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Customusic Part 3 (MP3s)

1. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (2:24)
2. Too Close for Comfort (2:27)
3. Call Me Irresponsible (2:51)
4. Willingly (1:31)
5. Fly Me to the Moon (2:19)
6. I Still Get Jealous (1:54)
7. I'm in Love with Love (1:42)
8. More (2:41)
9. Shauny O'Shea (2:20)
10. Love is the Sweetest Thing (2:07)
11. Deep Down Inside (2:03)
12. When Will You? (1:55)
13. It's All in the Game (2:44)
14. What Kind of Fool Am I? (2:31)

Following the Atmosphere and Production sides, our trip through the Customusic Sampler concludes with two sides labeled Commercial, including the obligatory cover of "More" from Mondo Cane.

This is mall music, so grab your economic stimulus check, load the songs onto your MP3 player, and rush out in a buying frenzy! "Shauny O'Shea" is highly recommended to feed your consumer drive.

Someone actually played these sides of the album a few times, so there's a bit of surface wear, but nothing that will distract from the jaunty, jingly goodness. An actual production credit appears on these sides, with arrangements for "Willingly" and "When Will You" attributed to an E. Cadkin, whose information is as elusive as any further insight into who played on this album. Cadkin is credited for the Sound Stage movie score collection Film Parade, but there are no other details about his life or work.

More Customusic! (MP3s)

1. Gigi (2:55)
2. One Night of Love (2:14)
3. Time Was (2:10)
4. Misty (2:42)
5. I'm In the Mood for Love (2:27)
6. It's Over, It's Over, It's Over (2:02)
7. Love Is Here to Stay (2:26)

By popular demand, another installment of Customusic for your background audio needs. These selections come from the "Atmospheres" portion of the sampler and are meant for use in better restaurants and boutiques. This is pure supper music, a bit slower and more relaxing than the entries from the Production side.

Lively song selection too. There's a song about a lost love, another song about a lost love, and a song about a one-night stand. Perfect accompaniment for an era when people met for dinner before checking in to the motel. At least it ends with the promise of true love.

Motivational Music (MP3s)

1. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (1:58)
2. In a Little Spanish Town (2:16)
3. Mambo at the Zenda (1:50)
4. Thanks for the Memory (2:05)
5. I Know That You Know (2:08)
6. Count Up To Six (2:29)
7. Talk to Me Baby, Tell Me Lies (2:08)

It's Monday. It's possibly warm where you are. You're at work, unless you're in Maine or Massachusetts, where today is Patriots' Day, a curious local holiday that commemorates the Battle of Lexington and offers people the day off to appreciate Revolutionary-themed cosplay.

Chances are you need some stimulation to get you through to Friday. Automatic Canteen and Rowe are here to help, with the Customusic sampler, one of many attempts to improve productivity in the workplace by harnessing the power of music.

Pity the poor employer...

Hummin' Cummins (mp3s)

1. Hummin' Cummins (3:15)
2. Instrumental Theme (3:30)

Here's a gorgeous piece of promotional trucker music from America's Bicentennial year. Country fans, promo music fans, and CB culture fans will love this one. For everyone else, be warned that this is one catchy beast, and you'll be singing, "Reserve power for constant speed" for the rest of the day.

The vocalist is country legend Ed Bruce, best known for writing, "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," in 1957. In 1976, Bruce hit #20 on the Country Music charts with his version of "Cowboys," and along the way he wrote songs for Charlie Louvin, Tommy Roe, Tanya Tucker and Crystal Gale while putting out his own albums and doing voice-over work.

Baseball Disco (MP3s)

1. Charlie Hustle (6:44)
2. Magic Again (3:53)

Just in time for tomorrow's launch of baseball season, here's a disco song written about Pete Rose back in his playing days, when he was known for his aggressive baserunning and tendency to slide headfirst into bases, rather than his aggressive betting and tendency to stay out of the Hall of Fame. This will cure baseball fever, disco fever, and spring fever. If you're suffering from March Madness, you'll need to get an old-school Kurtis Blow injection.

Wish Book (MP3s)

Demonstrating Silvertone Stereophonic Sound – Store and Home (12:17)

Mr. Sears and Mr. Roebuck (2:43)

Not that long ago, Sears was the coolest store ever. One of those places where the whole family could formulate their consumer desires, complete with catalogs you could take home for coveting in private. Here’s two pieces of Sears mystique to enjoy.

The Silvertone demo (cover) is a side-length drama with an orchestral score, taking us through the warm moments when the Dudleys, with the help of their Silvertone salesman, Mr. Rogers, got a new stereo for their home. It seems that back in the day, Sears would set up a new stereo in your home—and leave it there overnight—so you could try it out. I wonder why they don’t do that anymore? I’d like to demo some 60” plasma TVs.

The Jam Song

The Jam Song (5:08) (mp3)

Another Comment (2:33) (mp3)

Here’s a song with a message from 1985: If you’re listening to the radio, you’re hearing our jingles. Texas-based Jam Productions owned the imaging market in the 1980s, cheerily telling listeners that they were hearing everything from Kiss Radio to Casey’s Coast to Coast. The money flowing from the Kiss contract had to be paying more than a few bills, but if you’re not growing, you’re dying, as they say in the business world.

Someone at Jam came up with a brilliant idea that this single flawlessly executes. Take a bunch of Jam’s radio imaging jingles, string them all together, and make a song out of them. Ship it off to program directors and not only will they hear how great our jingles sound, but they’ll realize that they need to hire Jam Productions to keep up with the local disco station that’s grabbing share in the coveted 18 to 25 demographic (aka the local Kiss franchise).

If you were listening to radio in the ‘80s, you’re sure to hear a familiar radio theme in here somewhere. Even the BBC and VH1 were using Jam, although I’d forgotten that VH1 was on the air back then. Wasn’t that the year MTV first hit it big with wall-to-wall Live Aid coverage?

The flip is an amusing plea for the continued need of radio jingles with a killer ending. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard those polished radio singers coo, “We give a damn.”