The Robot Wisdom jukebox

Jorn Barger August 2005 (updated Dec2005)


As the guy who coined the term 'weblog', I wanna propose that this Flash app makes mp3-blogging practical for the first time. The basic features are identical to the archetypal weblog: you link your good finds in reverse order, and people who like your taste check in regularly to hear what you've found, checking them in order, skipping ones they already know, and when they hear something they want to investigate further, jumping to this page for a link.

Eventually, this sort of jukebox needs to be built into the browser toolbar, with the ability to load playlists from arbitrary URLs.

I'll try to implement an RSS feed sooner or later.

NEW: Faked rss feed via Wytheville Comm'ty College (or another via xmlhub)

[Flash app source]

I trust there'll be a million versions of this Flash app released this year, some of which will fit in a single wide line rather than a 280*280 lump.

Some other sites that use it: O'Poverty, Red Chuck, JustPlain, Tarrying, Jeffothy, Mamoute, No Rest, Wing Wing, Reeferman

Free Pandora stations: loopy, noisy, samba

Excellent WebJay playlists version with lots more tunes: A-sides, B-sides


Most mp3s were traced via Yahoo Audio Search (none are hosted here):

To remind myself of things to search for I used my old musical autobiography. About half the things I looked for I couldn't find: Stewart/Gaskin, Fraser & DeBolt, early Mary Coughlan, Michael Hurley, Mystikal's Danger, Cyndi Lauper's Girls, Britney's first hit, TLC's No Scrubs.

[xml playlist]


  1. Rufus Wainwright: What'll I Do

  2. Cure/Bjork mashup

  3. Booka Shade: Body Language

  4. CharliePoole:WhiteHouseBlues

  5. Pretenders:Needle+TheDamageDone

  6. Simon+Garfunkel:SoLongFrankLloydWright

  7. Serena Maneesh: Un Deux

  8. DetSvenskaFolket:BeatlesOverMonopoly

  9. Bukka White: Shake 'em on Down

  10. Robert Palmer: The Silver Gun

  11. AnthonyMarinelli:HerbAlpert remix

  12. Wax Tailor: Que Sera

  13. Scars Prime: Isfertal

  14. Mimetic Field: Overact

  15. Lais

  16. Jel: Nice Last

  17. Alex Tucker: Patron Saint Of Troubled Men

  18. unknown Chinese instrumental

  19. Mittens on Strings: Last Shot

  20. X Plastaz: Masai rap

  21. CSNY: Country Girl live

  22. Dntel: Rock My Boat

  23. Orchestra Guenter Gollasch: House Of The Rising Sun

  24. Nino Rota: Juliet of the Spirits

  25. The Red Painting: Tears For Fears cover

  26. Ely Guerra: Suzanne Vega cover (again)

  27. Ready Steady Go

  28. Prefuse 73: Weight Watching

  29. The Drones: Go Kid Go

  30. Kid Koala + Dynomite D: An Elegy

  31. Kate Bush: How To Be Invisible

  32. Sun Ra / Blues Project: Penguin's Umbrella

  33. Tallis Scholars: Lord's Prayer in Serbian

  34. Rebels Quartet: Jubilee's A-Comin'

  35. El-G: Au grand dam du jour

  36. Sleepy.Ab: Traveling Fair

  37. firestARTer: Cute Invasion (live)

