When I’m working in the studio I listen to audio books, podcasts and music. I don’t have a radio in the studio, so I tend to listen to things on my phone or computer. A few months ago, I realized that I wasn’t listening to very much music anymore. I occasionally buy new records, but the record player isn’t in the studio so I signed up for Spotify again. I used to make mixtapes for friends all the time, and miss the hours spent listening to songs, trying to find the right ones to go in just the right spot.
When I lived in Chicago, I made a mixtape for the ocean every year. I missed the ocean and there are so many good songs about the sea. I made one a year until I got to six, and then I’m not sure why I stopped. Going through some of my old papers, I found the trackless again and decided to recreate them in order, on Spotify. A handful of the songs aren’t available, as a number of them were rare songs found on old records, or from friends’ albums. But the majority of the songs on Sea Mixes 1-6 are all up on my spotify page. And I just made a new one - Sea Mix 7. You can listen to them all on Spotify.
Below, I’ve shared all the original tracklists of the Sea Mix Tapes. If you have a favorite sea song that I should add to the next Sea Mix, leave it below in the comments.
Sea Mix 1 (circa 2005)
Side A:
Iggy Pop - The Endless Sea
The Cure - Killing an Arab
Queen - Sail Away Sweet Sister
Erica Eigen - I want to marry a lighthouse keeper
Roy Orbison - Blue Bayou
Heart - Soul of the Sea
Sinead O’Connor - Jackie
Electric Light Orchestra - The Whale
Looking Glass - Brandy (you’re a fine girl)
Gene Pitney - The Ship True Love Goodbye
Van Morrison - Into the Mystic
Black Heart Procession - On Ships of Gold
Side B:
The William Young - The Enemy
Adam and the Ants - Jolly Roger
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Stove by a Whale
Catpower - Sea of Love
Laurie Anderson - Beautiful Pea Green Boat
The Beach Boys - Sloop John B
Smokey and Miho - Ocean in Your Eyes
Joanna Newsom - This Side of the Blue
The Pogues - Thousands are Sailing
Tracy Chapman - I used to be a sailor
Pete Seegar - I will never marry
Side A:
Scott Walker - Port of Amsterdam
The William Young - Captain Morgan’s Revenge
Laurie Anderson - Love Among Sailors
Parliament - Aquaboogie
David Bowie - Red Sail
The Murder City Devils - Hey Sailor
June of 44 - Sharks and Sailors
The Beatles - Octopus’ Garden
The Beach Boys - Sail on Sailor
Jiha Lee and Charlie Vinz - Sea of Love
Side B:
Chad Willis and the Beachstones - Jack was every inch a sailor
The Be Good Tanyas - Lakes of Pontchartrain
Brian Wilson - On Holiday
Donavan - Starfish on Toast
Coco Rosie - Sea is Calm
mystery track from a mixtape that Matt Mele made me in 2005
Christopher Cross - Sailing
Porno for Pyros - Tahitian Moon
Gal Costa - Empty Boat
Ramona Cordova - Introduction
The Pixies - Dancing the Manta Ray
Woody Guthrie - What did the deep sea say"?
Velvet Underground - Ocean
Side A:
Brian Eno - The Big Ship
The Unicorns - Sea Ghost
The Shins - Sea Legs
Cocteau Twins - Sea, Swallow Me
Future Bible Heroes - She-devils of the Deep
Chiffons - Taylor BOy
Depeche Mode - Sea of Sin (Blue Enya Remix)
Phil Phillips - Sea of Love
Ween - She Wanted To Leave
Nina Nastasia - Ocean
Birds of America - I am in love with an ocean
Side B:
Regina Spektor - Sailor Song
Sparks - Slowboat
Styx - Come Sail Away
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Matthew Sweeney - My Home Is The Sea
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Ship Song
The Be Good Tanyas - Ship Out on the Sea
Frank Sinatra - Somewhere Beyond the Sea
Sonic Youth - Diamond Sea
Enya - Orinoco Flow
Side A:
Beat Happening - Sea Hunt
Beach House - Saltwater
Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
Six by Seven - Ocean
Old Time Relijun - Giant Boat
Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Buckingham Nicks - Crystal
Keren Ann - The Harder Ships of the World
Jim O’Rourke - Ghost Ship in a Storm
Side B:
Hüsker Dü - Standing by the Sea
Mastodon - Battle at Sea
The Arcade Fire - The Well and the Lighthouse
Electrelane - At Sea
Roxy Music - Sea Breezes
Olivia Tremor Control - The Ships
Antipop Consortium - Rinseflow
Dengue Fever - Ocean of Venus
The Paragons - The Tide is High
De La Soul - Tread Water
Queen - Seven Seas of Rhye
Side A:
Weezer - Across the Sea
Crystal Stilts - Love is a Wave
Peter Murphy - Deep Ocean Vast Sea
Neko Case - Red Tide
AIr France - Beach Party
Arthur Russel - The Platform on the Ocean
mum - Hu Hviss - A Ship
Belle and Sebastian - Ease Your Feet In The Sea
Pram - Play of Waves
Jonsi and Alex - Daniell In The Sea
Side B:
The Carter Family - The Wave On The Sea
Beck - Rowboat
Silver Jews - Trains Across The Sea
Dirty Three - Deep Waters
Rasputina - Sweet Water Kill (The Ocean Song)
PJ Harvey - We Float
Bjork - Oceania
Movietone - Ocean Song
Side A:
The Wailing Souls - Row Fisherman Row
Joe Simon - Drowning in the Sea of Love
Cinematic Orchestra - Ode to the Big Sea
Air France - Karibien
Grouper - Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping
Bon Iver - Beach Baby
Fairport Convention - A Sailor’s Life
Grizzly Bear - Deep Blue Sea
Johnny Cash - Sea of Heartbreak
Side B:
Dance Yourself To Death - Sea of Love (JD Samson Remix)
Gossip - Love Long Distance
Wavves - Beach Demon
Dead Kennedys - Moon Over Marin
Black Sabbath - Children of the Sea
Slint - Good Morning, Captain
Beck - Ship in the Bottle
Mott The Hoople - Sea Diver
Camera Obscura - Lunar Sea
The Righteous Brothers - Ebb Tide