Booth notebook

Session notes from the booth.

The lineup logic, the song notes, and the things I want you to hear, saved one session at a time.

Stored notes
120
Artists
18
Genres
18
Special turns
5
3 saved turns
Lineup logic first. Song notes right behind it.
Forward motion / crisp chargePlaylist noteApr 21, 20261:21 PM

Memory is setting the midday temperature on the dial.

Memory by Barry Manilow off Here Comes the Night (1982) is coming through with a steady shoulder-roll, a forward motion / crisp charge lean, and a touch of crisp charge. Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Memory
Barry Manilow
Here Comes the Night · 1982 · Pop, Rock
Lineup note
Memory into Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges

Memory by Barry Manilow off Here Comes the Night (1982) belongs here because Keeps the emotional pressure steady after Cortez the Killer by Neil Young & Crazy Horse and turns the color from 1970s into 2010s. Miles Davis is one of Ian's steadier shelf presences, so the pick already reads like a real hand.. Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges is waiting as the answer, so this record is doing more than setting a mood; it is shaping the turn.

Track context
Here Comes the Night · 1982

Memory comes through with a steady shoulder-roll and pop, rock around the edges, giving the sequence a 1980s depth instead of a quick disposable hit. The crowd response around Me And Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul suggests listeners are leaning toward texture and detail, not just impact.

Listen for
What to catch in the room

Listen for how Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges answers the color and pressure of the current record instead of simply matching its tempo. The real hook is in how the pop, rock grain keeps glowing even as the transition opens up.

Barry ManilowSatieMiles DavisPop, RockClassicalJazzforward motion / crisp chargemiddaycrisp chargePop, Rock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Memory
Barry Manilow
Why it fits

Memory by Barry Manilow lands here because Keeps the emotional pressure steady after Cortez the Killer by Neil Young & Crazy Horse and turns the color from 1970s into 2010s. Miles Davis is one of Ian's steadier shelf presences, so the pick already reads like a real hand.. The pop, rock edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match. Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges can step in after it without the handoff feeling pre-chewed.

Track context

On Here Comes the Night (1982), Memory shows Barry Manilow working in a 1980s pocket with pop, rock in the grain. The cut moves with a steady shoulder-roll, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it.

Listen for

Listen for the pop, rock texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. It also leaves a lane for Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges to arrive without the segue feeling forced.

02next
Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges
Satie
Why it fits

Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges answers Memory by Barry Manilow with a related tension instead of a copycat move, so the sequence keeps opening out. The classical edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match. Dialogue: 'It takes a long time...' can step in after it without the handoff feeling pre-chewed.

Track context

On Complete Piano Works, Volume 1 (1994), Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges shows Satie working in a 1990s pocket with classical in the grain. The cut moves with a slow-burn glide, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it.

Listen for

Listen for the classical texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. You can hear how it answers Memory without borrowing the same emotional weight. It also leaves a lane for Dialogue: 'It takes a long time...' to arrive without the segue feeling forced.

03later
Dialogue: 'It takes a long time...'
Miles Davis
Why it fits

Dialogue: 'It takes a long time...' answers Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges by Satie with a related tension instead of a copycat move, so the sequence keeps opening out. The jazz edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match.

Track context

On Miles Ahead: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2016), Dialogue: 'It takes a long time...' shows Miles Davis working in a 2010s pocket with jazz in the grain. The cut moves with a steady shoulder-roll, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it.

Listen for

Listen for the jazz texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. You can hear how it answers Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges without borrowing the same emotional weight.

Open saved booth copy

Mr Rassy is lining up Quatre Ogives: I. Les Anges by Satie off Complete Piano Works, Volume 1 (1994). It hit in 1994, it comes off Complete Piano Works, Volume 1, Classical on the edges. The transition feels clean and alive. Keeps the emotional pressure steady after Cortez the Killer by Neil Young & Crazy Horse and turns the color from 1970s into 2010s. Miles Davis is one of Ian's steadier shelf presences, so the pick already reads like a real hand.

