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Topic: Need dinner party music suggestions
| Author | Message |
| hawkmail | Posted – 9/5/2007 10:52:47 AM | show profile I need to create some music mixes for a dinner party. Not any one type of music or artist, open to most anything, but not really into jazz. I have really quirky taste in music (Led Zep to Barbra Streisand) and I'm always insecure about compiling and playing something to set the mood for a dinner party, worried that my guests will hate my choices. Plus, once I get into iTunes I get easily side tracked listening and trying to decide what will make it "perfect" The group is usually people in their late 30's to early 50's. Can you guys give me a few of your go-to favorites? Thanks!!! |
| Iron Eagle | Posted – 9/5/2007 11:08:54 AM | show profile Anything by Milli Vanilli |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 9/5/2007 11:29:45 AM | show profile Do you have a theme to the party, or is it for a particular occasion? I find it helpful to plan the food/theme first and then go from there. Plus, I think it's more fun for everyone when there's a theme for the night. Or maybe I'm reading too much Real Simple :) Speaking of which, i am pretty sure I've seen in an issue somewhere this very question addressed. |
| GrOoVaL!c!OuS | Posted – 9/5/2007 11:34:39 AM | show profile Santana, Beatles, Dave Matthews Band, Brand New Heavies, Stevie Wonder, Les Nubians, Common, Susan Tedeschi. That'd make an awesome playlist. |
| sue ellen mischke | Posted – 9/5/2007 12:22:14 PM | show profile Nouvelle Vague |
| chucho | Posted – 9/5/2007 12:52:33 PM | show profile Songs without lyrics is good. (I like Nouvelle Vague a lot, but for some reason a French pop cover of the Dead Kennedy's "Too Drunk to Fuck" doesn't scream "dinner party for 30- to 50-somethings", but that's just me.) This would be a really hard question to answer: you know your people more than anyone here. But dinner party in a general sense? I lean toward no lyrics (lyrics can rob focus of conversation). Ruling out ALL jazz really takes out a lot of "no lyrics" options. I like this album a lot: http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Rub%C3%A9n-Gonz%C3%A1lez-Rub%C3%A9n/dp/B000005J55 (Though I suppose this is considered "Latin Jazz", but I prefer Ry Cooder's description: a cross between T-Monk and Felix the Cat.) Classical is always risky -- a lot of people might consider it to boring or affected, otherwise I'd recommend Kazuhito Yamashita. If you want campy, "safe" and fun you can't go wrong with Exotica music. Here's 29 tracks free for download: http://www.comfortstand.com/catalog/001/index.html For lyrics, one of the greatest American albums of the past 30 years is Tom Waits' "Heart of Saturday Night" (this is "sweet" dinner-party-music Tom Waits, not "growly and weird" Tom Waits). I think Robert Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders would be fun (the comic book artist made a brilliant album of old timey Ameircana music in 1971 -- in one scene, Steve Buscemi's character in the movie "Ghost World" gets excited when he finds this LP at a garage sale). |
| keltoi2 | Posted – 9/5/2007 12:52:40 PM | show profile Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Nora Jones, Chris Isaacs, Harry Konick Jr. |
| hawkmail | Posted – 9/5/2007 1:27:15 PM | show profile Thanks so much, guys. No particular occasion or theme, just lots of parties coming up. We are all generally on the creative (ish) side but definitely too old to be hipsters. Dry, sarcastic senses of humor. Not uptight or prissy at all. We like to eat, drink, and swear. A couple of the girls were Mudd Clubb regulars back in the day, if that gives you a clue. Keep the great suggestions coming. If there are specific songs, I would love to know that, too. |
| chucho | Posted – 9/5/2007 1:37:04 PM | show profile Mudd Clubb regulars? Shit, what would Mudd Clubb regulars listen to now that they're older? I don't recommend Television, Talking Heads, David Bowie. I hate indulging people's nostalgia. Keltoi's suggestions are good, but the OT did mention "no jazz". I can't think of anyone in their 50s that would like Dave Matthews, tho'. That definitely "college pop". (Not to be confused with "college rock" -- the pretentious stuff you read about on alt-y MP3 blogs. College pop is for the young hoi pollio and hoople heads. College rock is for the young *alternative* hoi pollio and hoople heads :) |
| Iron Eagle | Posted – 9/5/2007 1:37:19 PM | show profile For quite time - Keith Jarrett - The melody Lingers at Night..beautiful solo piano. For crank it up background fun - John Scofield plays Ray Charles. |
