think I will add some John Hartford (who my mother describes as "that handsome young man from the Glen Campbell Show") to the pod. Last night at the gym, I listened to free podcasts of unsigned artists from the BBC. The best things in life are free!

The BBC isn't free! We pay for it through our TV licence - worth every penny, and our gift to the world! Along with an obcession with milky tea, euphemisms and the Minstry of Silly Walks.

Can you guys fit a spelling checker to this box? I've just had Schletty on at me over my spelling!

I've taken up using my laptop as my iPod and now have 4.9 days of music on it, plus I own 2000+ Vinyl LP's and 500 CD's... I've never really known where to start.

Let me pick three songs that in the last year have stuck to the bones and sometimes changed my listening patterns. If my laptop died, they would make it back on again, guaranteed.

Little River Canyon ... Pierce Pettis
Ribbon and Bows ... Kendel Carson
Long Monday ... John Prine

Dave

Huw - I just thought it must be the really nice merlot spelling for you...

First thing that went on my iPod (shuffle) was Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. and despite the fact that I am THE Lightfoot fan, the next two were David Francey's Far End of Summer and James Keelaghan's My Skies.

I added some Francey last night (I'm going through the CD wallets in order now, so I don't miss anything). I should add the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - I remember listening to it over and over when it first came out (of course, I thought the name of the ship was the Ella Fitzgerald - but that made the story no less tragic).

I love the Edmund Fitzgerald - and I've never managed to apologize to Gordon for stealing his dressing room at the Great British Beer Festival (long story-I think it was Gordon, but it might've been Rory Gallagher - it was a beer festival and my memory is somewhat impaired). Good one!

Huw: Making me sound like a tense school marm. I was merely rejoicing in the American variant of the official British word defence. I won't crit your spelling any more if you promise not to send me to my Olde Anglo-Saxon Pub lexicon to figure out your rich colloquialisms. Hey, I got one. "Chew the fat" or "chew the rag". Do people do that in their spare time over there?

Chewing the fat was and is a pleasurable passtime. The rag might be a reference to amputation without anaesthetic; not commonly used in English parlance.

We had a local DJ who always referred to the Ed Fitz as the Ella Fitz.

Added some Hot Rize and some Red Knuckles over the weekend.

For Shame of Doing Wrong (Richard Thompson) would be a good start to my British Folk Rock heros section. I'd have to load Pyewackett's Reynardine from the vinyl (can you do that?), Pentangle with the whole Basket of Light album. Jake Thackeray, with Sister Josephine, The Bull, The Bantam Cock, The Widow of Bridlington and The Castleford Ladies' Magic Circle. Fairport Convention, Book Song and Polly on the Shore. Ossian, St Kilda Wedding. Martin Carthy - anything! Weaver and the Factory Maid - Steeley Span. About three different Grainger Lincolnshire Posys including the Home Service. Erm...

Huw--I like your choices. Good taste in tunes! Let's not forget "The Muder of Maria Marten" from the first Albion Band record.

Half of my 2Gb iPod is for everything I have of John Gorka. So the first 3 things are Gorka's. The other Gb is a battleground for David Wilcox, Pierce Pettis and Cliff (mind the spelling) Eberhardt, the current score is 3:3:4 albums. That leaves enough room for some try-outs and Woody Guthrie's Car Song (my depression-medicine).

Maria Martin - yes Chris, Battle of the Somme from lark Rise too... Alain Stivel, She Moved Through the Fair and some harp stuff. He's Breton rather than British mind... So I can put on Downtown, McBrides and Strain of the Dance from Live Hearts - Moving Hearts. Oyster Band - Blood Wedding, Flatlands, Six Grey Men. More modern - England City and Edwin by Black Rat.

Allen (?Alain) Stivel, "She Moved Through The Fair" and all of the other Stivel stuff I collected, YES!
Stivel, for the most part, was my introduction to all things Celtic revival / Celtic pride. Many songs I'd heard first in Breton or French, then later in English.

A lt of it is stuff I have on vinyl and can't be bothered to dig out with a CD and the Mac in the house, I miss them, but I'm too darn' lazy to roll over.

Stivell does a good Sally Free and Easy...

Ohgosh. What a great topic. My first, 2 years ago, was Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," which was also my first iTunes purchase. If I had to do it all over today, I'd be stumped what to load first...maybe Kate Rusby, or Prine or David Wilcox or, lordy, so MANY!

Actually, one good way to fill up your Ipod is to camp out on the FA playlist and download the tracks you like! I think I'll start that way, the trickle of money from the distribution fees is helpful to the station and I get to listen to tracks before I buy. Sorted!

Huw said: "Can you guys fit a spelling checker to this box? I've just had Schletty on at me over my spelling!"

Gee whiz, I just saw this now. I wasn't being mean-spirited, was I? We were simply reviewing differences in British and American spellings of the same word. I will stop checking Huw's spelling. "Spell and let misspell" - that's my new motto.

OK, having said that, let me say that the first song I would put on my iPod would be "Yo Mama" by Wuf Ticket.

Wait, I guess I had already commented on Huw's comment. So never mind that latest comment.

Actually, "Yo Mama" would be ninth to go on my iPod. The first song would be Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition". Yes.

Brittan's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra too!

Don't forget Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf"!

OMG - my dear Aunt & Uncle have yet again dragged me, kicking and screaming, into the current century by gifting me, this time, with an iPod Shuffle with my name written all over it! My savvy nephew explained what I can do with this mere slip of a thing, so soon I'll be out walking the dogs again with all of my favourite stuff!
(Yes Richard, I did spell it: "favourite"...an old habit I got into whilst in my youth.)

Zappa's Yo Mama, while hardly germaine is also a very fine bit of music (Mr Boros?)