Forward motionPlaylist noteApr 21, 202610:16 AM

It*s So Easy is setting the late morning temperature on the dial.

It*s So Easy by Guns N* Roses off Appetite for Destruction (1987) is coming through with a steady shoulder-roll, a open window lift / forward motion lean, and a touch of forward motion. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
It*s So Easy
Guns N* Roses
Appetite for Destruction · 1987 · Hard Rock
Lineup note
It*s So Easy into The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

It*s So Easy by Guns N* Roses off Appetite for Destruction (1987) belongs here because The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived by Taylor Swift and Faith (Remastered) by George Michael provide a fresh turn while maintaining pop, rock in the grain.. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived is waiting as the answer, so this record is doing more than setting a mood; it is shaping the turn.

Track context
Appetite for Destruction · 1987

It*s So Easy comes through with a steady shoulder-roll and hard rock around the edges, giving the sequence a 1980s depth instead of a quick disposable hit. The crowd response around Me And Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul suggests listeners are leaning toward texture and detail, not just impact.

Listen for
What to catch in the room

Listen for how The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived answers the color and pressure of the current record instead of simply matching its tempo. The real hook is in how the hard rock grain keeps glowing even as the transition opens up.

Guns N* RosesTaylor SwiftGeorge MichaelHard RockPop, Rockopen window lift / forward motionlate morningforward motionHard Rock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
It*s So Easy
Guns N* Roses
Why it fits

It*s So Easy by Guns N* Roses lands here because The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived by Taylor Swift and Faith (Remastered) by George Michael provide a fresh turn while maintaining pop, rock in the grain.. The hard rock edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived can step in after it without the handoff feeling pre-chewed.

Track context

On Appetite for Destruction (1987), It*s So Easy shows Guns N* Roses working in a 1980s pocket with hard rock in the grain. The cut moves with a steady shoulder-roll, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it.

Listen for

Listen for the hard rock texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. It also leaves a lane for The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived to arrive without the segue feeling forced.

02next
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
Taylor Swift
Why it fits

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived answers It*s So Easy by Guns N* Roses with a related tension instead of a copycat move, so the sequence keeps opening out. The pop, rock edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match. Faith (Remastered) can step in after it without the handoff feeling pre-chewed.

Track context

On THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY (2024), The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived shows Taylor Swift working in a 2020s pocket with pop, rock in the grain. The cut moves with a slow-burn glide, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it.

Listen for

Listen for the pop, rock texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. You can hear how it answers It*s So Easy without borrowing the same emotional weight. It also leaves a lane for Faith (Remastered) to arrive without the segue feeling forced.

03later
Faith (Remastered)
George Michael
Why it fits

Faith (Remastered) answers The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived by Taylor Swift with a related tension instead of a copycat move, so the sequence keeps opening out. The pop, rock edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match.

Track context

On George Michael & Wham! Last Christmas: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2019), Faith (Remastered) shows George Michael working in a 2010s pocket with pop, rock in the grain. The cut moves with a steady shoulder-roll, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it.

Listen for

Listen for the pop, rock texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. You can hear how it answers The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived without borrowing the same emotional weight.

Open saved booth copy

Mr Rassy is lining up The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived by Taylor Swift off THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY (2024). It hit in 2024, it comes off THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY, Pop, Rock on the edges. The transition feels clean and alive. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived by Taylor Swift and Faith (Remastered) by George Michael provide a fresh turn while maintaining pop, rock in the grain.

Open window lift / bright mischiefPlaylist noteApr 21, 202610:07 AMDeep shelf driftdeep cuts

Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) is setting the late morning temperature on the dial.

Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) by Talking Heads off Remain in Light (Deluxe Version) (1980) is coming through with a candlelit drift, a open window lift / bright mischief lean, and a touch of bright mischief. If I Fell is already changing how the current record reads.