| chucho | Posted – 9/5/2007 1:37:57 PM | show profile Er, I mean hoi polloi . . . |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 9/5/2007 1:54:13 PM | show profile Sinatra. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 9/5/2007 1:56:39 PM | show profile If you're looking for a little retro ... ...I'd go with Floyd Cramer ... Ferrante & Teicher ... DEFINITELY Herb Alpert (my favorite album is Herb Alpert & Brasil '66) ... and one of my personal instrumental favorites, The Village Stompers. |
| Righter | Posted – 9/5/2007 2:21:14 PM | show profile Anything by Koop, or the entire album Waltz for Koop. Look it up on itunes its very chill but not boring, kinda loungy. I've played it for many parties and everyone always ends up asking about them. |
| Nikongirl | Posted – 9/5/2007 3:06:44 PM | show profile A few ideas..... Marvin Gaye. Let's Get It On. What's Going On. Motown. Ray Charles. Genius Loves Company. Concord Records Rebekka Bakken. Is That You. Universal Music Pat Metheny. A Map Of The World. Warner Music PinkMartini. Hang On Little Tomato. Heinz Records RESPECT - The Soul Generation Soundtrack. Universal Music |
| sue ellen mischke | Posted – 9/5/2007 3:13:55 PM | show profile Chet Baker Brazilian Girls (Chuch ... most of the other stuff on the two Nouvelle Vague albums I have would work other than TDTF.) |
| sue ellen mischke | Posted – 9/5/2007 3:15:14 PM | show profile Also, Bon Appetit magazine has a section on dinner music every month, that's why I suggest Nouvelle Vague and Brazilian Girls...I've played those two at dinner parties. Okay...one dinner party... |
| newbie | Posted – 9/5/2007 3:23:21 PM | show profile I would play les nubien. What about the Verve remixed albums--jazz and blues set to a beat. Or the cafe del mar albums--throwing in a few discs that have a surplus of styles and artists seems like a winning combo. |
| westsidestory | Posted – 9/5/2007 5:06:52 PM | show profile Mudd Club girls? Anything from Blondie (indulgent retro party music) will get them to go for that extra mojito. I always stick Paul Simon's "Graceland" into the CD random rotation. The beats play well either throbbingly loud, or as an undertone at lower levels. |
| psandqs | Posted – 9/5/2007 7:52:01 PM | show profile "not uptight or prissy at all"? Then "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues ("If I Should Fall from Grace with God" is a pretty stimulating album, even if you can't understand half of what Shane McGowan is saying because of his bad teeth and whiskey slur). "Ice Cream Man" by Tom Waits (both are pretty funny, anti-romantic romances). And no, I'm not into the drunken and drug-laden performers, just a sucker for the rogue poet, I guess. Anything by Nellie McKay. |
| psandqs | Posted – 9/5/2007 8:07:16 PM | show profile Got the album wrong for the Tom Waits song. The livelier version of Ice Cream Man is on "Closing Time." The version on "The early years" is much mellower and standard bluesy Waits. |
| natalie6 | Posted – 9/5/2007 10:08:50 PM | show profile | email poster I really like playing movie soundtracks at parties. Partly because they frequently have a 'level' (of energy) which can make it easy to match certain parts of the evening (low key for dinner, more energetic for socialising after, etc), and also because the music is often popular-sounding, but unfamiliar, so you get a lot of, 'Wow, that's a great song, where's it from?' I love the soundtrack to 'Magnolia' for its mellow folk-rock, by musicians like Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann for dining; Bend it Like Beckham for before dinner (it's a bit high energy but fun), and Vanilla Sky for after-dinner drinks and socialising (a bit house-y, high energy). |
| natalie6 | Posted – 9/5/2007 10:27:45 PM | show profile | email poster Oh, and if you want stuff that's REALLY high-energy, like Rob Zombie techno thrash metal style stuff, the soundtrack to any of the Blade movies is great. Like the Matrix soundtrack, but less over-played. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 9/6/2007 4:25:42 AM | show profile | email poster Graceland is good, Paul Simon. I'm liking Nikon Girl's ideas. R&B is a hit with me. Marvin Gaye. Ray Charles. The Temptations. SmokeyRobinson and the Miracles. Manhattan Transfer. PinkMartini. Now, this is just me --- I like Dave Matthews. Movie soundtracks? You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, StepMom. IMO, can't go wrong with Big Band era. Fun retro? Sinatra, Como. For some energy, polka music -- Polkasonic by Brave Combo. If conversation's the object, wordless is good. Vivaldi's Four Seasons is nice. |
| voracious reader | Posted – 9/6/2007 10:52:34 AM | show profile SIMPLY RED. Their new album Stay includes the song So Not Over You is amazing. |
