Over a week ago the challenge was issued, and finally (a couple of days late, admittedly) here is the list of Muxtapes compiled by the GrodsTeam and GrodsReaders. I know that all the others put in the same amount of effort that I did (well, more like hours of agonising, drafting and re-drafting lists) so thanks to all. Make sure that you all take the time to enjoy the results.

UPDATE (25/7): I have added late-entry Muxtapes by Kate and Toaf, appended notes to Bron’s, and linked to Jeremy’s notes at his blog.

Bron from GrodsCorp
bron.muxtape.com
* Fats Waller –- Ain’t Misbehavin’ (I love jazz. I love piano music. I love piano based jazz. And I love Fats Waller, he’s the absolute best.)
* Roberta Flack –- The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Her voice. Very ethereal and angelic. Good music to bonk to.)
* Gladys Knight & The Pips –- If I Were Your Woman (One of Motown’s best, with one of their better offerings. Still think the name “The Pips” was a big mistake though.)
* Pixies –- Hey (Whores in my bed. What else to add?)
* Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians –- Fabulous Driving (Pinky’s first band (and still his band) after the untimely demise of Machine Gun Fellatio. This song is great, starts off slow and gradually increases into a mesh of screeching guitars and kooky lyrics.)
* Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young –- Wooden Ships (My heroes. Bloody peacenik, long haired hippies.)
* NoFX –- Franco UnAmerican (SoCal punk pop. But love the lyrics. Released before Dubya’s second Presidential win. Leftard punks.)
* Etta James -– A Sunday Kind of Love (I love Sundays. Friday and Saturday nights are better, but don’t tell Etta that. One of soul music’s finest.)
* Robert Johnson –- Ramblin’ On My Mind (One of the finest and original bluesmen. That’s all I can say about this one.)
* Beastie Boys –- 3 The Hard Way (Just to mix it up a little, I threw this one in. Always fun to rap along to. Not as good as “Stutter Rap” though, as John Surname will tell you.)
* Foo Fighters –- Enough Space (Ever wondered what Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” might sound like? Dave Grohl gives a good impression.)
* Cab Calloway — St James Infirmary (many jazz artists have covered this tune — Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Stan Kenton etc — as have many rock and pop artists. I have many versions of this song, so I just picked one at random and Cab Calloway came up trumps. I just love it. Do I have to explain why? No. Good.)

Cosmicjester from Tha Bastard Son
cosmicjester.muxtape.com
Cosmicjester sez: “i know, i know, not enough hannah montanna”

EC from Easily Confused
easilyconfused.muxtape.com
EC’s notes on her Muxtape can be found here.

The Editor from GrodsCorp
grodscorp.muxtape.com
The Editor sez: “For the love of God, this was hard. I think I overthunk it, but here are the tunes.
* Pearl Jam — Last Exit (I’ve got a Pearl Jam problem so selecting one Pearl Jam song for my Muxtape was always going to be a problem. So I selected two. ‘Last Exit’ is one of my favourite PJ tunes and it’s a rockin’ opening track that builds mysteriously and leaves you begging for more.)
* David McCormack & The Polaroids — Inner West (I’ve also got a David McCormack problem but selecting one DMac song for my Muxtape was easy. ‘Inner West’ is pure awesome, and I used to live in Sydney’s inner west. So there.)
* Brad — Lift (A great song by a great band. This one reminds me of when I first moved to Sydney.)
* Foo Fighters — My Hero (Picking a Foo Fighters song was tough so I just went with the track that sorta defines a good period of time I spent in London.)
* Primus — Tommy The Cat (I love Primus’ frenetic, bass-driven, angular music, along with Les Claypool’s twisted lyrics. It was a real toss up between ‘Tommy The Cat’ and ‘John The Fisherman’ but I went with ‘Tommy’ because it’s such a unique track. I always wanted to play bass like Les when I grew up.)
* LCD Soundsystem — Losing My Edge (The lyrics in this tune are awesome and the music drives and lifts. Reminds me of my time in London.)
* The Chemical Brothers — Music: Response (The best track off the best Chemical Brothers album. I never get tired of listening to the album from start to finish.)
* Custard — Pack Yr Suitcases (I’ve also got a bad Custard problem. Custard are my boyz and I felt bad having to choose just one song. ‘Pack Yr Suitcases’ defines Custard: it’s catchy and interesting musically, and makes very little sense lyrically. Simply irresistible.)
* Soundgarden — Somewhere (Teh Soundgarden are teh awesome and I crashed my car the morning after seeing them at Festival Hall in Brisbane in 1996. This track is neck-and-neck with ‘Outshined’ in the “best song from Badmotorfinger” race.)
* Nine Inch Nails — We’re In This Together (It took some time but I narrowed NIN down to two tracks. ‘Wretched (Version)’ wouldn’t upload — damn you, Muxtape — so ‘We’re In This Together’ was it.)
* Pearl Jam — Breath (I simply love this Pearl Jam tune. When Eddie sings in the bridge, “If I knew where it was/ I would take you there/ there’s much more than this,” I get a bit funny.)
* The Beatles — A Day In The Life (Awesome song and awesome-er closing song. Always starts arguments over whether John or Paul’s bit is better. It’s Paul’s bit, just in case you were wondering.)