  38. Ice Cream Creatures: A Star in my Hand

  39. Nogu Svelo: Moscow Romance

  40. Tallis Scholars: Versa est in Luctum

  41. Bettye LaVette: Down To Zero

  42. Okyan.us

  43. Amadou+Mariam: Senegal Fast Food

  44. Stimmhorn: Wududu

  45. Gonzales: Let's Groove Again

  46. Air: Cherry Blossom Girl

  47. Panic at the Disco: Build God, then We'll Talk

  48. Jose Gonzales: Heartbeats

  49. Laura Veirs: Galaxies

  50. 1967 Beatles Xmas fanclub 45

  51. Israel Kamakawiwo Ole: Somewhere Over the Rainbow

  52. Cotton Club Singers: Jingle Bells

  53. Sharpshooters: Japanese Mathematics

  54. Dim Dim: Ploka

  55. Mr Scruff: Get a Move On

  56. Fingathing: Walk in Space

  57. Shout out out out: NobdyCallsMeUnlssTheyWantSmthng

  58. Encre: Une nuit a ciel ouvert (live)

  59. tATu: All the Things She Said

  60. Tegan and Sara: Walking with a Ghost

  61. Pinback: Fortress

  62. Curtain Society: Sleigh Ride

  63. Matmos: The Struggle Against Reality Begins

  64. Wir Sind Helden: Von Hier An Blind

  65. Nous Non Plus: Fille Atomique

  66. Dido: White Flag

  67. Skalpel: Deep Breath

  68. Arto Tuncboyaciyan: Tear of Dignity

  69. Timesbold: ee cummings

  70. Singing Holmes Family: The Wanderer

    They're pretending to yodel!

  71. Loobke: Waterlove

  72. Leo Kottke: 8 Miles High (1968)

  73. Shirley Temple: You Gotta Eat Your Spinach

  74. Elliott Smith: Waltz #1 demo

  75. Guitaro: Luna

  76. Aitanna77: Love is Colder Than Death

  77. Henry Flower: Secret History

  78. Hedningarna: Forest Maiden

  79. Mystikal: Danger (xrated)

  80. Christina Rosenvinge: 36

  81. Iasis: Xeimwniatikos Hlios

  82. N.Khpourgos-G.Kosmos: Tzim

  83. G.Bregovic-C.Evora: Ausencia

  84. Kid Loco: Relaxin with Cherry

  85. Meav: The Waves of Tory

  86. MariaMarquez-F.Harris: Campesina

  87. Sabres of Paradise: Wilmot

  88. Django Reinhardt: Minor Swing

  89. Jozsef Attila: Harmatocska

  90. The Fiery Furnaces: Quay Cur

  91. Psy (S.Korea's Eminem)

  92. Faith+Disease:ThisPartOfFortuneLies

  93. Radio City w/Bajka: The Hop

  94. Head Like a Kite: Tell Mommy

  95. Debussy: Clair de Lune

  96. Black Dice: Endless Happiness

  97. Mig: Au nord de mon enfance

  98. Kinn Lakara?

  99. Murcof: Mir

  100. Daedelus: Mashnote [del]

  101. Phoenix: If I Ever Feel Better [del]

  102. Dendemann: German rap [del]

  103. incident report (found audio) [del]

  104. The White Birch: Your Spain [del]

  105. Lemon Jelly: Nice Weather For Ducks [del]

  106. Rachel Ries: You Only [info]

  107. Downy: Ichi (loud!) [info]

  108. Midlake: Paper Gown

  109. Savath and Savalas Paulo

  110. Anders Ilar: Sand (part 1)

  111. Renault V10 engine: We are the Champions

  112. Civilization IV: Baba Yetu

  113. Gayamyan: Chinese unknown

  114. Gayamyan: Chinese unknown 2

  115. Anthony Wong: I Don't Wanna Grow Up

  116. Dept of Eagles:Chomsky SpringBreak2002

  117. Audrey Hepburn: Moon River

  118. bluegrass PinkFloyd: Breathe in the Air

  119. Dorit Chrysler: Tundra

  120. Essex Green: Mountain Song

  121. Stars: Ageless Beauty (MSR remix)

  122. The Boredoms: Super Are (noise)

  123. JoannaNewsom:Bridges+Balloons(PocketMix)

  124. Edmund Welles:'Creep' for woodwinds

  125. The Knife: One for One

  126. Daigoro: Sleepy Fish (trance) [source]

  127. Hanne Hukkelberg: Ease[source]

  128. Murcof: Una [source]

  129. (The Real) Tuesday Weld: Bathtime in Clerkenwell [WFMU]

  130. Albert Einstein briefly explains E=mc2

    This is really him.

  131. Richard Feynman vividly explains QED

    This is really him playing bongos.

