A Year Of Free Music!!

Oh goodness, what a day it has been! Today I received conformation that the majority of the people in our Year of Free Music group received their CDs!!! Confused about what exactly I'm so happy about? Check it:

"So here's the idea! We all love music, and who doesn't love free music? So basically each person is assigned a month. You make 11 copies of a mixed CD filled with various music from your collection, on your assigned month. Then, you distribute the CDs to the members of the group, and by the end of the year you have a whole lot of new music! make sense? :)" source

Sounds totally awesome, right??? Well, June was my month so I made a CD of 18 of my favorite songs (trust me, there were so many more...) Bet you're dying to know which songs out of my massive collection I chose to put on such a short CD. Wait no more! And, as an added bonus, I'll even give you some epic commentary!

•  Overture/About To Crash-- Dream Theater (First two Tracks) I really wish I could have put all of DT's album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence on this CD, but I had to limit myself to only the first two songs :( My dad has been listening to Dream Theater since they started their band in the early 90s. All of the members of the band hold degrees from Julliard Conservatory or Berkley School of Music in their respective instruments (except the singer. His degree is in clarinet, which he plays on a few songs from other albums). In a nut shell, this is by far one of my most favorite bands for their ability to write good MUSIC.
• Invincible-- Pat Benatar Pat Benatar= my hero. To me, she is the female version of Freddy Mercury. Well, not really. But I love her voice a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot. Though not her most famous, this song happens to be my favorite of hers. I'm not entirely sure why, but it probably has something to do with the epicness of it all. Look up the lyrics if you want. You won't regret it.
• Ain't No Rest for the Wicked-- Cage the Elephant I am currently obsessed with Cage the Elephant, and this song has a really great message. You may recognize the instrumental breaks from the trailer of the movie The Blindside. Great movie, great song.
• Man of la Mancha-- Linda Eder Oh. My. God. I want have a vocal chord transplant from this woman. Enjoy the Spanish flair, but when you get to 2:11, be prepared to pee yourself.
• Change Nothing-- I Nine My dad actually got me hooked on I Nine about a year ago. 1:52 is where it's at for this song. Lead singer Carmen Keigans "has a serious set of pipes," as my dad would say. And the song's not too bad, either :P
• When I Think of You-- Michael W Smith and the African Children's Choir Michael W Smith is by far my favorite modern composer and singer. He is my inspiration for getting into music in the first place. I saw him live for the first time when I was 3 or 4 and begged my mom to put me piano lessons. The rest is history. This song is my favorite praise/worship song EVER. Even if I've had a suck-tastic day, I could listen to this song and it's guaranteed that a smile will cross my face. If you don't smile when watching this, I'm just going to assume you have no heart.
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)-- Eurythmics Annie Lennox is the queen of rock (sorry, Pat). She started off as an opera singer, but quit that to form Eurythmics and become one of the most famous rock bands of all time. Secretly, I want to follow in her footsteps and form an epic rock band. Hey, a girl can dream, right?
• Roam-- The B-52s You say, "Party band," and I say, "B-52s." Their absurd lyrics and funky beats are so catchy! This is one of their more "normal" songs, but is sure is a goodie (probably because lead singer, Fred, doesn't open his mouth much)! Just watch the video for all of the innuendo, if nothing else. Also by the B-52s- "Love Shack" and "Rock Lobster." Hilarious.
• The Prophet's Song-- Queen (Freddy Mercury) Freddy Mercury. Oh my gosh, what a man. It's a shame he died so young, because Lord only knows what other amazingess could have come from such a throat. This song is criminally under-rated by listeners of Queen. Much like their chart-topping hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" (which was actually a flop when it fist came out), Freddy uses what little technology was available in the early 80s to put this track together. Did I mention that he did ALL OF THE FREAKIN' VOCALS. If that's not awesome on it's own, I don't know what is.
• German Sparkle Party-- The Something Experience I suggest that you don't actually watch the video. You should just listen to the song and throw your own personal dance party. It helps that I am half German, and the friend who introduced me to this song is also half German. We have a dance. Nobigdeal.
• Pinball Wizard-- The Who This song is from the Who's rock opera Tommy. By far the most famous rock opera ever written. This song was originally written for the fabulous Elton John, but I couldn't find my dad's recording of the movie in time to put the Elton John version on the CD. Sadness. However, The Who's version is just as good :P
• Big Scary Animal-- Belinda Carlisle I really am not a huge fan of Belinda Carlisle, but I actually like this song of hers. It came on my iPod randomly one day and I started dancing to it. Kinda random, but it's a feel-good song, so I put it on. I was going to change it out with Phil Collins' True Colors, but my computer crashed while I was trying to re-upload the CD and I didn't get it in time.
• Johnny America-- Five for Fighting This song makes me actually like America a little bit. It's an inspirational, feel-good piece and it makes me smile a little.
• If This Room Could Move Another epic I Nine song? Yes, I do believe so! This one has a faster beat than "Change Nothing," but the vocals are just as solid.
• Hot Mess-- Cobra Starship Yes, I listen to Cobra Starship. No, I'm not embarrassed about it. I love running to this song; it gets stuck in my head for days on end...
• Son of Man-- Phil Collins Okay, okay. There's a lot of Phil Collins in this post. But I am admittedly obsessed. That probably has something to do with the fact that my fist concert ever was a Phil Collins concert. My mom was very pregnant with me when she, my dad, our pastor, and his wife went to his concert in Houston. Mr. Collins holds a special place in my heart, and as cheesy as it is, this is one of my favorite songs that he does.
• The Gambler-- Fun. I could go on and on about this song, but all I will say is that I cry every time I hear it.

So, that's my CD! I hope you enjoy my musical selection and don't vote me off the island as far as musical taste goes. I tried to keep it as classy as possible!