Goobermetrics (occasionally) from GrodsCorp
goobermetrics.muxtape.com
Goober sez: “Goobermetrics’ muxtape — 12 tracks that certainly aren’t my favourite songs ever but represent a good cross section of what I listen to. Alphabetically ordered for enhanced OCD awesomeness.
* Adam Franklin — Ramonesland (A slice of lo-fi awesomeness from the man behind Swervedriver (who are decidedly un-lo-fi), and a timely reminder to always choose Ramonesland over Leonard Cohen land.)
* Atlas — Battles (This sounds like Voltron giving a reach around to Optimus Prime inside the Tardis. Nuff said.)
* Beastie Boys — The New Style (A great cut from when they weren’t P.C. douche-bags making tedious albums like ‘To The 5 Boroughs’.)
* Billy Idol — Eyes Without A Face (I fucking love Billy Idol … and not even in an ironic way. Irony is for dickheads in fluro t-shirts that say “Relax” on them. This is vital Idol, “reading murder books and trying to stay hip”.)
* David Bowie — Candidate / Sweet Thing / Candidate [reprise] (Anyone that has endured car rides with me knows my love for David Bowie - “if you don’t like it get your own fucking car!” is my response to most complaints. This 8:35 minute odyssey gives a nice glimpse at his range and penchant for the theatrical.)
* Dead Prez — Hip Hop (I’m always up for running them crackers out of city hall, so this song gets my nod. Turn this one up, crackers.)
* Helmet — Turned Out (Thinking mans metal. This dude must be 70 years old and is still out there playing in shitty venues and having beers with the fans after shows. If remembers who ‘Downtown July Brown’ is I will buy them a beer — or an Appletini in John Surname’s case.)
* Lou Reed — Ecstasy (I saw Lou Reed play in New York in what was the most hilariously tedious fucking gig I have ever been to. Lou informs us at the start that we are in for a treat, that he will play only b-sides and other obscure songs. I know most of the Lou Reed / Velvets catalogue and I knew a grand total of two songs from the two hour show. Regardless, he is still amazing even if he is a cranky old bastard. ‘Ecstasy’ is a relatively recent gem — and one of the two songs I knew.)
* Saul Williams — Black Stacey (A lot of my friends say I’m too black, which is surprising in many respects, but ultimately true.)
* Soundgarden — Outshined (I discovered Soundgarden when a mate asked for this CD for his birthday eons ago - “it’s the one with the squashed tiger on the front”. Indeed it was. Chris Cornell can wail, and this is a standout track from the breakout “squashed tiger” album.)
* Spoon — The Fitted Shirt (An ode/lament to the fitted shirt - Spoon are going bring it back via any means necessary.)
* Sublime — April 29, 1992 [Miami] (”April 26, 1992. There was a riot on streets tell me where we you? You were sitting home watching your TV, while I was participating in some anarchy.” Actually I was 13, living in the Melbourne burbs, but I was there in spirit. I had maths homework to finish, OK?!?!)

The Happy Revolutionary from The Partisan
happyrev.muxtape.com

Jeremy Sear from An Onymous Lefty
alefty.muxtape.com
Jeremy’s notes on his Muxtape can be found here.

John Surname from GrodsCorp and Random Brainwave
Has no intertubes access so he sent me his playlist instead:
* Ween — Exactly Where I’m At
* Godley & Creme — Random Brainwave
* XTC — No Language In Our Lungs
* The Divine Comedy — Through A Long And Sleepless Night
* Sparks — Likeable
* GG06 — Hooligan Crane
* Gentle Giant — Knots
* Captain Beefheart — Big Eyed Beans From Venus
* West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band — Truck Stop
* Influence — Dream Woman.
* 10cc — Feel The Benefit
* Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention — Muffin Man

Kate from Veggie Friendly
kapo.muxtape.com
* Pulp — Common People (Reminds me of when I could go out and dance all night)
* PJ Harvey — Big Exit (I just like that PJ can be tough and still sound beautiful)
* Breeders — Saints (Also reminds me of Uni, and makes me want to be on summer holidays)
* Bluetones — Bluetonic (This was given to me on a mix-tape and instantly stuck in my head.)
* St Thomas — A Long, Long Time (Because I am a sucker for melodic, catchy guitar pop with a Scandinavian bent.)
* Sufjan Stephens — Chicago (Because I am a sucker for melodic, orchestral pop that romanticises the Midwest.)
* Flaming Lips — Do You Realize? (I still think of J, the playing this on the guitar… and also reading it at our wedding.)
* Zero 7 — Warm Sound (this song makes me nostalgic for when I used to listen to music on record players because there were no ipods — or mix tapes)
* Nina Simone — See-line Woman (I love Nina Simone and I like to think it might have inspired son 10.)
* Lhorca — Indigo Blues (the double bass hooks me every time. This used to go on all my mix tapes.)
* Brazzaville — Foreign Disaster Days (Something I randomly stumbled on in my ipod about three weeks ago and keep coming back to.)
* Belle & Sebastian — The State I’m In (The line ‘And so I gave myself to God, there was a pregnant pause before he said OK’ is my all-time favourite lyric.)

