Mixtapes 2010, Quincy Jones, & Opinions on Michael Jackson

Jim and Greg present their 2010 Mixtapes with their favorite songs of the year. They'll also review the new posthumous release by Michael Jackson.

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Michael Michael Jackson

Michael

Following the death of Michael Jackson, Jim and Greg predicted there would be an onslaught of posthumous releases. Now the first has been released. Michael is made up of 10 tracks from Jackson's archives, gussied up by producers like Teddy Riley, John McClain and Lenny Kravitz. There's been some controversy as to whether or not this is Jackson's voice, and Riley admits there was quite a bit of processing – too much, if you ask Jim and Greg. While Greg admires the sparsest, most emotional track, "Much Too Soon," the rest of the album is really hurting. And the awful production completely destroys what Jackson might have been intending with those tracks. Jim was not a fan of Jackson's material from the past fifteen years, but he respects Jackson's perfectionist nature. Surely such a perfectionist wouldn't have released these overblown clunkers. Michael gets a double Trash It.

Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones

One of the figures in the music industry most closely associated with Michael Jackson is producer Quincy Jones. The multi-Grammy Award winner also had a long-standing relationship with Frank Sinatra and was the force behind "We Are the World". Jim and Greg spoke to Jones shortly before the release of Michael and asked him about whether some of these songs were better left unreleased. Jones believes that money will be at the core of lot of decision-making around Jackson's legacy. Jim and Greg also talk to Jones about his latest record Q: Soul Bossa Nostra, which features Jones tracks updated by Amy Winehouse,  Ludacris, Talib Kweli and more.

The Best Songs of 2010 - Mixtapes

At the end of each year, Jim and Greg look back and pick out their favorite songs to make you a mixtape. Think of it as a soundtrack for 2010. They both play samples of the mix during the show, but you can stream both compilations in their entirety.

Greg Kot’s Mixtape for 2010

  1. Black Mountain - Buried by the Blues
  2. Efterklang - Modern Drift
  3. MGMT - I Found a Whistle
  4. Spoon - Got Nuffin
  5. Apteka - The Sheet
  6. Retribution Gospel Choir - Hide It Away
  7. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Come Undone
  8. Dessa - Children’s Work
  9. Roky Erickson - Goodbye Sweet Dreams
  10. Disappears - Gone Completely
  11. Besnard Lakes - Albatross
  12. Yeasayer - Madder Red
  13. Psalm One - Ginsu Knives
  14. Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
  15. Kid Cudi - Erase Me
  16. Grinderman - Palaces of Montezuma
  17. Sharon Van Etten - Save Yourself

Launch Greg’s Mixtape

Jim DeRogatis’ Mixtape for 2010

  1. Kanye West - Runaway
  2. Beck/Sex Bob-Omb - Garbage Truck
  3. Sade - Soldier of Love
  4. Besnard Lakes - Chicago Train
  5. Arcade Fire - Modern Man
  6. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Jaykub
  7. Arctic Monkeys - My Propeller
  8. The Album Leaf - Summer Fog
  9. Kelis - Acapella
  10. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
  11. Wolf Parade - Pobody’s Nerfect
  12. Gibbard/Farrar - California Zephyr
  13. M.I.A. - XXXO
  14. Robyn - Dancing On My Own
  15. Gorillaz - Some Kind of Nature
  16. Peter Gabriel - The Book of Love
  17. Everybody was in the French Resistance... Now! - G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N. (You Know I’ve Got A)
  18. Rhymefest - Chicago
  19. Rihanna - Rude Boy
  20. Cee Lo - F*ck You

Launch Jim’s Mixtape

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