40th Party in the Bar

It has taken me a while to post this. I was told about a month back that there was a 40th Birthday Party booked into the bar. So I spent some time having a think about how things may have moved on since I used to do the mobile side of the business. My thinking was that those youngsters now turning 40 were starting to enjoy their music in the late eighties. This was figured on the obvious logic that the birthday celebrant was born in 1971. I was pleased to have worked this out without a pencil. Back in the day, before 1971, this was called Mental Arithmetic. Presumably, to distinguish it from Insanely Psychotic Sums and other late Friday, double period delights.I digress.
Born in '71 means you hit your teen tribal years in 1987ish. Now this is when music changed again. Following the every decade their is a seismic shift in music patterns theory. Evidence being 67 was hippy stuff, 77 was punky and 87 was loved up. You might argue that 97 was the final victory of fabricated pop with the Spice Girls, Westlife etc becoming the norm and then in 2007 the collapse of all theories as downloading made everything available and kids now have Buble and Blur and Beatles and B.E.P. all on their shiny white i-pods. But I digress.
So I looked out tunes from '87 to '94. Quite a change as the rave years took hold, as Madchester ruled, as Chicago began to influence the airwaves, as the Stone Roses became Britain's biggest band and the first Britpop chords were strummed following the grunge years. You also have the stirrings of trip-hop and faintly in the distance the first sighting of the forefathers of drum n bass and dubstep in the guise of speed garage. America sent us the Daisy age of hip-hop, Arrested Development and early LLCoolJ and no return address. The shadow of New Order and The Smiths still fell across the dark corners of the pop world and t-shirts were fronted by James' flower. Prince, Pet Shop Boys, Pixies, Pavement and that's just from the least pop achieving letter in the alphabet. All around from '87 to '94. I had fun going back and re-appraising the late '80s. It was going to be a good night.

Tracklist here

Canned Heat (Calvin Harris Remix)	-	Jamiroquai
You Make My Dreams	-	Hall & Oates
Two Hearts	-	Phil Collins
It Only Takes A Minute	-	Take That
Space Cowboy (Morales Mix)	-	Jamiroquai
Fairground	-	Simply Red
Faith	-	George Michael
Long Train Running	-	The Doobie Brothers
Reelin In The Years	-	Steely Dan
Real Gone Kid	-	Deacon Blue
Let's Dance	-	David Bowie
Tinseltown In The Rain	-	The Blue Nile*
Don't You Want Me	-	The Human League
Sweet Dreams Tonight	-	Iglesias vs Eurythmics
Sometimes	-	Erasure
September	-	Earth Wind And Fire*
Funkytown	-	Lipps Inc.
The Only Way Is Up	-	Yazz*
Dreamer	-	Living Joy
S&M (Stargate & Sandy VeMix)	-	Rihanna
On The Floor	-	Jennifer Lopez
Into The Groove	-	Madonna
Don't Stop	-	Fleetwood Mac
Jenny Don't Be Hasty	-	Paolo Nutini
Tainted Love	-	Imelda May
(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear	-	Elvis Vs Spankox*
Ain't That A Shame	-	Fats Domino
A Hard Day's Night	-	The Beatles
Common People	-	Pulp
Show Me Love	-	Robin S
Ride On Time	-	Black Box
Let's Face The Music And Dance	-	Nat King Cole
All I Do Is Dream Of You	-	Michael Buble*
Come On Over To My Place	-	The Drifters
Signed Sealed Delivered	-	Stevie Wonder
December 63	-	Four Seasons*
Love Really Hurts Without You	-	Billy Ocean
Uptown Girl	-	Westlife
Toca's Prayer          ;	-	Fragma Vs Jovi
Summer Of 69	-	Bryan Adams
Mr Jones	-	Counting Crows*
Hey, Soul Sister	-	Train
Brimful Of Asha	-	Cornershop
Rocks	-	Primal Scream
S.O.S. (Lifeboat Vocal Mix)	-	ABBA
Daddy Cool (Moody And Dj Riz Mix)	-	Boney M
Higher	-	Taio Cruz
Rolling In The Deep (Jamie XX Remix)	-	Adele
Just The Way Penguins Are	-	Avicii
What's My Name	-	Rihanna
9-5	-	Dolly Parton*
You Can Call Me Al	-	Paul Simon
Black Velvet	-	Alannah Myles
Like A_Prayer	-	Madonna*
Girls On Film	-	Duran Duran
Personal Jesus	-	Depeche Mode*
Do Your Thing	-	Basement Jaxx
Ride On Time	-	Black Box
Satisfaction	-	Rolling Stones
Flashback	-	Calvin Harris
Listen To The Music	-	The Doobie Brothers*
Walking On Sunshine	-	Katrina And The Waves
Footloose	-	Kenny Loggins
Groove Is In The Heart	-	Deee Lite
Beyond The Sea	-	Bobby Darin
New York Anyone remember how to do those 'Spot the Difference' Competitions magazines used to run?  Was the crowd happy? Yes. Did they stay dancing till close? Yes Did the dj do his job? Yes First rule of djing. You always play to the crowd and not for yourself.   If I wished to play the songs in my introduction, I should set up my own alt 80s night.   Anyone else in???