The Art of Compilation CD Making

So I'm pretty excited about my new creation of the '05 Summer CD. Back in '03, I made a the infamous "Hot '03 Summer CD" for me and a bunch of my boys at Camp McCall--the Royal Ambassador camp I worked at in the upstate of SC for 3 summers. It was a mix of songs that had memories tied to them from random road trips, riding up and down downtown Greenville's "strip" belting at the top of our lungs songs such as Boyz II Men "End of the Road," Another Bad Creation "Iesha" and "Playground," LFO "Summer Girls," and Marc Cohn "Walking in Memphis" to name a few. To say the least, it was a huge hit and all of us still listen to it to this day and are taken back to wonderful memories of the summers we spent together making the biggest fools out of ourselves that anyone could make. Anyway, a bunch of us have been keeping up w/ each other through fantasy baseball that started last year. The message board is the biggest thing we care about except that we love to talk all kinds of trash to each other w/ regards to the standings in the league and what not. I know I keep running off on small tangents here, but just a little background wouldn't hurt. Ok, so one of my friends suggested that we should all start putting in ideas/requests for a new summer cd that I could "make myself useful and create for the whole league" and then mail them out to everyone. Now, it is only my friend Andy who is out here w/ me in Waco and everyone else is back in South Carolina. However, I did not have to think twice about this!

(no reason for a new paragraph except I just felt the other one was getting long and it would look better if I started a new one)

I am only positively sure about a few things in life, but one thing I have always been sure about all my life is that God has instilled w/in me a passion for making all kinds of different compilation cds for all different purposes. And, on top of that, he has indeed blessed me w/ the ability to comprehend at a young age the subtle, yet complex and crucial art of making a good compilation cds. I have a couple of roommates that have also been blessed w/ this gift and it is always great to discuss certain cds that we are making for a certain occassion or a certain someone. It's all about flow, transitions, and using other people's poetry to speak for you in a way that can make a grown man cry. It may seem inane to some people, but for me, I thank God everyday that he blessed me in this way. Maybe another time I'll elaborate on all this even more, but I'm sure all who are reading this and have been specially picked by God to share in this beautiful art ability already understand what I'm talking about.

This '05 Summer CD is special in that it is a double cd. While I've been working on the cds, God spoke to me in a vision about what the names of the cds should be. Here is the account: As I was thinking of a name for Summer CD pt. 1, God revealed to me in a vision what appeared like a golden cd glowing in all its majesty and inscribed on it were 2 pictures: 1) a man dressed in an apron of great splendor w/ tools of immaculate stainless steel and ladies of the highest calibur and measurements walking around as if God had willed them to be too sexy and to display his grace in the aquatic habitat that continuously glistens from their bodies, and 2) a very relaxed man, as if he had truly come to know what God intended summer to be, lying in a hammock w/ sunglasses on, a drink beside him w/ the most refreshing condensation droplets forming on the outside of the glass adorned w/ an umbrella of tiny (yet crucial) stature, a lady (refer to above description), and a faithful dog beside him for company. When mine eyes fell upon these pictures, a voice sounding like a double-edged Kanife, yet as soft as a kitten, whispered the words, "grillin'...chillin'..." Therefore, on this day I proclaim to you that I have been to the mountaintop and mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord and the summer cd he has called me to produce and willed to be named "Grillin' n' Chillin'." So it is, and so it shall be, as God has commanded and according to his divine will...

So, there it is. The first cd is one that is truly chill and is perfect for summer grill-outs, light competitve physical activities (during such grill-outs or picnics), on the beach, etc. The second cd is one that is filled w/ songs of memories of yore (80s and 90s, some current) that should not be sung below the yelling decibel. Oh yeah, and the name of the second cd is "Top Down at the Top of Your Lungs." Well, that's all I got right now and I need to go to bed so I can do well on my New Testament Greek Test tomorrow morning! Holla up at JC for me around 9am (cst)!

I hope all who reads this has a great day and may God bless the world!