So I’d said before that I’d made an attempt to compile a Genius list based on something like “Zoot Suit Riot” and got nothing but jazz songs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for. Still, I thought I’d give it another chance with a swing number, this time “Jump, Jive & Wail” by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. And the results were much more interesting. First, as listed:
1. “Jump, Jive & Wail” – The Brian Setzer Orchestra
2. “You and Me and the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight” – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
3. “What You Need” – INXS
4. “Tush” – ZZ Top
5. “Burning Down the House” – Talking Heads
6. “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” – They Might Be Giants
7. “Late In the Evening” – Paul Simon
8. “Something To Talk About” – Bonnie Raitt
9. “I Wanna Be Like You” – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
10. “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
That’s different from the previous attempt. Maybe having Brian Setzer be a part of if gets it tagged more as “classic rock” than anything jazz-related, with some obvious swing stuff thrown in to make it feel right. Moving on to the list as played:
1. “Jump, Jive & Wail” – The Brian Setzer Orchestra
2. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – The Police
3. “Ding Dong Daddy of the D-Car Line” – Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
4. “Statesboro Blues” – Allman Brothers
5. “Rocky Mountain Way” – Joe Walsh
6. “The Longest Time” – Billy Joel
7. “She Drives Me Crazy” – Fine Young Cannibals
8. “Rock n Roll Hoochie Koo” – Rick Derringer
9. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” – Elvis Presley
10. “Cat Scratch Fever” – Ted Nugent
Gotta admire the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies/Allman Brothers pairing. That’s genre crossing we can believe in. I take back a little bit more of what I’ve said about Genius’ limitations.