Keri from This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours
kej.muxtape.com
Keri’s notes on her Muxtape can be found here.

Magic Bellybutton from Magic Bellybutton
magicbellybutton.muxtape.com
Magic Bellybutton’s notes on her Muxtape can be found here.

Samuel Gordon-Stewart from Samuel’s Blog
Had trouble with the Muxtape website and couldn’t upload his songs so here’s his playlist:
* Jo Stafford — A You’re Adorable
* Paul Kelly — Sydney from a 747
* Propellerheads — History Repeating
* The Seekers — The Carnival Is Over
* Beccy Cole — Poster Girl
* David Bowie — Starman
* Carly Simon — You’re So Vain
* Mark Knopfler — Going Home
* Soul Asylum — Stand Up and Be Strong
* Robert Palmer — Simply Irresistible
* Joe Cocker — Unchain My Heart
* Flanagan & Allen — Run Rabbit Run

Spock, a regular GrodsReader
spocks.muxtape.com
Spock sez: “I wanted to pick songs that weren’t necessarily my favourite, but gave a good indication of my music tastes. So it’s pretty diverse.
* Butterfly Boucher — I Can’t Make Me (Why she never had huge commercial success, I will never ever know….)
* Islands — Rough Gem (Quirky indie pop, just one of the most fun bits of music I have heard in a long time. Only recently dethroned as my most played song on iTunes.)
* U2 — Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (The band that first got me into music. This is a perfect example of what they can do at their best. Just really gets under your skin.)
* Imogen Heap — Closing In (Electro at its best. Creates a image with sound better then any real instruments ever could.)
* Electric President — Insomnia (Just wow. His voice isn’t for everyone, but musicly it’s genius.)
* Ryan Adams — Sylvia Plath (B-E-A-utiful)
* Lupe Fiasco — Little Weapon (Ft. Bishop G & Nikki Jean) (Patrick Stump, vocalist from Fall Out Boy produced this. Fantastic hip-hop about violet culture.)
* Hellogoodbye — Here (In Your Arms) (Pop genus.)
* Paramore — That’s What You Get (I don’t know why, but I’ve listened to this song a lot. I just really love it.)
* Jimmy Eat World — If You Don’t, Don’t (Best song from the best emo band)
* Fairyfloss — But The Boy Knew Nothing (I’ll be honest, this is just shameless self promotion. My own band, you’ll have to pass judgement on it. I’m a little biased because I gave birth to it.)
* The Beatles — You Never Give Me Your Money (The Beatles? Definitely hot!)”

Toaf from Tofu Notes
Is in Nairobi and has even worse internet access than Bigpond customers so here’s his playlist.
* Tim Rogers — Faith (from You Am I’s ‘Dress me slowly’ bonus disc, an awesome song about straightening yourself out after meeting an individual you can put your faith in.)
* Weddings Parties Anything — Rosy And Grey (a bewdiful cover of a song by Canadian band, ‘Lowest of the low’. A good mate of mine pulled together a band, the Cheeky Beers, and they played it at our wedding. The missus loves the oral sex references they drop in.)
* Beth Orton — Stolen Car (just cos I like it.)
* Gotan Project — Paris, Texas (my favourite Gotan track, a real cruisy one, impresses dinner guests.)
* The Fauves — Dirt-Bike Option (a ripper of a b-side about dirt-bikes and messiah complexes. I fucken love the Fauves.)
* Billy Bragg — Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards (maybe even his recent live versions which throw in a mention of Bush and co. Legendary. Could have chosen a dozen by Braggy.)
* Ben Harper — Excuse Me Mister (another political one, since I’m a lefty and all that.)
* TISM — I Might Be A Cunt But I’m Not A Fucking Cunt (cos it’s so true and it mentions James Hird.)
* Alistair Hulett — The Internationale’ in Gaelic (another lefty one.)
* You Am I — Purple Sneakers (again, could have picked a dozen. This one never gets old and reminds me of my rocken days in the 90s.)
* Pollyanna — Keep Me Guessing (ditto).
* Shihad — Wait And See (more rock for the masses. I really rate Shihad, especially live. Hope I get to see them again one day.)