Record in focus
Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium)
Talking Heads
Remain in Light (Deluxe Version) · 1980 · Rock
Programming
Deep shelf drift

The album tracks and side doors, not the obvious front window.

Lineup note
Deep shelf drift

Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) by Talking Heads off Remain in Light (Deluxe Version) (1980) belongs here because The Day I Tried To Live (Rehearsal Version) by Soundgarden and If I Fell by The Beatles provide a sharp two-step that maintains the emotional arc without sounding automatic or one-note.. If I Fell is waiting as the answer, so this record is doing more than setting a mood; it is shaping the turn.

Track context
Remain in Light (Deluxe Version) · 1980

Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) comes through with a candlelit drift and rock around the edges, giving the sequence a 1980s depth instead of a quick disposable hit. The crowd response around Me And Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul suggests listeners are leaning toward texture and detail, not just impact.

Listen for
What to catch in the room

Listen for how If I Fell answers the color and pressure of the current record instead of simply matching its tempo. The real hook is in how the rock grain keeps glowing even as the transition opens up.

Talking HeadsThe BeatlesSoundgardenRockPop, Rockopen window lift / bright mischieflate morningbright mischiefRock
Session map
3 stored song notes
01now
Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium)
Talking Heads
Why it fits

Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) by Talking Heads lands here because The Day I Tried To Live (Rehearsal Version) by Soundgarden and If I Fell by The Beatles provide a sharp two-step that maintains the emotional arc without sounding automatic or one-note.. The rock edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match. If I Fell can step in after it without the handoff feeling pre-chewed.

Track context

On Remain in Light (Deluxe Version) (1980), Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) shows Talking Heads working in a 1980s pocket with rock in the grain. The cut moves with a candlelit drift, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it. Inside Deep shelf drift, it reads as curation rather than stunt programming.

Listen for

Listen for the rock texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. It also leaves a lane for If I Fell to arrive without the segue feeling forced.

02next
If I Fell
The Beatles
Why it fits

If I Fell keeps deep shelf drift honest by sounding like a real choice inside that lane, not a decorative gesture. The rock edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match. The Day I Tried To Live (Rehearsal Version) can step in after it without the handoff feeling pre-chewed.

Track context

On A Hard Day’s Night (1964), If I Fell shows The Beatles working in a 1960s pocket with rock in the grain. The cut moves with a steady shoulder-roll, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it. Inside Deep shelf drift, it reads as curation rather than stunt programming.

Listen for

Listen for the rock texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. You can hear how it answers Houses in Motion (Live at Werchterpark Festival, Belgium) without borrowing the same emotional weight. It also leaves a lane for The Day I Tried To Live (Rehearsal Version) to arrive without the segue feeling forced.

03later
The Day I Tried To Live (Rehearsal Version)
Soundgarden
Why it fits

The Day I Tried To Live (Rehearsal Version) keeps deep shelf drift honest by sounding like a real choice inside that lane, not a decorative gesture. The pop, rock edge gives the turn a more precise contour than a plain mood match.

Track context

On Superunknown (Deluxe Edition - 4CD) (1994), The Day I Tried To Live (Rehearsal Version) shows Soundgarden working in a 1990s pocket with pop, rock in the grain. The cut moves with a steady shoulder-roll, which is why it can hold this turn without flattening it. Inside Deep shelf drift, it reads as curation rather than stunt programming.

Listen for

Listen for the pop, rock texture in the pocket, especially in the way the arrangement keeps color moving under the lead. You can hear how it answers If I Fell without borrowing the same emotional weight.

Open saved booth copy

Mr Rassy is lining up If I Fell by The Beatles off A Hard Day’s Night (1964). It hit in 1964, it comes off A Hard Day’s Night, Rock on the edges. The transition feels clean and alive. Deep shelf drift is opening up. The Day I Tried To Live (Rehearsal Version) by Soundgarden and If I Fell by The Beatles provide a sharp two-step that maintains the emotional arc without sounding automatic or one-note.