Back in 2006, I was still making the compact disc equivalent of the “mix tape.” CD players were still in common use then and a convenient device for playing back digitally-transferred selections from my vinyl collection. Varying levels of effort went into my CD compilations from this period — some would involve cross-fading of songs in DJ-like fashion for continuous musical flow, while other mixes would be much more laid-back affairs.
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cover art
3-volume CD “mix tape” series
21st-century popular music artists
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That same year, Events-in-Music.com would publish an excerpt from Michael Resnick‘s article on ‘mix tapes’ that had previously been published by BurnLounge “for its music retailers”:
…With the CD revolution in the near past and the digital revolution at hand, our music collections exist increasingly on hard drives, computer software, and mp3 players, while vinyl and CDs collect dust in the attic. Simultaneously, the “mix tape” has gone digital, the medium for which it seems it was always meant.
Making a mix [a collection of recordings from a number of different sources] no longer involves syncing up two tape decks or waiting all day with your finger on the record button for the radio to play that perfect song; the digital mix tape exists on BurnLounge through BurnLists, made with a few clicks of the mouse.
BurnLists are inherently temporary, easy to create and easy to erase. However, they can also be immortal and evolving. They do not have to be finalized, recorded onto a tape or burned to a disc, so they remain malleable. BurnLists can be refined, songs can be added or deleted with a few keystrokes, all the while forming “The Greatest Mix in the World.” BurnLists can be changed over time, or even made into a mini-brand, released in installments (“Party Mix Vol.1, Vol. 2.,” etc.)…
Geoffrey O’Brien, editor-in-chief of the Library of America, once called mix tapes “the most widely practiced American art form.” With the arrival of the digital revolution, O’Brien’s words seem truer than ever.
– Michael Resnick
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One of my more casual mixes from this period is something I titled Rough Mix – Volume 1, a chronologically-arranged hodgepodge of tracks from recently-acquired ’60s and ’70s vinyl (click here for cover art and track listing). As any committed listener will tell you, even the most casual compilation must begin with a winning number, and Rough Mix‘s opening track is an alluring guitar and organ instrumental from a fairly obscure album that was made in late 1960’s Hong Kong — and discovered at a Richmond, Virginia record shop thirty-five or so years later by Zero to 180’s generous benefactor, Tom Avazian.
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The opening selection on this c. 1969 album also serves as the title track:
[Pssst: Click the triangle above to play track #1 of China Night – Guitar Music]
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My hesitation to celebrate this recording earlier was simply due to the language barrier, so I recently decided to take action by reaching out to the American Chinese School in Montgomery County, Maryland, for help in translating the song titles and notes listed on the album’s rear cover.
Track Listing
Side A
A1. Chinese Night
A2. Dance of Autumn Leaves
A3. Sugar-Selling Song
A4. Full Glass of Bitter Wine
A5. When Will You Return, My Love?
A6. Flower and Moon Alliance
A7. Moonlight Serenade
Side B
B1. The Big Fool and the Little Girl
B2. Unforgettable Love
B3. Orchid
B4. Midnight Kiss
B5. Suzhou Nocturne
B6. Alana
B7. Green Island Nocturne
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This album was produced by the New Wave Record Company, and judging from its low catalog number (NWLP 5), China Night – Guitar Music appears to be among the label’s earliest releases. New Wave was active through the mid-1970s and primarily issued LPs.
Discogs — who categorizes this album as “Chinese Classical, Space Rock” — helpfully translates the name of the musical ensemble responsible for the fourteen musical selections on this album: .New Wave Orchestra. Does this mean the group of musicians served as a ‘house band’ of sorts for the New Wave label?
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Wish List
Would love to own a copy of this double album various artists compilation issued in 1971 by New Wave:
front & back covers
Categorized in Discogs as “Cantopop” or “Mandopop“
