Ain’t no fun if my homies can’t have none

I have spoken numerous times about the joys and distractions that the humble MP3 player has introduced to the music lovers of the world. Ubiquitous and omnipresent, the way we consume music has changed forever, or at least been enhanced in new and wonderful ways. There will be further musical technology revolutions for sure, but here is one that has actually changed social dynamics. When was the last time you stepped out without seeing someone plugged in to their own musical world? I too with my daily stroll to and from work am accompanied by my music collection, dragging out the minutes before the desk chains snap shut, and egging me on to post-work enjoyment.

And I have recently been experimenting with how I receive this music, challenging myself to a ridiculous task, namely starting at “a” and working through every song through to “z”. I don’t know how far I’ll get. I don’t even know if there are enough hours in the day or days in the week to achieve this through biped commutes alone. However, it is interesting. And this morning I hit upon, quite by chance, a brilliant run of tunes, tied improbably together by the opening word of the title, the word “Ain’t” (I told you I had a long way still to go). It struck me at the time that here was a weird serendipity also, because many of the songs were from favourite long players. What are the odds? And so I thought I’d share it as an alternative approach to creating a playlist. Forget genres, I’m taking this to the lexicographic level fools!

First up, “Ain’t But The One” by Aretha Franklin from her recent “Rare and Unreleased recordings from the Queen of Soul”, and featuring Ray Charles. A great song from a sheer treasure of a collection. Followed by “Ain’t Cha”, Clipse’s skittering ego trip from the superb “Hell Hath No Fury”. “Ain’t It Hard” from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings’ “Dap Dappin with…”, grooved in next, to be upstaged by Jay-Z’s unplugged rendition of “Ain’t No Love”. A completely different take on the sentiment came next through Jennifer Lara’s sweet soul reggae “Ain’t No Love”, and then back to the source with Bobby Bland’s original “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City”. Stunning. Classic Curtis next, “Ain’t No Love Lost”, and then the first of three Marvin Gaye gems with the epic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” this time alongside Tammi Terrell. Jigga back with the stalwart “Ain’t No Nigga” with Foxy Brown from “Reasonable Doubt”, and then Michael Jackson’s brilliant take on Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”, before a more modern funk with Outkast’s “Ain’t No Thang” from debut offering “Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik” (still as fresh a debut as you’ll ever hear).

Then Aretha returns with the heart-breaking brilliance of “Ain’t No Way”, a song to make anyone stop in their tracks with its aching grace and sentiment, before a modern take on classic soul with the under-stated yet quite brilliant work of Anthony Hamilton with his title track from the great “Ain’t Nobody Worryin” set, an overlooked recent classic. Another classic, this time more celebrated with Gwen Guthrie’s “Ain’t Nothin Going On (but the rent)”, a ridiculous groove if ever there was one, before Marvin and Tammi return with the touching sweetness of “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing”. Gladly The Roots are also represented in the list with the storming archetype of The Roots sound on “Ain’t Saying Nothing New” from the stellar “Things Fall Apart” album, before another forgotten genius picks up the reins with Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s bluesy funk stomper “Ain’t That A Bitch”. And then for the final straight more inspiration as Jeru kicks “Ain’t The Devil Happy”, The Temptations slay the floor with “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”, until finally we find ourselves at the end of this wonderful list, the best walk to work I have ever had.

And the conclusion? Well let’s just put it like this “You’re back now at the jack-off hour, this is DJ Eeeeeasy dick….”. MP3s and headphones might put you in a world of your own, but the trick is to share the love. You know it ain’t no fun, if my homies can’t have none, right?