  132. Jelly Roll Morton: Maple Leaf Rag

  133. Spaghetti Western String Co: Granias

  134. Tin Hat Trio: Happy Hour

  135. Clogs: Limp Waltz

  136. Cocteau Twins: Heaven or Las Vegas

  137. N.Korean children's radio via WFMU [WFMU]

  138. Leaves Eyes: Norwegian Lovesong (clip)

  139. Elliott Smith: Waltz #2 (live) [more]

  140. Maxwell's R+B Kate Bush cover [more]

  141. Elvis Costello: Lost in the Stars

  142. Roy Harper: Francesca (1:19) [more]

  143. Bill Frisell: Song for Ginsberg (sample) [more]

  144. Dengue Fever: Hold My Hips [more]

  145. Patrick Vian: Grosse Nacht Musik [WFMU]

  146. Thee More Shallows: Walk of Shame [more]

  147. Bell Orchestre: Throw it on a Fire [source]

  148. Octopus Project: Music is Happiness [source]

  149. Over the Rhine: Faithfully Dangerous [more]

  150. Osamu Kitajima: Benzaiten (instrumental) [WFMU]

  151. Laura Veirs: John Henry

  152. Ritual Space Travel Agency: Death to the Bloodstained Giant [more]

  153. Moolah: Crystal Waters [WFMU]

  154. Palestinian rap [more]

  155. TigerLillies/Kronos: Hipdeep Family [source]

  156. Dead Can Dance: The Host of Seraphim

  157. Múm: There's That Fear Again (France) [more]

  158. Imogen Heap: Meantime [more]

  159. Goldfrapp: Deer Stop

  160. Barbra Streisand: Bagdad Cafe excerpt

  161. Sean Paul: Get Busy [source]

  162. Edith Frost: On Hold [more]

  163. Patti Smith: Dancing Barefoot

    My themesong.

  164. Hedningarna: Toadeater

    Not all Hedningarna has these wonderful vocalists.

  165. Massive Attack: Protection

  166. Norah Jones: Come Away With Me

  167. Enya: Caribbean Blue

    People hate her because it's too beautiful!?!

  168. Billie Holiday: Strange Fruit

  169. Bulgarian Voices: untitled

  170. Thelonious Monk: Epistrophy

  171. Blu Cantrell: Hit 'Em Up Style

  172. Portishead: Roads

  173. Aboriginal rain-dreaming ceremony from WFMU [more]

  174. Matt Wand?: electronica prank from WFMU [more]

  175. Grateful Dead: Estimated Prophet (10-29-77) [more]

    Weir sounds like he's hanging on by his fingernails.

  176. Neil Young: Don't Let It Bring You Down

  177. CSNY: Deja Vu [more]

  178. Nena: 99 Luftballoons

  179. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Mr Bojangles [source]

  180. JoniM: Rainy Night House [source] [my fanpage]

  181. Joni Mitchell: For Free [source] [my fanpage]

  182. Joni Mitchell: Woodstock [source]

  183. X Cetra: well-produced preteen surrealism [info]

  184. 15yo Jodie Foster: La Vie C'est Chouette [info]

  185. Ethel Waters: Am I Blue [more]

  186. Leonard Cohen: Suzanne

  187. Resonator: neural-net generated [more] [info]

  188. Phoebe Snow: Poetry Man

  189. Donovan: Ferris Wheel

    Early Donovan has been overlooked-- it was dreamy poetic erotic.

  190. Mary Coughlan: Wild and Free [my fanpage]

    This song is bland, just here to show her amazing voice.

  191. Incredible String Band: Water [my fanpage]

  192. Kate Bush: Lord of the Reedy River

  193. Kate Bush: December Will Be Magic Again

    There's a much better version of this available commercially.

  194. Kate Bush: Hot in the Ice

    Amazing unreleased juvenilia.

  195. Joni Mitchell: Amelia [my fanpage]

  196. Bob Dylan: Don't Think Twice

  197. Jefferson Airplane: Lather

  198. English Beat: Mirror in the Bathroom

    This is my nominee for most-impossible-to-resist-dancing-to song ever.

  199. Bob Marley: No Woman, No Cry

  200. Melanie: Candles in the Rain

  201. James Joyce: Finnegans Wake excerpt

  202. Tori Amos: Happy Phantom

  203. Enya: Orinoco Flow

  204. Paul McCartney: Maybe I'm Amazed

  205. Elvis Costello: Watching the Detectives

    This version sounds feeble these days-- someone needs to pump the rage back in.


Poll:

The primary goal of the jukebox is to introduce you to artists you might have missed. The secondary goal is to offer access to music you like but haven't heard for a while.

Questions to answer after you've sampled all you mean to sample:

How many of the 30-40 samples here make you want to explore the artist more?

How many of the 30-40 samples here were nice to hear again?

How many were too familiar to endure again?

How many do you just not like?

[view results]


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